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:

 distance from the sea

 ocean currents

 direction of prevailing winds

 shape of the land (known as 'topography')

 distance from the equator

 the El Niño phenomenon.

 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.

 The shape of the land

Climate can be affected by mountains. Mountains
receive more rainfall than low lying areas because
as air is forced over the higher ground it cools,
causing moist air to condense and fall out as
rainfall.
 Distance from the equator
The distance from the equator affects the climate of
a place. At the poles, energy from the sun reaches
the Earth's surface at lower angles and passes
through a thicker layer of atmosphere than at the
equator. This means the climate is cooler further
from the Equator. The poles also experience the
greatest difference between summer and winter
day lengths: in the summer there is a period when
the sun does not set at the poles; conversely the
poles also experience a period of total darkness
during winter. In contrast, daylength varies little
at the equator.
 El Niño
El Niño, which affects wind and rainfall patterns,
has been blamed for droughts and floods in
countries around the Pacific Rim. El Niño refers to
the irregular warming of surface water in the
Pacific. The warmer water pumps energy and
moisture into the atmosphere, altering global wind
and rainfall patterns.
 Human influence
The factors above affect the climate
naturally. However, we cannot forget the influence
of humans on our climate. Early on in human
history our effect on the climate would have been
quite small. However, as populations increased
and trees were cut down in large numbers, so our
influence on the climate increased. Trees take in
carbon dioxide and produce oxygen. A reduction in
trees will therefore have increased the amount of
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
 EVIDENCE OF
CLIMATE CHANGE
 Global temperature rise
The planet's average surface temperature has risen
about 1.62 degrees Fahrenheit (0.9 degrees Celsius)
since the late 19th century, a change driven largely
by increased carbon dioxide and other human-made
emissions into the atmosphere.
 Warming oceans
The oceans have absorbed much of this increased
heat, with the top 700 meters (about 2,300 feet) of
ocean showing warming of 0.302 degrees
Fahrenheit since 1969.
 Shrinking ice sheets
The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have
decreased in mass. Data from NASA's Gravity
Recovery and Climate Experiment show Greenland
lost and average of 281 billion tons of ice per year
between 1993 and 2016, while Antarctica lost
about 119 billion tons during the same time period.
 Glacial retreat
Glaciers are retreating almost everywhere around
the world — including in the Alps, Himalayas,
Andes, Rockies, Alaska and Africa.

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.

 Climate change presents increasing

challenges for energy production and
transmission. A progressive temperature
increase, an increasing number and severity of
extreme weather events and changing
precipitation patterns will affect energy
production and delivery. The supply of fossil
fuels, and thermal and hydropower generation
and transmission, will also be affected. However,
adaptation options exist.
 Energy fluctuations or blackouts because of
energy supply interruptions
 Greater risk of plant, product and
infrastructure damage and supply chain
disruptions from extreme weather events
(such as heat waves, floods, droughts,
cyclones and storms)
 Higher costs
 ADAPTING TO
CLIMATE CHANGE
 Adapt your business to climate change. This
action depends on your location and the nature of
your manufacturing facilities. Examples include:
 your buildings and infrastructure can cope with
heavier downpours.
 Incorporating expected climate impacts in
planning and decision-making, such as siting of
factories.
• Undertaking a climate risk assessment to
improve planning and decision-making. The
assessment should look at:

 Physical risks to manufacturing resources – such

as accelerated deterioration of materials and
equipment;
 Infrastructure – such as impacts on roads,
railways, ports and industrial infrastructure,
which are fundamental to the manufacturing
sector;
 Business and regulatory risks – such as changes
in insurance coverage; and
 Market risks – such as changes in international
competitiveness through energy and
transportation costs.