Global

warming and
climate change
-Kritika
FY Sanskrit Honours
 WHAT IS GLOBAL WARMING?
The Earth is warming up, and humans are
at least partially to blame. The causes,
effects, and complexities of global
warming are important to understand so
that we can fight for the health of our
planet.

Global warming is the gradual heating of

the Earth’s surface, oceans and
atmosphere, which is caused by human
activities, primarily the burning of fossil
fuels that pump carbon dioxide (CO2),
methane (CH₄) and other greenhouse
gases into the atmosphere.
 CAUSES OF GLOBAL WARMING

01 02
VARIATION IN SUN’S INTENSITY INDUSTRIAL ACTIVITY
The intensity of the Sun varies along The industrial
with the 11-year sunspot cycle. processes release
greenhouse gases,
03 such as methane and
CFCs.
AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITY
The use of commercial and
organic fertilizers releases
nitrous oxide, a powerful
04 greenhouse gas. 05
DEFORESTATION EARTH’S FEEDBACK LOOP
The increased demand for Warm atmosphere is
meat and dairy cattle has led able to hold more water,
to the creation of feedlots in the most abundant
otherwise forested areas. greenhouse gas.
Climate change

Climate change is a long-term

change in the average weather
patterns that have come to define
Earth’s local, regional and global
climates.

Climate change is affecting every

country on every continent. It is
disrupting national economies and
affecting lives. Weather patterns are
changing, sea levels are rising, and
weather events are becoming more
extreme.
“Climate change” and “global warming”
are often used interchangeably but have
distinct meanings.
 Climate vs weather

weather climate

Weather refers to Climate, on the other

atmospheric hand, refers to the long-
conditions that term regional or even
occur locally over global average of
short periods of temperature, humidity
time—from and rainfall patterns over
minutes to hours or seasons, years or
days. decades.
 Evidence of climate change
Global temperature rise – The planet's average surface temperature has risen about 1.18
degrees Celsius since the late 19th century
Warming ocean – Earth stores 90% of the extra
energy in the ocean.
Shrinking ice sheets – The Greenland and
Antarctic ice sheets have decreased in mass.
Glacial retreat – Glaciers are retreating almost
everywhere around the world.
Decreased snow cover
Sea level rise – Global sea level rose about
8 inches in the last century.
Declining arctic sea ice – The extent and
thickness of Arctic sea ice has declined rapidly
over the last several decades.
Extreme events
Ocean acidification – Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the acidity of surface ocean
waters has increased by about 30%.
Causes of climate change
Gases that contribute to greenhouse
effect :
 How are global warming and climate change
related?
Global warming
“Global warming” refers to the
long-term warming of the
planet. Global temperature
shows a well-documented rise
since the early 20th century
and most notably since the late
1970s.
Climate change
“Climate change” encompasses global
warming, but refers to the broader range of
changes that are happening to our planet.
These include rising sea levels; shrinking
mountain glaciers; accelerating ice melt in
Greenland, Antarctica and the Arctic; and
shifts in flower/plant blooming times.
 Is current warming natural?
Though people have had the
largest impact on our climate
since 1950, natural changes to
Earth’s climate have also
occurred in recent times. For
example, two major volcanic
eruptions, El Chichon in 1982 and
Pinatubo in 1991, pumped sulfur
dioxide gas high into the
atmosphere. The gas was
converted into tiny particles that
lingered for more than a year,
reflecting sunlight and shading
Earth’s surface. Temperatures
across the globe dipped for two
to three years.
 Global temperature
This graph illustrates the change
in global surface temperature
relative to 1951-1980 average
temperatures. Nineteen of the
warmest years have occurred
since 2000, with the exception of
1998. The year 2020 tied with 2016
for the warmest year on record
since record-keeping began in
1880.

The time series below shows the five-year average variation of global surface
temperatures.
 Climate change – A Case study of canada
One of the most recent examples of the extreme
effects of climate change is that of Canada.

Hundreds of deaths in Canada, America may have

been caused by the historic heat wave that baked
Canada's western territories and US Northwest
and shattered all-time temperature records in
usually temperate cities.

The climate crisis means that summer is a time of

increasingly dangerous heat. This week in the
Pacific north-west, temperature records are not
just being broken, they are being obliterated.
Temperatures reached a shocking 47.9°C in
British Columbia, Canada. The heat wave was
caused by what meteorologists described as a
dome of high pressure over the Northwest and
worsened by human-caused climate change,
which is making such extreme weather events more likely and more intense.

Additional warming from greenhouse gas emissions means that such extreme heat
waves are more likely.

Canada broke its temperature record for a third straight day on Tuesday - 49.6°C in
Lytton, British Columbia. At least 233 people died in the Pacific coast province of
British Columbia between Friday and Monday. The heat wave has scorched crops
across the Prairies, where farmers grow much of the world's wheat and canola,
driven up natural gas prices in the fourth-largest global producer, and increased the
risks of wildfires.
A wildfire that forced people to flee a small town in British Columbia that had set
record high temperatures for Canada on three consecutive days burned out of
control on Thursday.

In the US Pacific Northwest on Monday, temperatures hit 46.1°C in Portland, Oregon,

and 42.2°C in Seattle, Washington, the highest levels since the 1940s. At least 20
deaths in Washington state have been linked to the heat.
 What can we do?
1. First, cut off the supply of ever more extreme heat waves by halving carbon dioxide emission
this decade, then reaching net zero emissions by 2050.

2. Speak Up: By voicing your concerns – via

social media or, better yet, directly to your
elected officials – you send a message that
you care about the warming world.

3. Power your home with renewable energy:

Choose a utility company that generates at
least half its power from wind or solar.

4. Invest in energy-efficient appliances.

5. Reduce water waste: Saving water reduces

carbon pollution, too. That's because it takes
a lot of energy to pump, heat, and treat our
water. So take shorter showers and turn off
the tap while brushing your teeth.
6. Actually eat the food you buy—and make less of it meat: Approximately 10
percent of energy use goes into growing, processing, packaging, and shipping
food, so, if you’re wasting less food, you’re likely cutting down on energy
consumption. And since livestock products are among the most resource-
intensive to produce, eating meat-free meals can make a big difference, too.

7. Buy better bulbs: LED light bulbs use up to 80 percent less energy than
conventional incandescents.

8. Pull the plug(s): Don't leave fully charged devices plugged into your home's
outlets, unplug rarely used devices or plug them into power strips and timers,
and adjust your computers and monitors to automatically power down to the
lowest power mode when not in use.

9. Drive a fuel-efficient vehicle: Gas-smart cars, such as hybrids and fully electric
vehicles, save fuel and money.

10. Rethink planes, trains, and automobiles: Choosing to live within

walkable distances with quality public transportation leads to less driving, less
money spent on fuel, and less air pollution. Less frequent flying can make a big
difference, too.
Thank you