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CHAPTER 3
VARIABLE WEATHER AND
CHANGING CLIMATE
A Continuing Challenge?
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CHECK-IN: Icebergs on the loose
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CHAPTER 3
VARIABLE WEATHER AND CHANGING
CLIMATE
A Continuing Challenge?
In this chapter you will explore three key questions:
1. Why do different places experience different
weather and climate?
2. What is happening to the Earth’s climate?
3. Is the weather becoming more extreme?
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CHAPTER 3
VARIABLE WEATHER AND CHANGING CLIMATE
Gateway 2: What is happening to the Earth’s
climate?
a. How has global climate changed?
b. What are some natural causes of climate change?
c. What is the greenhouse effect?
d. How do human activities lead to enhanced greenhouse
effect?
e. How does climate change affect people?
f. What are the responses to climate change?
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a. How has global climate changed?
• Global Climate Change: variation in the global
climate or climatic patterns in the long term.
How has
temperatures
changed from
1800 until 2000?
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a. How has global climate changed?
• Changes in global climate since 1881.
- Earth warmed up by 0.74° C in 100 years.
- Greatest increase after 1980s
- Some places recorded much higher temperature increases.

Arctic, Asia and Africa (1.2° C to 1.4 ° C)
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CHAPTER 3
VARIABLE WEATHER AND CHANGING CLIMATE
Gateway 2: What is happening to the Earth’s
climate?
a. How has global climate changed?
b. What are some natural causes of climate change?
c. What is the greenhouse effect?
d. How do human activities lead to enhanced greenhouse
effect?
e. How does climate change affect people?
f. What are the responses to climate change?
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b. What are some natural causes of
climate change?
• Variations in solar output
• Volcanic eruptions
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Variations in solar output
• The magnetic activity of the
sun has a cycle that lasts
about 11 years.
• An increase in solar
radiation is due to an
increase in sun spots.
– Areas surrounding the
sunspots radiate more
energy to make up for the
cooler sunspot areas.
• With higher solar radiation,
earth’s temperatures will
increase.
Sunspots represented by the dark spots
on surface of the sun.
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Volcanic eruptions
• Global dimming: Gradual reduction in the amount of
sunlight reaching the earth’s surface. Temporarily
cools the earth for months or years.
– Dust particles from eruption form condensation nuclei,
creating more cloud cover.
– Dust and ash also reflect away incoming solar radiation.
• For example, Mount Pinatubo eruption lowered
temperatures by as much as 0.6°C for as long as two
years.
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CHAPTER 3
VARIABLE WEATHER AND CHANGING CLIMATE
Gateway 2: What is happening to the Earth’s
climate?
a. How has global climate changed?
b. What are some natural causes of climate change?
c. What is the greenhouse effect?
d. How do human activities lead to enhanced greenhouse
effect?
e. How does climate change affect people?
f. What are the responses to climate change?
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c. What is the greenhouse effect?
• Greenhouse effect: Natural process in which the
gases in the Earth’s atmosphere trap longwave
radiation emitted from the earth’s surface, warming
the atmosphere.
• Water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous
oxide ozone and halocarbons such as
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are good absorbers of
longwave radiation.
– They are known as greenhouse gases and are found in
the atmosphere.
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What is the enhanced greenhouse
effect?
• Enhanced greenhouse effect: Increase in the
concentration of greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere, leading to a rise in global temperatures.
– Generally due to human activities that release an
increased amount of greenhouse gases, most notably
carbon dioxide.
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CHAPTER 3
VARIABLE WEATHER AND CHANGING CLIMATE
Gateway 2: What is happening to the Earth’s
climate?
a. How has global climate changed?
b. What are some natural causes of climate change?
c. What is the greenhouse effect?
d. How do human activities lead to enhanced greenhouse
effect?
e. How has climate change affect people?
f. What are the responses to climate change?
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d. How do human activities lead to
enhanced greenhouse effect?
• Burning fossil fuels
• Deforestation
• Changing land use
– Agriculture
– Industries
– Urbanisation
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Burning fossil fuels
• Fossil fuels: formed from decomposition of dead
organic matter over millions of years
- For example, petroleum, coal and natural gas.
- Powers 80% of the world’s energy
- Contains high carbon content, releases huge amount of
carbon dioxide when burnt
- Highest contributor of greenhouse gases.
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Burning fossil fuels
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Deforestation
• Deforestation: Loss of forests due to the removal or
clearance of trees in forested areas.
• Causes increase in levels of carbon dioxide in two
ways:
– Fewer trees to absorb carbon dioxide
– Carbon oxidation: Carbon in soil reacts with oxygen to
produce carbon dioxide, aided by higher temperatures
when soil is exposed to sunlight.
