SAM HIGGINBOTTOM UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE, TECHNOLOGY & SCIENCES
Course title: Environmental Studies-II
Course code : ENVS-416
TOPIC: Climate change, Global warming & Acid rain
Submitted By:
Submitted To:
GROUP No.- 09 (17BSZBC049 & 17BSZBC051)
Dr. Satyendra Nath
1. Anukriti Mishra
Dept. of Forestry
2. Tavishi Singh
Climate Change,
Global Warming &
Acid Rain
Submitted To: Dr. Satyendra Nath
Submitted By: 1. Anukriti Mishra 2. Tavishi Singh
17BSZBC049 17BSZBC051
(GROUP NO. - 09 ZBC)
ARE THESE NEWS HEADLINES FAKE???
The time is
past when
humankind
thought it
could
selfishly
draw on
exhaustible
resources.
We know now
the world
is not a
commodity.
Climate Change
Climate change refers to those variations
that persist for a longer period of time,
typically decades or more. In the time
since the industrial revolution the
climate has increasingly been affected by
human activities that are causing global
warming and climate change.
Human activities like urbanisation,
industrial development, use of fossil
fuel, change of land use, etc., transform
the biosphere.This increases the
concentration of greenhouse gases. C02,
CH4, N2O and CFCs which leads to global
climate change. These are also called as
radioactive gases.
Recognizing the problem of potential global climate change, the World
Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Program
(UNEP) established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 1988.
In 1988, the IPCC published an internationally coordinated assessment of the
regional impacts on climate change.The IPCC found that the global mean surface
temperature has increased by 0.3-0.6℃ since, the late nineteenth century.
In addition, the 1990s were found to be the warmest decade of the millenium and
1998 the warmest year so far. The Panel concluded the balance of evidence
suggests a discernible human influence on global climate.
Computer modelling of the impact of increased greenhouse gases is extremely
difficult since many factors need to be considered and little is known about how
global climate functions.
However, based upon the best available knowledge, climate models project project
that the mean annual global surface temperature will increase by 1-3.5℃ by 2100,
that the global sea level will rise by 15-95 cm and that changes in the spatial
and temporal patterns of precipitation will occur if the greenhouse effect
increases.
In its Fifth Assessment Report, the
Causes of climate change
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,
a group of 1,300 independent scientific
experts from countries all over the world
under the auspices of the United Nations,
concluded there's a more than 95 percent
probability that human activities over the
past 50 years have warmed our planet.
The industrial activities that our modern
civilization depends upon have raised
atmospheric carbon dioxide levels from 280
parts per million to 412 parts per million
in the last 150 years.
The panel also concluded there's a better
than 95 percent probability that
human-produced greenhouse gases such as
carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide
have caused much of the observed increase
in Earth's temperatures over the past 50
years.
Impacts of climate change
Climate change causes a variety of physical impacts
on the climate system :
1. Globally rising temperatures of the lower
atmosphere, the land, and oceans. Temperature
rise is not uniform, with land masses and the
Arctic region warming faster than the global
average.
2. Effects on weather encompass increased heavy
precipitation, reduced amounts of cold days,
increase in heat waves and various effects on
tropical cyclones.
3. The enhanced greenhouse effect causes the
higher part of the atmosphere, the
stratosphere, to cool.
4. Geochemical cycles are also impacted, with
absorption of CO2 causing ocean acidification,
and rising ocean water decreasing the ocean's
ability to absorb further carbon dioxide.
FLOWCHART
We are the last
generation to be
able to end
poverty and the
last generation
that can take
steps to avoid
the worst
impacts of
global warming.
Future
generations will
judge us harshly
if we fail to
uphold our moral
and historical
responsibilities
.
Global warming
Global warming is the
ongoing rise of the average
temperature of the Earth's
climate system and has been
demonstrated by direct
temperature measurements and
by measurements of various
effects of the warming.
Causes of global warming
1. Greenhouse gases:
Greenhouse gases trap heat radiating
from the Earth to space. This heat, in
the form of infrared radiation, gets
absorbed and emitted by these gases in
the atmosphere, thus warming the lower
atmosphere and the surface.
Human activity since the Industrial
Revolution, mainly extracting and
burning fossil fuels,has increased the
amount of greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere. This CO2, methane,
tropospheric ozone, CFCs, and nitrous
oxide has increased radiative forcing.
2. Land surface change : Land use changes affect global warming
through a variety of other chemical and
Humans change the Earth's surface physical dynamics :
mainly to create more agricultural
land. Today agriculture takes up 50% of a. Changing the type of vegetation in a
the world's habitable land, while 37% region impacts the local temperature by
is forests,and that latter figure changing how much sunlight gets
continues to decrease,largely due to reflected back into space, called
continued forest loss in the tropics. albedo, and how much heat is lost by
evaporation.
b. Deforestation can also contribute to
This deforestation is the most
changing temperatures by affecting the
significant aspect of land use change
release of aerosols and other chemical
affecting global warming.
compounds that affect clouds; and by
changing wind patterns when the land
The main causes are: deforestation
surface has different obstacles.
through permanent land use change for
agricultural products such as beef and
palm oil (27%), forestry/forest
products (26%), short term agricultural
cultivation (24%), and wildfires (23%).
3. Aerosols and clouds :
Air pollution, in the form of aerosols,
not only puts a large burden on human
health, but also affects the climate on
a large scale.
