M. RajAssociate Professor, Department of

ZoologyDarrang College : Tezpur

Fact: Global warming/Climate change is

being brought about by Green House Effect

Basic QuestionIs Green House Effect Pollution?

Yes/No

In its press release, the Nobel Prize Committee said:

...the Nobel Peace Prize for 2007 is to be shared, in two equal parts,

between the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Albert Arnold (Al) Gore Jr. 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.

Rajendra Kumar Pachauri has been serving as the chairperson of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) since 2002, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007

during his tenure. He has also been the director general of TERI, a research and policy organization in India, and chancellor of Teri University

GREEN HOUSE GASESMAKING THE CONNECTION

GHG’s Form Pre indppbv

1994ppbv

Atm Life-yr*

Sources GWP

Carbon-di-oxide

CO2 278,000 358,000 Variable Fossil fuelCombustionLand use ConversionCement prod

1

Methane CH4 700 1,721 12.2+/-3 Fossil fuelsRice paddiesWaste dumpsLive stock

21

Nitrous Oxide

N2O 275 311 120 FertilizerIndustrialProcessesCombustion

310

CFC-12 CCl2F2 0 0.503 102 Liquid coolantsFoam

6200-7100

HCFC-22 CHClF2 0 0.105 12.1 Liquid coolants

1300-1400

PerfluoroMethane

CF4 0 0.070 50,000 Production of Aluminium

6500

Sulfur hexafluoride

SF6 0 0.032 3200 Dielectric fluid

23,900

The Main Green House Gases

India Today-Nov 6,2006-pp65

GLOBAL WARMING AND CHANGING CLIMATE : FROM THEORY TO REALITY

• Melting polar ice

• Rising sea level

• Loss of Mountain Glaciers and Snow Pack

• Changing Weather patterns

• Impact on agriculture

• Health And Disease

• Effects on ecosystems

• Dramatic Effects on Biodiversity

Melting polar ice

Arctic Climate Impact Assessment - November 2004, 300 scientists from 15 countries predicted that at least half the summer sea ice in the Arctic will melt by the end of this century. Science. February 2006 - showed that the second largest land-based ice sheet in the world is losing ice twice as fast as scientists had estimated. A complete melting of this ice sheet could raise global sea level by almost 20 feet.Science March 2006 - revealed that Antarctica also is losing massive amounts of ice to the melting and slipping of glacier ice into the ocean, a natural process that has been accelerated by global warming.THE RESULT - net loss of polar ice adding billions of tons of water each year to the world’s oceans and more intense global warming.

Rising sea level

Major causes – 1. “thermal expansion” of the oceans—put simply as the oceans continue to warm, they will expand. 2. Melt water from polar and mountain glaciers.National Centre for Atmospheric Research –showed that even if no more greenhouse gases are added to the atmosphere, global sea level will rise by four inches over the next century because of thermal expansion alone. Rate of rise - currently rising rate of 1/10 inch per year. Due to the CO2 already in the atmosphere, sea level is projected to continue rising for several centuries. Projections for the year 2100 show great uncertainty, ranging from several inches to nearly three feet.Impacts -loss of coastal ecosystems, flooding of cities, displacement of coastal inhabitants, and increased vulnerability to storm surges.

Impacts Of Sea Level Rise On Humans

• Flooding Bangladesh-projected to lose 17.5% of its land if sea level rises about 39 inches (1 m). Tens of thousands of people are likely to be displaced.

• Disappearing Islands - Many of the islands will simply disappear under the rising seas Tourism and local agriculture will be severely challenged.

• Urban Flooding -Thirteen of the world’s fifteen largest cities are on coastal plains. Many smaller cities, such as Alexandria, Egypt’s ancient center of learning, also face a severe risk of inundation with a 39-inch (1m) rise in sea level. Cities at risk cover a wide range of economic circumstances, yet many will require extensive infrastructure development to minimize the potential impacts of flooding.

