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Climate change and global warming

Learn about climate change, global warming, and their effects on our planet. Discover why the Earth is getting warmer and what the future climate may look like. Find out how we can protect our environment and take action to mitigate the impacts of global warming.

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Climate change and global warming

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  1. Climate change and global warming Aiming Wu Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences University of British Columbia Vancouver, BC, Canada December 2004

  2. Outline • What is climate and climate change? • What is global warming and its effects? • Why the earth is getting warmer? • What climate will be in the future? • What shall we do to protect our Earth?

  3. What is climate ?

  4. Weather sunny cloudy rainy snowy snow (daytime) snow (overnight) fogy rain or snow

  5. Weather:what is happening outdoors in a given place at a given time. Weather changes from minute to minute, and place to place. How to describe weather? Weather forecast • 2 hours later • this evening • tomorrow …… • Temperature • Precipitation • Wind • Humidity • Visibility (cold, cool, warm, hot) (rainy, snowy, sunny) (light, strong) (dry or wet) • TV, radio • newspaper (fogy, dusty)

  6. Climate  Weather

  7. Climate:An average of all weather occurring over a period of time in a given place * Monthly, seasonal (or annual) mean temperature or precipitation (don’t look at the weather on a specific day) * tells us what it's generally or usually like * May talks about 10 millions years ago, 10 years ago, this season, this year, next year or 100 years later …… * Climate also depends on time and place

  8. Different places have different climate…

  9. Sahara, Africa Max. summer 58oC annual precipitation 76mm Victoria, Canada summer 21oC winter 8oC annual precipitation 1250cm Dry, hot mild

  10. In winter Tropical forests Europe Warm & wet Cold

  11. Climate also changes with time ……

  12. Changes with season …… Temperatureprecipitation

  13. Global warming * Global mean surface temperatures have increased about 1oF since the late 1800s * The Earth is getting warmer ! G

  14. The warming is GLOBAL !

  15. Temperature changes 1895-1995 British Columbia (Canada)

  16. What are the effects of global warming? Good or bad to us ?

  17. Human Health • Extreme hot weather can directly cause death (over 40oC) [normal human body temperature ?] • Several serious diseases only appear in warm areas [virus or bacteria like warm place to live] • Warm temperatures can increase air and water pollution

  18. Severe drought or flood • more water evaporates, soil will become drier; desert will expand; lake or river levels will drop or even get dried, • flood in some other places

  19. Sea level rise • Seas, oceans expand • Antarctic, Greenland ice melt • low-lying coastal lands drown • (many people lose their homes) • large area of farmland be ruined

  20. Farming • Some plants and crop cannot grow under higher temperatures • Drought makes plants & crop die (need water) • people have no enough food, die because of starvation

  21. Animal, forest-fire • Some animal will die when the temperature changes • More and more forest fires

  22. So, global warming is causing serious problems to our environment and our lives . . .

  23. Why is the climate getting warmer?

  24. Atmosphere Other includes: Argon (Ar, 0.9%) Water vapor (H2O) Carbon Dioxide (CO2, 0.03%) Ozone (O3), CFCs Methane (CH4) Also called “greenhouse gas” Earth

  25. How to grow plants in winter? greenhouse (a) Let sunlight come in (b) keep heat from going out

  26. The greenhouse effect

  27. Greenhouse gas molecules absorb infrared radiation and emit it again

  28. Greenhouse gases * let the sun rays come in * absorb infrared radiation and emit it back to the Earth Make the earth warmer

  29. Atmospheric CO2 is increased rapidly in the recent 100 years !

  30. Global warming happened only in the recent 100 years

  31. So the global warming is mainly caused by the increase of CO2in the atmosphere

  32. Who causes CO2 increase ? Human Vehicle pollution Industrial pollution Forest cut

  33. Natural pollutions Volcanic ash (works like the greenhouse gases)

  34. What is in the future ? It is estimated that CO2 will double from pre-industrial levels in 50-100 years ……

  35. Global temperature Sea level By 2050: 5-30 cm By 2100: 10-90 cm By 2050: 0.6-2.5ºC By 2100: 1.4-5.8ºC

  36. What can we do to protect our Earth ? • Read and learn about the environment science • Save energy (turn off lights, TV, computer…) • Use bike, bus, walk or car pool • Plant trees (plants absorb CO2, vapor …) • Recycle (papers, cans, plastic bags, bottles) • Use solar energy • Talking to your family and friends (let them know)

  37. Summary • The global climate is getting warmer since the late 1800s • The global warming is making our environment worse and threatening out lives • Global warming is mainly caused by human activities (industry, transportations etc) • However, everyone can do something to protect our Earth 

  38. The end, thank you. Questions & comments ?

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