1. Climate Change:
Fitting the pieces together
Presented by:
M Anirudh Srinivas
Arjun Krishnan
Sailesh Krishna K C

2. Introduction
• What is climate change?
• Climate change refers to any significant
change in the measures of climate lasting
for an extended period of time. In other
words, climate change includes major
changes in temperature, precipitation, or
wind patterns, among other effects, that
occur over several decades or longer.

3. What changes climate naturally?
Changes in:
• Sun’s output
• Earth’s orbit
• Drifting continents
• Volcanic eruptions
• Greenhouse gases

9. • What is global warming?
• Global warming refers to the recent and
ongoing rise in global average temperature
near Earth's surface. It is caused mostly by
increasing concentrations of greenhouse
gases in the atmosphere. Global warming
is causing climate patterns to change.
However, global warming itself represents
only one aspect of climate change.

10. History of Climate Change
• 1972 - first UN environment conference, in Stockholm.
• 1975 - human population reaches four billion.
• 1975 - US scientist Wallace Broecker puts the term "global warming"
into the public domain in the title of a scientific paper.
• 1987 - human population reaches five billion
• 1987 - Montreal Protocol agreed, restricting chemicals that damage
the ozone layer. Although not established with climate change in
mind, it has had a greater impact on greenhouse gas emissions than
the Kyoto Protocol.
• 1988 - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) formed.
• 1989 - UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher warns in a speech to
the UN about the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. She calls for a
global treaty on climate change.
• 1989 - carbon emissions from fossil fuel burning and industry reach
six billion tons per year.

11. History of Climate Change
• 1990 - IPCC produces First Assessment Report. It concludes that
temperatures have risen by 0.3-0.6C over the last century, that humanity's
emissions are adding to the atmosphere's natural complement of
greenhouse gases, and that the addition would be expected to result in
warming.
• 1992 - at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, governments agree the United
Framework Convention on Climate Change. Its key objective is "stabilization
of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would
prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system".
• 1995 - IPCC Second Assessment Report concludes that the balance of
evidence suggests "a discernible human influence" on the Earth's climate.
This was the first statement that held humans responsible for climate
change.
• 1997 - Kyoto Protocol agreed. Developed nations (apart from the US) pledge
to reduce emissions by an average of 5% by the period 2008-2012.
• 1998 - strong El Nino conditions combine with global warming to produce
the warmest year on record. The average global temperature reached 0.52C
above the mean for the period 1961-1990.

12. History of Climate Change
• 1999 - human population reaches six billion.
• 2001 - IPCC Third Assessment Report finds "new and stronger evidence"
that humanity's emissions of greenhouse gases are the main cause of the
warming seen in the second half of the 20th Century.
• 2005 - the Kyoto Protocol becomes international law for those countries still
inside it.
• 2005 - UK Prime Minister Tony Blair selects climate change as a priority for
his terms as chair of the G8 and president of the EU.
• 2006 - the Stern Review concludes that climate change could damage global
GDP by up to 20% if left unchecked - but curbing it would cost about 1% of
global GDP.
• 2006 - carbon emissions from fossil fuel burning and industry reach eight
billion tonnes per year.
• 2007 - the IPCC's Fourth Assessment Report concludes it is more than 90%
likely that humanity's emissions of greenhouse gases are responsible for
modern-day climate change.

13. History of Climate Change
• 2007 - the IPCC and former US vice-president Al Gore receive the
Nobel Peace Prize "for their efforts to build up and disseminate
greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the
foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such
change".
• 2007 - at UN negotiations in Bali, governments agree the two-year
"Bali roadmap" aimed at hammering out a new global treaty by the
end of 2009.
• 2008 - CO2 rises from 315 parts per million (ppm) in 1958 to
380ppm in 2008.
• 2008 - two months before taking office, incoming US president
Barrack Obama pledges to "engage vigorously" with the rest of the
world on climate change.
• 2009 - China overtakes the US as the world's biggest greenhouse gas
emitter - although the US remains well ahead on a per-capita basis.
• 2009 - 192 governments convene for the UN climate summit in
Copenhagen.

14. Causes of Global Warming

15. Population Increase
• Increased population in
under-developed
countries is causing a
hindrance to the world
enhancement
standards as these
Third World countries
begin to use greater
amounts of energy and
the problem of global
warming expands.

