Climate Change Revision Flashcards
Physical factors which cause climate change/ global warming
Variations in the amount of Solar energy
Volcanic Eruptions
Changes in Ocean Currents
MilanKovitch Cycle
Variations in the amount of solar energy
Variations in the amount of Solar Energy emitted through sunspot activity affects temperature. (1) High sunspot activity can lead to a slight increase in global temperatures. (1)
Volcanic Eruptions
Gas,Ash and dust thrown into the atmosphere from volcanic eruptions can block incoming solar insolation and so reduces temperatures. (1) Eg. When Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991 global temperatures fell in the following years. (1)
Changes in Ocean Current
Changes in ocean current can affect temperature. Eg El nino/la nina (1) - El nino is associated with warmer temperatures.
Milankovitch Cycle
Milankovitch cycles affect temperature as the shape of the Earth’s Orbit changes between a more circular and a more elliptical orbit, causing variations in temperature as the Earth’s distance from the Sun varies . (1) The changing angle of tilt of Earth’s axis also affects temperature. (1)
Human Factors which cause Climate Change/ Global Warming
Enhanced Greenhouse effect
CFC’s
Nitrous Oxides
Methane from animals
Enhanced Greenhouse effect
Human activity causes global warming as it leads to an enhanced greenhouse effect. This means excess heat is trapped in the Earth’s Atmosphere which increases global temperatures. (1)
Increase in Greenhouse gases
Human activity causes an increase in greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide due to the burning of fossil fuels including coal,oil and natural gas (1). Power stations/plants and road transport are also responsible for emitting CO2 (1) .
CFC’s
Humans increase in CFC’s from refrigerators, polystyrene packaging and air conditioning systems (1).
Nitrous Oxides
Increase in Nitrous Oxides from car exhausts and power stations also leads to climate change. (1) Fertilisers and pesticides sprayed on crops also add nitrous oxides into the atmosphere, trapping heat. (1)
Methane from Animals
Increase in methane from animal dung, belching cows and rice paddies contributes towards global warming (1)
Landfill sites are another source of Methane being released into the atmosphere. (1)
Impacts of Climate Change
Rising Sea Levels
Flooding through rivers
Transportation Routes
Mineral Exploitation
Rising Sea Levels
Warmer temperatures are causing ice caps and glaciers to melt in places like Greenland and Antarctica, which is causing sea levels to rise.
Low-lying coastal areas, e.g. Bangladesh may be affected by severe flooding with large-scale displacement of people and loss of land for farming and destruction of property.
Many low lying island could be completely submerged. e.g. Tuvalu
Flooding Through Rivers
Areas Further inland, such as Yorkshire and Peterborough are also at greater risk of flooding as river levels rise due to rising sea levels.
Transportation Routes
Melting of sea ice could open up new transportation routes e.g. NW Passage in the Artcic Ocean allowing trade to take place in previously ice bound coastal settlements
Mineral Exploitation
Potential for further mineral exploitation in the Arctic Ocean e.g. Oil extraction. This would be economically beneficial but could lead to environmental problems such as oil spills.
Effects of changing rainfall and temperature patterns
Growing seasons
Forest fires
Malaria
Ocean Current
Growing Seasons
Longer growing seasons in many areas in Northern Europe including the UK for example, increasing food production and range of crops being grown
Forest fires
Increased Risk of forest fires, for example in Australia and California due to an Increase in temperatures and a decrease in rainfall which dries out the land meaning fire spread quicker and burn longer
Malaria
Due to increasing temperatures more places and people will be at risk from Malaria. In Africa alone, up to 40 million more people could be exposed to the risk of contracting malaria.
Ocean currents
Climate change may make the effects of El Nino and La nina stronger or more widespread affecting global rainfall and temperature patterns e.g. warmer waters off the coast of Peru has a major impact on fishing communities.
Strategies to reduce global warming
Households using less energy Congestion Charges Banned the sale of Petrol or Diesel cars Greener Energy options International agreements. Flood Defences Hose-pipe ban Desalination plants
Households using less energy
Households encouraged to use less energy by insulating lofts, switching lights off and using more energy efficient appliances.
Recent studies have shown household energy consumption in the UK has decreased in recent years. However two-thirds of UK homes do not meet energy efficiency targets
Congestion Charges
Cities like London have introduced a congestion charge to try to reduce vehicle emissions.
Pollution levels have fallen but many people still just pay the congestion charge and continue driving in the city centre.
Banned the sale of new petrol or diesel cars
The UK and Scottish government has banned the sale of any new petrol or diesel cars by 2030.
There are concerns that the country will not have enough electric car charging points to cope with the huge increase in electric cars.
Greener sources of Energy
Countries should switch from fossil fuels to alternative, greener source of energy, such as wind and solar power. Scotland set a target of producing 100% of its electricity from renewable energy sourced by 2045.
According to the Scottish government, 62% of all electricity generated was from renewables and 88% was from low carbon sources in the years 2019-2020.
International Agreements
Countries have come together to make international agreements on reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. E.g. the Paris Agreement (2015) .
In 2020 the USA pulled out of the Paris Agreement and it is one of the World’s Biggest emitters of Greenhouse gases so it is now unlikely the agreement will be a success.
Flood defences
Flood defences have been built to manage the local effects of extreme weather. E.g. The Thames barrier has been built to protect central London from flooding. The Thames barrier was very expensive at around half a billion pounds but has successfully protected London from Flooding on numerous occasions.
Hose-pipe bans
`In recent years parts of the UK have implemented hose-pipe bans following periods of hot, dry weather. E.g. South England in August.
Hose-pipe bans are very unpopular with the public, very difficult to enforce and not likely to be very successful reducing water use.
