* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Download Climate change - Percorsi di Pace
2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference wikipedia , lookup
Heaven and Earth (book) wikipedia , lookup
ExxonMobil climate change controversy wikipedia , lookup
Climate sensitivity wikipedia , lookup
Low-carbon economy wikipedia , lookup
Climatic Research Unit documents wikipedia , lookup
Climate change mitigation wikipedia , lookup
Climate governance wikipedia , lookup
Climate change denial wikipedia , lookup
Climate change in Tuvalu wikipedia , lookup
Citizens' Climate Lobby wikipedia , lookup
Climate engineering wikipedia , lookup
General circulation model wikipedia , lookup
Climate change adaptation wikipedia , lookup
Economics of global warming wikipedia , lookup
Effects of global warming on human health wikipedia , lookup
Global warming controversy wikipedia , lookup
Effects of global warming wikipedia , lookup
Media coverage of global warming wikipedia , lookup
Fred Singer wikipedia , lookup
Effects of global warming on humans wikipedia , lookup
Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme wikipedia , lookup
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change wikipedia , lookup
Climate change and agriculture wikipedia , lookup
Instrumental temperature record wikipedia , lookup
Mitigation of global warming in Australia wikipedia , lookup
Global warming hiatus wikipedia , lookup
Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment wikipedia , lookup
Climate change and poverty wikipedia , lookup
Attribution of recent climate change wikipedia , lookup
Climate change in the United States wikipedia , lookup
Physical impacts of climate change wikipedia , lookup
Scientific opinion on climate change wikipedia , lookup
Global warming wikipedia , lookup
Climate change, industry and society wikipedia , lookup
Effects of global warming on Australia wikipedia , lookup
Solar radiation management wikipedia , lookup
Surveys of scientists' views on climate change wikipedia , lookup
Politics of global warming wikipedia , lookup
Business action on climate change wikipedia , lookup
Public opinion on global warming wikipedia , lookup
CHANGE IS IN THE AIR A SHORT INTRODUCTION TO CLIMATE CHANGE Eric E. van Monckhoven May 19/20, 2014 Malta CLIMATE CHANGE MAN-MADE GLOBAL WARMING AGRICULTURE & CLIMATE CHANGE CLIMATE CHANGE & AGRICULTURE THE MEDITERRANEAN ADAPTATION & MITIGATION STRATEGIES CLIMATE CHANGE DEFINITIONS CLIMATE Climate is a measure of the average weather patterns (temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, precipitation, and other atmospheric particles) of a given region over long periods of time. CLIMATE CHANGE Climate change refers to a long term shift in the Earth's climate in which the climate differs radically from the expected norm. CLIMATE CHANGE CLIMATE CHANGE INDICATORS Greenhouse gases (emissions, concentrations) Weather & Climate (precipitation, temperatures, winds,…) Oceans (heat, surface temperature, acidity, sea level) Snow & Ice (Arctic Sea ice, glaciers, lake ice, snowfall, snow cover) Society & Ecosystems (streamflow, pollen season, growing season length, leaf & bloom dates, bird wintering ranges, etc.) CLIMATE CHANGE CLIMATE CHANGE CLIMATE CHANGE CLIMATES STATES GREENHOUSE EARTH no continental glaciers / high levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases such as water vapor and methane / sea surface temperatures range from 28 °C in the tropics to 0 °C in the polar regions. ICEHOUSE EARTH continental glaciers / less greenhouse gases / cooler temperatures. The Earth is currently in an icehouse stage; as ice sheets are present on both poles and glacial periods have occurred at regular intervals over the past million years. CLIMATE CHANGE CLIMATE CHANGE CLIMATE CHANGE DRIVERS (natural) meteorites energy output from the sun variation in the earth’s orbit and the orientation of its axis volcanic activity and plate tectonics (movement of the continents) albedo the greenhouse effect of water vapor and other trace gases photosynthesis GLOBAL WARMING DEFINITIONS GLOBAL WARMING Global warming refers to a continuing rise in the average temperature of Earth's climate system. GREENHOUSE EFFECT The greenhouse effect is a process by which greenhouse gases in the atmosphere absorb thermal radiations from a planetary surface and e-radiate them to the surface and lower atmosphere. GLOBAL WARMING THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION Dry atmosphere composition Today, water vapor accounts for 1 to 5% (variable). It is an important greenhouse gase. ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION GLOBAL WARMING GLOBAL WARMING POTENTIAL Certain greenhouse gases (GHGs) are more effective at warming Earth ("thickening the blanket") than others. The two most important characteristics of a GHG in terms of climate impact are how well the gas absorbs energy (preventing it from immediately escaping to space), and how long the gas stays in the atmosphere. The Global Warming Potential (GWP) for a gas is a measure of the total energy that a gas absorbs over a particular period of time (usually 100 years), compared to carbon dioxide. The larger the GWP, the more warming the gas causes. For example, methane's 100-year GWP is 21, which means that methane will cause 21 times as much warming as an equivalent mass of carbon dioxide over a 100-year time period. GLOBAL WARMING GLOBAL WARMING POTENTIAL Carbon dioxide (CO2) has a GWP of 1 and serves as a baseline for other GWP values. CO2 remains in the atmosphere for a very long time changes in atmospheric CO2 concentrations persist for thousands of years. Methane (CH4) has a GWP more than 20 times higher than CO2 for a 100year time scale. CH4 emitted today lasts for only about