Climate Change from human activity Flashcards
What are the main greenhouse gases?
Carbon dioxide Methane Water vapour Nitrous oxide
How do the greenhouse gases affect our climate?
Different activities release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The gases build up. The suns heat (radiation) passes through the gases and hits the earth. The suns heat bounces off the Earth. The greenhouse gases trap the heat in the Earth’s atmosphere. Earth gets warmer= global warming. The suns radiation can pass through the gases in one direction, but not once they have bounced off the Earth.
Which human activities release greenhouse gases?
Driving cars (burning petrol a fossil fuel). Using too much electricity (coal is burnt to make our electricity- a fossil fuel). Deforestation/Cutting down trees (that absorb carbon dioxide out of out atmosphere). Less trees= less CO₂ removed from the atmosphere. Basically= burning fossil fuels (gas, coal and oil)
Why are humans being blamed for global warming?
- Evidence has shown that when there is more carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the atmosphere the climate is hotter (see graph).
- Our human activities are releasing CO₂.
- Driving cars
- Generating electricity
- The theory is…
The more CO₂ we produce, the hotter the planet is getting.
What could happen if the Earth gets hotter?
- Animals and plants could become extinct if they can not survive the different temperature.
- Ice would melt
- North and south pole, glaciers, ice caps would melt.
- The melt water from the ice would follow into the sea (off the land).
- The sea levels would rise.
- Low lying cities, islands, sometime whole countries would be flooded by the sea.
- The sea would be hotter- making more storms like hurricanes.
- Weather and climate on Earth would change.
- Some places wetter.
- Some places drier.
- Some places hotter.
- It would be difficult to grow food, get water, live.
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What can we do about Global warming?
