CHAPTER 14
CLIMATE CHANGE
INTRODUCTION
This section reviews key concepts on climate change and its various impacts on
society, and weighs in on the local, regional and global efforts to address it. It primarily
aims to inculcate environmental awareness among students.
INTENDED LEARNING OUCOMES
At the end of this lesson, the students should be able to:
1. Explain the concept of climate change
2. Identify the cause and effect of climate change
3. Recognize ways that they can lower their impact on the environment
Diagnostic:
Instruction: Examine the picture below. It was taken during the aftermath of Taal Volcano
eruption on January 12, 2020. Form groups with four members each. Discuss among
yourselves how climate change is connected to environmental destruction. You may
share with your group mates your memories of volcanic eruption in order to enrich your
discussion. Alternatively, you may share your own experience about the impacts of
climate change on the environment. Write notes on the space provided below and be
ready to share the highlights of your discussion in class.
Source: https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/philippine/volcano-aftermath-01132020131619.html
In studying climate change, equations of physics play a fundamental role. But the
issue has been transcended the boundaries of science and involves perspectives that
derive from the fields of economics, politics, cultural and religious beliefs. Issues
regarding climate are the subject of debate and disagreement of different leaders
worldwide.
According to President Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippines are least responsible for
climate change but always carry the heaviest burden. In the recent Global Peace Index
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2019 report, Philippines was listed as the most vulnerable to climate risks in terms of its
overall natural hazard score, followed by Japan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and China.
But first what is climate change? Climate refers to a long term weather patterns
prevailing over a given area of the planet. The term comes from a Greek word klinein
meaning to slope. It evolved into klima, implying a region of the earth as characterized by
its atmospheric conditions. Climate change is the range of global phenomena caused by
burning fossil fuels that add heat-trapping gases to the Earth’s atmosphere.
CAUSES OF CLIMATE CHANGE
Factors that contribute to climate change can be natural internal process, external
forces and persistent changes in the composition of the atmosphere or in the land use. It
can also be due to natural occurrences or contributes by acts of human being.
Natural causes
1. Volcanic eruptions, one of natural cause, it emits different natural aerosols like carbon
dioxide, sulphur dioxide, salt crystals volcanic ashes or dust and even microorganism
or viruses. It can cause cooling effect on the lithosphere because of the aerosol that
block a certain percentage of solar radiation. The release of sulphur dioxide in the
stratosphere cause acid rain when combine with the water vapour. The most tragic
eruption of Mount Tambora (Indonesia) caused snowfall in the North-eastern United
State and Canada. The eruption of Mount Pinatubo (Philippines) and Mount Krakatau
(Indonesia) decreases the temperature of the planet earth.
2. Orbital Changes. Earth’s movement in the space cause also climate change. As the
earth’s travel around the sun, cyclical variations produce different amount of energy
that reaches the earth. Eccentricity is the shape of the earth orbit that influences
seasonal differences: spring, summer, autumn and winter. Obliquity is the variation of
the tilt of Earth’s axis away from the orbital plane. The more tilt means warmer
summers and colder winters: less tilt means cooler summer and milder winters.
Precession is the change in orientation of earth’s rotational axis. It is cause by two
factors: a wobble of Earth’s axis and a turning around of the elliptical orbit of earth
itself.
HUMAN ACTIVITIES
The attributed acts of human being abutted the rise of greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere. Scientist turned history and technology to substantiate that there is a causal
relationship between high CO2 and high temperature levels. Changing the atmospheric
abundance of properties of these gases can lead to a global warming climate. It direct
affects the basic elements of people’s lives like water, food, health, use of land and the
environment.
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1. Carbon dioxide (CO2) enters the atmosphere through burning fossil fuels, solid
waste, trees and other biological materials, and manufacture of cement.
Deforestation is also pointed as the culprit on the rise of amount of carbon dioxide
because it reduces the absorption of these gases from the atmosphere.
2. Methane (CH4) is emitted during the production and transport of coal, natural gas,
and oil. Methane emissions also result from livestock and other agricultural
practices and by the decay of organic waste in municipal solid waste landfills.
3. Nitrous oxide (N2O) is emitted during agricultural and industrial activities,
combustion of fossil fuels and solid waste, as well as during treatment of
wastewater.
