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Climate Change
Climate Change
GROUP 3
WHAT IS CLIMATE CHANGE?
Is a change in the statistical distribution of
weather patterns when that change lasts for an
extended period of time (i.e., decades to millions
of years). Climate change may refer to a change
in average weather conditions, or in the time
variation of weather within the context of longer-
term average conditions.
FACTORS
AFFECTING
CLIMATE CHANGE
There are many different factors that affect climate
around the world. It is the varying influence of
these factors that lead to different parts of the
Earth experiencing differing climates. The most
important natural factors are:
Human influence
Distance from the sea (Continentality)
The sea affects the climate of a place. Coastal areas
are cooler and wetter than inland areas. Clouds
form when warm air from inland areas meets cool
air from the sea. The centre of continents are
subject to a large range of temperatures. In the
summer, temperatures can be very hot and dry as
moisture from the sea evaporates before it reaches
the centre of the land mass.
Ocean currents
Ocean currents can increase or reduce
temperatures.
Direction of prevailing winds
Winds that blow from the sea often bring rain to
the coast and dry weather to inland areas.
image:
The disappearing
snowcap of
Kilimanjaro,
from space.
Sea level rise
Global sea level rose about 8 inches in the last
century. The rate in the last two decades, however,
is nearly double that of the last century.4
Declining Arctic sea ice
Both the extent and thickness of Arctic sea ice has
declined rapidly over the last several decades.
Extreme events
The number of record high temperature events in
the United States has been increasing, while the
number of record low temperature events has been
decreasing, since 1950. The U.S. has also witnessed
increasing numbers of intense rainfall events.
Ocean acidification
Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution,
the acidity of surface ocean waters has increased by
about 30 percent. This increase is the result of
humans emitting more carbon dioxide into the
atmosphere and hence more being absorbed into
the oceans. The amount of carbon dioxide absorbed
by the upper layer of the oceans is increasing by
about 2 billion tons per year.
Climate Change:
Implications for the
Energy Sector
Energy demand is increasing globally,
causing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
from the energy sector also to increase.
The trend is set to continue, driven primarily by
economic growth and the rising population.