Climate Change and Environmental Awareness Flashcards
(26 cards)
Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. These shifts may be natural, but since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels (like coal, oil and gas), which produces heat-trapping gases. – the United Nations
Climate Change
refers to atmospheric conditions that occur locally over short periods of time—from minutes to hours or days (rain, snow, clouds, winds, floods, or thunderstorms)
Weather
refers to the long-term regional or even global average of temperature, humidity, and rainfall patterns over seasons, years, or decades.
Climate
is the long-term heating of Earth’s climate system observed since the pre-industrial period (between 1850 and 1900) due to human activities (burning of fossil fuels)
Global Warming
is the long-term change in the average weather patterns that have come to define Earth’s local, regional, and global climates.
climate change
refers to the long-term increase in Earth’s average surface temperature, primarily caused by the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Global warming
refer to severe and unusual weather occurrences that deviate significantly from historical weather patterns.
Extreme weather events
refers to the ongoing decrease in the pH of Earth’s oceans, primarily caused by the absorption of excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Ocean acidification
The consequences of climate change have profound effects on various ecosystems, disrupting biodiversity and ecological balance.
Impact on Ecosystem
Climate-related challenges like food and water scarcity, displacement of communities, and economic disruptions.
Social and Economic Impact
Injected ash falls rapidly from the stratosphere and has little impact on climate change. But volcanic gases like sulfur dioxide can cause global cooling, while volcanic carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, has the potential to promote global warming.
VOLCANIC
ERUPTIONS
Warming of the planet due to an increase in solar irradiance probably results in the release of methane and carbon dioxide from stores in the oceans and icecaps, and these greenhouse gases can then produce additional warming.
FLUCTUATIONS IN
SOLAR RADIATION
The movement of the plates also causes volcanoes and mountains to form and these can also contribute to a change in climate
ECTONIC SHIFTS
Changes in the Earth’s orbit around the sun and changes in the tilt and wobble of the Earth’s axis can lead to cooling or warming of the Earth’s climate because they change the amount of energy our planet receives from the sun.
CHANGES IN OUR
ORBIT
Generating electricity and heat by burning fossil fuels causes a large chunk of global emissions. Most electricity is still generated by burning coal, oil, or gas, which produces carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide – powerful greenhouse gases that blanket the Earth and trap the sun’s heat.
GENERATING POWER
The cars, trucks, ships, and planes that we use to transport ourselves and our goods are a major source of global greenhouse gas emissions. Burning petroleum-based fuel in combustion engines releases massive amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
TRANSPORTATION
Industrial facilities, particularly those producing carbon-intensive products like chemicals, iron, steel, cement, aluminum, glass, and paper, are major sources of greenhouse gases, requiring massive energy consumption and often leaking into the air.
INDUSTRY AND MANUFACTURING
produces nitrous oxide and methane, trapping heat. Chemical fertilizers and high-yield crop management contribute to nitrous oxide emissions. Livestock production also contributes to methane emissions from cattle digestion processes.
AGRICULTURE
is a major source of methane, which invariably leaks from oil and gas operations: drilling, fracking, transporting, and refining. And while methane isn’t as prevalent a greenhouse gas as carbon dioxide, it’s many times more potent at trapping heat during the first 20 years of its release into the atmosphere. Even abandoned and inoperative wells— sometimes known as “orphaned” wells— leak methane
FOSSIL FUELS
both residential and commercial—emit a lot of greenhouse gases through heating, cooling, cooking, running appliances, and maintaining other building-wide systems.
BUILDINGS
Vegetation and soil store carbon by keeping it at ground level or underground. So through logging and other forms of development, we’re cutting down or digging up vegetative biomass and releasing all of its stored carbon into the air. Also, by cutting trees we are disrupting the oxygen cycle to be maintained leaving a large amount of carbon dioxide untouched
DEFORESTATION
is a system or substance that can provide usable power in the form of heat, electricity, or mechanical work. These sources are essential for powering our homes, industries, and transportation, enabling various aspects of modern life.
Energy source
in its purest form is pure methane but before it is refined, it also contains varying amount Of ethane, propane, butane and carbon dioxide. When refined, it is colorless and odorless but can be burned to release large amounts of energy.
Natural gas
releases large amounts of energy when it is burned because of the density of hydrocarbons in the material. Coal is formed by dead plants being put under significant pressure and temperature for millions of years. There are four grades of coal: lignite, subbituminous, bituminous coal and anthracite. Bituminous coal is the best for releasing energy and is the most commonly mined type of coal.
Coal