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Deforestation
Why does
deforestation take
place?
Every minute, forest areas the size of nine football fields are
being deforested. Which areas face the greatest deforestation
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rates in the world?
Changing land use
Agriculture
Industries
Urbanisation
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Agriculture
Agriculture: Practice of cultivating land,
producing crops and raising livestock.
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Agriculture
• Cattle farming releases millions of tonness of
methane into the atmosphere annually, as gases are
released from the digestive systems of cattle.
Greenhouse gas emissions
from agriculture and land use
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Industries
• Industries: Production of
goods and services within
a country.
- Major contributor of carbon
dioxide through the burning
of fossil fuels to create
energy needed to run
factory processes.
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Urbanisation
• Urbanisation: Process by which an increasing
number of people live in urban areas.
- Various human
activities are
concentrated or are
necessary in urban
places. All of them
contribute to the
amount of greenhouse
gases in the
atmosphere.
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Countries emitting greenhouse gases
in proportion to their land size
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CHAPTER 3
VARIABLE WEATHER AND CHANGING CLIMATE
Gateway 2: What is happening to the Earth’s
climate?
a. How has global climate changed?
b. What are some natural causes of climate change?
c. What is the greenhouse effect?
d. How do human activities lead to enhanced greenhouse
effect?
e. How has climate change affect people?
f. What are the responses to climate change?
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e. How does climate change affect
people?
Four key impacts of climate change we will learn
about:
1)
2)
3)
4)
Sea level rise
Frequent extreme weather events
Spread of infectious insect-borne diseases
Lengthening of growing season in certain
regions
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Sea level rise
• Sea level rise: Increase in the mean height of the
sea’s surface between high and low tide relative to
land.
– Higher temperatures causes water to expand
– Higher temperatures causes glaciers to melt, adding
meltwater to the sea
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33% of coastal lands are at risk with continued sea level increase!31
Frequent extreme weather events
• Extreme weather events: severe and rare weather
phenomenon that results in significant economic
losses and the loss of lives
- Eg. Heat waves, floods, droughts and tropical cyclones
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Spread of infectious insect-borne
diseases
• Link between insect-borne diseases and climate
change:
- Increased rainfall and temperatures is favourable for
mosquitoes to breed (allows spread of malaria and dengue
fever)
- As temperate countries get warmer, mosquitoes are able
to breed further up north of the Equator
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Lengthening of growing season in
certain regions
• Higher temperatures have lead to longer growing
seasons for some regions.
- Advantage (Cold regions are now warmer, more
conducive for crop growing)
• Increase in types of crops that can be grown in UK.
• Increase in fruit, soybeans, potatoes and wheat in
Canada.
- Disadvantage (Cool regions are now getting hotter,
less conducive for crop growing)
• Apples and cherries production in Yunnan is reduced as they
need cool conditions.
• Wheat yield has decreased in Canada.
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CHAPTER 3
VARIABLE WEATHER AND CHANGING CLIMATE
Gateway 2: What is happening to the Earth’s
climate?
a. How has global climate changed?
b. What are some natural causes of climate change?
c. What is the greenhouse effect?
d. How do human activities lead to enhanced greenhouse
effect?
e. How has climate change affect people?
f. What are the responses to climate change?
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f. What are the responses to climate
change?
• International Level
– Kyoto Protocol (1997)
– Copenhagen Conference (2009)
• National Level
– Singapore
– India
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Kyoto Protocol
• Kyoto Protocol: An international agreement to
reduce greenhouse gases emission into the
atmosphere.
– Drawn up on 11/12/97, came into effect 16/02/05
– Different countries have different targets to hit
and progress of carbon emissions will be tracked
and reported for review.
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Kyoto Protocol
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Kyoto Protocol
Successes
• Many countries met or exceeded targets set by Kyoto
Protocol as there was constant monitoring and
reporting by countries for self and peer assessment.
• Encouraged sustainable development.
- Developed countries are encouraged to work with
developing countries in carbon-reducing projects (Clean
Development Mechanism — CDM)
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Kyoto Protocol
Limitations
• Not all countries are able to meet their goals and not
all countries have the same emission targets.
- Denmark, Sweden and the United Kingdom did not achieve
their targets
• Many countries did not sign the Kyoto Protocol and
continue to contribute to global emissions.
- A large portion of the increase in global emissions came
from China, India and the United States of America
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Copenhagen Conference
• Copenhagen Conference:
Held in Denmark, hosted
the United Nations Climate Change Conference to
build upon measures developed in previous
conferences for addressing climate change.
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Copenhagen Conference
Successes
• Allow countries to discuss measures to deal with
climate change effectively, including improvements
to CDM.
