Download L12 Climate Change Causes and Impacts

Climate Change Causes
Human causes
Burning fossil fuels
• Carbon dioxide released when fossil fuels are burnt (CO2 is greenhouse gas).
• Atmospheric CO2 levels increased from 280-380 ppm since industrial revolution. whereas
they'd been stable for around 10,000 years before that.
Deforestation
• Plants absorb CO2 in the atmosphere and therefore when they are cut down these 'carbon sinks'
are lost.
• CO2 is released into the atmosphere when trees are chopped or burnt.
Farming
• Nitrogen-based fertilizer increases nitrous oxide emissions.
• Livestock farms produce a lot of methane.
• Rice paddies - flooded fields emit methane.
Climate Change Impacts
Changes to precipitation patterns. - Wet areas get wetter, precipitation decrease 5-20% in dry areas due to
changes to ocean circulation and wind patterns.
Glaciers, sea ice and ice caps would melt - sea level rises. 10-15% less arctic ice since 1950s.
More extreme weather events. - Storms, floods and drought expected to be more severe and happen
more regularly. LEDCs would suffer the most.
Increase in incidences of disease. - Breathing problems (Smog increase), heat-stroke, malarial mosquitos move
to areas where they currently aren't.
Conflict over water could increase. - Would become much more valuable resource.
Agricultural patterns could change. - Where crops grown, time of year etc. Productivity may alter.
Decrease in biodiversity. - Species distribution might change and some species may become extinct
due to loss of habitat.
How will global warming impact the UK?
Over to you!!
Think…….
• How will the climate change
• Sea level
• Drought
• Patterns of agriculture
• habitats
Climate Change Impact on Tropical Savanna Climate
• Likely to get hotter resulting in higher evapotranspiration and drought.
• Rainfall likely to increase closer to the equator bringing flooding and water-borne
diseases(cholera etc.) but may also mean increased agricultural productivity.
• Further from the equator the rainfall would decrease leading to drought and
likely extinction of species.
• Rainfall would become more variable - more storms in wet season.
• Flooding of low-lying areas, increased coastal erosion, and damage to coral
reefs through increased sea temperatures.