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.