• Adapting to Rising Seas -Rising sea level requires many different local responses. Cities may require extensive infrastructure development to assure fresh water supplies, secure transportation, and protect people from flooding and storm surge. Sea walls can be built to protect cities and roads from rising seas. More robust building construction may also be required to withstand the increasingly intense storms.

Impacts Of Sea Level Rise On Nature

• Disappearing Wetlands Coastal wetlands are especially vulnerable because they are within a few feet of sea level. In the United States, a sea level rise of one foot (0.3m) could eliminate 17–43% of today’s wetlands, with more than half the loss in Louisiana.

• Coral Bleaching Corals weakened by a variety of stresses are susceptible to “bleaching.” This occurs when the microscopic algae that give corals their brilliant color die. Over the next century, warming of the oceans, in combination with other stressors such as sea level rise and water pollution, could lead to an increase in bleaching events.

• Coastal Erosion Over the past century, approximately 70% of the world’s shorelines have been retreating due to sea level rise and increased erosion. Over the next century, increased erosion is likely as sea level rises. Erosion will increase along different types of unprotected shoreline, including the low-lying barrier dunes.

Loss of Mountain Glaciers and Snow Pack

©Woods Hole Research Center, 2006(South Cascade Glacier, Washington) 1928 1979 2003

Vanishing Glaciers in IndiaIndia Today – Nov6,2006 – page61

Changing Weather patterns

• Extreme Weather Scientists predict that climate change will have a significant effect on global weather patterns, causing both more floods and more droughts, extended heat waves, more powerful storms, and other extreme weather events

• Stronger hurricanes Because hurricanes draw their strength from the heat in ocean surface waters, therefore, as ocean waters grow warmer, hurricanes will become more powerful on average, a trend that is already evident over the past 35 years.

• More droughts and flooding Impacts from climate change include a higher incidence of drought and flooding and changes in precipitation patterns. According to the IPCC future changes in weather patterns will affect different regions in different ways- precipitation will increase in high-latitude regions of the world in summer and winter, while southern Africa, Australia and Central America may experience consistent declines in winter rainfall.

Impact on agriculture

• Differences in productivity - farms and forests may be more productive in some regions and less productive at others. Among the reasons: precipitation will increase in high-latitude regions of the world in summer and winter, while southern Africa, Australia and Central America may experience consistent declines in winter rainfall

• Effects on agriculture - agriculture in developing countries will be especially at risk. Wheat, for example, may virtually disappear as a crop in Africa, while experiencing substantial declines in Asia and South America.

Health And Disease • Infectious Diseases - Warmer, wetter weather could increase the spread of

malaria, dengue fever, and yellow fever. The possible increase in flooding and damage to water and sewage infrastructure can further encourage the spread of disease.

• Increased Air Pollution -The concentration of photochemical pollutants, such as ozone, tends to increase with warmer temperatures. Ozone damages lung tissue and is especially harmful to people with asthma and other lung conditions. In Central Europe alone, 21,000 deaths are tied to air pollution each year.

• Hotter Summers & Warmer Winters- A 1995 heat wave killed more than 500 people in the Chicago area, and heat intensity is likely to rise in the future. Statistical studies estimate that a temperature rise of 2°F could double or triple the number of heat-related deaths in Atlanta, in part because the heat index will increase exponentially as temperature rises.

Effects on ecosystems • Forests Migration between 100 and 340 miles in the direction of the poles in the next

100 years, decline in species composition.• Rangelands Changes in growing seasons and shifts in the boundaries between

grasslands, forests, and shrub lands.• Deserts Heating up of deserts, process of desertification irreversible due to drier soils

and land degradation through erosion and compaction.• Mountain Regions Shift in the distribution of vegetation to higher elevations, extinction

of living creatures that exist only at high elevations• Lakes, Streams, Wetlands Alterations in water temperatures, flow regimes, and levels;

increase in biological productivity at high latitudes, but extinctions for low latitude, cool and cold water species; reduction in water quality, biological productivity, and the habitat in streams due to increased variability in flow.

• Coastal Systems erosion of shores and associated habitat, increase in the salinity of estuaries and freshwater aquifers, change in tidal ranges in rivers and bays, change in sediment and nutrient transport, change in the pattern of chemical and microbiological contamination in coastal areas, increase in coastal flooding.

