Global-Climate-Change-Presentation.ppt

Global-Climate-Change-Presentation.ppt

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  What are greenhousegases ? Any gases that cause the “greenhouse effec t!” Imagine… a car on a cool but sunny day…
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  Global Climate Change •Identifiable change in the climate of Ea rth as a whole that lasts for an extende d period of time (decades or longer) – When due to natural processes, it is usually referred to as global climate variability – Usually refers to changes forced by human activities that change the atmosphere
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  Climate Changes CurrentlyHappening
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  What causes Earth’s climateto change?  Changes in the atmosphere  Natural processes  Volcanoes  Tectonic plate movement  Changes in the sun  Shifts in Earth’s orbit  Human activities – any activity that releases “greenhou se gases” into the atmosphere
• 9.
  Meet an IceCore Scientist
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  What does thisgraph mean?
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  What about thosenatural processes that can cause climate change? Click to explore these natural processes at the EPA website!
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  “Their effects [thoseof human-caused greenhouse gases], together with those of other anthropogenic drivers, have been detected throughout the climate system and are extremely likely to have been the dominant cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th century.” IPCC Conclusion:
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  • Warming andsea level rise will continue and will probably occur more quickly than what we’ve already seen • Even if greenhouse gases are stabilized, this will probably continue to occur for centuries • Some effects may be permanent
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  • Effects onEcosystems – Coral systemsand otherunique ecosystems cannot handle higher temperatures well – Wildfireswill increase – Up to 30%of species will be at increasedriskfor extinction due to the rapid changesin their ecosystems
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  • Effects inNorth America – Warming in westernmountains: several effects – Increasedrain: will actuallyhelp some crops – Heat waves will increase in number, length, and intensity – Coastal communities will be affected by increasedflooding and storms
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  Source: Climate AnalysisIndicators Tool, World Resources Institute
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  References • IPCC SummaryReport for Policy Makers. 2014 • IPCC Summary Report graphics. 2014 • "About IPCC." IPCC - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. 20 Apr. 2009 <http://www.ipcc.ch/about/index.htm>. • "Climate Change | U.S. EPA." U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 20 Apr. 2009 <http://epa.gov/climatechange/index.html>. • Rischard, J. F. High Noon: Twenty Global Problems, Twenty Years to Solve Them. New York: Basic Books, 2002. Presentation created by Cindy Barnes, 2015