Global climate/greenhouse gases

describe the greenhouse affect

The greenhouse effect is when heat from the Earth’s surface is trapped by gases in the atmosphere like CO₂, CH₄, and H₂O. These gases absorb the heat and radiate it back to Earth, keeping the planet warm enough for life.

explain how the greenhouse effect happens/explain how it increases temperature of the atmosphere

1. Electromagnetic radiation from the sun passes through the earth’s atmosphere

2. Earth absorbs most of the radiation and warms up

3. The Earth’s radiates energy as infrared radiation back into space

4. Some of the infrared radiation is absorbed by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere

5. Thus the atmosphere warms instead of the radiation(heat) escaping into space

justify why scientists, as well as the

public, disagree about the cause of

climate change.

Scientists and the public often disagree on the causes of climate change due to differing interpretations of data, scientific/beliefs, and the influence of misinformation, media coverage

name three greenhouse gases.

• water vapor H₂O

• carbon dioxide CO₂

• Methane CH₄

explain the difference between global warming and the greenhouse

effect.

The greenhouse effect is a natural process where greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere keeping the earth warm enough for life where Global warming is the human process of adding extra warming by adding too many of these greenhouse gases to the atmosphere (from burning fossil fuels, deforestation, etc.)

state/explain some human activities that affect the proportion of greenhouse gases.

• deforestation

  • more CO₂ in atmosphere as no more trees for photosynthesis

• burning fossil fuels- releases CO₂

• Waste & Landfills

  • Rotting garbage in landfills releases methane.

• Industrial Processes

  • Cement production and other factory processes release CO₂ and other gases.

What are the possible outcomes of climate change?

• Increased extreme weather events

• rising sea levels

• altered ecosystems

• threats to food and water security.

explain the possible effects of global climate change and why they are difficult to predict

LIST IN FLASHCARD(1) AND:

These effects are difficult to predict due to the complex interactions in climate systems, geographical variations, and human responses to climate change, making precise forecasting challenging.

What is a carbon footprint?

A carbon footprint is the total greenhouse gas emissions produced directly and indirectly by an individual, organization, or product, usually measured in equivalent tons of CO2

explain possible methods to reduce

greenhouse gas emissions.

1. 1. Renewable Energy
   ✅ Use solar, wind, hydro instead of fossil fuels(coal, oil, gas) → No CO₂ emissions

2. Plant Trees / Stop Deforestation
   ✅ Trees absorb CO₂ → Natural carbon removal

   EXTRA FOR OTHER GREENHOUSE GASES:

3. Recycling & Waste Management
   ✅ Less landfill = less methane → Recycling uses less energy

4. 6. Greener Farming
   ✅ Fewer cows, organic fertilizers → Less methane & nitrous oxide

justify/explain why reducing greenhouse

gas emissions can be difficult to

achieve

• 💸 Expensive and tech isn’t ready

• 🛢 Hard to stop fossil fuel dependency

• 😤 People don’t want lifestyle changes

list some ways to reduce a carbon

footprint.

🚌 Use public transport / drive less

🍔 Eat less meat & dairy

⚡ Use renewable energy

Evaluate the use of products, services, or events in terms of their carbon footprint

• 🧴 Products – plastic = high footprint, but recyclable

• 🍔 Services – fast food = packaging + delivery = high emissions

• 🎵 Events – travel + power = big footprint

• ✅ BUT greener options exist (EVs, renewables, plant-based)

evaluate the scale, risk, and

environmental impact of global climate

change.

• 🌍 Scale – Affects the whole world: melting ice, extreme weather

• ⚠ Risk – Sea level rise, extreme events, food shortages

• 🌱 Environmental Impact – Loss of biodiversity, habitat destruction, ocean acidification which can cause harm to marine life in turn harm to ourselves if consumed

Conclusion: The scale, risk, and environmental impact of global climate change are all massive and affect human life, biodiversity, and the planet’s ecosystems