a decade (12 years) in the atmosphere, on average . However, CH4 absorbs more energy than CO2, making its GWP higher. Nitrous Oxide (N2O) has a GWP 300 times that of CO2 for a 100-year timescale. N2O emitted today remains in the atmosphere for more than 100 years, on average. There is much more heat in the pipeline than what we perceive today. GLOBAL WARMING Without the GHG, Earth's surface would average about 33 °C colder below the present average of 1415 °C HUMAN-MADE GLOBAL WARMING World Population Growth GHG Emissions Growth HUMAN-MADE GLOBAL WARMING HUMAN-MADE GLOBAL WARMING HUMAN-MADE GLOBAL WARMING CLIMATE CHANGE COSTS AGRICULTURE & GLOBAL WARMING Agriculture + deforestation = the largest man-made sources of GHG emissions AGRICULTURE & GLOBAL WARMING Carbon dioxide Deforestation - fertilizer production – irrigation – machinery – transports Methane Cattle enteric fermentation – manure – rice production – biomass burning Nitrous oxide Fertilizers – manure – biomass burning AGRICULTURE & GLOBAL WARMING GHG EMISSIONS BY WORLD REGIONS 1990-2020 FAO AGRICULTURE Because there are no written records of the transition period between 8000 and 5000 B.C. when many animals were first domesticated and plants were cultivated on a regular basis, we cannot be certain why and how some peoples adopted these new ways of producing food and other necessities of life. Climatic changes associated with the retreat of the glaciers at the end of the last Ice Age (about 12,000 B.C.), may have played an important role. These climatic shifts prompted the migration of many big game animals to new pasturelands in northern areas. They also left a dwindling supply of game for human hunters in areas such as the Middle East, where agriculture first arose and many animals were first domesticated. Climatic shifts also led to changes in the distribution and growing patterns of wild grains and other crops on which hunters and gatherers depended. (Robert Guisepi) AGRICULTURE AGRICULTURE IN THE WORLD Farmers = 45% of active working population Of 1.3 billion farmers only 30 million have access to modern technology (= responsible for 74% of GHGs emissions in agriculture), and about 1 billion use manual farming Over 98 percent of farms are family farms producing at least 56 percent of the world’s agricultural production. More than 80 percent of all agricultural holdings measure less than two hectares in size and are thus managed by smallholder farmers. Evidence shows smallholder and family farming can be the key to mitigation of the negative effects of climate change and improving food security. GLOBAL WARMING & AGRICULTURE Crops: moderate warming and more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere may help plants to grow faster. However, more severe warming, floods, and drought may reduce yields. Livestock: livestock may be at risk, both directly from heat stress and indirectly from reduced quality of food supply. GLOBAL WARMING & AGRICULTURE AGRICULTURE = among the most vulnerable sectors to the risks and impacts of global climate change, especially when it comes to water resource availability GLOBAL WARMING & AGRICULTURE AGRICULTURE & WATER 70 percent of the world’s freshwater goes toward agriculture, and it is estimated that this will increase by 19 percent by the year 2050. AGRICULTURE & WATER EUROPE - 88% OF FRESH WATER TOWARD AGRICULTURE AGRICULTURE & WATER Malta CLIMATE CHANGE - EUROPEAN ISLANDS European Institute of Environmental Policy (2013) CLIMATE TRENDS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN European Institute of Environmental Policy (2013) EXPECTED IMPACTS ON AGRICULTURE European Institute of Environmental Policy (2013) ADAPTATION & MITIGATION FAO ADAPTATION & MITIGATION ORGANIC FARMING CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE AGRO-FORESTRY NATURAL FARMING PERMACULTURE SYNERGISTIC GARDENING CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE Intensive agriculture with deep tillage and soil inversion causes rapid soil deterioration with loss of soil organic matter content. This practice leads to a decrease of soil biological activity, a damage of the physical properties and a reduction of crop yields. Conservation agriculture aims to achieve sustainable and profitable agriculture through the application of three basic principles: minimal soil disturbance by conservation tillage, permanent soil cover and crop rotations. Sustainable water integrated management (7 Mediterranean countries) http://www.aclimas.eu/ Way to go MEDITERRANEAN POLYCULTURE THANK YOU Eric E. van Monckhoven Free-Lance Consultant Social Cooperation Development Aid [email protected] +39 3312068969 Note> TREE FACTS Carbon sequestration, air quality, and climate change A tree can absorb as much as 22 kg of carbon dioxide per year, and can sequester 1 ton of carbon dioxide by the time it reaches 40 years old. One large tree can provide a supply of oxygen for two people. Energy Trees properly placed around buildings can reduce air conditioning needs by 30 percent and save 20-50 percent in energy used for heating.” The net cooling effect of a young, healthy tree is equivalent to ten room-size air conditioners operating 20 hours a day. Water In one day, one large tree can lift up to 375 liters of water out of the ground and discharge it into the air. For every five percent of tree cover added to a community, stormwater runoff is reduced by approximately two percent. Note> Further Readings Gaia. A New Look at Life on Earth. Lovelock, James (1979) The Weather Makers: How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth. Flannery, Tim (2006) Earth Transformed. Ruddiman, William (2013) Check also the following movie, available on YOUTUBE Yann Arthus-Bertrand HOME official website http://www.home-2009.co