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What is climate?
• Climate is not the same as weather
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk
Greenhouse effect
• Heat from the sun warms the surface of the Earth
• Some of this heat is absorbed by the Earth, and some is radiated back
out towards the atmosphere
• This process is called the greenhouse effect, as the gases act in a similar way
to the glass of a greenhouse
Methane
Water vapour
Ozone
Nitrous oxide
An increase in greenhouse gases
• Human activity is increasing the concentration of these naturally
occurring greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
RECAP:
• Declining Arctic sea ice - the Arctic sea ice has been
declining since the late 1970s
• Shrinking ice sheets - In Greenland and the Antarctic,
ice sheets have started to shrink
• Extreme weather - In the last decade there were three
times more weather-related natural catastrophes
Causes of climate change
Deforestation
- Plants remove carbon dioxide from the
atmosphere by photosynthesis – a process where
plants use carbon dioxide and sunlight to produce
energy
• However, human activities are increasing the levels of methane being released
into the atmosphere in several ways:
- Industry – methane is produced during the production, processing, storage and
distribution of natural gas
- Increase in cattle rearing – cows naturally produce methane, but an increase
in cattle rearing for milk and beef has increased the amount of methane
- Rice paddies – rice is grown in flooded land known as rice paddies. There has
been an increase in the number of rice paddies due to an increasing population,
which has led to higher levels of methane being released
- Landfills – as waste decomposes in landfills, methane is produced
Effects of climate change on animals and
plants
• Scientists predict that man-made climate change could contribute to a
mass extinction of wildlife in the near future
• Climate change affects many species of animals and plants from a
range of different habitats and climate types
• Many plants and animals have specific habitat requirements and need
certain climate conditions to survive, and these are being altered by
climate change
1. Read the factsheet about how ten different species are affected by
climate change.
2. Mix the cards up and place them face-down in a grid of four cards
by five cards.
3. Take it in turns to turn over two cards and see if they match – you
must match a text card with the relevant picture card.
4. If they match, you keep the cards and get another go. If they don’t,
turn the cards back over, keeping them in the same place. It is then
your opponent’s turn.
5. The winner is the person who collects the most cards.
How you can help!