GENERATING ELECTRICITY & THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT

Size: px
Start display at page:

Download "GENERATING ELECTRICITY & THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT"

Transcription

1 GENERATING ELECTRICITY & THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT How is electricity generated? Make electricity using: solenoid (coil of wire) wire with alligator clips magnet galvanometer Draw and label a diagram showing how you made electricity. So, we generate electricity by. How do we make electricity on a bigger scale? We have to find a way to spin a magnet inside a coil of wire. We can use or _, or to spin a turbine and do this work. Many of the ways that use steam heat the water by like coal. Burning Fossil Fuels: Coal, Oil, Gas Fossil fuels are formed from dead plants and animals in swamps and oceans that sunk and got buried and compressed. They can be burned to heat water and produce steam. Burning fossil fuels releases into the atmosphere

2 Why is producing carbon dioxide not good for the environment? First we need to look at what scientists have called the Greenhouse Effect. What is a greenhouse? How does a greenhouse feel inside? Why is some greenhouse effect a good thing? Why is too much greenhouse effect a bad thing? THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT & THE MAIN GREENHOUSE GASES Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) are gases in the atmosphere that and keep it from escaping back into space Carbon dioxide (CO2) Released through natural processes such as respiration and volcanic eruptions and through human activities such as, and burning. Humans have increased atmospheric CO2 by 42% since the Industrial Revolution began.

3 Methane (CH4) Produced through the decomposition of wastes in, (especially rice farming), raising for food (ruminant digestion and manure), and producing and transporting. A much more powerful GHG than CO2, but much abundant in the atmosphere. Nitrous Oxide (N2O) Released from and burning. A much more powerful GHG than CO2, but much less abundant in the atmosphere. Water vapor (H2O) The _ abundant greenhouse gas The warmer the air the more water it can hold the more it can trap heat the warmer the air the more water it can hold etc. Human activities do not contribute much to adding this GHG to the atmosphere (but by causing warming to happen, we re increasing it ) What are other ways that electricity can be generated? Looking at the list above, which ways of generating electricity are CLEAN? Clean means that no greenhouse gases like CO2 are produced. Think back to the lesson on the carbon cycle Underline the steps of the carbon cycle that put CO2 into the atmosphere. Now, look back again and circle the steps of the carbon cycle that humans contribute to. Cellular Respiration Photosynthesis Consuming plants and animals Death and decomposition Parts of living things becoming part of sedimentary rock Dissolving into ocean water Sinking from surface ocean to deep ocean Moving with ocean currents Coming out of ocean water Burning plants or burning fossil fuels Volcanic eruption

4 CLIMATE CHANGE NASA Earth Minute Videos: Earth has a Fever, Sea Level Rise, Usual Suspects Why do we care that climate change is happening? Caused by Climate Change Shifting patterns Sea Ice Melting Land Ice (_) Melting Land Ice (_) Changing Chemistry Effect More violent Higher temperatures _ sea level More absorption of heat Changes to rivers Frozen dead plants and animals in the ground are thawed & decompose Warmer water can hold more Results Death and destruction of buildings/homes/farms Winds, flooding & erosion Trouble growing Not enough Increased risk Death and destruction of homes/farms Spread of disease/illness (fatal for some people) Spread of some (e.g. those carried by mosquitoes) Damaging habitat of polar bears and people Damaging habitat of coastal Loss of buildings/homes/farms near coasts Entire under water Salt water seeping into sources of Makes climate change happen Flooding, sea level increases Changes to water available for are produced when they decompose (both are GHGs!) More CO2 in water makes it more Coral reefs and organisms with are damaged by the acidity

5