Climate Change Flashcards
greenhouse effect
water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and more act as a transparent blanket in the atmosphere
what area is experiencing the most warming?
the arctic
how much has global average sea level risen since 1880?
8-9 inches
why is the melting of permafrost a huge concern?
it could release vast amounts of CO2 and methane, as well as viruses, bacteria, and fungi
how much earlier is the first leaf-out in the spring?
5 days earlier
species ranges are moving towards the __________
poles or equator
oceans absorb CO2 and a compound forms that makes the water more acidic
carbonic acid
what does carbonic acid do?
it can steal carbonate from the shells of marine organisms
what is causing the warming?
increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
In 1895, Svante Arrhenius predicted what?
a 40% increase or decrease in CO2 might cause the glacial retreats or advances of the ice ages
in 1938, G.S. Callendar predicted what?
a doubling in atmospheric CO2 would produce an increase in mean global temp of 2 degrees
What were global fossil fuel CO2 emissions in 2022?
37.5 GT
what are the three countries with the highest emissions?
China, U.S., India
What country has the most cumulative CO2 emissions?
US
We know that CO2 and methane block radiation in certain wavelengths, so if green house gasses are causing global warming…
the energy escaping the atmosphere into space should be reduced at the wavelengths of CO2 and methane
what is the heat bouncing back from the atmosphere called?
longwave radiation - significant increases found across the world
what is the emissions gap?
the difference between those necessary emissions levels, and the levels that current promises will yield - 12 GT of carbon per year
sea level projections?
sea levels are projected to increase between 2.5 and 4.5 feet by 2100
5 Climate change myths
- CO2 has little or no effect
- climate has changed before
- its the sun
- there’s no consensus
- the models are wrong
argument to “CO2 has little to no effect”
- there is laboratory proof that CO2 is a greenhouse gas
- there is an incredible correlation between CO2 levels and temperature over the last 800,000 years
Dr. Richard Alley calls CO2…
the biggest control knob for climate
reconstruction studies estimate pre-historic temps based on…
ice cores, tree rings, sediment cores
global temperature is warmer now than it has been in the last…
1000 years
what is the correlation between earth temp and sun output over the last 40 years?
no correlation
what percentage of scientists agree on climate change?
about 97%
the US does national climate assessments every ____ years, includes ____ federal agencies
5 years, 13 federal agencies
what is the IPCC?
inter-governmental panel on climate change
what is the most authoritative source for climate science?
the inter-governmental panel on climate change (IPCC)
what is the argument against “the models are wrong”?
prediction models have been accurate
what is the argument against “the climate has changed before”?
it is changing faster and more, its hotter now than it has been in 1000 years
what is the argument against “its the sun”?
there’s no correlation between the earth’s temp and sun output in the last 40 years
whats the argument against “there’s no consensus”?
in 2005, several national academies issued a joint statement affirming the mainstream climate change story, the IPCC issues reports that are authored by hundreds of ppl from many nations
