Climate change

- Kaushik Inamdar
 Climate????

“Climate” is the average of the weather conditions

at a particular point on the Earth. Typically,
climate is expressed in terms of expected
temperature, rainfall and wind conditions based
on historical observations.
 Climate Change????
• “Climate change” is a change in either the average climate or
climate variability that persists over an extended period.
• The Earth’s climate has always changed. Changes in the
Earth’s orbit, the energy output of the sun, volcanic activity,
the geographic distribution of the Earth’s land masses and
other internal or external processes can influence climate.
Scientists refer to this type of long-term climate change as
“natural climate change”.
 Climate Change
• As a result of natural climate change,
the Earth has experienced regular cold
periods (or ice ages) in the past, when
glaciers covered large parts of the
Earth’s surface.
• The Earth has also experienced warmer
periods when sea levels were much
higher than they are now. In the Earth’s
long-term history, the current period is
characterised by a relatively warm,
stable climate that has lasted since the
end of the last ice age about 11,700
years ago. This period is known to
geologists as the Holocene and is the
period during which human civilisation
has flourished.
 Is it really natural????

If natural climate change were the only type of

climate change, then the interest to
sociologists would be minimal.
However, scientific observations and models
indicate that the Earth’s climate is now
changing due to human activity. This is termed
“anthropogenic climate change”.
 anthropogenic climate change??
• The processes involved are complex
but can be summarised as follows.
Human activities, such as burning fossil
fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) to make
electricity and power vehicles, clearing
forests for farms and cities, and
cultivating livestock, release
“greenhouse gases” into the
atmosphere.
• The main greenhouse gases are carbon
dioxide, methane, halocarbons, and
nitrous oxide.
 A threat!!
• Climate change is also of interest to sociologists because the
activities that are responsible for anthropogenic climate
change are embedded in human social life. Everyday social
practices like eating, working, moving about, and heating and
cooling our homes result in emissions of greenhouse gases
that contribute to climate change.
• Further, the causes and impacts of climate change are
unevenly distributed, raising questions of social justice. In
general, wealthier countries produce more greenhouse gas
emissions per person, whereas poorer countries tend to be
more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
• Proposed responses to climate change also have social
impacts that are unevenly distributed. Consequently, climate
change poses the first truly global social dilemma, and it is one
that has proven politically intractable at multiple governance
scales.
Global Warming
 The Sun’s energy
passes through the
car’s windshield.

This energy (heat)

is trapped inside
the car and cannot
pass back through
the windshield,
causing the inside
of the car to warm
up.
 The Greenhouse Effect

The Earth is surrounded

by a thin layer of gasses
we call greenhouse
gases. These gases
are what make up our
atmosphere.

Source: NASA
The thickness of the atmosphere and the
concentration of its gases influence the surface
temperature on any planet.
Source: Climate Generation, Elizabeth Andre
How Global Warming Works

Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

Fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas)

 What’s the difference?
GLOBAL WARMING
Is the increase of the Earth’s
average surface temperature due
to a build-up of greenhouse gases
in the atmosphere.
© 2007National Wildlife Federation
CLIMATE CHANGE
Is the long-term changes in
climate, including average
temperature and precipitation. It
recognizes that, although the
average surface temperature may
increase, the regional or local
temperature may decrease or
remain constant.
What proof do we have?
 Temperature & CO2 Data

Source: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Source: NASA Climate, Data from NOA
http://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/graphs_v3/ http://climate.nasa.gov/key_indicators#co2
Glaciers are melting
So are ice caps on both North and South
poll. Pictured example: Portage Glacier,
Alaska

2004

1914
 Global Sea Level Rise

Visit: http://climate.nasa.gov/key_indicators for interactive charts on sea

level and other key climate change indicators.
Source: NASA Climate http://climate.nasa.gov/key_indicators#seaLevel
 What causes global warming???
• Global warming occurs when carbon dioxide
(CO2) and other air pollutants and greenhouse
gases collect in the atmosphere and absorb
sunlight and solar radiation that have bounced
off the earth’s surface.
• Normally, this radiation would escape into
space—but these pollutants, which can last
for years to centuries in the atmosphere, trap
the heat and cause the planet to get hotter.
 Pollution from
Pollution
Pollutionfrom
fromcoal,
coal,
coal,
natural
natural
naturalgas,
gas,and
gas,
andoil
oil
and oil

© 2007National Wildlife Federation

“Warming of the climate system is
unequivocal,
human influence on the climate
system is clear …”
- The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, January, 2014,
Press Release
 Green House gases
• Carbon dioxide (CO2): Carbon dioxide enters the
atmosphere through burning fossil fuels (coal,
natural gas, and oil), solid waste, trees and other
biological materials, and also as a result of certain
chemical reactions (e.g., manufacture of cement).
Carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere (or
"sequestered") when it is absorbed by plants as part
of the biological carbon cycle.
• Methane (CH4): Methane is emitted during the
production and transport of coal, natural gas, and
oil. Methane emissions also result from livestock
and other agricultural practices and by the decay of
organic waste in municipal solid waste landfills.
 Green House gases
• Nitrous oxide (N2O): Nitrous oxide is emitted during
agricultural and industrial activities, combustion of fossil
fuels and solid waste, as well as during treatment of
wastewater.
• Fluorinated gases: Hydrofluorocarbons,
perfluorocarbons, sulfur hexafluoride, and nitrogen
trifluoride are synthetic, powerful greenhouse gases that
are emitted from a variety of industrial processes.
Fluorinated gases are sometimes used as substitutes for
stratospheric ozone-depleting substances (e.g.,
chlorofluorocarbons, hydrochlorofluorocarbons, and
halons). These gases are typically emitted in smaller
quantities, but because they are potent greenhouse
gases, they are sometimes referred to as High Global
Warming Potential gases ("High GWP gases").