4. Halocarbons such as Hydro fluorocarbons, per fluorocarbons, sulphur
hexafluoride, and nitrogen trifluoride are synthetic, powerful greenhouse gases
that are emitted from a variety of industrial processes. Fluorinated gases are
sometimes used as substitutes for stratospheric ozone-depleting substances .
These gases are typically emitted in smaller quantities, but because they are
potent greenhouse gases, they are sometimes referred to as High Global Warming
Potential gases
IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE
1. Water Resources
Flood magnitude and frequency are likely to increase in most regions as a
consequence of increase in the frequency of heavy precept events. Climate change
challenges existing water resources management by adding uncertainty. One-third of the
world's population presently lives in countries that are water-stressed. This number is
projected to increase to about 5 billion by 2025.
2. Agriculture and Food Security
The response of crop yields to climate change varies widely, depending on the
species, cultivar and soil conditions. Degradation of soil and water resources is a major
future challenges for global agriculture. Most studies indicate that mean annual
temperature increases of more than 2.5 °C would prompt food prices to increase as a
result of slowing in the expansion of global food capacity relative to demand. The impacts
of climate change on agriculture are estimated to result in small percentage changes in
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global income, with positive changes in more developed regions and smaller or negative
changes in developing regions.
3. Terrestrial and Freshwater Ecosystems
Increasing carbon dioxide concentration would increase net primary productivity
whereas increasing temperatures may have positive or negative effects. If the moisture
in the rangelands, woodlands and dry forests region will decrease, productivity is
expected to decrease. Climate change will lead to pole ward movement of the southern
and northern boundaries of fish distributions, loss of habitat for cold and cool water fish
and gain in habitat for warm water fish.
4. Coastal Zones and Marine Ecosystems
Climate change will result in increased sea surface temperature and sea level;
decreases in sea-ice cover and changes in salinity and ocean circulation. El Niño’s
increase in frequency, plankton biomass and fish larvae abundance would decline and
adversely impact fish, marine mammals, seabirds, etc. Low-latitude tropical and
subtropical coastlines, where there is pressure from human population, are particularly
susceptible to climate change impacts. Coastal ecosystems such as coral reefs, salt
marshes, mangrove forests, etc. will be impacted by sea-level rise, warming SSTs and
any changes in storm frequency and intensity.
5. Human Settlements, Energy and Industry
Economic sectors that support the settlement are affected because of changes in
productive capacity or changes in market demand for goods and services produced there.
Some aspects of physical infrastructure including energy transmission, buildings,
transportation and specific industries (tourism, construction, etc.) may be affected.
Population may be affected through extreme weather, changes in health status, or
migration. The most widespread serious potential impacts are flooding, landslides,
mudslides and avalanches, driven by projected increases in rainfall intensity and sea level
rise.
6. Insurance and Financial Services
The costs of extreme weather events have exhibited a rapid upward trend in recent
decades. Part of the observed upward trend in disaster losses is linked to socio-economic
factors - population growth, increased wealth, urbanization in vulnerable areas - and part
is linked to climatic factors such as changes in precept, flooding and drought events.
Weather and climate related losses can stress insurance companies to the point of
impaired profitability, consumer price increases, withdrawal of coverage and many more.
7. Human Health
There is evidence of human health sensitivity to climate, particularly for mosquito-
borne diseases. If heat waves increase in frequency and intensity, the risk of death and
serious illness would increase, principally in older age groups and the urban poor. Climate
change will decrease air quality in urban areas with air pollution problems. Changes in
food supply resulting from climate change could affect the nutrition and health of the poor
in some regions of the world.
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8. Sea Level Rise
The rate of global average sea level rise during the 20th century is in the range 1.0 to
2.0 mm/yr. The average rate of sea level rise has been larger during the 20th century
than the 19th century· No significant acceleration in the rate of sea level rise during the
20th century has been detected. Ocean thermal expansion leads to an increase in ocean
volume at constant mass. The mass of the ocean, and thus sea level, changes as water
is exchanged with glaciers and ice caps. Observational and modeling studies of glaciers
and ice caps indicate a contribution to sea level rise of 0.2 to 0.4 mm/yr. averaged over
the 20th century.
