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Global Warming
English Subject Curriculum
Culture, society and literature
• The aims of the studies are to enable pupils to
– elaborate on and discuss a number of international and global
challenges
Vocabulary
Global warming – global oppvarming
Climate change - klimaendringer
Atmosphere – atmosfæren (a thin layer of atmosphere of gases surrounding the earth)
Radiation – stråling
Infrared radiation – infrarød stråling
Greenhouse gases – klimagasser
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–
–
CO2 (carbon dioxide)
Methane – metangass
Nitrous oxide - lystgass
to emit (gases) – å slippe ut
Emissions of greenhouse gases – utslipp av klimagasser, klimagassutslipp
Evaporation – fordamping
Soil evaporation – fordamping av fuktighet fra jorda
Precipitation – nedbør (rain, snow, hail)
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–
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Snow
Rain
Hail
Deforestation – avskoging (the cutting down or burning of vast areas of trees to clear
land)
Level - nivå
Sea level – havnivå (rising sea levels)
Fossil fuels – fossile brennstoffer (like gas, oil, and coal)
Drought – tørke
Hurricanes – orkaner
Tornados – tornadoer
Typhoon – tyfon
Increase – øke, økning
Decrease – minke, minsking, nedgang
To trap, trapped – å fange, fanget
IPCC (The Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change) – FNs klimapanel
What Is Global Warming?
• Global warming is an increase in temperatures on earth – it is becoming
warmer!
• The temperature on earth has increased gradually over the past 100 years,
and more rapidly over the past 60-70 years
• Surrounding the earth is a layer of atmosphere or gases
• The atmosphere protects life on earth by both retaining and releasing solar
radiation
• However, because human beings over the past 100 years have been burning
more and more fossil fuels like gas, oil, and coal; the concentration of CO2
has increased and thickened the atmosphere.
• Thus, less radiation is released through the atmosphere and back into space.
• As a result, temperatures on earth increase
The Basic Science of Global Warming
The Greenhouse Effect:
•
Light waves from the sun (radiation) penetrate the
atmosphere and heat up the earth.
•
Some of the radiation is trapped inside the
atmosphere - which is a good thing because it
keeps the temperature of the earth relatively
constant and liveable.
•
It is trapped by greenhouse gases like CO2 which
are naturally a part of the atmosphere
•
Some of the radiation is released back into space
as infrared radiation
•
However, the burning of fossil fuels over the years
has increased and as a result the CO2 level has
increased and there is more CO2 in the
atmosphere, and because of that the thin layer of
atmosphere has become thicker
•
As a result, more of the radiation is trapped, and it
becomes warmer on earth.
Fossil Fuels and CO2
•
CO2 is a greenhouse gas that exists naturally in the
atmosphere, i.e. we need it to survive
•
CO2 is in part created from burning fossil fuels like gas,
oil and coal
•
In the past century, we use more and more oil, gas and
coal to produce things that we need in everyday life. We
also use more oil, gas and coal than ever before in
agriculture and in connection with transport and vehicles
and travel (cars, planes, train, ships, etc.)
•
Over the past 100 years, the concentration of CO2 in the
atmosphere and the emission of CO2 have increased
drastically – especially the past 60-70 years (see graph
below)
•
As the emission and concentration of Co2 has increased,
so have the earth’s temperatures
•
A majority of today’s climate change scientists agree
that this increase is largely man-made and is the result of
an increase in the use of gas, oil, and coal
Increasing Levels of Temperatures and CO2
Consequences of Global Warming
Higher Temperatures
Melting Snow, Ice and Glaciers
• Because of higher temperatures on
earth, the ice on the North Pole and
Greenland, snow, and glaciers are
melting.
• As a result, sea levels are rising
• This might lead to flooding of land
where human beings and animals live
• The extinction of animal species like
the polar bear
• The snow on mountains are important
sources of drinking water to groups of
people around the world. If it melts
away, people and animals might have
to leave the areas where they live
Precipitation (nedbør)
•
Higher temperatures lead to an increase in
precipitation
•
Water in the oceans evaporates
(fordamper) and comes down as heavy
precipitation elsewhere
•
Higher temperatures also lead to soil
evaporation – because of the heat the
moisture or water in the soil evaporates
•
Heavy downpour of rainwater has lead to
flooding in certain parts of the world
•
In the past years India, the USA, countries
in Asia and other parts of the world have
experienced severe (alvorlige) flooding.
Droughts (tørke)
•
•
•
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Higher temperatures also lead to soil
evaporation.
The water is sucked out of the soil,
then it is relocated to other areas, and
the soil is left dried up
As a result, crops fail and people and
animals starve
In the recent years, Africa has
experienced several severe droughts
Stormy Weather – Typhoons, Tornadoes, Hurricanes
•
•
•
As a result of higher temperatures, the
oceans get warmer and this causes
stronger storms
There has been an increase in the
number of violent hurricanes in the
past 4-5 years (e.g. Katrina in the
USA)
Many people have lost their lives and
homes in the past years because of
violent hurricanes, tornados, and
typhoons.
The Kyoto Treaty (traktat, avtale)
•
•
•
•
•
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The Kyoto Treaty was first negotiated in Japan,
Kyoto in 1997
The goal of the Kyoto Treaty is to reduce global
warming or the emission of CO2 and other
greenhouse gases that cause global warming
All the countries that have signed the Treaty
have agreed to reduce their emissions of CO2
The agreement was dealt a blow in March 2001
when President George W Bush announced that
the United States would never sign it.
The Treaty has a system where a country might
buy CO2 quotas from other countries
178 countries have signed the Treaty – including
Norway
Map: Countries in green have signed the Treaty, countries in
red will not sign it.
By Nina Sandström Angelsen
Selbu videregående skole