From 1961 to 1990, a gradual reduction
in the amount of sunlight reaching the
Earth's surface was observed, a
Sulfate aerosols act as cloud condensation
phenomenon popularly known as global
nuclei and thus lead to clouds that have
dimming, typically attributed to
more and smaller cloud droplets.
aerosols from biofuel and fossil fuel
burning.
While aerosols typically limit global
warming by reflecting sunlight, black
In addition to their direct effect by
carbon in soot that falls on snow or ice
scattering and absorbing solar
can contribute to global warming. Not only
radiation, aerosols have indirect
does this increase the absorption of
effects on the Earth's radiation budget.
sunlight, it also increases melting and sea
level rise.
Impact of global warming
1. Changes in global surface
temperature
2. Climate variability-
frequency and severity of
extreme weather events
3. Changes in pattern of
precipitation events
4. Changes in the
distribution of
infectious diseases.
5. A decrease in snow cover
6. Sea level rise
7. Threats to biodiversity
8. Threats to public health
Solutions to global warming
1. Boosting energy 3. Phasing out fossil fuel 5. Ensuring sustainable
efficiency: Energy electricity : not building development : A successful
efficiency technologies any new coal-burning power global compact on climate
allow us to use less plants, initiating a change must include financial
phased shutdown of coal assistance from richer
energy to get the same—or
plants starting with the countries to poorer countries
higher—level of
oldest and dirtiest, and to help make the transition
production, service, and capturing and storing to low-carbon development
comfort. This approach has carbon emissions from pathways and to help adapt to
vast potential to save power plants. While it may the impacts of climate
both energy and money, and sound like science change.
can be deployed quickly. fiction, the technology
exists to store carbon
emissions underground.
2. Greening transportation:
improving efficiency 4. Managing forests and
(miles per gallon) in all agriculture: We can fight
modes of transport, global warming by reducing
switching to low-carbon emissions from
fuels, and reducing deforestation and forest
degradation and by making
vehicle miles traveled
our food production
through smart growth and
practices more
more efficient mass sustainable.
transportation systems.
Saying
sulfates
do not
cause
acid
rain is
the same
as
saying
that
smoking
doesn't
cause
lung
cancer
Acid rain
Acid rain is a rain or
any other form of
precipitation that is
unusually acidic,
meaning that it has
elevated levels of
hydrogen ions (low pH)
flowchart
Causes of acid rain
Acid rain is caused by
emissions of sulfur
dioxide and nitrogen
oxide, which react with
the water molecules in
the atmosphere to produce
acids. 1. Natural causes:
Volcanic emissions
Nitrogen oxides can also Biological processes
Lightening
be produced naturally by
lightning strikes, and 2. Anthropogenic causes:
sulfur dioxide is Industrialization
Motor vehicles exhaust
produced by volcanic
Coal based power plants
eruptions. Domestic fires/Smelters
Adverse impacts of acid rain
1. Surface waters and 2. Soil acidification: 3.Forests and other
aquatic animals: Soil biology and vegetation: High altitude
chemistry can be forests are especially
Both the lower pH
seriously damaged by vulnerable as they are
and higher aluminium often surrounded by clouds
acid rain. Some microbes
concentrations in are unable to tolerate and fog which are more
surface water that changes to low pH and acidic than rain. When
occur as a result of are killed.The enzymes calcium is leached from
acid rain can cause of these microbes are the needles of red spruce,
denatured by the acid. these trees become less
damage to fish and
The hydronium ions of cold tolerant and exhibit
other aquatic
acid rain also mobilize winter injury and even
animals.At pH lower death.Other plants can
toxins, such as
than 5 most fish aluminium, and leach also be damaged by acid
eggs will not hatch away essential nutrients rain, but the effect on
and lower pH can and minerals such as food crops is minimized by
kill adult fish. magnesium. the application of lime
and fertilizers to replace
lost nutrients.
4. Ocean acidification: 5. Human health effects:
Acid rain has a much less Acid rain does not directly
affect human health. The acid
harmful effect on the oceans.
in the rainwater is too dilute
Acid rain can cause the to have direct adverse
ocean's pH to fall, making it effects.
more difficult for different
coastal species to create The particulates responsible
their exoskeletons that they for acid rain (sulfur dioxide
need to survive. These coastal and nitrogen oxides) do have
an adverse effect.
species link together as part
of the ocean's food chain and Increased amounts of fine
without them being a source particulate matter in the air
for other marine life to feed contribute to heart and lung
off of more marine life will problems including asthma and
die. bronchitis.
Prevention methods of acid rain
1. Switching fuel sources to natural gas, oil or renewable energy
resources
2. Switching to low-sulphur coal
3. Removing the sulphur from the coal before burning it
4. Using fluidised-bed combustion process to burn the coal
5. Removing the sulphur from the smokestack after combustion through the
installation of pollution control equipment
6. Using catalytic converters
7. Road-traffic restrictions
8. Equalising acidity in affected water systems by using powdered
limestone and reduction in the sulphur content of fuel
9. Buy fuel efficient cars or alternative fuel powered vehicles
10. Head community campaigns promoting awareness of the issue
references
1. https://climate.nasa.gov/causes
2. https://www.who.int/globalchange/publications/climchange.pdf
3. www.nationalgeographic.org
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_global_warming_on_South_Asia
5. http://npshistory.com/publications/interpretation/acid-rain-directory.pdf
6. Google cliparts
.
THANK
YOU!!!
.