16. Deforestation
• The use of forests for fuel (wood and
charcoal) is one cause of deforestation
• In the first world, the appetite for wood and
paper products, the consumption of
livestock grazed on former forest land, and
the use of tropical forest lands for
commodities like plantations contributes to
the mass deforestation of our world.
• Forests remove and store carbon dioxide
from the atmosphere, and this
deforestation releases large amounts of
carbon.

18. The Big One
• And then, the major cause of global
warming…

19. Greenhouse Gases
Carbon dioxide
Nitrous oxide Methane
Water
Water

21. Carbon dioxide
• Carbon dioxide is the primary greenhouse gas
that contributes to climate change.
• CO2 is absorbed and emitted naturally as part
of the carbon cycle, through animal and plant
respiration, volcanic eruptions, and ocean-
atmosphere exchange.
• Human activities, such as the burning of fossil
fuels and changes in land use, release large
amounts of carbon to the atmosphere,
causing CO2 concentrations in the
atmosphere to rise.

22. Methane
• Methane is another potent greenhouse gas. When
organic matter is broken down by bacteria under
anaerobic conditions as in rice paddies, methane is
produced.
• The process also takes place in the intestines of
herbivorous animals, and with the increase in the
amount of concentrated livestock production, the level
of methane released into the atmosphere is
increasing.
• Another source of methane is methane clathrate, a
compound containing large amounts of methane
trapped in the crystal structure of ice. As methane
escapes from the Arctic seabed, the rate of global
warming will increase significantly.

23. Nitrous Oxide
• In the last half of the 20th century, the use
of chemical fertilizers has risen dramatically.
• The high rate of application of nitrogen-rich
fertilizers has effects on the heat storage of
cropland (nitrogen oxides have 300 times more
heat-trapping capacity per unit of volume than
carbon dioxide) and the run-off of excess fertilizers
creates ‘dead-zones’ in our oceans.
• In addition to these effects, high nitrate levels in
groundwater due to over-fertilization are cause for
concern for human health.

26. Keeping Our Planet Warm
• The greenhouse effect is a process caused
by greenhouse gases, which occur
naturally in the atmosphere. This process
plays a crucial role in warming the Earth's
surface, making it habitable. However,
human-generated greenhouse gas
emissions upset the natural balance and
lead to increased warmth. How does this
process work?

28. Incoming Energy
• First, the Sun emits energy that is
transmitted to Earth. Because the Sun is
very hot, the energy is emitted in high-
energy short wavelengths that penetrate
the Earth's atmosphere.

30. Absorption
• About 30% of the Sun's energy is reflected
directly back into space by the
atmosphere, clouds, and surface of the
Earth. The rest of the Sun's energy is
absorbed into the Earth's system.

32. Emission
• The Earth emits energy into the
atmosphere. Because the Earth is cooler
than the Sun, the energy is emitted in the
form of infrared radiation, at wavelengths
longer than the incoming solar energy.

34. Role of Greenhouse Gases
• Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
absorb much of the long-wave energy
emitted from the Earth's surface,
preventing it from immediately escaping
from the Earth's system. The greenhouse
gases then re-emit this energy in all
directions, warming the Earth's surface
and lower atmosphere.

36. Human Role
• The atmospheric concentration of
greenhouse gases has increased over the
past two centuries, largely due to human-
generated carbon dioxide emissions from
burning fossil fuels. This increase has
amplified the natural greenhouse effect by
trapping more of the energy emitted by
the Earth. This change causes Earth's
surface temperature to increase.

40. Effects of Global Warming

41. Storms and Floods
• Experts use climate models to project the impact
rising global temperatures will have on
precipitation. In just 30 years the occurrence of
the strongest hurricanes - categories 4 and 5 -
has nearly doubled.
• Warm waters give hurricanes their strength, and
scientists are correlating the increase in ocean
and atmospheric temperatures to the rate of
violent storms. Between 1905 and 2005 the
frequency of hurricanes has been on a steady
ascent. From 1905 to 1930, there were an
average of 3.5 hurricanes per year; 5.1 between
1931 and 1994; and 8.4 between 1995 and 2005.
2005 saw a record number of tropical storms.

43. Shrinking Glaciers and Rising Sea Levels
• Glaciers and ice shelves around the world are
melting. The loss of large areas of ice on the surface
could accelerate global warming because less of the
sun's energy would be reflected away from Earth to
begin with (refer back to our discussion of the
greenhouse effect).
• An immediate result of melting glaciers would be
a rise in sea levels. Initially, the rise in sea level
would only be an inch or two. Even a modest rise in
sea levels could cause flooding problems for low-
lying coastal areas. However, if the
West Antarctic Ice Sheet were to melt and collapse
into the sea, it would push sea levels up 10 meters
(more than 32 feet), and many coastal areas would
completely disappear. The IPCC estimates that sea
levels rose 17 centimeters (or about 6.7 inches) in
the 20th century.

45. Drought
• While some parts of the world may find themselves deluged
by increasing storms and rising waters, other areas may find
themselves suffering from drought.
• As the climate warms, experts estimate drought conditions
may increase by at least 66 percent. An increase in drought
conditions leads quickly to a shrinking water supply and a
decrease in quality agricultural conditions. This puts
global food production and supply in danger and
leaves populations at risk for starvation.
• Today, India, Pakistan and sub-Saharan Africa already
experience droughts, and experts predict precipitation could
continue to dwindle in the coming decades. Estimates paint a
dire picture. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
suggests that by 2020, 75 to 250 million Africans may
experience water shortages, and the continent's agricultural
output will decrease by 50 percent

47. Disease
• Warmer temperatures along with associated floods and
droughts are encouraging worldwide health threats by
creating an environment where mosquitoes, ticks, mice
and other disease-carrying creatures thrive. The World
Health Organization (WHO) reports that outbreaks of
new or resurgent diseases are on the rise and in more
disparate countries than ever before.
• While more than 150,000 people die from climate
change-related sickness each year, everything from heat-
related heart and respiratory problems to malaria are on
the rise. Cases of allergies and asthma are also
increasing.

48. Economic Consequences
• The costs associated with climate change rise
along with the temperatures. Severe storms and
floods combined with agricultural losses cause
billions of dollars in damages, and money is
needed to treat and control.
• Economic considerations reach into nearly every
facet of our lives. Consumers face rising food and
energy costs along with increased insurance
premiums for health and homes. Governments
suffer the consequences of diminished tourism
and industrial profits, soaring energy,
food and water demands, disaster cleanup and
border tensions.

49. Loss of Biodiversity
• Species loss and endangerment is rising along with global
temperatures. As many as 30 percent of plant and animal
species alive today risk extinction by 2050 if average
temperatures rise more than 1.1 to 6.4 degrees. Such
extinctions will be due to loss of habitat through
desertification, deforestation and ocean warming, as well
as the inability to adapt to climate warming. Wildlife
researchers have noted some of the more resilient species
migrating to distant lands to maintain their needed habitat.
• Humans also aren't immune to the threat. Desertification
and rising sea levels threaten human habitats. And when
plants and animals are lost to climate change, human food,
fuel and income are lost as well.

50. Global Warming Case Studies
• Glacial Retreat at Glacier National Park
• Destruction of Coral Reefs
• Narwhals in the Arctic

51. 1940
2008

52. 1930
2009

53. Glacial Retreat at Glacier National Park
• Glaciers act as a “bank” of water whose
continual melt helps regulate stream
temperatures and maintains stream flow
during late summer and drought periods
when other sources are depleted. Without
glacial melt water, summer water
temperatures will increase and may cause the
local extinction of temperature sensitive
aquatic species, disrupting the basis of the
aquatic food chain.

54. Glacial Retreat at Glacier National Park
• Mountain snow packs hold less water and have begun to melt
at least two weeks earlier in the spring. This impacts regional
water supplies, wildlife, agriculture, and fire management.
• Loss of alpine meadows will put some high-elevation species
at risk as habitats become greatly diminished or eliminated.
• Mountain pine beetle infestation will likely spread further,
causing areas of forests to die which will impact wildlife and
stream habitat, wildfire risk, and recreation use.
• Fire frequency and burned area may be increased as fire
season expands with earlier snowpack melt out and increasing
number of hot days. Large fires may greatly impact regional air
quality, increase risk to people and property, and negatively
affect tourism.

