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Climate change

Questions to consider:
• What are the key layers of the atmosphere?
• What benefits does the atmosphere provide for
humans?
• What is the natural greenhouse effect
• How does the natural greenhouse effect differ to the
enhanced greenhouse effect?
• What is a greenhouse gas and where do they come
from?
• What is climate change? Doesn’t our climate change
naturally? What’s all the fuss about ‘climate change’?
Climate change
Questions to consider:
• How has the composition of our atmosphere
changed over time? What has contributed to
the changing comosition?
• Where do Australia’s emissions come from
and how doers Australia compare with other
countries?
• Why is climate change a complex issue?
The natural greenhouse effect vs
the enhanced greenhouse effect
What is a Greenhouse gas?
• Where do they come from?
• Is their source natural or anthropogenic?
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GLOBAL
WARMING AND CLIMATE CHANGE?
• Global Warming is a specific term. It refers to
increases in the Earth’s average temperature
because of greenhouse gas build up in the
atmosphere. Global warming is a cause of
climate change.
• Climate Change is a broader term. It refers to
changes (increases or decreases) to long-term
weather patterns, such as temperature,
rainfall or snowfall.
What is climate change?
Climate Change is a broad term. It refers to
changes (increases or decreases) to long-term
weather patterns, such as temperature, rainfall
or snowfall or extreme weather events
Doesn’t our climate change naturally?
Also..

Volcanic eruptions (1940-70


cooling, Mt Pinatubo 1992 –
cooling for 5 years?) Changes in ocean currents

Variations in sunspot activity – Mountain building


11,22,100 year cycles
Are some changes in climate connected to
plate tectonics?
How does the enhanced greenhouse
effect cause global warming and
climate change?
An Inconvenient Truth
What’s all the fuss about?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JIuKjaY3r4
Global temperatures are expected to
increase by 0.3-4.8C by 2100

Sea levels could rise 26-82cm


Australia’s
emissions
Albedo effect
http://www.abc.
net.au/news/201
3-09-27/human-
role-in-global-
warming-now-
even-clearer-
latest-ipcc-
report/4985878
Complete the following
Natural causes of climate change Human causes (anthropogenic) of climate change

• Trees dying • Burning fossil fuels


• Animals • Agriculture
• Sunspots • Transport Vehicles
• Natural disasters • Industrialisation
• Overpopulation
• Continental Drift
• Havin a wank
• Changes in ocean currents

This website should help:


http://www.climatechange.gc.ca/default.asp?lang=En&n=65CD73F4-1
Tasks:
• Discuss how natural factors impact climate change.
Does this post a significant threat?

• Research 2 ways (in detail) how humans are attempting


to respond to the issue of carbon emissions. They can
be large (Paris Protocol) or small (energy saving).

• Will this response help?

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