CLIMATE

CHANGE
WHAT IS
“CLIMATE”??
The composite or generally prevailing
weather conditions of a region, as
temperature, air pressure, humidity,
precipitation, sunshine, cloudiness, and
winds, throughout the year, averaged over a
series of years is known as Climate.
Abiotic Factors Biotic Factors
EARTHS NATURAL
GREENHOUSE:

 Plays important roll in

maintaining Earth’s
energy balance.
 Greenhouse gases
needed in atmosphere to
regulate temperature to
sustain life.
Greenhouse
Gases:
 Water vapour (H₂O)
 Carbon
dioxide(CO₂)
 Methane(CH₄)
 Nitrous oxide(N₂O)
 Ozone(O₃)
Increasing Carbon Dioxide in
Atmosphere:
Primary greenhouse gas,
responsible for about three-
quarters of emissions.
Mainly come from burning
organic materials: coal, oil, gas,
wood, and solid waste.
Due to deforestation, forests
have decreased, their ability to
absorb Carbon Dioxide from the
atmosphere has decreased.
Other Greenhouse
Gases:
 Methane (CH₄):  Nitrous Oxide (N₂O):
• The main component of natural • Agriculture and livestock, including
gas. fertilizer, manure, and burning of
• Released from landfills, natural gas agricultural residues, along with
and petroleum industries, and burning fuel, are the biggest
agriculture (especially from the sources of nitrous oxide emissions.
digestive systems of grazing • Produces 390 times more heat
animals). than CO₂
• Produces about 21 times more • About six percent of global
heat than CO₂ greenhouse gas emissions
• accounts for about 16 percent of all
greenhouse gas emissions.
Other Greenhouse
Gases:
 Water Vapour:  Ozone:
• Water vapor is actually the • Is technically a greenhouse gas,
world's most abundant but it depends on where it is
greenhouse gas. found in the earth's atmosphere
• We refer to the amount of water • Tropospheric (near the surface)
vapour in air as humidity. Our ozone is a powerful greenhouse
experiences in humid and arid gas, even in trace amounts.
climates can help us how water Stratospheric ozone or the ozone
vapour relate to temperature layer is opaque to UV rays
change. coming in.
Emission of Greenhouse Gases is
Increasing:
Ozone Layer
Depletion:
 Ozone layer act as Earth’s natural sunscreen
and blocks some of the UV radiation that comes
from the Sun , shielding us from damaging rays.
 Since 1985, it has been observed that the ozone
layer is depleting in the stratosphere, due to
chemical action with chlorine atoms, being
released by the dissociation of
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), particularly in the
presence of sunlight.
 Impacts of UV radiation:
• Skin Cancer
• Cataract & Ultimate Blindness
• Reduce the overall immune efficiency.
• UV radiations may interfere with
photosynthesis, leading to lower crop yields.
CFCs
•: Halocarbons are carbon based molecules that have chlorine, fluorine,
bromine in them.
• Subcategories of halocarbons include chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
which have only carbon, fluorine and chlorine.
• The presence of halocarbon gases is due to only human activities. CFC
are used in refrigerator, air condition, as cleaning solvents in factories,
blowing agents to create some plastic foams, in spray etc.
• CFCs are nontoxic, nonflammable, nonreactive and they are not water
soluble. So they are not removed from troposphere by chemical
reaction or rainfall. They have long life time. Thus CFCs drift into the
stratosphere, where they are exposed to UV radiation, which breaks
apart the molecules, freeing the chlorine. It is estimated that one
chlorine atom can destroy up to 1 lakh ozone molecule, leading to
large scale ozone deficits.
Ozone Depletion and Climate
Change:
Ozone depletion and climate change are linked in a number of ways-
• Atmospheric ozone has two effects on the temperature balance of the
Earth. It absorbs solar ultraviolet radiation, which heats the stratosphere. It
also absorbs infrared radiation emitted by the Earth's surface, effectively
trapping heat in the troposphere, thereby contributing to the
"greenhouse" effect.
• Gases that are causing ozone depletion such as the
chlorofluorocarbons
(CFCs), are greenhouse gases, absorbing some of the infrared
radiation
emitted by the Earth's surface, thereby effectively heating the Earth's
surface.
• ozone is influenced by changes in the meteorological conditions and
by
changes in the atmospheric composition that could result from climate
change.
GLOBAL WARMING:
Global warming is a phenomenon of climate change characterized by a
general increase in average temperatures of the Earth, which modifies the
weather balances and ecosystems for a long time. It is directly linked to the
increase of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, worsening the
greenhouse effect.
EFFECTS OF CLIMATE
CHANGE:
Temperatures Will Continue to Rise:
One of the most immediate and obvious
effects of global warming is the increase in
temperatures around the world. The average
global temperature has increased by about 1.4
degrees Fahrenheit (0.8 degrees Celsius) over
the past 100 years.
At the pace of current CO₂ emissions,
scientists expect an increase of between 1.5°
and 5.3°C (34.7° to 41.5°F) in average
temperature by 2100. If no action is taken, it
would have harmful consequences to
humanity and the biosphere.
Glaciers are melting:
Glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica are losing ice at alarming
rates.
What the World Would Look Like if All the
Ice Melted??
 Sea Level Will Rise 1-8 feet by
2100
Because of global warming, permafrost
and ice are melting massively at the
poles, increasing the sea level at a rate
never known before. In a century, the
increase reached 18 cm (including 6 cm
in the last 20 years). The worst case
scenario is a rise of up to 1m by 2100.

