CLIMATE CHANGE, GREENHOUSE GASES & ITS EFFECTS.pdf

Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN  Overview 1. Introduction 2. What causes climate change? 3. Hazards and impacts Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN Introduction Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s...

Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN  Overview 1. Introduction 2. What causes climate change? 3. Hazards and impacts Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN Introduction Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN  Weather Weather refers to conditions like rain, temperature and wind over hours to days. Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN  Climate Climate refers to average weather conditions over a long period of time (30+ years). Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN  Climate change Climate change is a statistically significant change in the state of the climate (average weather) that persists for an extended period of time (decades or longer) – ASK an elder what the weather was normally like 30 years ago, in your birthday month? Has it changed? Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN What causes climate change? Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN  The greenhouse effect Sunlight passes through the atmosphere to earth. At earth’s surface it’s reflected back through the atmosphere to space. However! After it is reflected, greenhouse gases can trap heat in the atmosphere. We call this process the greenhouse effect; as it is similar to a greenhouse. Greenhouse gases act like a big blanket around the earth, trapping heat. Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN  Greenhouse gases Greenhouse gases trap heat from the sun in the atmosphere, after it is reflected from earth. Greenhouse gases occur naturally in the atmosphere. Without them, the earth would be very cold – about minus 18°C ! All water on earth would freeze, the oceans would turn to ice and life as we know it would not exist. Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN  Human activity Over the last 100 years, since the industrial revolution, greenhouse gases have rapidly increased in the atmosphere. This is due to human activities which release greenhouse gases. Electricity from coal or diesel generators and industry or pollution from factories contribute the most. Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN  Global warming More greenhouse gases trap more heat in the atmosphere, leading to global warming. Since 1880, global temp has increased by almost 1°C. How much this rises depends on how much more greenhouse gas is released? Temp could rise by almost 5°C by 2100 (IPCC, AR5). However, countries around the world agreed to keep this below 2°C. Humans have added so much greenhouse gas to the atmosphere, that even if all emissions stopped today, the planet would still continue to warm for decades to come. Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN  Global warming & the water cycle Global warming intensifies the water cycle. Higher temps increase evaporation of water from sea, lakes, rivers. Warmer air holds more water vapour, resulting in more intense rainstorms. This can lead to flooding. More floods where water runs off into rivers and streams, does little to dampen the soil. This and increased temps can lead to drought. Weather patterns across the world are effected over time. This results in CLIMATE CHANGE. Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN Hazards and impacts Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN Climate change, hazards & impacts Climate Change is exacerbating a range of weather related hazards around the world. Climate change makes some hazards more frequent. Climate change makes some hazards more intense. These hazards impact people around the world. The same hazard can have different impacts for different people. Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN  Scientists project: Temperature increase (0.3 – 4.8°C by 2100) Heat waves - more often and last longer Extreme precipitation events (rain, snow) - more often and more intense Precipitation increases in wet regions Precipitation decreases in dry regions Increase in tropical cyclone wind speeds Decreased snow / ice extent Rising sea level Warming and acidification of oceans Source: IPCC 2014, AR5 Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN  Here are some climate & weather events impacted by climate change Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN  Changing seasons - Rainy season - Crops may die. CHANGINE SEASONS HAZARDS IMPACTS may be delayed - Farmers may in some regions. need to change - Spring might crops. come earlier in - Incomes are lost. other regions. - Transportation is - Seasons may interrupted. become more - Financial losses. intense. - Water availability. Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN  Drier & longer droughts - Water shortage - Less or no crops HAZARDS IMPACTS DROUGHT - Wind erosion - Animals may die - Desertification - Less water - Increased risk of supply wild fires - Incomes are lost - Financial losses - People become sick - Migration Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN  Increased temperatures & heat waves - Heat stroke - People get sick WAVES HIGH TEMP & HEAT IMPACTS HAZARDS - Water shortage or die - Increased - Animals get sick malaria - Crops may die - Dengue - Water shortage - Sea level rise - Food shortage - Damaged forests Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN  Melting glaciers & polar ice - Sea level rise - Flooding in POLAR ICE MELTING GLACIERS & IMPACTS HAZARDS low lying - Less ice to coastal areas. reflect sunlight, leads to - Coastal areas increased & cities warming. threatened. - Loss of wildlife / biodiversity. Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN  Sea level rise - Sea level has - Coastal erosion IMPACTS HAZARDS SEA LEVEL RISE risen 17 cm in the - Higher risk of last 100 years. storms leading to - In the last 10 coastal flooding years, it has risen - Salt water twice as fast as intrusion in in the previous coastal areas – 90 years. impacts drinking water and health risks such as diarrhoea. Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN  More intense rainfall & increased likelihood of floods - Flooding - Vector-borne IMPACTS FLOODS HAZARDS diseases (esp. - Flash malaria and dengue fever) floods - Water-borne - Landslide diseases (esp. diarrhoea) - Erosion - Extreme floods and population displacement Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN  Extreme winds & stronger storms - Severe wind - People die STORMS EXTREME WINDS & IMPACTS HAZARDS - Storm surge - Animals die - Flooding - Loss of income - Financial losses Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN  What can we do? Climate Change Mitigation: Action taken to stop climate change by reducing the amount of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere Climate Change Adaptation: Action taken to deal with climate change impacts and reduce the effects on lives, livelihoods and ecosystems Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN  References IPCC (2014) AR5 Synthesis Report; https://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment- report/ar5/syr/SYR_AR5_FINAL_full.pdf IPCC WGII (2014) Climate Change and the Ocean; https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/wg2/docs/WGII-AR5_Oceans- Compendium.pdf Nasa Kids (2017) Graphic accreditations Rebeka Ryvola Photograph accreditations Brigitte Rudram Image accreditations The Noun Project Y-Adapt images Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN