HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Basics of Climate ChangeThe Basics of Climate Change
The science, the consequences, and the myths
Carbon PPM timeline:
-Preindustrial: 280ppm, avg.
over 10,000 years
-1950s: ~320ppm (316 in 1958)
-2015: annual average of
400ppm
Global
baseline:
13.7℃(56.7℉)
Based on
NOAA data
from 1951-
1980*
1988
James Hansen testifies in front
of the US Senate & formation
of IPCC
1990
The IPCC releases its First
Assessment Report (FAR)
1997
Kyoto Protocol signed by 82
countries & the EU
2005
Kyoto Protocol goes into
effect, but is largely ineffective
2014
The IPCC releases its Fourth
Assessment Report, predicting
a 2℃rise by 2100
2015
The Paris Agreement is
reached at COP21
Impacts of Climate Change
Global Warming
Changes in Precipitation & Storms
●Intensifies drought and storm effects
●Greater evaporation and surface
drying
●Water holding capacity of air
increases by 7% per 1C warming →
increased water vapor in the
atmosphere
●Overall, dry areas will be dryer and
wet areas will be wetter
Impacts on the Ocean
●The ocean is absorbing heat and carbon dioxide, resulting in warming
and acidification
●The marine environment = most vulnerable
●Higher sea levels erode coasts, forcing immigration
Polar Vortex
Health effects
●Extreme weather events and temperatures
●Disease spread
●Pollutants
Debunking Myths and Misunderstandings
Climate change is nothing new; it’s part of a natural cycle
Climate change is scientifically still up for debate
Cold weather streaks are proof that climate change can’t be real
Climate change may be real, but there’s no proof that it’s caused by humans
Climate change doesn’t affect me
It’s too expensive to fight climate change
It’s too late to do anything about climate change
References
Climate Central. Greenhouse Effect. 2016, https://www.climatecentral.org/go/wmo -greenhouse-gas-bulletin-2015. Accessed 15 Feb
2019.
IPCC, 2014: Climate Change 2014: Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Fifth Assessment Repor t of
the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Core Writing Team, R.K. Pachauri and L.A. Meyer (eds.)]. IPCC,
Geneva, Switzerland, 151 pp.
“NASA, NOAA Data Show 2016 Warmest Year on Record Globally.” NASA, 18 Jan. 2017.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “Global Climate Report -Annual 2017”
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “Climate change impacts.” Climate Education Resources.
Shabecoff, Philip. “Global Warming Has Begun, Expert Tells Senate.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 24 June 1988,
www.nytimes.com/1988/06/24/us/global-warming-has-begun-expert-tells-senate.html.
Trenberth, Kevin E (2011). “Changes in precipitation with climate change.” Climate Research, vol. 47:123 -138.
References, cont.
UNFCCC (1997) Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change adopted at COP3 in Kyoto, Japan,
on 11 December 1997
“What Is the Kyoto Protocol?” UNFCCC, United Nations, unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-kyoto-protocol/what-is-the-kyoto
-protocol/what-is-the-kyoto-protocol.