Global Climate Change

Flashcards about Global Climate Change

What is the prediction for flooding in South Florida?

Predicted to strike Miami and Miami Beach about 45 times per year by 2030, becoming an existential threat.

What is the cause of increased flooding in South Florida?

Rising sea levels driven by global climate change.

How much did the world's oceans rise in the 20th century?

The world’s oceans rose 20 cm (8 in.) in the 20th century.

What factors are included in climate?

Temperature, precipitation, wind, humidity, barometric pressure, and solar radiation.

What does global climate change describe?

Changes in aspects of Earth’s climate, such as temperature, precipitation, and the frequency and intensity of storms.

What is global warming?

An increase in Earth’s average surface temperature.

What three factors influence climate?

The sun, the atmosphere, and the oceans.

What is radiative forcing?

The amount of change in thermal energy that the factor causes.

How do greenhouse gasses warm the lower atmosphere?

They absorb infrared radiation effectively and re-emit it, warming the lower atmosphere and the surface.

What are aerosols?

Microscopic droplets and particles that can have either a warming or cooling effect on the atmosphere.

What are Milankovitch cycles?

Periodic changes in Earth’s rotation and orbit around the sun, altering the distribution of solar radiation.

What are proxy indicators?

Types of indirect evidence that serve as substitutes for direct measurement to understand past climate.

What are climate models?

Programs that combine what is known about atmospheric and ocean circulation, atmosphere-ocean interactions, and feedback cycles to simulate climate dynamics.

What is the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)?

An organization which reviews and summarizes climate change research knowledge for policymakers and the public.

How much have average surface temperatures risen in the past 100 years?

Average surface temperatures on Earth have risen by about 1.1°C (2.0°F) in the past 100 years.

How much has the frequency of extreme weather events increased since 1970 in the US?

The frequency of extreme weather events in the United States has roughly tripled since 1970.

What are some effects of higher sea levels?

Beach erosion, coastal flooding, saltwater intrusion into aquifers, and greater impacts from storm surges.

What is ocean acidification?

Seawater becomes more acidic due to the ocean absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

What is the social cost of carbon?

The economic cost of damages resulting from each ton of carbon dioxide we emit.

What is mitigation of climate change?

To alleviate or reduce the severity of climate change.

What is adaptation to climate change?

To cushion ourselves from the impacts of climate change.

What is a carbon footprint?

The amount of carbon we are responsible for emitting.

What is a carbon tax?

A type of green tax on the carbon content of fossil fuels, meant to discourage combustion.

What is the fee-and-dividend approach?

Funds the government receives from fossil fuel suppliers through the carbon tax are transferred back to taxpayers.

What is a carbon trading system?

System where permits are traded for the emission of carbon dioxide or greenhouse gases with fluctuating prices.

What is cap-and-trade?

The government sets a cap on pollution and issues permits to emitters.

What did the Kyoto Protocol do?

Mandated signatory nations to reduce emissions of six greenhouse gases to levels below those of 1990.

What was the goal of the Paris Agreement?

Nations declared a joint goal to limit global temperature rise to 2.0°C (3.6°F) above pre-industrial levels.

What is carbon-neutrality?

A condition in which no net greenhouse gases are emitted.

What are carbon offsets?

Voluntary payments intended to enable another entity to help reduce the emissions that one is unable to reduce.

What is geoengineering?

Scientist and engineers take drastic steps to alter the earth's climate in an attempt to reverse global warming.