Global Warming & Climate Change

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1 Global Warming & Climate Change

2 Global Warming & Climate Change What are the layers of the Earth's atmosphere? The atmosphere is divided into five layers. It is thickest near the surface and thins out with height until it eventually merges with space. The five layers of the Earth s atmosphere include the following: Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere and Exosphere

3 Earth s Atmosphere Troposphere: The troposphere is the first layer above the surface and contains half of Earth's atmosphere. Weather occurs in this layer. Stratosphere: The stratosphere is the second layer of the Earth's atmosphere. Many airplanes fly in the stratosphere, because it is very stable. Also, the ozone layer absorbs harmful rays from the Sun. Mesosphere: The mesosphere is the third layer of the Earth's atmosphere. Meteors or rock fragments burn up in the mesosphere. Thermosphere: The thermosphere is the fourth layer of the Earth's atmosphere. It's the layer with auroras and where the space shuttle orbits. Exosphere: The exosphere is the fifth and last layer of the Earth's atmosphere. This is the layer where the atmosphere merges into space. This layer is extremely thin.

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5 Climate Change Climate change represents a change in long-term weather patterns. They can become warmer or colder. Annual amounts of rainfall or snowfall can increase or decrease.

6 Global warming refers to an average increase in the Earth's temperature, which in turn causes changes in climate. A warmer Earth may lead to changes in rainfall patterns, a rise in sea level, and a wide range of impacts on plants, wildlife, and humans. When scientists talk about the issue of climate change, their concern is about global warming caused by human activities.

7 The Greenhouse effect is the rise in temperature that the Earth experiences because certain gases in the atmosphere like water vapour, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane trap energy from the sun. Without these gases, heat would escape back into space and Earths average temperature would be about 60ºF colder and would not be warm enough for humans to live. But if the greenhouse effect becomes stronger, it could make the Earth warmer than usual.

8 Global Warming: A Way Forward: Facing Climate Change

9 Why blame fossil fuels? Fossil fuels are hydrocarbons, primarily coal, fuel oil or natural gas, formed from the remains of dead plants and animals. In common dialogue, the term fossil fuel also includes hydrocarbon-containing natural resources that are not derived from animal or plant sources. These are sometimes known instead as mineral fuels. The utilization of fossil fuels has enabled large-scale industrial development and largely supplanted waterdriven mills, as well as the combustion of wood or peat for heat.

10 Fossil fuel is a general term for buried combustible geologic deposits of organic materials, formed from decayed plants and animals that have been converted to crude oil, coal, natural gas, or heavy oils by exposure to heat and pressure in the earth's crust over hundreds of millions of years. The burning of fossil fuels by humans is the largest source of emissions of carbon dioxide, which is one of the greenhouse gases that allows radiative forcing and contributes to global warming. A small portion of hydrocarbon-based fuels are biofuels derived from atmospheric carbon dioxide, and thus do not increase the net amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Sciencedaily.com

11 What can regulate CO2 in the atmosphere? Carbon sinks are natural systems that suck up and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

12 Carbon Sinks The main natural carbon sinks are plants, the ocean and soil. Plants grab carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to use in photosynthesis; some of this carbon is transferred to soil as plants die and decompose. The oceans are a major carbon storage system for carbon dioxide. Marine animals also take up the gas for photosynthesis, while some carbon dioxide simply dissolves in the seawater. Livescience.com

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14 the global carbon budget 1959=2011

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16 The Kyoto Protocol Case Study The Kyoto Protocol: Negotiating Climate Control Global Connections Page 106

17 Kyoto Protocol The Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is an international treaty that sets binding obligations on industrialized countries to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. It is an environmental treaty (agreement) with the goal of preventing dangerous anthropogenic (humaninduced) interference of the climate system. 191 countries all UN members and the European Union except Andorra, Canada, South Sudan and the United States are members to sign the protocol

18 Kyoto Continued Canada was active in negotiations that led to Kyoto Protocol in 1997 and the Liberal government signed the accord in 1997 and ratified it in parliament in 2002 Canada s target was a 6% total reduction by 2012 Unfortunately, federal indecisions lead to increases in GHG emissions Between the years of 1990 and 2008, Canada s GHG emissions increased by ~ 24% Canada had signed the Protocol but withdrew in 2011 CBC - Canada Out of Kyoto

19 Quick Write You are to write a letter, message etc. to our Prime Minister Stephen Harper regarding your views and Canada s past or future involvement with the Kyoto Protocol while keeping Global Warming and Climate Change in mind. Office of the Prime Minister 80 Wellington Street Ottawa, ON K1A 0A2 Greetings PM Harper, (TEXT) Sincerely, (Your Name)