59. Destruction of Coral Reefs
• Increasing carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere has a double effect on coral.
Global warming means warmer seas,
which causes the corals to bleach, where
the creatures lose the symbiotic algae they
need to survive. Carbon dioxide also
makes seas more acidic, which means the
corals find it difficult to prevent their
exoskeletons from dissolving.

60. Destruction of Coral Reefs
Reefs on the verge of destruction:
• Florida Keys, United States
The only coral reef system in the continental US and the
third largest in the world, stretching 221 miles down the
Florida coast. The US National Marine Fisheries Service says
live coral is down 50-80% in the last decade, mainly due to
damage by humans.
• Jamaican reefs
Threatened by sewage disposal, inland agricultural run-off
and eutrophication, as well as tourist activities such as
glass-bottom boat trips. Hurricanes hinder reef recovery
and Caribbean coral cover has declined 80% in 25 years.

61. Destruction of Coral Reefs
• Scarborough Reef, South China Sea
Ownership disputes between the Philippines, mainland
China and Taiwan mean the waters surrounding this reef
are heavily overfished, and mangled by the blasts and
cyanide used to maximize catch.
• Seribu Islands, Java Sea, Indonesia
Spanning over 108,000 hectares and 100 small islands, this
reef is a significant contributor to the Indonesian tourism
economy. Rapid urban development poses threats from
domestic and industrial waste, urban run-off and oil and
gas exploration. The 1997-1998 El Niño event triggered
severe bleaching and killed over 90% of the coral down to
25 metres.

65. Narwhals in the Arctic
• Global climate change researchers have
categorized the narwhal as being the sea creature
most at risk from global warming changes.
• Polar bears, which have been generally considered
the most “at-risk” animals from global warming,
came in second place in the rankings.
• Right now there are actually a lot more narwhals
in the Arctic region (50,000 to 80,000) than polar
bears (20,000). But researchers feel the overall
impacts of global warming could have a quicker,
more devastating impact on narwhals.

66. Narwhals in the Arctic
• What’s the difference? Adaptability. Polar bears
are able to gather food either by swimming or
roaming land. As ice sheets diminish, they can
forage for food on land.
• Narwhals, on the other hand, are highly
specialized creatures. A main feeding practice is
diving to depths of 6,000 feet to feed on halibut.
They live in areas with 99-percent ice cover. If that
ice area diminishes, predators like orcas and polar
bears will have easier access to getting to
narwhals. And warming waters could send the
narwhal’s favorite food of halibut to non-icy areas
as well.

68. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a
scientific intergovernmental body, set up at the request of
member governments.
• It was first established in 1988 by two UN organizations,
the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and later endorsed by
the United Nations General Assembly through Resolution 43/53.
• Its mission is to provide comprehensive scientific assessments of
current scientific, technical and socio-economic information
worldwide about the risk of climate change caused by human
activity, its potential environmental and socio-economic
consequences, and possible options for adapting to these
consequences or mitigating the effects.
• It is chaired by Rajendra K. Pachauri. The 2007 Nobel Peace Prize
was shared, in two equal parts, between the IPCC and Al Gore.

69. Summary of the fourth assessment report, 2007
• Warming of the climate system is unequivocal
• Very high confidence that global average net
effect of human activities since 1750 one of
warming
• Human-caused warming over last 30 years has
likely had a visible influence on many physical and
biological systems
• Continued GHG emissions at or above current
rates would cause further warming and induce
many changes in the global climate system during
the 21st century that would very likely be larger
than those observed during the 20th century.”

71. Strategies to reduce the damage caused by climate change
• Produce more fuel-efficient vehicles
• Reduce vehicle use
• Improve energy-efficiency in buildings
• Develop carbon capture and storage
processes
• Triple nuclear power
• Increase solar power
• Decrease deforestation/plant forests
• Improve soil carbon management strategies

72. Individual Action
• Challenge others about global warming.
• Recycle more by using recycling bins, composting,
etc.
• Use compact fluorescent bulbs and LED light bulbs.
• Use recycled paper.
• Replace old appliances and reduce reliance on them.
• Unplug unused electronics.
• Purchase hybrid cars.
• Use public transportation.
• Ride a bicycle.