climate

• Climate change


  Significant statistical changes in climate that continue for a long period

  
• Several studies provided statistical data on an increasing amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide and the increasing global temperature

  
• Observations on the unpredictable weather patterns and the unusual occurrences of calamities have been claimed to show that the world is now experiencing climate change as a result of global warming

  
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

  A United Nations body that evaluates climate change science and released reports on global climate change
• There is a significant change in the world's climate over the past century, influenced by humans

  
• If the trend continues, it was projected that there will be an increase in the global mean surface temperature between 1 0C and 3.5 0C by 2100

  
• Global climate change can have a greater potential impact on all the creatures on the planet resulting in a change that will lead to various serious consequences affecting humanity
• Greenhouse effect

  A phenomenon caused by gases naturally present in the atmosphere that affects the behavior of the heat energy radiated by the sun
• The natural greenhouse effect

  1. Sunlight (shortwave radiation) enters the earth passing through the atmosphere and is absorbed in the earth's surface

  2. The absorbed energy warms the earth's surface while some of it is reflected by the earth back to space in the form of infrared or long-wave radiation

  3. The energy that is reflected in space passes through the atmosphere where greenhouses gases are naturally present

  4. These greenhouse gases (water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide) absorb most of this energy and then re-emit it in different directions

  5. Some of the sun's energy escapes into space while others become "trapped" because of the greenhouse gases that form a layer in the atmosphere

  6. The "trapped" energy warms the earth and the lower part of the atmosphere – making the earth habitable for a living
• Without the natural greenhouse effect, the earth would be so cold that its average surface temperature would decline to -18 0C (0 0F) from the present 15 0C (59 0F) that we are used to
• Earth's energy balance


  The rate at which energy is absorbed by the Earth is approximately balanced by the rate at which it is emitted back into space, keeping the Earth in a state of "Equilibrium" and at a stable temperature
• In the past centuries until the start of the Industrial Revolution (the late 1700s), the earth is in a state of "equilibrium" with the Natural Greenhouse Effect maintaining the Earth's surface average temperature at around 15 0C

  
• Enhanced Greenhouse Effect

  A process that disrupts the equilibrium of the Earth's climate due to the increased concentration of greenhouse gases that increases the global average surface temperatures

  
• The Earth's atmosphere is composed of 78% Nitrogen, 21% Oxygen, and 1% natural greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxides, and halocarbons
• Since the Industrial Revolution, human activities rapidly increased such as the burning of fossil fuels, more extensive agriculture, and a rapid increase in the world's population, emitting a significant amount of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere
• The natural greenhouse effect

  The enhanced greenhouse effect
• From the start of the industrial revolution, research showed an increase of nearly 38% in carbon dioxide and 148% in methane levels in 2019
• The global average concentration of carbon dioxide is 409.8 ppm (parts per million), a new high record in 2019
• The present atmosphere has a high concentration of greenhouse gases than before, implying that more heat energy is absorbed or trapped by these greenhouse gases at present making the earth's surface warmer

  
• Greenhouse gases


  Gases in the atmosphere that trap and absorb heat or infrared radiation emitted from the earth's surface and reradiating it back to the earth's surface, hence contribute to the greenhouse effect
• Main greenhouse gases


  • Carbon Dioxide
  • Methane
  • Water Vapor
  • Ozone
  • Nitrous Oxide
  • Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
• Sources of greenhouse gases

  • Electricity production
  • Transportation
  • Industry
  • Commercial and Residential
  • Agriculture
  • Land use and Forestry
• Global warming


  The unusually rapid increase in earth's average surface temperature over the past century primarily due to the greenhouse gases released by people burning fossil fuels
• Human-induced warming reached approximately 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels in 2017, and it is predicted that at around 2040, the global temperatures would reach 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit)

  
• The top 3 hottest years on record were in 2015, 2016, and 2017 with more frequent and intense events such as heatwaves, coastal flooding, floods, tornadoes, and hurricanes
• The increase in earth's average surface temperature over the past century is primarily due to the greenhouse gases released by people burning fossil fuels
• Climate change occurs as a result of global warming
• According to the IPCC report, human-induced warming reached approximately 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels in 2017

  
• At the present rate, it is predicted that at around 2040, the global temperatures would reach 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit)
• If the global surface temperature will rise beyond 1.5 degrees Celsius, it is more likely expected to experience more erratic weather, dangerous heat waves, rising sea levels, and dying coral reefs

  
• The target goal established by the Paris Agreement is to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius

  
• To achieve the 1.5 degrees Celsius target

  1. Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions must be cut by 45% in 2030 and 100% in 2050

  2. Put a price on greenhouse emissions

  3. Use technology to remove CO2 from the atmosphere
• Impacts of enhanced global warming

  • More frequent hot days and fewer cool days
  • More intense heat waves
  • Worsening storms, floods and droughts
  • Intensified hurricanes
  • Warmer ocean surface temperatures
  • Rising sea levels
  • More frequent coastal flooding
  • Possible disappearance of island nations
  • Accelerated melting of ice sheets and glaciers
  • Changes in the growing season of plants
  • Disruption of normal ecosystem
  • Loss of animal habitat
  • Possible extinction of animals

  
• Projected possible impacts of climate change on human health

  • Increase malnutrition and consequent disorders
  • Increase in the number of people suffering and dying from diseases because of heatwaves, floods, storms, fires, and droughts
  • Continuous change in the kind of some infectious disease vectors
  • Mixed effects on malaria
  • Increased burden of diarrhea
  • Increase cardio-respiratory diseases and deaths associated with ground-level ozone
• Carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere is used as an indicator that will significantly provide information about global warming

  
• Most CO2 in the atmosphere are emissions from human activities
• Ways to reduce global warming and climate change

  • Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle (3Rs)
  • Use less heat and air conditioning
  • Drive less and drive smart
  • Buy energy-efficient products
  • Grow foods in the backyard
  • Plant trees in the backyard
  • Replace incandescent lights to fluorescent light bulbs
  • Use hybrid or electric cars
  • Encourage others to conserve
  • Support the government projects geared toward environmental preservations
• The Philippines is investing in Renewable Energy Resources to have cleaner air and shifting from a fuel-dependent economy to renewable energy
• The Philippines government is investing in the Early Warning Systems and Replanting Mangroves to protect the country from storms and preserve the integrity of the ecosystems
• Renewable sources of energy


  Solar, geothermal, hydropower, wind, biomass, and bio-fuels which can replenish naturally in a short period