Chapter 7: Climate Change and Energy Production Flashcards
Climate change
Climate change is long-term change and has always happened (ice ages, etc.) but is now accelerated due to human activities. If it continues, we may reach a tipping point and as such enter a new equilibrium.
NB: global average - may seem like nothing, but certain regions will be more severely affected by the rise in temperature.
Climate
the average weather pattern over many years for a location on Earth.
(also weather) is affected by:
-Clouds (which may trap heat or reflect sunlight away from Earth)
-Forest fires (which release CO2)
-Volcanic eruptions (which release ash which circulates in the atmosphere and cools the Earth)
-Human activities (e.g., burning fossil fuels).
Weather
Weather is the daily result of changes of temperature, pressure, and precipitation in our atmosphere.
Greenhouse gases
Carbon dioxide (biggest contributor if looking at anthropogenic activities)
Other GHGs are also increasing.
The greenhouse gas which there is the most of is water vapor, however, this is produced naturally.
More greenhouse gases amplify the greenhouse effect - trapping heat by forming a thermal belt in the atmosphere.
Global Warming Potential (GWP)
Is a measure of different greenhouse gases/GHGs. E.g., CO2 has a GWP of 1, whereas methane has a GWP of 21 and so traps 21 times as much heat in the same mass of carbon dioxide.
Climate change debate
Our environmental value systems greatly affect how we look at this.
Is climate change inevitable (as seen with ice ages).
Anthropogenic activities contribute to the acceleration of climate change and may displace many humans.
It is impossible to ascertain what will happen in the future.
Paleoclimate: A HIstory of Change
https://www.biointeractive.org/classroom-resources/paleoclimate-history-change
Ocean acidification
Ocean acidification - what is it? what causes it? what consequences does it have?
Ocean acidification is a global problem and concerns the increased acidification of the ocean (and lowering of the pH-value which is occurring mainly as a result of increased anthropogenic CO2-releasing activities.
Ocean acidification is caused by the release of anthropogenic CO2 of which 30-40% are absolved by the ocean. The huge amounts of added CO2 increased the acidity of the ocean. The industrialization drastically increased hydrogen ions and subsequently led to a 30% increase in ocean acidity.
Chemical reaction process:
CO2 absorbed by the ocean – it bonds with H2O to form carbonic acid. This then separates into bicarbonate ions and hydrogen ions. As the concentration of hydrogen increases, the seawater becomes more acidic. Since many organisms depend on the carbonate ions, and acidity increases, some carbonate ions bond with the hydrogen ions forming more bicarbonate (instead of producing calcium carbonate which skeletal organisms need – they then dissolve), making it more difficult for the organisms to grow.
Ocean acidification is threatening high levels of biodiversity, which can cause drops in the rate of metabolic processes and immune responses among organisms and can damage coral. Single-cell organisms (most importantly algae, which form the basic trophic levels important to food webs) are also affected.
A specific example of global warming
Australian bush fires. The Australian climate is generally hot, dry and prone to drought. At any time of the year, some parts of Australia are prone to bushfires. … Bushfires tend to occur when light and heavy fuel loads in Eucalypt forests have dried out, usually following periods of low rainfall. As temperature increases, the warm climate is only more prone to happen.
Another example
Water levels will also rise, as a result of melting glaciers increasing the ocean’s volume, as well as rising temperatures causing the ocean to expand (water expands when heated).
See pages 333-339
Mitigation
strategy to deal with climate change by attempting to reduce the causes
Mitigation strategies can be divided into two groups. 1 those that reduce GHG (Green House Gasses) and 2 those that remove GHG from the atmosphere
Adaption
strategy to deal with climate change by managing the causes and impacts
Group 1 mitigation strategy
Reducing overall demand and changing to cleaner, more sustainable energy plants rather than fossil fuels. Adopting a more ecocentric lifestyle as well: reduce energy by changing our lifestyles. This does not eliminate energy consumption but reduces it significantly.
Group 2 mitigation strategy
biomass fuel plant: loggers and landowners agree what trees to harvest (when managed properly, the forest can benefit significantly). Despite the removal of (some) trees, the forest can see new growth and increased wildlife, and the people involved can earn increased income, and tax revenue for localities. The trees are then turned into fuel pellets which are boiled and flowed through piping to houses. The energy is then passed on, heating homes. The energy consumption is decreased significantly. It can replace fossil fuels and reduce CO2 emissions.
Adaptation strategy
OECD: giving advice on policies preparing and adapting to climate change. Most decisions made concern the creation of smart infrastructure, such as Copenhagen creating waterways to deal with cloudbursts. This strategy is more suitable for MEDCs however, as the building of new infrastructure is highly expensive. We can also produce and distribute vaccinations to protect people from water borne diseases, which is undoubtedly also more available to MEDCs.
