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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 – – – 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) – – – 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) • • • • 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) • • • • • • 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