Climate Change
6 GEO 2
- Created by: emilygibson97
- Created on: 28-11-14 19:39
View mindmap
- Climate Change
- Causes
- Climate forcing
- Milutin Milankovitch (1924)
- The surface temperature of the earth changes over time due to orbit and tilt of axis
- Milutin Milankovitch (1924)
- Solar output
- Amount of energy emitted by the sun varies due to sun spots
- Volcanic activity
- Major eruptions eject materials into the stratosphere - high winds distribute it
- Atmospheric forcing
- Enhancement of the greenhouse effect due to human induced pollution
- Global dimming
- Pollutants reflect solar energy back into space, having a net cooling effect
- Climate forcing
- Stratagies
- Mitiation
- Reducing output of greenhouses gases / increasing sinks
- Setting targets to reduce CO2
- Switching to renewable energy
- Capturing carbon emissions and storing them
- Adaption
- Changing our lifestyles to cope with a new enviroment
- Managed retreat of coastlines
- Developing drought resistant crops
- Enlarging conservation areas to allow for shifting habitat zones
- The Kyoto Protocol
- 1992 Earth Summit Rio - UNFCC
- Signed by 190 countries
- Aim - 'stabilization of greenhouse concentration and prevent dangerous anthropegic interference'
- Reduction targets: USA - 6%, EU - 8%, Iceland 10%
- Allow carbon sinks - planting forests - helps countries to offset emissions
- Mitiation
- Evidence
- Long term
- CO2 levels
- Levels average between 180ppm and 280ppm - 2007 = 383ppm
- Oxygen isotope levels
- Sampled from ice and ocean sediment cores - show sea level rise of 130m
- Pollen
- Extracted from sediment cores, compared with records from the past - show ecosystems have changed
- CO2 levels
- Medium term
- Historical records
- Indicate past events, showing past periods of climate change
- Tree rings
- Wider rings reflect good growing conditions, narrower rings show stress
- Retreating glaciers
- They grow and shrink in response to the climate - shows retreat since 1850
- Historical records
- Long term
- Anthropogenic arguement
- Creation of CO2 is seen mainly has a human induced problem
- Argued that anthropogenic activities are not all to blame - nature has a part to play
- The future
- Problems
- Water shortages - 50% rise in demand
- Food insecurity - stressed crops due to higher temperatures and rainfall
- Solutions
- Sustainable development
- Green strategies - planting tress, renewable energy
- Energy efficiency - redesigning houses, green transport
- Sustainable development
- Problems
- Case study
- Artics
- Vegetation shifts - destabilize food webs
- Thawing of permafrost (40%) - releasing large amounts of methane
- Ultraviolet impacts - effect freshwater systems, destroying pytoplankton
- Loss of hunting culture
- Will be more accessable
- Africa
- 14 countries suffering from water scarcity in 2007
- 75% live in rural areas where the quality of land is poor
- Untitled
- Example - Mozambique suffered widespread crop failure in 1995, and flooding in 2000
- Artics
- Causes
Comments
No comments have yet been made