CLIMATE CHANGE Environmental Policy (GEOG776/PA776) Spring Lecture No. 7 March 9 th, Amir Gohar OUTLINE

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1 San Francisco State University School of Public Affairs and Civic Engagement (PACE) CLIMATE CHANGE Environmental Policy (GEOG776/PA776) Spring 2018 Lecture No. 7 March 9 th, 2018 Amir Gohar 1 OUTLINE Definitions Climate Change Examples Climate Change Causes Climate Change Solutions Short Video (Yellowstone National Park) Homework questions: From Lecture Notes From the Short Video From the reading material 2 1

DEFINITION Climate Change is a change in global or regional climate patterns, in particular a change apparent from the mid to late 20th century onwards

2 DEFINITION Climate Change is a change in global or regional climate patterns, in particular a change apparent from the mid to late 20th century onwards and attributed largely to the increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by the use of fossil fuels. 3 CLIMATE CHANGE EVIDENCE & EXAMPLES 4 2

3 Olympian Land Changes in South Korea 5 December 25 th 2018 November 23 rd 2017 February 2018 April 2013 Largest California Fire in Modern History 6 3

4 Iceberg shatters after breaking off Pine Island Glacier 7 October 11 th, 2017 September 25 th 2017 January 2 nd 2018 September 21 st 2017 Wildfires burn Northern California's wine country 8 4

5 Oil Well Fire in Iraq 9 December 2017 November 1988 September 29 th, 2017 June 18 th 2014 Glacier loss in New Guinea 10 5

6 Mumbai's mangroves both lose and gain ground 11 October 2016 November 1986 December 2017 November 1988 Deforestation near Pucallpa, Peruvian Amazon 12 6

7 Landslide in Southern Kyrgyzstan 13 February 10, 2017 January 10, 2017 May 2017 April 2017 Ethiopian volcano Erta Ale erupts 14 7

Many of these gases occur naturally, but

8 WHAT IS CAUSING CLIMATE CHANGE GREENHOUSE GASES Some gases in the Earth's atmosphere act a bit like the glass in a greenhouse, trapping the sun's heat and stopping it from leaking back into space. Many of these gases occur naturally, but human activity is increasing the concentrations of some of them in the atmosphere, in particular: carbon dioxide (CO2) Methane Nitrous Oxide Fluorinated gases 16 8

Other greenhouse gases are emitted in smaller quantities, but they trap heat far more effectively than CO2, and in some cases are thousands of times stronger.

9 1. GREENHOUSE GASES CO2 is the greenhouse gas most commonly produced by human activities and it is responsible for 64% of manmade global warming. Its concentration in the atmosphere is currently 40% higher than it was when industrialization began. Other greenhouse gases are emitted in smaller quantities, but they trap heat far more effectively than CO2, and in some cases are thousands of times stronger. Methane is responsible for 17% of man-made global warming, nitrous oxide for 6% HUMAN PRACTICES a) Burning coal, oil and gas produces carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide. b) Cutting down forests (deforestation). Trees help to regulate the climate by absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere. So when they are cut down, that beneficial effect is lost and the carbon stored in the trees is released into the atmosphere. 18 9

2. HUMAN PRACTICES c) Increasing livestock farming: Cows and sheep produce large amounts of methane when they digest their food d) Fertilizers containing nitrogen produce nitrous

Thankfully these are released in smaller quantities and are being phased down by EU 19 3. GLOBAL WARMING The current global average temperature is 0.

The world's leading climate scientists think human activities are almost certainly the main cause of the warming observed since the middle of the 20th century.

10 2. HUMAN PRACTICES c) Increasing livestock farming: Cows and sheep produce large amounts of methane when they digest their food d) Fertilizers containing nitrogen produce nitrous oxide emissions. e) Fluorinated gases: produce a warming effect, up to 23,000 times greater than CO2. Thankfully these are released in smaller quantities and are being phased down by EU GLOBAL WARMING The current global average temperature is 0.85ºC higher than it was in the late 19th century. Each of the past three decades has been warmer than any preceding decade since records began in The world's leading climate scientists think human activities are almost certainly the main cause of the warming observed since the middle of the 20th century. An increase of 2 C compared to the temperature in pre-industrial times is seen by scientists as the threshold beyond which there is a much higher risk that dangerous and possibly catastrophic changes in the global environment will occur. For this reason, the international community has recognized the need to keep warming below 2 C

3. GLOBAL WARMING 21 4. THE EARTH NATURAL CLIMATE CYCLE Over the last 800,000 years, there have been natural cycles in the Earth s climate, between ice ages and warmer interglacial periods.

11 3. GLOBAL WARMING THE EARTH NATURAL CLIMATE CYCLE Over the last 800,000 years, there have been natural cycles in the Earth s climate, between ice ages and warmer interglacial periods. After the last ice age 20,000 years ago, average global temperature rose by about 3 C to 8 C, over a period of about 10,000 years. We can link the rises in temperature over the last 200 years to rises in atmospheric CO2 levels. Greenhouse gas levels are now well above the natural cycle of the last 800,000 years

SOLUTIONS 23 1- FOREGO FOSSIL FUELS Eliminating the burning of coal, oil and, eventually, natural gas.

