GLOBAL WARMING

Ayushman Mishra

Grade 8,B

Phase 1- Learning The

Concepts

• Understanding Global

Warming

Possible Aim/s: a. How does global warming work?

b. What’s up with global warming?

c. How does carbon dioxide emission affect global warming?

Do Now:

Write at least three questions

about the diagram/picture.

What is global warming?

How Global Warming Works

Fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas)

Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

The Sun’s energy

passes through the

car’s windshield.

This energy (heat)

is trapped inside

the car and cannot

pass back through

the windshield,

causing the inside

of the car to warm

up.

Example of the

Greenhouse Effect

What’s the difference

between “global warming”

and “climate change”?

Difference

GLOBAL WARMING

is the increase of the

Earth’s average

surface temperature

due to a build-up of

greenhouse gases in

the atmosphere.

CLIMATE CHANGE

is a broader term that

refers to long-term

changes in climate,

including average

temperature and

precipitation.

Effects of Global Warming

Increased Temperature

Habitat Damage and Species Affected Changes in Water Supply

Rising Sea Level

What’s the proof that

global warming is taking

place?

Portage Glacier

1914 2004

• Alaska

Photos: NOAA Photo Collection and Gary Braasch – WorldViewOfGlobalWarming.org

Colorado River

• Arizona

June 2002 Dec 2003

Why is global warming

happening?

Burning of Fossil Fuels

Pollution from coal,

natural gas, and oil

Pollution from coal,

natural gas, and oil

Pollution from coal,

natural gas, and oil

When did global warming start?

Global Atmospheric Concentration of CO2

What is carbon dioxide and how is it

discovered?

Joseph Black, a Scottish chemist and physician, first

identified carbon dioxide in the 1750s. At room

temperatures (20-25 oC), carbon dioxide is an

odourless, colourless gas, which is faintly acidic and

non-flammable. Carbon dioxide is a molecule with the

molecular formula CO2. The linear molecule consists of

a carbon atom that is doubly bonded to two oxygen

atoms, O=C=O.

Applications of carbon dioxide by humans

Humans use carbon dioxide in many different ways.

The most familiar example is its use in soft drinks and

beer, to make them fizzy. Carbon dioxide released by

baking powder or yeast makes cake batter rise. Some

fire extinguishers use carbon dioxide because it is

denser than air. Carbon dioxide can blanket a fire,

because of its heaviness.

The part carbon dioxide plays in

environmental processes

Carbon dioxide plays an important part in vital

plant and animal process, such as photosynthesis and

respiration.

Environmental problems - the

greenhouse effect

• Greenhouse gasses absorb some of the heat and trap it

near the earth's surface, so that the earth is warmed up.

This process, commonly known as the greenhouse effect.

• The amount of heat in the troposphere depends on

concentrations of atmospheric greenhouse gasses and

the amount of time these gasses remain in the

atmosphere. The most important greenhouse gasses are

carbon dioxide, CFC's (Chlor-Fluoro-Carbons), nitrogen

oxides and methane.

Carbon dioxide and health

The primary health dangers of carbon dioxide are:

- Asphyxiation. Caused by the release of carbon dioxide in a

confined or unventilated area. This can lower the concentration

of oxygen to a level that is immediately dangerous for human

health.

- Frostbite. Solid carbon dioxide is always below -78 oC at

regular atmospheric pressure, regardless of the air temperature.

Handling this material for more than a second or two without

proper protection can cause serious blisters, and other unwanted

effects. Carbon dioxide gas released from a steel cylinder, such

as a fire extinguisher, causes similar effects.

- Kidney damage or coma. This is caused by a disturbance in

chemical equilibrium of the carbonate buffer. When carbon

dioxide concentrations increase or decrease, causing the

equilibrium to be disturbed, a life threatening situation may occur.

How is global warming measured?

Ice Core Data

CO2 Measurements Before 1958 - Antarctica

CO2 Atmospheric

Measurements

CO2 Measurements Since 1958 – Mauna Loa, Hawaii

Temperature

(Northern Hemisphere) CO2 Concentrations

1000 Years of CO2 and

Global Warming

Deg

ree

C

els

ius

In

cre

as

e

Pa

rts

Pe

r M

illi

on

Year Year

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

2000

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

2000

Global

Warming:

Shifting Gears

What’s being done now to

reduce our emissions?

Solar Power Wind Power Fuel-Efficiency

What can you do to help solve the

problem?

Simple Things To Do

Turn off your computer or the TV

when you’re not using it.

Take shorter showers. Heating water uses energy.

Keep rooms cool by closing the blinds, shades, or

curtains.

Turn off the lights when you leave a room.

Use compact fluorescent bulbs.

Be Bulb Smart—Use CFLs

Incandescent Compact

Fluorescent

500 lbs. of coal

What’s the

difference?

•1,430 lbs. CO2 pollution avoided

•$30 saved

Simple Things To Do

Dress lightly when it’s hot instead of turning up

the air conditioning. Or use a fan.

Dress warmly when it’s cold instead of turning

up the heat.

Offer to help your parents keep the air filters on

your AC and furnace clean.

Walk short distances instead of asking for a

ride in the car.

Plant a tree. Recycle.