CLIMATE CHANGE:

FACT OR FALLACY
LASISI ADEDOYIN K.S.
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT DEPT.,
MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT,
ALAUSA,IKEJA, LAGOS.
234-8028476147
ladedoyin@yahoo.com
“And from all indication, the earth seems to
be warming up in the steady manner of a
pot of soup on a slow- heating stove. For
each year, average global temperatures
have been on the highest record, the
surface temperature of the earth could rise
by about 1.0c to 3.50c by 2100”.
“ Measurements of temperature taken by
instruments all over the world, on land and
at sea have revealed that during the last
100 years the Earth’s surface and lowest
part of the atmosphere have warmed up
on average by about 0.6oC”
“Year in and out the Sahara gain an
upper hands against the savannah as
the desert inches its way southwards
at 0.6 km per year”.
 At the current rate of warming, scientists
forecast a sea-level rise 0.5 to 1.4 meters
by the end of the century, far exceeding
IPCC estimates of some 59 centimetres by
2100. The USGS researchers project that
a rise of five meters could inundate 3.2
million square kilometres of coastal land,
affecting close to 670 million people.
Ozone layer
Melting ice
Sea Rise
Desertification
 The Earth is very slowly getting warmer
 There is there an increase in green house gases
 Why is this happening?
 Does it matter?
 Is the Climate gradually changing,
 What is Climate change ?
 What can we do about it?
  Introduction
The key to understanding global climate
change is to first understand what global
climate is, and how it operates. The global
climate system is a consequence of, and a
link between, the atmosphere, oceans, the
ice sheets (cryosphere), living organisms
(biosphere) and the soils, sediments and
rocks (geosphere).
 Weather is measured in terms of wind
speed, temperature, humidity, atmospheric
pressure, cloudiness, and precipitation. In
most places, weather changes from hour-
to-hour, day-to-day, and season-to-
season.
 Climate is the pattern of weather in a region over long
time period. Generally, the word climate refers to the
average pattern of weather in a region (long-term
weather patterns).
 Climate Zones
Climate is the average weather of a place over a long
period of time. There are three major climate zones in
the world:
 Polar Zone Cold and Dry
 Temperate Zone Warm Summer, Cold Winter
 Tropical Zone Hot Summer, Hot or Warm Winter
 Climate change" literally means the rapid
changing of climates around the world.
However, a more advance definition says
climate change refers to the variations in
the earth’s global climate or in regional
climates over time. It describes changes in
the variability or average state of the
atmosphere over time scales ranging from
decades to million of years.
 Climate change may result from: natural factors,
such as changes in the sun's intensity or slow
changes in the Earth's orbit around the sun;
natural processes within the climate system (e.g.
changes in ocean circulation); human activities
that change the atmosphere's composition (e.g.
through burning fossil fuels) and the land
surface (e.g. deforestation, reforestation,
urbanization, desertification, etc.).
But how do these activities causes
climate change in the Earth ?

 The Earth is surrounded by air.

 We know air contains oxygen and a lot of
nitrogen.
 Did you know air also contains a small
amount of what scientists call "greenhouse
gases"?
 What are green houses gases? Where do
green houses gases comes from ?
 The Earth is surrounded by air (atmosphere).
 Scientists tell us that air has:
 21% oxygen
 78% nitrogen
 0.1% - 2% water vapour in the air and as clouds
 0.036% carbon dioxide (CO2), and tiny amounts
of other gases,
 including methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide
(N2O).
 Some of these gases are green house
gases: carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous
oxide, CFC’s. These are the greenhouse
gases that scientists say are contributing
to climate change. Water vapor is a
naturally occurring greenhouse gas, but
human activity does not directly affect its
concentrations except at very localized
sites.
 A layer of greenhouse gases – primarily
carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide
– act as a thermal blanket for the Earth,
absorbing heat and warming the surface to
a life-supporting average of 59 degrees
Fahrenheit (15 degrees Celsius.
 The greenhouse effect occurs as a result of
greenhouse gases trapping the heat from the
sun and keeping it close to the earth. Anyone
who has parked his or her car in the sun for a
few hours on a summer day has experienced
something like the greenhouse effect. The
sunlight pours through the glass windows and
heats up the inside of the car, and the glass
doesn't let the heat back out again. The heat
can't escape because the sides, floor, and roof
of the car are closed. This is similar to what is
happening to the earth.
 The ‘Greenhouse Effect’