• Oceans change in patterns of ocean circulation, vertical mixing, wave climate, and quantities of sea-ice cover.

Dramatic Effects on Biodiversity

• Decline in biodiversity and in the goods and services provided by most ecosystems

• Possible climatically associated shifts in animal ranges and densities have been noted on many continents and within each major taxonomic group of animals. (IPCC, 2001).Along with it changes in body size, and shifts in the timing of events, change in the timing of flowering, migration and other activities are also anticipated.

• Extinction - For instance, in the past 20 years dozens of species of mountain frogs in Central America have disappeared because of a disease that formerly did not occur where they live. Nature (2006).

• Wildlife in the arctic regions will be seriously affected. Observations of walrus in 1996-99 showed them to be thin and in poor condition, partly due to receding sea ice

WHAT CAN BE DONE

LOOKING FOR ANSWERS

The greenhouse gases that are already in the atmosphere because of human activity will continue to warm the planet for several centuries. In other words, some level of continued climate change is inevitable, meaning that humanity is going to have to take action to adapt to a warming world. However, scientists say it is still possible—and necessary—to reduce the magnitude of climate change by “stabilizing” atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases The science makes it abundantly clear: the time to act is now. The world is already facing severe consequences; we must respond to the overwhelming scientific evidence and take strong action to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change.

Who is responsible for greenhouse gas emissions and

climate change?• Once emitted, GHGs can remain in the atmosphere for many years, from

approximately 10 years to thousands of years, depending on the gas. This means that emissions from a long time ago are still in the atmosphere and still affecting the Earth's climate system.

• Countries in the developed world have been emitting substantial quantities of GHGs since the start of the industrial revolution in the mid-18th Century. The United States, for example, is responsible for approximately 29 percent of the world's emissions of GHGs to date.

• Emissions of GHGs from developing countries are rapidly catching up with those of the developed world, and some estimates indicate that emissions from developing countries, particularly those from China and India, will exceed those of the United States and Europe in coming decades.

• Determining responsibility for climate change necessitates consideration of these complex patterns of development, past, present, and future

International Efforts

• The Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement adopted in December 1997 in Japan, entered into force on February 16, 2005. The Protocol sets binding targets for developed countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on average 5.2 percent below 1990 levels, in order to address global warming.

Alternatives for the future

Alternative technologies

• wind and biomass energy

• solar energy

• hybrid-electric vehicles like the Toyota Prius.

• hydrogen-powered fuel cells

• biofuels

Better policies

• transportation emission

mitigation

• better traffic management

• better urban design

• promotion of telecommuting

Can we really live without fossil fuels,

- Yes, we can move away from fossil fuels, but not overnight.

- Our economy is currently dependent on fossil fuels, but it is not necessary that it remain dependent on them.

- Over time, with innovation, market incentives, and the right policies, we can transition to different fuels, different infrastructure, higher efficiency, and different technologies.

-We need to concentrate on the development of alternative energy sources such as wind energy and solar power.

-Technological innovation in energy efficiency is also important.

What can the average individual do

Participation by individuals is key to ultimately curbing global climate change. The following are examples of effective, yet simple activities:

reducing energy use at home by purchasing energy efficient home appliances;

planting trees to absorb carbon from the atmosphere;

walking or taking public transportation instead of driving;

making smart consumer choices by purchasing environmentally sound products and energy-efficient vehicles;

and practicing waste minimization, product reuse, and recycling.

Mauna Loa

Mauna Loa (/ˌmɔːnə ˈloʊ.ə/ or /ˌmaʊnə ˈloʊ.ə/; Hawaiian: [ˈmɔunə ˈlowə]) is one of five volcanoes that form the Island of Hawaii in the U.S. state of Hawaiʻi in the Pacific Ocean. Mauna Loa is the largest subaerial volcano in both mass and volume, and has historically been considered the largest volcano on Earth. Mauna Loa's most recent eruption occurred from March 24 to April 15, 1984.