Friday, November 1stClass Discussion Question

Do you believe that human beings are significantly contributing to

climate change? Why or why not?

After today…Students will comprehend the factors that

are impacting climate.Students will assess human beings role in

climate change.Students will determine what impact

climate change will have on human beings.

What is the…

Climate Change OR

Global Warming?Many people use these terms

interchangeably but there are some differences.

'Climate change’ refers to the changes in the global climate which result from the increasing average global temperature. 

Terminology matters according to polls.

An Inconvenient TruthFormer Vice President Al Gore

believes that climate change is responsible for extreme weather conditions like flooding and drought that have displaced millions of people this year.

He believes that human beings are the primary force behind climate change because of our excessive burning of fossil fuels.

ClimateThe prevailing or average

weather conditions of a place as determined by the temperature and meteorological changes over a period of years.

How is this different from weather?

Climatic ControlsSolar EnergyLatitude not LongitudeInteraction between Land & WaterGlobal Pressure SystemsGlobal Wind Patterns

Global Warming

The greatest hoax ever…A minority of scientists and some

politicians feel that global warming and / or human’s impact on the rise in global temperatures is exaggerated at best or entirely made up at worst.

James Inhofe (R) US Senator from Oklahoma has said that global warming, “is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people.”

Debate

Greenhouse GasesOver the past 150 years

there has been a “significant” increase in greenhouse gases – mainly carbon dioxide or CO2.

Unless halted, this will lead to warmer temperatures of 2 to 4 degrees F around the globe by 2030.

Source: DAG textbook

Burn Baby Burn…

Many people (including most scientists) have concluded that the activities of human beings are the significant piece to this equation.

Use of fossil fuels such as oil & coal.

Higher world populations

Kyoto Protocol

The Kyoto Protocol is a plan created by the United Nations for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change that tries to reduce the effects of climate change, such as global warming.

Although many industrialized countries signed the agreement, the USA under the Bush administration declined to join.

Problems

The Treaty did not require Developing Countries like China to sign onto the agreement.

The Bush administration was unsure about the science behind the Treaty.

They felt that the economic costs associated with implementing the Treaty would be harmful to the US economy.

Activity

Log on to a computer.Find a political cartoon that supports the

link between human beings and climate change.

Find a political cartoon that is skeptical of the link between human beings and climate change.

Read the Richard Muller report.

After today…Students will comprehend the factors that

are impacting climate.Students will assess human beings role in

climate change.Students will determine what impact

climate change will have on human beings.