The document provides information on climate change basics including definitions of key terms, causes and effects of climate change, greenhouse gases and their sources, impacts of climate change, and mitigation strategies. It defines climate change as a change in climate attributed to human activity that alters the atmosphere's composition. The key causes are emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide from activities like burning fossil fuels, agriculture, and deforestation. The impacts include rising temperatures, sea levels, and extreme weather events that threaten ecosystems, agriculture, water resources, economies, and human health and security. Mitigation strategies discussed include reducing emissions through renewable energy and carbon sequestration as well as engineering approaches like carbon capture and storage
3. CLIMATE CHANGE
Climate vs Weather
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
“a change of climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere and which is in addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable time periods”
4. GLOBAL WARMING
unprecedented warming over the last few decades
~0.8oC since 1880 – 2012
increase in the average global temperature of Earth’s atmosphere, near the surface and in the troposphere
UNFCCC
◦restrict the rise to 2oC, from 1990 levels
6. Impacts
◦Melting of ice caps & glaciers
◦Rise in sea level
◦Changes in rainfall pattern, drought
◦Bleaching of coral reefs
◦Loss of plankton due to warming of seas
◦Extinction of species due to habitat loss
◦Incresed likelihood of extreme events
◦agriculture
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10. GREEN HOUSE (GLASS HOUSE)
Cold climate areas
Inside temperature higher than the low outside temperature
Protects the plant from frost
11. GREEN HOUSE EFFECT
Naturally occurring phenomenon that blankets the lower atmosphere & warms it, maintaining the temperature suitable for living things to survive
Frozen & lifeless in the absence of Green House Effect, like moon
Venus- thick atmosphere
12. Average temperature – 14oC
In the absence of Green House Effect- -18oC
Green House vs Green House Effect
(Convective) (Radiative)
15. Short Wave vs Long Wave
Albedo
◦Ratio of light reflected by a body to the light received by it
◦0 - pitch black
◦1 - perfect reflector
Heat Budget- Zero
◦Balanced
Radiative Forcing/Climate Forcing
16. Green House Gas (GHG)
Gas that can absorb & emit Infrared Radiation
Trap heat in the atmosphere
◦Water Vapour (H2O)
◦Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
◦Methane (CH4)
◦Nitrous Oxide (N2O)
◦Fluorinated Gases (HFCs, PFCs, SF6 etc)
◦Nitrogen Fluoride (NF3)
17. factors that determine the degree to which any GHG will influence Global Warming
1.abundance
2.ability to absorb energy
Global Warming Potential
3.life (how long it stays in atmosphere)
18. Global Warming Potential (GWP)
a measure of the total energy that a gas absorbs over a particular period of time (usually 100 years) compared to CO2
Larger the GWP, more warming the gas causes
◦CO2 - 1
◦CH4 - 21
◦N2O- 300
◦F-Gases – high GWP gases
19. Sources of GHGs
◦Burning of fossil fuels
Energy Production
Industry
Transportation
◦Agriculture
◦Commercial & Residential
◦Land Use & Forestry
20. Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
Fossil fuel burning
energy production- Coal & Natural Gas
transportation- Petrol & Diesel Industry
Industry
Production of chemicals, cement etc
21. Methane (CH4)
Wetlands
Coal Mining
Agriculture
Domestic Livestock
Rice Fields
Industry
CH4- component of Natural Gas
28. Black Carbon
aerosol / soot / fine particulate matter
almost pure carbon
due to incomplete combustion
◦almost all due to anthropogenic activity
strongly absorbs light & converts the energy into heat
29. Effects
◦Global Warming
Tropospheric temperature
Deposited on snow & ice- decreases albedo
◦Public Health- morbidity
Cancers, respiratory illneses
Life time- days to weeks
30. fossil fuel combustion
◦Climate change
◦Public health
◦Economic development
31. Project Surya
NGOs
Funding from UNEP
Solar (or biomass) stove & solar lights
Indoor air pollution
◦Respiratory illnesses, asthma
◦cancers
32. Ozone Hole
UltraViolet (UV) Radiation from Sun
◦Adverse effect of human
Skin cancer, cataracts
◦Adverse effect on Biosphere
Inhibiting plant growth & damaging ecosystems
◦Adverse effect on physical infrastructure
Degradation of materials
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35.
36. Ozone – blocks harmful UV Rays
thickness measured Dobson Unit (DU)
‘Ozone Hole’
◦Decrease in springtime thickness of Ozone in the stratosphere
37.
38. Impact of Climate Change
Fresh Water Resources
◦water scarcity
◦Major river floods
◦Renewable surface water
◦Groundwater availability
Terrestrial & Freshwater Ecosystems
◦Species face incresed extinction risk
◦Abrupt irreversible change in structure, compositon & function of ecosystems
39. Coastal Systems & Low-lying areas
◦Sea-level rise
Submergence, coastal flooding, coastal erosion
Marine Ecosystems
◦Species loss & biodiversity reduction
◦Decrease in fisheries productivity
40. Agriculture, Food Production & Food Security
◦Individual location may benefit
(CO2 Fertilization effect)
◦Tropical vs cold climate
◦Generalised decrease in productivity,
especially in the context of increased demand
◦Food access, utiulization & price stability -
adversely affected
41. Urban Areas
◦Maximum risk concentrated
◦Heat stress, extremes of precipatation, smog, inland & coastal flooding, landslides, drought & water scarcity
Rural Areas
◦Water availabilty & supply
◦Food security
◦Agriculturalincomes
◦Shift in production areas of crops
43. Human Health
◦Increased morbidity & mortality
◦Undernutrition
◦Increased food & water borne diseases
◦Increased vector borne diseases
◦Increased chance of disasters
44. Human Security
◦Increased displacement of people & migration,
due to extreme events
◦Indirectly increases risks of violent conflicts in the form of civil war & inter group violence
◦Influence national security policies
◦Territorial integrity, esp in coastal areas
45. Impact on Indian Agriculture
◦Rainfed agriculture
◦Overall Rainfall & distribution & timing
◦Droughts
Water Resources
◦Rainfall decreases
◦Water Scarcity
◦Rivers
◦Hydrologic cycle change
◦Glacial Melt
◦Groundwater resources
Coastal Areas
◦Goa, Orissa, Mumbai
46. MITIGATION STRATEGIES
“Mitigate”
To make less severe or painful
alleviate
Mitigation
◦Human intervention to reduce the sources or enhance the sinks of CO2/GHG
47. Carbon Sequestration
Carbon Uptake
Carbon Capture & Storage
Taking up CO2 from the atmosphere and long term storage
48. Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR)
Set of techniques that aim to remove CO2 directly from atmosphere, by either
◦1)increasing natural sinks for carbon, or
◦2) using engineering techniques to remove CO2 with the intent of reducing CO2 concentration
ocean – Iron fertilization
land - large scale afforestation
technical- direct capture of CO2 from atmosphere by chemical means
49. Iron Fertilization
◦deliberate introduction of Iron to the upper ocean surface to enhance biological productivity which can sequester additional atmospheric CO2 in oceans
◦added advantage- marine food chain+
50. Carbon Sink
Reservoir that stores carbon containing material for an indefinite period
natural & artificial
Natural
◦forests- tropical, mangroves (biosequestration)
◦oceans
◦wetlands
51. Artificial
◦Geologic sequestration
Landfills
pumping CO2 directly in oil & gas wells
◦Ocean sequestration
Pumping CO2 deep into the ocean
◦Artificial Trees
52. GeoEngineering / Climate Enginnering
broad set of methods & technologies that aim to deliberately alter the climate system, in order to alleviate the impacts if climate change,
by either
◦1) reduce the amount of absorbed Solar Energy
◦2) increase net carbon sinks at a sufficiently large scale to alter climate
53. Solar Radiation Management
◦Intentional modification of Earth’s shortwave radiative budget with the aim to reduce climate change
artificial injection of stratospheric aerosols
cloud brightening
CO2 removal techniques
detonating a nuclear bomb on the lunar surface
54. Carbon Credit
A tradable certificate/permit representing the right to emit one tonne of carbon or CO2 equivalent
How to earn Carbon Credit
◦Produce one tonne less of Carbon or CO2 equivalent than the standard level allowed for its activity
55. The credits can be traded in Exchanges
‘International Emission Trading’
◦a Kyoto mechanism
India – 1 billion $
Multi Commodity Exchange- Carbon Trading
56. Carbon Offsetting
Credits for reduction in GHG emission made at another location, mostly from renewable energy projects
57. Carbon Tax
direct tax
based on amount of carbon in the fossil fuel
~equivalent to an emission tax on CO2 emission
58. Civil Service Preliminary 1995
Q) Which one of the following fuels causes minimum environmental pollution?