MITIGATING CLIMATE CHANGE
Large reductions are possible in some cases. Measures include modifying production
processes, eliminating solvents, replacing feed stocks, materials substitution, increased
recycling, and reduced consumption of greenhouse gas-intensive materials. Energy
Supply: This assessment focuses on new technologies for capital investment and not on
potential retrofitting of existing capital stock to use less carbon-intensive forms of primary
energy.
A worldwide effort, the Kyoto Protocol, is taking steps to limit the amount of
greenhouses gases being released into the atmosphere by allotting a certain amount of
allowed pollution (or "pollution credits") to every industrialized country. Companies that
have cut back on the amount of greenhouse gases they are releasing may sell their
"pollution credits" to other companies who are over their allowed amount. For example, if
one company is given 10 credits, and they only release 8 credits worth of greenhouses
gases into the air, they can sell the other 2 credits to another company who is polluting
over their limit.
There are many ways to minimize the effect of climate change. Collective individual
and groups environmental efforts should be practiced to mitigate climate change.
1. Greenhouse gas reductions in the use of fossil fuels
More Efficient Conversion of Fossil Fuels: The efficiency of power production can be
increased from the present world average of about 30% to more than 60% in the longer
term.
Switching to Low-Carbon Fossil Fuels and suppressing Emissions can reduce
emissions. The lower carbon-containing fuels can, in general, be converted with higher
efficiency than coal. Large resources of natural gas exist in many areas.
Decarbonization of Flue Gases and Fuels, and CO2 Storage: The removal and storage
of CO2 from fossil fuel power-station stack gases is feasible, but reduces the conversion
efficiency and significantly increases the production cost of electricity. For some longer
term CO2 storage options, the costs, environmental effects, and efficacy of such options
remain largely unknown.
2. Switching to non-fossil fuel sources of energy
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Switching to Nuclear Energy: Nuclear energy could replace base load fuel electricity
generation in many parts of the world if generally acceptable responses can be found to
concerns such as reactor safety, radioactive-waste transport and disposal, and nuclear
proliferation.
Switching to Renewable Sources of Energy: Solar, biomass, wind, hydro, and
geothermal technologies already are widely used. In 1990, renewable sources of energy
contributed about 20% of the world's primary energy consumption, most of it fuel wood
and hydropower.
3. Sustainable Land Management
The productivity and sustainability of a land-use system is determined by the
interaction between land resources, climate and human activities. Especially in the face
of climate change and variability, selecting the right land uses for given biophysical and
socio-economic conditions, and implementing SLM, are essential for minimizing land
degradation, rehabilitating degraded land, ensuring the sustainable use of land resources
(i.e. soils, water and biodiversity) and maximizing resilience.
Sustainable land use and management decide the sustainability/resilience or
degradation/vulnerability of land resources. Land use and management measures
include:
Sustaining existing forest cover
Slowing deforestation
Regenerating natural forests
Establishing tree populations
Promoting agroforestry
Altering management of agricultural soils and rangelands
Improving efficiency of fertilizer use
Restoring degraded agricultural lands and rangelands
Recovering CH4 from stored manure
Improving the diet quality of ruminants
4. Geoengineering
Geoengineering is the intentional manipulation of our environment at the global scale.
It involves engaging in planetary-scale manipulation of the Earth in such a way as to offset
the warming impacts of increasing greenhouse gas concentrations.
A variety of geoengineering schemes have been proposed. Some involve relatively
minimal manipulation with the environment. For example, carbon capture and
sequestration (CCS) involves capturing CO2 from emissions before they enter the
atmosphere. Some captured carbon is buried underground or in the deep ocean.
Reforestation or building the equivalent of artificial trees is used to suck capture carbon
dioxide. Other ideas involve fertilizing the ocean by adding iron, which is a limiting nutrient
for marine phytoplankton. In principle, this would enhance biological productivity and,
therefore, lead to increased uptake of atmospheric CO 2 by the upper ocean.
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Other schemes attempt to offset the surface warming influence of greenhouse gas
increases by reducing the amount of solar radiation impinging on the Earth's surface—
so-called solar radiation management. One such scheme involves mimicking the cooling
effect of volcanic eruptions by shooting sulphate aerosols into the stratosphere. Another
scheme involves placing large numbers of reflecting mirrors in space at a stable position
in the Earth's orbit. Related schemes involve increasing the Earth's surface albedo by
various means.
Source: https://www.e-education.psu.edu/meteo469/node/179
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