 Not enough greenhouse effect: The planet Mars

has a very thin atmosphere, nearly all carbon
dioxide. Because of the low atmospheric
pressure, and with little to no methane or
water vapor to reinforce the weak
greenhouse effect, Mars has a largely frozen
surface that shows no evidence of life.
 Too much greenhouse effect: The atmosphere
of Venus, like Mars, is nearly all carbon
dioxide. But Venus has about 300 times as
much carbon dioxide in its atmosphere as
Earth and Mars do, producing a runaway
greenhouse effect and a surface temperature
hot enough to melt lead.
 Global Warming
 "Global warming" refers to rising global
temperatures as a result of increasing
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
caused by human activities. "Global
warming" or "Greenhouse warming" refers
to the fact that as more carbon dioxide or
other greenhouse gases are added to the
atmosphere, the temperature of the earth
will rise, assuming nothing else changes.
 There is no single thermometer measuring
the global temperature. Instead, individual
thermometer measurements taken every
day at several thousand stations over the
land areas of the world are combined with
thousands more measurements of sea
surface temperature taken from ships
moving over the oceans to produce an
estimate of global average temperature
every month
 Therapid rise in global temperature is
unmatched in the last million years.
Normally, and when the Earth has
warmed after an ice age, it is a gradual
process taking about 5,000 years.
 Based on science from the IPCC 4th Report, and consistent with
observed increases in global temperature, there have been:
 - decreases in the length of river and lake ice seasons.
 - worldwide reduction in glacial mass and extent in the 20th century.
 - melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet has recently become apparent.
 - snow cover has decreased in many Northern Hemisphere regions.
 - sea ice thickness and extent have decreased in the Arctic in all
seasons.
 - the oceans are warming
 - sea level is rising due to thermal expansion of the oceans and
melting of land ice.
 As global temperatures rise, this causes
climate to change. A warmer Earth will
lead to:
 changes in rainfall patterns,
 rising sea levels, and
 a wide range of impacts on plants, wildlife,
and humans etc.
 Red, orange, and brown colouring indicate areas where temperatures
measured in 2000 are warmer than the average temperature from 1951 to
1980. The scale represents degrees in Celsius. Negative numbers represent
cooling, and positive numbers depict warming.
 The above figure shows the global annual temperature
change since 1880 in the land-ocean temperature index.
Source: NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies.
(January 11, 2008)
 EVIDENCE
 Small shifts in the earth’s temperature could result in more powerful
and destructive hurricanes. This satellite image shows Hurricane
Isaac on the afternoon of September 29, 2000.
These photographs, taken in 1928 and 2000, show how South Cascade Glacier
in the Washington Cascade Mountains has retreated over time
Potential Effect of Climate Change
 Climate change and global warming will
affects many different facets of life on
Earth. There will be winners and losers,
even within a single region. But globally
the losses are expected to far outweigh
the benefits. Some of the possible impacts
of global climate change, including
 Sea Level Rise
Water Resources
Traditional Cultures
Health and Disease
Agriculture
Ecosystems
 Increased Air Pollution
 Infectious Diseases
 Urban Flooding
 Sea Level Rise
 Water expands as it warms. Therefore, sea level will rise
as the top few hundred meters of the oceans warm and
swell. Melt water from polar and mountain glaciers is
another potential source of sea level rise.
 The oceans, which cover 71% of the Earth’s surface,
warm slowly in response to greenhouse warming
because it takes a long time to heat their great mass. But
measurements indicate that the oceans are warming,
and projections suggest that the warming will continue
for many centuries.
 Sea level is currently rising at a rate of 1/10 inch per
year. Due to the CO2 already in the atmosphere, sea
level is projected to continue rising for several centuries.
 Projections for the year 2100 show great
uncertainty, ranging from several inches to
nearly three feet. The impacts of rising sea
level include loss of coastal ecosystems,
flooding of cities, displacement of coastal
inhabitants, and increased vulnerability to
storm surges. And the effects would be
magnified if the frequency of severe
storms increases, as some climate models
project.
 Flooding Bangladesh

