SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE

S.SARANYA
161011101061
B.ARCH/5TH YEAR/1OTH SEMESTER

Dr. MGR Educational & Research Institute

 GLOBAL WARMING
Global warming is the long-term warming of the planet’s overall temperature.
Though this warming trend has been going on for a long time, its pace has
significantly increased in the last hundred years due to the burning of fossil fuels.
As the human population has increased, so has the volume of fossil fuels burned.
Fossil fuels include coal, oil, and natural gas, and burning them causes what is
known as the “greenhouse effect” in Earth’s atmosphere.

The greenhouse effect is when the Sun’s rays penetrate the atmosphere, but
when that heat is reflected off the surface cannot escape back into space.
Gases produced by the burning of fossil fuels prevent the heat from leaving the
atmosphere. These greenhouse gasses are carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons,
water vapor, methane, and nitrous oxide. The excess heat in the atmosphere has
caused the average global temperature to rise overtime, otherwise known as
global warming.

Global warming has presented another issue called climate change. Sometimes
these phrases are used interchangeably, however, they are different. Climate
change refers to changes in weather patterns and growing seasons around the
world. It also refers to sea level rise caused by the expansion of warmer seas and
melting ice sheets and glaciers. Global warming causes climate change, which
poses a serious threat to life on earth in the forms of widespread flooding and
extreme weather
 Environmental and Social Impacts of Climate Change
Climate change involves a variety of potential environmental, social, and
economic impacts. In most situations, these impacts will be adverse; in a few
isolated situations, these could be more favorable (such as increased crop yield).
The severity of the adverse impacts will increase with the rise in the average global
temperature.

Floods and Droughts

Floods are expected to occur more frequently on more than half of the earth’s
surface. In some regions, they could decrease. During winter, snowfalls are
expected to decrease in mid-latitudes, resulting in less significant snowmelt floods
during the spring season. In Canada, increased rainfall is forecasted for the entire
country. On the other hand, meteorological droughts (less rainfall) and
agricultural droughts (drier soil) are projected to become longer or more frequent
in some regions and some seasons, especially under the RCP 8.5, because of
reduced rainfall and increased evaporation, like in British Columbia and the
Prairies. More severe droughts will put additional pressure on water supply systems
of dry areas, but could be manageable in wetter areas, assuming adaption
measures are implemented. Reduction in

Water Resources
Renewable water supply is expected to decline in certain areas and expand in
others. In regions where gains are expected, temporary deficits of water resources
are still possible because of increased fluctuations of stream flow (caused by
higher volatility of precipitation and increased evaporation during all seasons)
and of seasonal cutbacks (because of lower accumulation of snow and ice).
Clean water supply may also decrease due to a warmer environment inducing
lower water quality. For example, algae-producing toxins could damage the
quality of sources such as lakes. Such overall decline in renewable water supply
will intensify competition for water among agriculture, ecosystems, settlements,
industry, and energy production, affecting regional water, energy, and food
security.
Rising Sea Levels
In some regions such as the U.S. Eastern Coast, tides are reaching up to three feet
higher than they used to 50 years ago. Rising sea levels will have more and more
negative consequences near the coasts—such as flooding, erosion of the coasts,
and submergence of low-lying regions—putting at risk populations, infrastructure,
animals, and vegetation near the coasts. Low-lying regions (like Bangladesh) and
whole islands (like the Maldives and Kiribati) are at risk of destruction in the short
term from rising ocean levels, floods, and more intense storm urges.

Changes in Ecosystems
In the past millions of years, climate changes have naturally occurred at slower
paces, permitting the ecosystems to adapt. However, in the 20th century many
argue that we have entered the Anthropocene. Species extinction rate has
exceeded by up to 100 times the “normal” pace (i.e., without anthropogenic
impact). We are facing a major biodiversity crisis and we might even be entering
a sixth “mass extinction”. It may be noted that the changes in ecosystems involve
much more than climate change. Massive extinctions are caused by many
factors including urbanization, increased world population, etc. Of course,
climate change has made its contribution which will amplify with time.

Food Production and Security

Obvious climate change impacts on terrestrial food production can already be
observed in some sectors around the globe. In the past few years, climate
extremes such as droughts have occurred in major producing areas, resulting in
many episodes of price hikes for food and cereals. Although these effects are
beneficial in certain areas, adverse consequences are more frequent than
favorable ones, especially, because key production areas (e.g. California) are
located in historically favorable areas which will become unfavorable. Many
climate change impacts will increasingly affect food security—particularly in low
latitude regions—and will be exacerbated by escalating food demand.
Forecasted ocean level rise will threaten crucial food-producing areas along the
coasts, such as India and Bangladesh, which are major rice producers.
 CLIMATE CHANGE
Climate change may be due to natural processes, such as changes in the Sun’s
radiation, volcanoes or internal variability in the climate system, or due to
human influences such as changes in the composition of the atmosphere or
land use.