12 SOLUTIONS FOREGO FOSSIL FUELS Eliminating the burning of coal, oil and, eventually, natural gas. This is perhaps the most daunting challenge as denizens of richer nations literally eat, wear, work, play and even sleep on the products made from such fossilized sunshine. And citizens of developing nations want and arguably deserve the same comforts, which are largely thanks to the energy stored in such fuels

2- INFRASTRUCTURE UPGRADE Buildings worldwide contribute around one third

alone), even though investing in thicker insulation and other

run. Electric grids are at capacity or overloaded, but power demands

And bad roads can lower the fuel economy of even the most efficient

Investing in new infrastructure, or radically upgrading existing highways

economic growth in developing countries.

13 2- INFRASTRUCTURE UPGRADE Buildings worldwide contribute around one third of all greenhouse gas emissions (43% in the U.S. alone), even though investing in thicker insulation and other cost-effective, temperature-regulating steps can save money in the long run. Electric grids are at capacity or overloaded, but power demands continue to rise. And bad roads can lower the fuel economy of even the most efficient vehicle. Investing in new infrastructure, or radically upgrading existing highways and transmission lines, would help cut greenhouse gas emissions and drive economic growth in developing countries MOVE CLOSER TO WORK Transportation is the second leading source of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. (burning a single gallon of gasoline produces 20 pounds of CO2). But it doesn't have to be that way. One way to dramatically curtail transportation fuel needs is to move closer to work, use mass transit, or switch to walking, cycling or some other mode of transport that does not require anything other than human energy

Citizens of many developed countries are

14 4- CONSUME LESS The easiest way to cut back on greenhouse gas emissions is simply to buy less stuff. Whether by forgoing an automobile or employing a reusable grocery sack, cutting back on consumption results in fewer fossil fuels being burned to extract, produce and ship products around the globe BE EFFECTIVE A potentially simpler and even bigger impact can be made by doing more with less. Citizens of many developed countries are profligate wasters of energy, whether by speeding in a gas-guzzling sportutility vehicle or leaving the lights on when not in a room. Good driving and good car maintenance, such as making sure tires are properly inflated can limit the amount of greenhouse gas emissions from a vehicle and, perhaps more importantly, lower the frequency of payment at the pump

art, Go Vegetarian? Corn grown in the U.S.

it is often shipped from halfway across the globe.

task. 29 7- STOP CUTTING DOWN TREES Every year, 33 million acres of forests are cut

15 6- EAT SMART Eat Smart, Go Vegetarian? Corn grown in the U.S. requires barrels of oil for the fertilizer to grow it and the diesel fuel to harvest and transport it. Some grocery stores stock organic produce that do not require such fertilizers, but it is often shipped from halfway across the globe. And meat, whether beef, chicken or pork, requires pounds of feed to produce a pound of protein. Choosing food items that balance nutrition, taste and ecological impact is no easy task STOP CUTTING DOWN TREES Every year, 33 million acres of forests are cut down. Timber harvesting in the tropics alone contributes 1.5 billion metric tons of carbon to the atmosphere. That represents 20 percent of humanmade greenhouse gas emissions and a source that could be avoided relatively easily. Improved agricultural practices along with paper recycling and forest management balancing the amount of wood taken out with the amount of new trees growing could quickly eliminate this significant chunk of emissions

host of other gadgets and appliances consume more energy when

United Nations to grow to at least nine billion by mid-century.

16 8- UNPLUG U.S. citizens spend more money on electricity to power devices when off than when on. Televisions, stereo equipment, computers, battery chargers and a host of other gadgets and appliances consume more energy when seemingly switched off, so unplug them instead ONE-CHILD At least 6.6 billion people living today, a number that is predicted by the United Nations to grow to at least nine billion by mid-century. UNEP estimates that it requires 54 acres to sustain an average human being today. Continuing such population growth seems unsustainable. Falling birth rates in some developed and developing countries have begun to reduce or reverse the population explosion 32 16

but all of them have some drawbacks, too, and none are immediately available at the scale needed.

17 10- FUTURE FUEL Replacing fossil fuels may prove the great challenge of the 21st century. Many contenders exist, ranging from ethanol derived from crops to hydrogen electrolyzed out of water, but all of them have some drawbacks, too, and none are immediately available at the scale needed. 33 SHORT VIDEO Yellowstone National Park: How Wolves Changes Rivers:

18 HOMEWORK Due March 10 th LECTURE NOTES: In half a page, explain what is the most significant factor contributing to climate change and what do scientists say about reversing our impact on climate with regard to this factor? What is your own opinion? according to current practices, can we reduce our impact and reverse climate change? ECOLOGICAL/CLIMATE BALANCE IN YELLOWSTONE SHORT VIDEO The video explains sequence of events /phenomena occurred in the ecosystem after introducing the wolves. In half a page, describe the most significant and unexpected change occurred as a result to brining back the wolves. READING MATERIAL Bohannon, J. (2010) confirmed the climate threats occurring for the Nile Delta, explain the most significant one and then, using chapter (6) by Gondo, T. (2013), suggest reasonable strategies to mitigate climate issue around the Nile Delta (this part should not be more than 1 page) Class Website: 35 THANK YOU Questions??? 36 18

Weather has always been a hot topic of conversation. We talk about whether it is hot or cold, windy or calm, snowy or dry. We listen to the radio to

Weather has always been a hot topic of conversation. We talk about whether it is hot or cold, windy or calm, snowy or dry. We listen to the radio to figure out if the weather will be different tomorrow.