Part 2: challenges for the planet
Task:
• List 2 natural external factors that effect climate
• List 2 natural internal factors that effect climate
• List 2 human causes of climate change
Reasons for climate change- natural
Internal• Solar output- solar output
(energy from the sun) changes constantly
• Orbital geometry- shape of the earths orbit and the tilt of the axis
external• Volcanic activity- release
large amounts of sulphur dioxide- cloak which reduces the amount of solar radiation reaching earth
• Surface reflection- snow and ice reflect sun
• Tectonic activity- plate movement affects circulation patterns
Current causes
• Burning of fossil fuels e.g. power stations, vehicles etc
• Greenhouse gases: methane (wetlands, growing rice, landfills, animals) , carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, CFCs , water vapour
Impacts
• Local and international:• Changing crop yield: Africa more drought so
less ability to grow crops, desertification in faming belt in USA. Other areas (Canada, UK benefit?)
• Retreating glaciers Antarctica, Ganges River• More storms and floods
Mini case study Bangladesh
Rising sea levels: Threaten low lying areas e.g. Bangladesh
Responses
Global• Kyoto protocol- countries
agreed to cut emissions by 5.2 % also could trade carbon credits to support LICs
• NGOs- e.g Greenpeace creating renewable sources of energy
Local• Transport schemes- e.g.
London Congestion charge• Live simply- scheme run in
schools to consider how they are living e.g. switching off lights
London’s Congestion Charging Scheme – A Case Study of Urban Congestion Management
Malaysia case study: Tropical Rainforest
CAUSESPalm oil: Increase in demand for palm oil areas
of lowland forest have been converted to palm oil plantations- Malaysia is now the worlds major importer of palm oil.
NIC: New land is needed to house and feed the growing population of Malaysia
Sustainable forestry in Malaysia
• Ensuring logging companies only use selective cutting methods- e.g. only a certain number of tree per hectare.
Solutions continued
• Restricting the use of bulldozers• Increasing the number of National parks• Helilogging- removing wood via helicopters
Carbon creditsLIC’s can set aside some of their forest and receive carbon
credits. Industrialised countries can then buy these credits off the
country and in this way the developing country earns money from its forest.
The largest carbon credit project in the world is in Bolivia. The project is based in the Noel Kempff National Park which is an area of 1.5m hectares and has been an UNESCO World Heritage site since 2000. Bolivia has received £25m by selling the carbon credits of this area. The money has gone straight to the communities who live in the areas as compensation. This means that they are no longer dependent upon logging and destroying the forest to farm to earn a living.