Natural causes

The Earth's climate can be affected by natural factors that are external to the
climate system, such as changes in volcanic activity, solar output, and the
Earth's orbit around the Sun. Of these, the two factors relevant on timescales of
contemporary climate change are changes in volcanic activity and changes in
solar radiation. In terms of the Earth's energy balance, these factors primarily
influence the amount of incoming energy. Volcanic eruptions are episodic and
have relatively short-term effects on climate. Changes in solar irradiance have
contributed to climate trends over the past century but since the Industrial
Revolution, the effect of additions of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere has
been over 50 times that of changes in the Sun's output.

Human causes
Climate change can also be caused by human activities, such as the burning of
fossil fuels and the conversion of land for forestry and agriculture. Since the
beginning of the Industrial Revolution, these human influences on the climate
system have increased substantially. In addition to other environmental impacts,
these activities change the land surface and emit various substances to the
atmosphere. These in turn can influence both the amount of incoming energy
and the amount of outgoing energy and can have both warming and cooling
effects on the climate. The dominant product of fossil fuel combustion is carbon
dioxide, a greenhouse gas. The overall effect of human activities since the
Industrial Revolution has been a warming effect, driven primarily by emissions of
carbon dioxide and enhanced by emissions of other greenhouse gases.
The build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has led to an
enhancement of the natural greenhouse effect. It is this human-induced
enhancement of the greenhouse effect that is of concern because ongoing
emissions of greenhouse gases have the potential to warm the planet to levels
that have never been experienced in the history of human civilization. Such
climate change could have far-reaching and/or unpredictable environmental,
social, and economic consequences.

Humans have caused major climate changes to happen already, and we have
set in motion more changes still. Even if we stopped emitting greenhouse gases
today, global warming would continue to happen for at least several more
decades, if not centuries. That’s because it takes a while for the planet (for
example, the oceans) to respond, and because carbon dioxide – the
predominant heat-trapping gas – lingers in the atmosphere for hundreds of
years. There is a time lag between what we do and when we feel it.
In the absence of major action to reduce emissions, global temperature is on
track to rise by an average of 6 °C (10.8 °F), according to the latest estimates.
Some scientists argue a “global disaster” is already unfolding at the poles of the
planet; the Arctic, for example, may be ice-free at the end of the summer melt
season within just a few years. Yet other experts are concerned about Earth
passing one or more “tipping points” – abrupt, perhaps irreversible changes that
tip our climate into a new state.

But it may not be too late to avoid or limit some of the worst effects of climate
change. Responding to climate change will involve a two-tier approach: 1)
“mitigation” – reducing the flow of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere; and
2) “adaptation” – learning to live with, and adapt to, the climate change that
has already been set in motion. The key question is: what will our emissions of
carbon dioxide and other pollutants be in the years to come? Recycling and
driving more fuel-efficient cars are examples of important behavioral change
that will help, but they will not be enough. Because climate change is a truly
global, complex problem with economic, social, political and moral
ramifications, the solution will require both a globally-coordinated response
(such as international policies and agreements between countries, a push to
cleaner forms of energy) and local efforts on the city- and regional-level (for
example, public transport upgrades, energy efficiency improvements,
sustainable city planning, etc.). It’s up to us what happens next.

WAYS TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE

Use energy wisely

Canada is the top per-capita energy consumer in the world! By becoming more
energy-efficient, you not only pollute less but save money too.

Consider making some or all of these small changes. Together, they can really
add up.

• A house with a furnace is like a car that idles all day. Swap your furnace
for a heat pump, which works by extracting heat from one location and
transferring it to another
• Install a programmable thermostat
• Swap your gas stove for an electric stove, which will also lower indoor air
pollution
• Unplug computers, TVs and other electronics when you’re not using them
• Wash clothes in cold water. Hang-dry your clothes when you can and
use  dryer balls  when you can’t

• Look for the Energy Star label when buying new appliances
• Winterize your home to prevent heat from escaping and try to keep it cool
in the summer without an air conditioner
• Change to energy-efficient light bulbs
• Get a home or workplace energy audit to identify where you can make
the most energy-saving gains

Get charged up with renewables

The global push for cleaner, healthier energy is on. With costs dropping every
day, renewable energy is the best choice for the environment and the
economy.

People throughout Canada are leading the renewable energy transition,

making a big difference in towns, cities and rural areas.
Green your commute

In Canada, transportation accounts for 24 per cent of climate-polluting

emissions, a close second to the oil and gas industry.

The many ways to reduce your transportation emissions will also make you
healthier, happier and save you a few bucks. Whenever and wherever you can:

• Take public transit

• Ride a bike or advocate for bike lanes in your community
• Car-share
• If you have a large, inefficient vehicle, retire it and switch to an electric or
plug-in hybrid vehicle
• Fly less (if you do fly, make sure you offset your emissions)