One of the poorest nations in the world is

projected to lose 17.5% of its land if sea level
rises about 40 inches (1 m). Tens of thousands
of people are likely to be displaced, and the
country’s agricultural system will be adversely
affected. Coastal flooding will threaten animals,
plants, and fresh water supplies. The current
danger posed by storm surges when cyclones
hit Bangladesh is likely to increase.
 Urban Flooding

Thirteen of the world’s fifteen largest cities are on coastal

plains e.g Lagos city. Many smaller cities, such as
Alexandria, Egypt’s ancient center of learning, also face
a severe risk of inundation with a 39-inch (1m) rise in
sea level. Parts of San Jose and Long Beach, California,
are about three feet below sea level and New Orleans is
about eight feet below sea level today. Cities at risk
cover a wide range of economic circumstances, yet
many will require extensive infrastructure development to
minimize the potential impacts of flooding, particularly
from storm surge.
 Infectious Diseases
 Cold winter weather reduces the spread of
infectious diseases by killing infectious
organisms and carrier species, such as
mosquitoes. Warmer, wetter weather could
increase the spread of malaria, dengue
fever, and yellow fever. The possible
increase in flooding and damage to water
and sewage infrastructure can further
encourage the spread of disease.
 Risk of Malaria Transmission - This map displays the projected
risk of malaria transmission in the year 2020, compared with the
average risk in the years 1961 to 1990. This projection assumes a
global temperature increase of 2ºF and no human efforts to contain
the spread of malaria. Source: Pim Martens, Maastricht University
 Increased Air Pollution

 Three out of four of the world’s highest-density

cities are in rapidly developing countries, where
vehicle pollution is high. In Central Europe
alone, 21,000 deaths are tied to air pollution
each year. The concentration of photochemical
pollutants, such as ozone, tends to increase with
warmer temperatures. Ozone damages lung
tissue and is especially harmful to people with
asthma and other lung conditions.
 Extreme Winter
 Extreme winter weather in Argentina
resulted in a snowfall on June 9 in its
capital city, Buenos Aires. It was the first
major snowfall since 1918.
 Unseasonably cold temperatures affected
areas of Australia during June 17-22, with
many locations breaking their all-time
record daily low maximum temperatures.
Extreme Storms
 Thunderstorm
 Three basic ingredients are required for a thunderstorm
to form: moisture, rising unstable air (air that keeps rising
when given a nudge), and a lifting mechanism to provide
the "nudge."
 The sun heats the surface of the earth, which warms the
air above it. If this warm surface air is forced to rise --
hills or mountains, or areas where warm/cold or wet/dry
air bump together can cause rising motion -- it will
continue to rise as long as it weighs less and stays
warmer than the air around it. As the air rises, it transfers
heat from the surface of the earth to the upper levels of
the atmosphere (the process of convection). The water
vapor it contains begins to cool, releasing the heat, and it
condenses into a cloud.
 Extreme Heat Wave

 Extreme heat wave - A heat wave affected

parts of the U.S. from mid-July through
early August. In Denver, CO temperatures
were above 32°C (90°F) for 24
consecutive days (as of August 5),
breaking the previous record set in 1874
and 1901 with 18 consecutive days
 Extreme Flooding
 The IPCC sees changing climate and extreme
flooding as “the most widespread direct risk to
human settlements..., driven by projected
increases in rainfall intensity and, in coastal
areas, sea-level rise. Riverine and coastal
settlements are particularly at risk, but urban
flooding could be a problem anywhere that
storm drains, water supply, and waste
management systems have inadequate capacity.
 Extreme Droughts
 Drought across Spain is reportedly the
worst in more than a decade, while
Portugal suffers its worst winter drought
since 1917. It is likely that water
restrictions will be implemented this
summer.
 Extratropical Cyclones
 Extratropicalcyclones, sometimes called
mid-latitude cyclones, are a group of
cyclones defined as synoptic scale low
pressure weather systems that occur in
the middle latitudes of the Earth having
neither tropical nor polar characteristics