a)Diesel
b)Coal
c)Hydrogen
d)Kerosene
59. Civil Service Preliminary 2003
Q)
Assertion (A): Coal-based thermal power stations contribute to acid-rain
Reason (R): Oxides of Carbon are emitted when coal burns
a)Both A & R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
b)Both A & R are true, but R is bot the correct explanation of A
c)A is true, R is false
d)A is false, but R is true
60. Civil Service Preliminary 2003
Q) Which one of the following is produced during the formation of photochemical smog
a)Hydrocarbons
b)Nitrogen Oxide
c)Ozone
d)Methane
61. Civil Service Preliminary 2008
Q) Consider the following:
1) Rice Fields 2) Coal mining
3) Domestic animals 4) Wetlands
Which of the above are sources of methane, a major greenhouse gas?
a)1 & 4 only
b)2 & 3 only
c)1, 2 & 3 only
d)1, 2, 3 & 4
62. Civil Service Preliminary 2010
Q) Due to their extensive rice cultivation, some regions may be contributing to global warming. To what possible extent is this attributable? 1) The anaerobic conditions associated with rice cultivation cause the emission of methane. 2) When nitrogen based fertilizers are used, Nitrous Oxide is emitted from the cultivated soil.
Which of the above statements are correct?
a)1 only b) 2 only
c) Both 1 & 2 d) Neither 1 nor 2
63. Civil Service Preliminary 2010
Q) Consider the following:
1) Oxides of Hydrogen
2) Oxides of Nitrogen
3) Oxides of Sulphur
Which of the above cause acid rain?
a)1 & 2 only
b)3 only
c)2 & 3 only
d)1, 2 & 3
64. Civil Service Preliminary 2011
Q) Consider the following:
1) Carbon Dioxide
2) Oxides of Nitrogen
3) Oxides of Sulphur
Which of the are emissions from coal combustion at thermal power plants?
a)1 only
b)2 & 3 only
c)1 & 3 only
d)1, 2 & 3
65. Civil Service Preliminary 2011
Q) Human activities in the recent past have caused the increased concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, but a lot of it does not remain in the lower atmosphere because of 1. its escape into the outer atmosphere 2.the photosynthesis by phytoplankton 3. the trapping of air in the polar ice caps Which of the statements given are correct?
a) 1 & 2 b) 2 only
c) 2 & 3 d) 3 only
66. Civil Service Preliminary 2011
Q) The formation of Ozone Hole in the Antarctic Region has been a cause of concern. What could be the reason for the formation of this hole?
a)Presence of prominent tropospheric turbulence; and inflow of chlorofluorocarbons
b)Presence of prominent polar front & stratospheric clouds; and inflow of chlorofluorocarbons
c)Absence of prominent polar front & stratospheric clouds; and inflow of methane & chlorofluorocarbons
d)Increased temperature at polar region due to global warming
67. Civil Service Preliminary 2011
Q) The increasing amount of carbon dioxide in the air is slowly raising the temperature, because it absorbs?
a)The water vapour of the air & retains its heat
b)The Ultraviolet part of the solar radiation
c)All the solar radiations
d)The infrared part of the solar radiation
68. Civil Service Preliminary 2012
Q) What would happen if phytoplankton of an ocean is completely destroyed for some reason? 1. The ocean as a carbon sink would be completely destroyed 2. The food chains in the ocean would be adversely affected 3. The density of ocean water would drastically decrease Select the correct answer from the codes given below
a) 1 & 2 only b) 2 only
c) 3 only d) 1, 2 & 3
69. Civil Service Preliminary 2013
Q) Acid rain is caused by the pollution of environment by
a)carbon dioxide & nitrogen
b)carbon monoxide & carbon dioxide
c)ozone & carbon dioxide
d)nitrous oxide & sulphur dioxide
70. Civil Service Preliminary 2013
Q) Photochemical smog is a resultant of the reaction among
a)NO2, O3 & peroxyacetyl nitrate in the presence of sunlight
b)CO, O2 & peroxyacetyl nitrate in the presence of sunlight
c)CO, CO2 & NO2 at low temperature
d)High concentration of NO2, O3 & CO in the evening