The acidification of the oceans is also

of great concern. In fact, the large
amount of CO₂ captured by the
oceans makes them more acidic,
arousing serious questions about the
adaptability of seashells or coral reefs.
 For decades now, meteorologists and climatologists around the world
have been watching the effects of global warming on the weather
phenomena. And the impact is huge: changes in precipitation types,
more droughts and heat-waves, more natural disasters like floods,
hurricanes, storms and wildfires, frost-free season, etc.
Australian Bushfire Super Cyclone Amphan
Drought Kerala Flood
 Effects on Biodiversity:  Effects on Human:

The increase of temperatures and the Human beings are not spared by these
climate upheavals disturb the upheavals. Climate change is affecting
ecosystems, modify the conditions and the global economy. It is already shaking
cycles of plant reproduction. The up social, health and geopolitical
balances in many parts of the world.
scarcity of resources and The scarcity of resources like food and
climate
change are changing life habits and energy gives rise to new conflicts.
migratory cycles of animals. We Rising sea levels and floods are
already
are witnessing the disappearance of population migration. Small island
many species - including endemic causing
states are in the front line. The
species - or, conversely, the intrusion of estimated number of climate
invasive species that threaten crops and refugees by 2050 is 250 million people.
other animals.
India Suffers Biggest Locust Attack in 25
Years:
• Part of the grasshopper
community, desert locusts feed
on crops and plantations every
year from July to October. They
are mostly spotted in small
isolated groups.
• However, due to climate change,
these migratory insects are
causing unprecedented damage
in several parts of India.
 What can be Done to resist climate
change ?
First we must admit that Climate change is everyone’s
problem. No agency, Government, or Scientist can “fix” it for
us. We are all in this together.

We got here because of our lifestyle and habits. So our

habit to exploit nature has to change.

n
1. Renewable
energies:
Renewable energy is energy produced from sources that do not deplete
or can be replenished within a human's life time.
The first way to prevent climate change is to move away from fossil
fuels.

What are the alternatives?

Renewable energies like solar, wind, biomass, geothermal and
hydropower.
2. Energy & water efficiency:

Producing clean energy is essential, but reducing our

consumption of energy and water by using more
efficient devices (e.g. LED light bulbs, innovative
shower systems) is less costly and equally important.
Promoting public transportation, carpooling, but
also electric and hydrogen mobility, can definitely
help reduce CO₂ emissions and thus fight global
warming.
4. Sustainable
infrastructure:
In order to reduce the CO₂ emissions from buildings -
caused by heating, air conditioning, hot water or
lighting - it is necessary both to build new low energy
buildings, and to renovate the existing constructions.
6. Responsible consumption &
recycling:
Adopting responsible consumption habits is crucial, be
it regarding food (particularly meat), clothing,
cosmetics or cleaning products. Last but not least,
recycling is an absolute necessity for dealing with
waste.
Resources
:
• www.google.com
• www.thebetterindia.com
• www.nationalgeographic.com
• www.climate.nasa.gov
• www.solarimpulse.com