Climate change

Question 1

What are the greenhouse gases

Answer 1

carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, chlorofluorocarbons

Question 2

What are the human causes of climate change

Answer 2

fossil fuels, agriculture, construction, transport

Question 3

What are the natural causes of climate change

Answer 3

orbital change, solar output, volcanic activty

Question 4

Why does orbital change contribute to climate change

Answer 4

the way the earth moves around the sun changes, these changes effect the amount of solar radiation the earth receives, these changes may have caused glacial and interglacial cycles

Question 5

Why does volcanic activity contribute to climate change

Answer 5

major volcanic eruptions eject large quantities of material into the atmosphere, some of these particles reflect the suns rays back out to space so the earth cold, they also release CO2 but no enough to cause warming, volcanoes may cause short-term changes

Question 6

Why does solar output contribute to climate change

Answer 6

the sun’s energy output is not constant and changes in short cycles round every 11 years and possibly longer cycles every several hundred years, however most scientist do not think these changes have a major effect on global climate change

Question 7

Why do fossil fuels contribute to climate change

Answer 7

50% of global greenhouse gas emissions, used in many everyday things - transport, heating

Question 8

Why does agriculture contribute to climate change

Answer 8

deforestation for cattle and crops - less absorption of CO2, methane emissions from cattle

Question 9

Why does construction contribute to climate change

Answer 9

cement manufacturing releases CO2 - made from limestone which contains carbon

Question 10

Why does transport contribute to climate change

Answer 10

most transport uses petrol/diesel which comes from oil as fuel whihc releases CO2, global population means more transport

Question 11

Climate change effects (social)

Answer 11

health, employment, homes

Question 12

Climate change effects (social) why health

Answer 12

more disease - lack of precipitation, heat waves - heat stroke, respiratory diseases more affected

Question 13

Climate change effects (social) why employment

Answer 13

loss of job opportunities due to changes in tourism and agriculture

Question 14

Climate change effects (social) why homes

Answer 14

increases flooding due to sea level rise and increases frequency is storms will lead to displacement of large numbers of people

Question 15

Climate change effects (economic)

Answer 15

agriculture, employment, settlements

Question 16

Climate change effects (economic) why agriculture

Answer 16

climate condition could become unsuitable, reduced availability of water, food shortages

Question 17

Climate change effects (economic) why employment

Answer 17

job opportunities may decrease, tourism may decline - no snow, no ski resorts, agriculture decline - rising temperatures

Question 18

Climate change effects (economic) why settlements

Answer 18

Settlements in low-lying areas may have to be abandoned or need additional defences against sea level rise - costly

Question 19

Climate change effects (environmental)

Answer 19

sea level rise, melting ice, low - lying coasts, beach erosion, coastal ecosystems, saltwater ingress

Question 20

Climate change effects (environmental) why sea level rise

Answer 20

warmer temperature cause water in seas to expand

Question 21

Climate change effects (environmental) why melting ice

Answer 21

warmer temperatures means ice melts and increase volume of water

Question 22

Climate change effects (environmental) why low lying coasts

Answer 22

high risk of flooding

Question 23

Climate change effects (environmental) why coastal ecosystems

Answer 23

coral reefs and mangrove swamps will be affected

Question 24

Climate change effects (environmental) why saltwater ingress

Answer 24

contaminating freshwater supplies and affecting coastal agriculture

Question 25

What does migration mean in climate change

Answer 25

preventing further climate change or reduce the scale

Question 26

What are some organisation of migration in climate change

Answer 26

conference of the parties (COP), Earth summit Rio, 1992 (stabilise greenhouse gas levels), Paris agreement, 2015 (limit global warming to 2 degrees, reduce CO” emissions by 60% by 2050)

Question 27

Other types of migration in climate change

Answer 27

alternative energy production (renewable energy resources), afforestation (planting trees to remove CO2), carbon capture and storage

Question 28

How can we adapt to help climate change

Answer 28

change in agricultural systems (adapting to weather, changing crops and livestock, drought-resistant crops), managing water supplies (water storage facilities, improved irrigation systems - less water used) reducing risk from rising sea levels (sea walls, raised homes, flood barriers, mangrove forest)

Question 29

Evidence of climate change (graphs)

Answer 29

looking at the Quaternary period it shows glacial and interglacial periods which last for around 100 000 years, last glacial period ended 150 000 years ago so the climate is warming up, in the last 150 years the climate is getting rapidly warmer

Question 30

Evidence of climate change

Answer 30

ice cores - one layer of ice is made each year, drilling down into ice sheets gets ice cores, analysing the gases trapped in the layers the temperature of the year can be found, remains can also be analysed. temperature records - since 1850s global temperatures have been measured using thermometers, gives us a short- term idea. . tree rings - new ring is formed each year, thicker in warm wet conditions, taking cores and counting rings show the age and the thickness of the ring shows the climate, gives evidence for 10 000 years