Lecture 10 - Confronting Climate Change-2.pptx

Confrontin g Climate Change POLS 2401: Global Issues Fall 2023 Georgia State University Climate Change • What is it? • A change in Earth's weather patterns for a prolonged period of time Climate Change • What causes climate change? • Human activity that exacerbates the greenhouse effect Gree...

Confrontin g Climate Change POLS 2401: Global Issues Fall 2023 Georgia State University Climate Change • What is it? • A change in Earth's weather patterns for a prolonged period of time Climate Change • What causes climate change? • Human activity that exacerbates the greenhouse effect Greenhouse Effect • What is it? • “Warming that results when the atmosphere traps heat radiating from Earth toward space” (NASA) • Why does it occur? • “Certain gases in the atmosphere block heat from escaping. Longlived gases that remain semipermanently in the atmosphere and do not respond physically or chemically to changes in temperature are described as "forcing" climate change.” (NASA) Global Warming • What is it? • The average rise in the world’s temperature Human Activity and Climate Change • Tragedy of the Commons • Use and abuse of a common good, leading to the depletion of that good • Example: Oceans, grazing areas Major Greenhouse Gases • Carbon Dioxide (CO2) • Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) • Methane • Tropospheric ozone • Nitrogen Oxides Consequences of Climate Change • What are the consequences of climate change? • Droughts • Floods • Monsoons • Hurricanes • Fires Biodiversity • Rapidly changing habitats • Damaged ecosystems • Species extinctions • Examples: • The Great Barrier Reef: https://www.youtube.com/wat ch?v=HDZiSyM9qbc Migration • Extreme weather pushing people out of their homes • Rural to Urban migration • International Migration Alternative Energy • What is it? • Energy generated in a way that does not deplete the earth’s natural resource or pollute the environment Alternative Energy • How much is produced? • 20% of the world’s energy is produced through alternative energy sources • What are some sources? • Wind power • Biomass • Solar Power • Geothermal • Marine energies Key Actors and Climate Change International Discussions on Climate Change • Stockholm Conference (1972) • World Climate Conference (1979) • Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change • United Nations Conference on the Environment and Development (1992) • Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) • Berlin Conference Montreal Protocol • 1987 • International treaty designed to phase out production that destroys the Earth’s ozone layer Kyoto Protocol • 1997 • International treaty aimed at getting states to reduce emission of key greenhouse gasses, especially carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. Paris Agreement • 2015 • A long –term agreement to keep the world’s temperature below 2 degrees Celsius where each country is required to mitigate their carbon emissions within their own climate response framework This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-