Climate Change

Question 1

What is meant by climate change?

Answer 1

Climate change is the process by which climates across the globe have been changing, particularly over the last 150 years, in terms of seasonal rainfall and temperature patterns. Much is due to global warming, which in turn is due to an increase in the greenhouse effect.

Question 2

Explain what is meant by the greenhouse effect.

Answer 2

• The greenhouse effect is the process by which the Earth’s atmosphere absorbs some of the sun’s energy, helping to keep the Earth warm.
• This effect has been intensifying due to the release of more and more so-called ‘greenhouse gases’, mainly carbon dioxide, into the atmosphere.
• These greenhouse gases come from various sources including industrial pollution, burning forests, car exhaust fumes and power stations.
• The resulting rise in the Earth’s temperature is now beginning to affect the climate all over the world.

Question 3

State some of the physical reasons for climate change.

Answer 3

• changes in the amount of solar energy given out by the sun
• natural activities on Earth (volcanoes and atmospheric gases)
• changes in Earth’s orbit - slight shifts in angle of tilt and earth’s orbit pattern around the sun
• gases given off by rooting vegetation in tundra areas
• sunspots, which are flares which occur from time on the surface of the sun

Question 4

State some of the human reasons for climate change.

Answer 4

• the widespread burning of fossil fuels and forested areas throughout the world has released various chemicals into the air, but particularly the main carbon dioxide
• trees use up CO2 in photosynthesis- the cutting down of huge areas of forest has also meant less trees to remove CO2
• increasing industrialisation has led to the release of air pollution from chimneys and factorises- air pollution is also produced by traffic, rubbish dumps etc - the pollutants released include CO2 and nitrous oxide (NO2) greenhouse effect
• gases such as methane are released by large herds of livestock, particularly cattle - methane is another powerful methane gas
• release of CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) from, eg, aerosols and refrigerants also causes increases in global temperatures

Question 5

Where in the world is most likely to feel the effect of global warming?

Answer 5

The artic where it is associated with the continuing retreat of glaciers, permafrost and sea ice.

Question 6

Explain some of the effects of global warming.

Answer 6

• retreat of glacier etc in the Artic
• ice caps melting which leads to the decrease of polar habitats
• melting ice caps lead to sea level rises which will threaten low-lying places
• can affect weather patterns, leading to droughts in some areas or greater flooding in others or greater worldwide tropical storms and stronger hurricanes which can affect crops
• can affect some tourism places (eg Swiss Alps)
• could threaten the progress of developing countries
• in the UK, tropical diseases such as malaria could spread as temperatures rise
• fishermen could lose out of fish move to different waters with sea temperature changes
• plant life could be at risk with non-native plants taking over
• may cause water shortages

Question 7

Explain the strategies in place to manage climate change.

Answer 7

• Glasgow Climate Pact
• reduce greenhouse gases - with some policies in place to help reduce them
• most countries have joined the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
• change in energy production to more sustainable forms - ie renewable energy
• some schemes in place to capture and store carbon from burning fossil fuels
• reduce use of fossil fuels whenever possible
• reduce temperature rise to 1.5c
• reduce of carbon dioxide emission
• developed nations pay for developing nations to set up schemes to mange climate change
• global methane pledge to reducing methane emissions by 30% by 2030
• pledge to halt deforestation by 2030