Global Warming and

Climate Change
Some of the heat going out is
trapped by the atmosphere
which makes our planet warm
enough to live on.
But if too much heat is
trapped, our planet will warm
up.
Some of the atmospheric gases act like a blanket, trapping heat.
These gases are called ‘greenhouse gases’.
This is known as the ‘Natural Greenhouse Effect’. Without it, the
earth would be much colder.

The heating of the

earth through human
activities is called the
‘Enhanced
Greenhouse Effect’
 Natural Atmosphere Enhanced
Greenhouse has more Greenhouse
greenhouse
effect gases
effect
Heat radiates Heat radiates
from the earth from the earth

Some heat Less heat

goes out to goes out
space to space

Atmosphere traps
Atmosphere traps
some heat
more heat

Quite a lot of heat More heat is

is trapped and the trapped and
earth is warm causes global
enough for life. warming
 Which gases in the atmosphere trap heat?
The atmosphere is made of 78% Nitrogen and 21% Oxygen.
But these gases don’t trap heat and cause global warming or
climate change.

The gases which trap heat make up

less than 1% of the atmosphere! They
are called the ‘greenhouse gases’.

The main greenhouse gases are:

Carbon dioxide
Methane Human activity
Nitrous oxide increases the
Ozone amount of these
Water vapour gases in the
Halocarbons atmosphere
How do humans increase carbon dioxide levels in
the atmosphere?
Burning fossil fuels
releases the carbon dioxide
stored millions of years
ago. Most of the increased
carbon dioxide comes from
fossil fuels

Deforestation releases the

carbon stored in trees. Less
trees also means less carbon
dioxide can be removed from
the atmosphere.
How do humans increase methane levels in the
atmosphere?
Increased rice growing
Methane is produced when
bacteria rot organic matter

Increased
Increased livestock farming rubbish in
landfill

Methane is also
released when The amount of methane in
fossil fuels are the atmosphere has
extracted increased by two and a half
times since the Industrial
Revolution.
We humans are thought to be the
main cause of global warming and
climate change……..

but we still have the chance to do

something about it.
Global Warming and Climate
Change
GLOBAL WARMING CLIMATE CHANGE
is the increase of the is a broader term that
Earth’s average refers to long-term
surface temperature changes in climate,
due to a build-up of including average
greenhouse gases in temperature and
the atmosphere. precipitation.
 Climate change
and its manifestation
in terms of weather
(climate extremes)
 Climate change
and its manifestation
in terms of weather
(climate extremes)
Effects of Global Warming
Rising Sea Level Increased Temperature

Habitat Damage and

Changes in Water Supply
 The United Nations
• In 1988, the United Nations Environment
Program and the World Meteorological
Organization set up the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

• More than 1,250 authors and 2,500 scientific

experts reviewers from more than 130
countries contributed to the panel's most recent
report
Some things they observed
Increase in global average surface
temperature of about 1°F in the 20th century
Rise in global average sea level
 What else ?
Physical and Ecological changes
• Thawing of permafrost
• Lengthening of the growing seasons
• Poleward and upward shift of plant and animal
ranges
• Decline of some plant and animal species
• Earlier flowering of trees
• Earlier emergence of insects
• Earlier egg-laying in birds
 IPPC reports

In 1995, a cautious consensus, "The balance of

evidence suggests that there is a
discernible human influence on the global
climate.”

In its 2001…"There is new and stronger

evidence that most of the warming observed
over the last 50 years is attributable to human
activities."
 Climate change
and its manifestation
in terms of weather
(climate extremes)
 Climate change
and its manifestation
in terms of weather
(climate extremes)