• International agreement to keep increase in global
temperature to below 2°C.
• Pledges were made and developed countries pledged
to:
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.
- Provide US$30 billion for developing countries to fight
climate change.
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Copenhagen Conference
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Copenhagen Conference
Limitations
• Lack for concrete plans on how to reduce
greenhouse gases
• Copenhagen Accord (Agreement) was not adopted
by all countries.
- The Accord was a guideline and no countries will
be binded/punished if they do not fulfill their pledges.
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National response: Singapore
1) Singapore Green Plan 2012
•
Reduce energy consumption and greenhouse emission
from burning fossil fuels
2) Green Mark Scheme
•
Constructing ‘green’ buildings
3) Plant-A-Tree programme
•
Planting more trees and plants
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Singapore Green Plan 2012
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Singapore: Green Mark Scheme
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Singapore: Plant-A-Tree programme
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Show two images of Mr Lee Kuan Yew
Image 1: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iYjQKuZAIE/TrfUWAdg1YI/AAAAAAAAADc/9tIY8AsEgAU/s320/TreePla
nt1963-1.JPG
Image 2: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/vl9H2vEMxSo/TrfTZpjcWrI/AAAAAAAAADM/rOJNmtQQEng/s160
0/MM+LEE.jpg
Mr Lee Kuan Yew planting a tree in 1963 and still doing so in 2012
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National response: India
1) National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP)
- Emphasising public transport
2) Energy Labelling Programme
- Reducing energy consumption and greenhouse
emissions from burning fuels
3) Indian Network of Climate Change Assessment
(INCCA)
- Promoting India-specific climate change research
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National Urban Transport Policy
(NUTP)
Description of strategy
• Launched in 2006 by Ministry of Urban Development
• Aim to reduce motor vehicles on road by:
- Developing public transport
- Encourage non-motorised transport
• Use of cleaner technologies
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National Urban Transport Policy
(NUTP)
Successes
• Rail, cycle, bus and pedestrian infrastructure improved
tremendously with funding from Jawaharlal Nehru
National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).
- Pedestrian infrastructure improve in Hyderabad.
- Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS) expanded from 20 in 2006
to 68 by 2010.
- Carbon credits given to Delhi’s metro rail, whose 186 km of rail
kept 91,000 vehicles off road and reduced 6.3 million tonnes
of greenhouse gas annually.
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National Urban Transport Policy
(NUTP)
Limitations
• Huge capital costs (billions) and many years
needed to build competent public transport
systems a hindrance.
• Increasingly affluent citizens will prefer private
vehicles over public transport.
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Energy Labelling Programme
Description of strategy
• Started by Bureau of Energy Efficiency in
2007.
• Programme informed consumers of
energy efficiency of products. (The more
efficient, the cheaper)
• The label is mandatory for frost-free
refrigerators, fluorescent lamps, air
conditioners, distribution transformers.
• Voluntary for other appliances such as
ceiling fans, television sets, washing
machines and computers.
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Energy Labelling Programme
Successes
• Consumers will be encouraged to buy products that
conserve energy, reducing country’s greenhouse gas
output.
• Sales of energy efficient appliances have steadily
increased since 2007
• Two major laptop producers pledged to adopt
labelling in 2011 with other major manufacturers
expected to follow.
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Energy Labelling Programme
Limitations
• Many appliances are still not on the program and
most of public are still not aware of how the labelling
works/ what it means.
• Country has urgent need to provide energy for
citizens and using coal-powered stations negate the
labelling efforts.
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Indian Network of Climate Change
Assessment (INCCA)
Description of strategy
• 220 scientists from 120 research institutions
promote domestic research on climate change.
• They provide Indian-based climate data for better
reference during policy implementation.
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Indian Network of Climate Change
Assessment (INCCA)
Successes
• Released first assessment (on issues such as
sea level, agriculture, water supply, human
health) of climate change impacts in India for
the next 20 years.
• Recommend constant monitoring and
research of India’s physical and biological
system by specific regional committees,
developing concrete plans thereafter.
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Indian Network of Climate Change
Assessment (INCCA)
Limitations
• India is a rapidly developing economy and can
only sustain its development through
industrialisation and urbanisation.
• Recommendations by INCCA might go
unheeded by the government should concrete
plans made by them interfere with India’s
development.
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CHAPTER 3
VARIABLE WEATHER AND CHANGING CLIMATE
Gateway 2: What is happening to the Earth’s
climate?
a. How has global climate changed?
b. What are some natural causes of climate change?
c. What is the greenhouse effect?
d. How do human activities lead to enhanced greenhouse
effect?
e. How does climate change affect people?
f. What are the responses to climate change?
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