Climate Change - SocSci Reviewer PDF

Climate Change Weather ○ short-term changes in the atmosphere Climate ○ Weather of a region over a long period of time ○ NASA: Long-term change in the observable weather patterns that dictates the world’s local, regional, and even global climates...

Climate Change Weather ○ short-term changes in the atmosphere Climate ○ Weather of a region over a long period of time ○ NASA: Long-term change in the observable weather patterns that dictates the world’s local, regional, and even global climates over the past decades or longer Climate Change ○ Changes in the environment that are the results of the accumulated activities of human beings for the past decades Global Warming ○ Refers to Earth’s rising temperature for a long period of time ○ One aspect of climate change ○ Has been observed since the pre-industrial period because of the burning of fossil fuels, air pollution, and use of chemicals that increase heat-trapping greenhouse gas levels in Earth’s atmosphere Variations in Earth’s climate that have been observed since the early 20th century have been observed since the early 20th century ○ Primarily driven by human activities, particularly fossil fuel combustion There are also natural processes that lead to climate change ○ El Niño, La Niña, and other environmental phenomena The accumulation of heat in the atmosphere causes a variety of effects in different ecosystems ○ Rising sea levels, unpredictable weather, and droughts ○ Scientists are also recording key indicators in climate change Temperature increases in land and ocean; rising sea levels; loss of ice glaciers in the North and South poles; severity of weather disturbances like hurricanes, heatwaves, droughts, and floods; and other unusual changes continuously manifesting worldwide Climate change poses a global threat to humanity and the environment ○ Has implications on public health, migration, peace, food, and water security ○ Global effort is needed to suppress these effects ○ Failure to address climate change will endanger global development efforts and make further progress difficult ○ Efforts in environmental protection like reducing greenhouse gas emissions and creating climate resilience policies can help mitigate climate change Greenhouse Effect ○ Natural process of warming Earth’s surface Made possible by the greenhouse gasses that include methane, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and artificial chemicals such as CFCs or chlorofluorocarbons  Some of these gasses are naturally part of the atmosphere and are responsible for controlling Earth’s temperature ○ When the heat from the sun reaches the Earth’s surface, some of it is reflected back into space, while the rest gets trapped by greenhouse gasses ○ Human activities (i.e., combustion of fossil fuels, agricultural production, and land clearing) have heavily contributed to the increase in concentration of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere over the years The results is an enhanced greenhouse effect that contributes to the warning of the planet Environmental Problems in the Philippines Environmental Problem ○ Has a negative impact on Earth and its natural systems ○ Mostly caused by human activities and these activities include improper waste disposal, air and water pollution, secretion of hazardous and toxic materials into the environment, and deforestation ○ Result of humans following their personal interests, which caused many to view the environment as an object for personal consumption Pollution ○ Presence or introduction of harmful materials in the environment ○ Seven major types of pollution Air pollution Caused by a variety of gasses and toxins released by industries and factories and the combustion of fossil fuels These affect the quality of air in the community and these also contribute to global warming due to the accumulation of CO in the atmosphere Rise in particular matter in the country from 2015 to 2019 was reported in by the DENR in 2021 Water pollution Among the top concerns in the country Toxins responsible for this are heavy metals, nitrates, and polymers such as plastic Plastic is severely harmful to the environment and the organisms living in the area Oil spills, acid rain, and urbanization also contribute to this Soil pollution Caused by human activities such as improper disposal of industrial wastes, which destroys the quality of land for a long period of time; and non-sustainable mining, which compromises the quality of soil due to the extraction of minerals from the ground  The government has passed several laws to address its potential impact to the country Sound pollution Radioactive pollution Light pollution Thermal pollution Soil degradation ○ Different factors contribute to this such as erosion, overexposure to pollutants, overgrazing, soil compaction, and land use conversion ○ Most Filipinos depend primarily on agriculture for a living and as a source of food Critical to strike a balance between the preservation of the land and its use ○ It's been reported that the country’s tropical forests are among the most biologically diverse in the world yet it has been identified as being among the most vulnerable ○ Government priorities like commercialization, which tend to support land use conversion to subdivisions, housing projects, and large-scale mining which contribute to environmental destruction of lands Deforestation ○ Forests absorb large amounts of CO and release O2; they also help in regulating temperature and serve as a natural roof for rainfall ○ This global threat is the process of clearing land of its natural vegetation to make it available for residential, industrial, or commercial development ○ The Philippines is one of the most deforested countries in the tropics, with most of the deforestation occurring in the last 40 years ○ Remaining forests are at risk of illegal logging Overpopulation ○ The world’s population is reaching unsustainable levels, the Philippines included ○ The continuous increase can result in scarcity of resources such as water, fuel, and food The scarcity of necessities results in more demand for products using raw materials As a result, biodiversity loss may also increase and eventually become a problem that we cannot prevent ○ More people → more fuel consumption → worsening air pollution Urban City Migration ○ One of the effects of overpopulation ○ This is the migration from provinces to high-density urban areas ○ Most people migrate to urban areas for employment, education, and better government services Results in land degradation, heavy traffic, environmental issues, health problems, and pollution  Garbage Disposal ○ Overconsumption of resources and overproduction of plastic contributes to a global crisis in waste management ○ Developed countries produce more waste or garbage and some of it is dumped in the oceans or even shipped to less developed countries ○ Solid wastes (i.e., plastic, fast food packaging, low-cost electronics) tend to clod rivers and canals making it difficult for water to drain easily, especially during rainy season ○ The country has banned single-use plastics (plastic bags, straw, spoons, forks) This is to facilitate solid waste avoidance as the country produces 2.7 metric tons of plastic waste every year