GSCE Global Warming A Global Issue 1

GSCE Global Warming A Global Issue 2

The Causes CO 2 SO 2 CH 4 NO x

The Contributors

What it does Normal

What it does Global Warming

What Is Global Warming Some Heat Radiation can escape through the “Green House Gases” Heat Radiation from the sun hits earth Earth H.R Cant escape and is trapped heating up the earth like a green house

SUN EARTH Incoming Short wave radiation Longwave reflected radiation from earth (terrestrial) COCO2SO2CH4 Greenhouse Gases = they absorb reflected long wave radiation Gases: C0 = Carbon monoxide – vehicles CO2 = from combustion – respiration of humans and animals. So if we chop down trees (deforestation) this will increase the concentration of CO2; SO2 = from coal fired power stations CH4 = from paddy fields and cows letting off steam! These greenhouse gases insulate the ground and act like a blanket heating up our world – melting ice caps Carbon Dioxode Carbon Monoxide Sulphur Dioxode Methane

Scientists Track Greenhouse Gases

Causes Global warming is caused by an increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere carbon dioxide, methane and water vapour. These absorb long wave radiation, causing the earth’s atmosphere to heat up. There are many causes for the increase in greenhouse gases: Deforestation – trees take in CO2 and give out oxygen. Chopping down trees will decrease the amount of CO2 being absorbed. An increase in car ownership resulting in an increase of emissions from car exhausts. Emissions from factories and power plants

Causes of the Green House Effect There are many factors that contribute to the green house effect in the United Kingdom the majority comes from the sulphur emissions as you can see from the pie chart on the left

POLLUTANTEMISSIONS thousand tonnes MAIN SOURCE SO Power stations NOx 1605 Road transport PM Non combustion processes / road transport VOCs1744 Solvent use / road transport CO Road transport

CO2 EMISSIONS China2236 East Germany327 France320 Japan989 Romania220 UK559 USA4804 USSR3982 West Germany669

Consequences Sea levels rising because of ice caps and glaciers melting. A rise of 0.5m in the next 100 years would flood 12% of Bangledesh. Other low lying countries such as Netherlands and Egypt are also at risk. Droughts Africa, South Asia and Oceania. Hurricanes in the east Pacific and Caribbean. Agriculture being affected by climatic change. Although global food production will remain much the same, densely populated, poor areas may suffer a 20% drop in harvests, further unbalancing food supplies and demands.

Iceland glaciers – yardsticks for climate change

Tourism may also be affected. Snowfall may decrease in the Alps, devastating the winter ski industry. Wide beaches and coral reefs in LEDC’s may also disappear eg Mauritius. Health problems: tropical diseases such as malaria could move into temperate latitudes. One third of the world’s forests could be at risk. Forest fires my also start, adding more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. The financial costs of global warming will be enormous, ranging from insurance for hurricane damage to irrigation for areas affected by drought.

The Recent Carlisle Floods of 2005

Solutions Greater international co-operation – eg all countries sign up to Kyoto Treaty Energy conservation. Homes can be better insulated so less heat is lost. This way less fossil fuels need to be burnt to provide energy. Cars should be made to consume less fuel and be more efficient – eg new solar and hydrogen powered car Phasing out CFC’s Promote the use of renewable energy such as solar or wind power. Putting a stop to deforestation in Amazon` Changing agricultural practices to reduce methane and nitrous oxide emissions.

Alterative Energy Sources There are many Alterative Energy Sources that you can use one of these is “wind power” this is a good renewable energy sources it has few very important controversial points like the pollution not to the atmosphere but to the country side sight and noise pollution the windmills are huge to make profitable energy and there need to be a lot of the windmills to make any percentage of the countries coal finite resource so there is a large amount of noise

Alterative Energy Sources There are other Alterative Energy Sources one of which is hydroelectric power this is constructed by pushing water though a turbine which generates power although there are consequences this creates a great amount of noise