climate change

• Climate change


  Large-scale long term shift in the planet's weather patterns and average temperatures
• Natural/physical causes of climate change

  • Eccentricity: change in orbit of Earth around the sun
  • Obliquity: change in the angle of Earth's orbit
  • Volcanic eruptions releasing gases like carbon dioxide.
• Greenhouse gas

  Gas that has the potential to cause global warming
• Human causes of climate change


  • Burning of fossil fuels (in cars and factories)
  • Deforestation: trees take in carbon dioxide and give out oxygen, so without trees more carbon dioxide gets released, which absorbs and radiates heat causing global warming
• The enhanced greenhouse effect

  1. Solar energy passes through the atmosphere, some is reflected back into space

  2. Earth's surface is warmed by the sun and radiates heat back out towards space

  3. Some heat passes through the atmosphere into space but most is trapped by greenhouse gases and re-released towards Earth, further warming it

  4. Human activities cause an increase in greenhouse gases, trapping more heat and intensifying the warming effect
• sun spots are dark areas on the surface of the sun that are caused by the release of magnetic energy
• mitigation:

  trying to prevent climate change by reducing the amount of greenhouse gases released
• adaptation:

  changing the way activities are done to cope with the negative effects of climate change
• What is Carbon sequestration


  The process of capturing and storing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
• Carbon sequestration

  Reduces global warming/climate change
• Types of carbon sequestration

  • Geologic
  • Biologic
• Geologic carbon sequestration

  • Storing carbon in rocks
• Biologic carbon sequestration

  • Using carbon to plant trees
• afforestation: the process of replanting an area with trees,
• afforestation is a good way of mitigating climate change
• How does afforestation help with climate change?

  Carbon sequestration (in trees)
• Paris Agreement

  Agreement in 2015 to keep temperature increase to 1.5°C more than industrial time + no more than 2°C
• What was discussed in the Paris Agreement

  • Climate change
  • Mitigation
  • Adaptation
  • Finance
  • Technology
• The Paris Agreement will provide money for poor countries to invest in renewable energy sources
• Paris Agreement

  • Finance: Richer countries donate $100 billion to poorer countries
  • Mechanism: Review every 5 years (1st review 2023)
  • Temperature: Aims to keep temperature increase within 2°C
• The Paris Agreement review meetings will focus on who needs resources and how countries are reaching their targets
• The Paris Agreement allows progress

  Setting targets makes it easier
• Where different countries stand with the Paris agreement

  • USA : willing to reduce greenhouse emmisions + willing to aid poorer countries financially
• Where different countries stand with the Paris Agreement

  • India: willing to reduce greenhouse emissions but dont produce much anyway, need financial support
• Where different countries stand with the Paris Agreement

  • Maldives: will sink due to rising sea levels,affected a lot but climate change but dont actually produce much greenhouse emission, need financial help
• Where different countries stand with the Paris Agreement

  • China: refusing to reduce greenhouse emissions till 2030 to see their economic growth