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CLIMATE CHANGE

CLIMATE CHANGE. What is it and what can we do about it and why should we care?. What is Climate Change?. The Earth has a natural “Greenhouse Effect” as part of the atmosphere. This is actually a good thing as our planet would be much colder without it.

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CLIMATE CHANGE

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  1. CLIMATE CHANGE What is it and what can we do about it and why should we care?

  2. What is Climate Change? • The Earth has a natural “Greenhouse Effect” as part of the atmosphere. This is actually a good thing as our planet would be much colder without it. • BUT, climate change is the overall increase in global temperatures. More of the Sun’s heat and the Earth’s carbon is staying in the atmosphere making our greenhouse “blanket” thicker.

  3. This is affecting other climate patterns such as longer periods of drought in some places, higher than normal rainfall in others and more frequent and more intense storm systems like hurricanes and tornadoes.

  4. Why Should We Care About Climate Change? • We should care because these changes are altering the complex web of systems that allow all life to thrive on earth. • We should care because climate change is now undeniably caused by human activities. As a result, around the world people are already experiencing: • Drought and food shortages • Increase in forest fires • Spread of tropical diseases northwards (West Nile Virus, etc.) • Loss of fish species due to warming oceans • Mass extinction of species of flora, vegetation, insects, and wildlife on land (like the Polar Bear which is now at risk)

  5. Why Should We Care About Climate Change? • Rising sea levels due to melting glaciers and ice caps • Glacial fed rivers and streams drying up due to retreating glaciers • Flooding of coastal cities • Extreme storm systems like tornadoes and hurricanes • The list goes on…!

  6. Why is Climate Change Happening? • Our population explosion has led to greater demand for energy mostly through the burning of fossil fuels that has made the blanket of greenhouse gases around the earth “thicker.” More of the sun’s energy is being trapped in the atmosphere, and much more of the world’s carbon (in the form of carbon dioxide) is resting in the air rather than in trees, soil, and subterranean deposits, and this is what is causing increases in global temperatures. • http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/

  7. What Can We Do to Help Prevent Further Climate Change? • Saving energy whenever possible and more importantly, we need to continue to develop and use renewable sources of energy such as solar and wind to power our lifestyles. • Examples: • Transportation: using electric, hybrid cars, more fuel efficient cars, carpool, take public transit, walk, longboard, roller blade, bike to work, school, etc. • Energy: turning off lights, computers and other electronics, etc. • Food: buy local, buy less so it doesn’t go to waste, eat less meat each week, etc. • Population: improving health care for mothers and infants in the 3rd world will reduce birth rate, educating women can reduce birth rate, etc. • Politics: providing pressure on governments to have better climate change policies, tax breaks on fuel efficient, hybrid cars, etc. Solar Roadways! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlTA3rnpgzU

  8. Some Crazy Facts About Climate Change and Human Activities… If ice caps and glaciers continue to melt at their current rate, cities like New York, Halifax, Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City, etc. will be flooded in 50 to 75 years time. Earth has warmed by almost 1°C in the past 100 years. It took the Earth 10 000 years to warm up this much after the last ice age! 33 million Canadians use as much energy as the entire continent of Africa, home to 760 million people! In 1997, Canada agreed to the Kyoto Protocol and intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 6% of 1990 levels by the year 2012 – instead, we INCREASED our carbon emissions by 19 % and our energy consumption by 22%. Canada is the 8th largest producer of carbon dioxide in the world, though it is home to just 0.5% of the world's population. If everyone in the world lived the way people we do, it would take 4.5 Earths to provide enough resources for everyone!

  9. So What Are We Doing Right? Canada’s World Wildlife Fund (WWF)is promoting the use of electric vehicles. WWF-Canada’s target is to see 600,000 electric vehicles (EVs) on the road by 2020. The city of Calgary is using wind power to run its rapid transit system The Hudson Bay company has cut energy use by 8% and annual costs by $14 million by using wind power to offset their energy sources. The city of Edmonton was this year’s winner of the “Earth Hour” Challenge for Canada.

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