Atmosphere

Global Climate change

• terms global warming + climate change used interchangeably but global warming is one apsect of climate change 
• global warming refers to long term warming of planet, global temps show rise since 1970s, average temp worldwide risen about 1⁰C 
• climate change ecompasses global warming but refers to broader range of changes that happening to planet, inlude rising sea levels, shrinking moutain glaciers, accelerating ice melt in greenland - all consequences of warming is caused mainly by burining of fossil fuels + putting out heat trapping gases into air 

global agreements + laws to mitigate climate change + global warming 

- kytoto protocol 

- the montreal protocol 

- paris climate agreement: sets long term goals to guide all nations e.g. substantially reduce global greenhouse emissions to limit global temp increase in this century, review countries comitments every 5 years, provide financing to developing countries to mitigate climate change. agreement is legally binding international treatey, 194 parties have joined paris agreement 

causes of clima

enhanced greenhouse effect: 

• global warming is attrbiuted to enhanced greenhouse effect - is caused by increased concentration of greenhouse gases in atmosphere 
• greenhouse gases e.g.carbon dioxide, methane + nitrous oxide act like blanket + trap heat inside atmosphere 
• as concentrations of gases build up, are more effective at preventing heat being lost into space, amount of heat being lost from atmosphere is less then the energy entering the atmophere = temp of atmosphere increases

nnormal greenhouse gases - enhanced 

greenhouse effect: 

• solar radiation passes through earths atmosphere 
• eath absorbs most of radation + warms up 
• the earth radiated heat energy 
• some heat espcapes into space 
• some heat is abosrbed by greenhouse gases in atmosphere 
• greenhouse gases radiate heat in all directions 
• lower atmosphere remains warm 

ehanced greenhouse effect: 

• greenhouse gases allow more solar radiation to pass though atmopshere 
• earth absorbs most of radiation + warms up 
• earth radiates heat energy 
• less heat escapes into space 
• more heat is absorbed by greenhouse gases in atmosphere 
• …