GLOBAL

WARMING

Global Warming
an average increase in

the temperature of the

atmosphere near the
Earths surface and in the
troposphere1, which can
contribute to changes in
global climate
patterns

Causes
Burning of fossil fuels (Coal/Crude oil)
Power plants generate electricity
Transportation-----fuels for transports (E.g.
LPG,
kerosene, fuel oil)
Industrial processes (E.g. manufacture of
cement, steel, aluminium)

Causes
Other greenhouse
gases emission

Agriculture
Forestry
Other land uses
Waste management

Example : Using natural gas to cook

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Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere

Some infrared radiation is trapped

Greenhouse effect

Serious greenhouse effect

Global Warming

How serious the problem

is?...

Increase in greenhouse
gases

Concentration of greenhouse gases

in the atmosphere is highly
increasing by human activities

Leads to the increasing seriousness of

global warming

Global surface
temperatures
increased about 0.6C/century
since the late19th century
increased to 2C/century over the
past 25 years

Increase in Global
temperatures

Temperature
difference between
different parts of
troposphere temperatures (the
atmosphere
lowest 8 kilometers of the Earth's

atmosphere) collected since 1979

also indicate warming
Cooling effect in higher parts of the
atmosphere: stratospheric
temperatures have been decreasing

NOT globally uniform

warming
Warming parts:
North America
Eurasia

Cooling parts:
parts of the southeastern U.S.

Increasing temperature
extremes
Regions that have temperatures (13C) warmer than the average:
United States
Most of the Europe

Regions that have temperatures (13C) cooler than the average:

Australia

Regional
Temperatures

Sea level rising

rising at an average rate of 1 - 2
mm/year over the past 100 years

Environmental
and Human
Effects

Direct Temperature
Effects
Increase in average temperature
More extreme heat waves during the summer;
Less extreme cold spells during the winter
Harmful to those with heart problems,
asthma, the elderly, the very young and the
homeless

Extreme Events
Extreme Events:
Heat waves; Cold waves; Storms; Floods
and Droughts
Global warming

An increase in the frequency of extreme

events
More event-related deaths, injuries, infectious
diseases, and stress-related disorders

Climate-sensitive
diseases
Increase the risk of some infectious diseases
[particularly that appear in warm areas; are
spread by mosquitoes and other insects]
E.g. Malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever,
encephalitis

Algal blooms occur more frequently as

temperatures warm (particularly in areas with

polluted waters)
Diseases (e.g. cholera) accompanying algal
blooms become more frequent

Air Quality
An increase in the concentration
of ground-level ozone

Damage lung tissue

Harmful for those with asthma

and other chronic lung
diseases

Food supply
Rising temperatures and variable
precipitation
Decrease the production of staple
foods in many of the poorest
regions
Increasing risks of malnutrition

Population
displacement
Rising sea levels
Increase the risk of coastal flooding
(Necessitate population displacement)
More than half of the world's population now lives
within 60km of the sea.
Most vulnerable regions: Nile delta in Egypt, the
Ganges-Brahmaputra delta in Bangladesh, many
small islands, such as the Maldives, the Marshall
Islands and Tuvalu.

UV Exposure
(Australia)
Skin Cancer
an abnormal growth of skin tissues.

Premature aging
make the skin thick, wrinkled, and leathery

Cataracts
No longer have transparent lenses in their
eyes

UV Exposure
(Australia)
Other Eye Damages
Skin cancer around the eyes
Degeneration of the yellow spot

Suppression of Immunity
Overexposure to UV radiation suppress
proper functioning of the body's immune
system and natural defenses of skin
UV-B radiation weakens the immune system
increases the chance of infection and disease

Measures on controlling
the problem
Government
* set some laws to limit the amount of
pollutants produced by factories
* develop the skills of using renewable
fuels, e.g. solar energy, wind energy

Measures on controlling
the problem
* encourage the factories to replace fossil
fuels by renewable fuels, which would not
cause environmental pollution
* carry out energy saving scheme
reduce the pollution produced by burning
fossil fuels
* build more plants reduce the pollutants
e.g. CO2

Measures on controlling
the problem
Citizens
* reduce the use of plastic bags as
burning plastic emit CH4
* recycle the resources, e.g. plastic
* reduce the use of sprays as CFCs
would be emitted out

Measures on controlling
the problem
* reduce the use of air-conditioner, which
will emit CFCs
* use public transportation instead of
private cars reduce the pollutants
emitted by cars

Sources
http://www.who.int/globalchange/climate/en/
http://resources.emb.gov.hk/envir-

ed/text/globalissue/e_m2_2_6.htm
http://epa.gov/climatechange/effects/index.ht
ml
http://www.tchps.edu.hk/greenweb/greenMai
ndGMsg5.htm
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/globalw
arming.html

THE
END