Climate Change and Greenhouse Gases

Major Greenhouse Gases

• Key Greenhouse Gases:

  • Nitrous oxide
  • Carbon dioxide ($CO_2$)
  • Water vapor ($H_2O$)
  • Methane ($CH_4$)
  • Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)

• Natural vs. Human-Induced:

  • Some greenhouse gases are naturally occurring.
  • Human activities increase their concentration.

• Sources of Greenhouse Gases:

  • Burning fossil fuels: Carbon dioxide and methane
  • Mining: Methane
  • Landfill decomposition: Methane
  • Cattle: Methane
  • Agriculture: Nitrous oxides
  • Man-made refrigerants and coolants: CFCs

Effects of Climate Change

• Rising Temperatures:

  • Increase in average global temperature.
  • Does not eliminate cold weather events.

• Melting Permafrost and Sea Ice

• Rising Sea Levels:

  • Displacement of coastal populations.

• Most Affected Areas:

  • Arctic
  • Coastal areas

Sea Level Rise

• Thermal Expansion:

  • Liquids and gases expand when warmer.
  • Expansion of ocean volume contributes to sea level rise.

• Ice Melting:

  • Melting of ice caps and glaciers increases sea level rise.

• Coastal Impacts:

  • Increased flooding.
  • Changes in weather patterns lead to more intense storms.

Changes in Weather Patterns

• Wind and Ocean Currents:

  • Climate change alters circulation patterns.

• Jet Stream:

  • Larger oscillations cause more drastic weather changes (colder winters, hotter summers).

• Local Climates:

  • Significant impacts due to altered weather patterns.

Polar Regions and Feedback Loops

• Faster Response Times:

  • Polar regions react more quickly to climate change due to positive feedback loops.

• Melting Snow and Ice:

  • Reduces reflectivity, increasing warming.
  • Snow and ice reflect light, which has a cooling effect
  • Less reflectivity increases the rate of warming: Positive feedback loop.

• Permafrost Thawing:

  • Releases methane, further accelerating warming: Positive feedback loop.

Rising Sea Levels: Specific Impacts

• Expected Rise:

  • Expect about one meter rise in sea level over 100 years.
  • Significant flooding, especially in flat coastal areas.

• Miami Example:

  • Raising street levels to combat flooding.
  • Pumping water out of streets due to "sunny day flooding."

Regional Climate Change

• Agricultural Areas:

  • Changing weather patterns alter agricultural areas.

• Wildlife Ranges:

  • Shifting ranges away from the Equator and towards the poles.

• Weather Changes:

  • Warmer, wetter winters in Europe.
  • More frequent El Ninos.
  • More intense thunderstorms and hurricanes.

• Increased Superstorms:

  • More frequent damaging storms (e.g., Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Sandy).

Ocean Acidification

• Process:

  • Absorption of $CO<em>2$ creates carbonic acid ($H</em>2CO_3$).
  • Lowers the pH of the ocean.

• Impact on Marine Life:

  • Affects organisms with calcium-based shells or structures (e.g., corals, mollusks).

Historical Correlation

• Greenhouse Gases, Temperature, and Sea Level:

  • Correlation between increases in greenhouse gases, temperature, and sea level.

• Impact on Temperature and Sea Level:

  • Increasing $CO_2$ and methane in the atmosphere impacts temperature and sea level.

Visual Representation of Affected Areas

• One Meter Rise in Sea Level:
  • Significant portions of coastal areas face constant flooding.

Glacial Retreat

• Muir Glacier in Alaska:
  • Comparison of 1948 to 2004 shows significant retreat.
  • Photos taken at the same time of year.

Arctic Sea Ice Reduction

• Feedback Loop

  • Decrease in reflectivity increases the rate of warming: Positive feedback loop

• Comparison of 1979 to 2007:

  • Significant reduction in sea ice near the North Pole.

Athabasca Glacier in Canada

• Retreating Glacier
  • Significant retreat between 1992 and 2005.

Wildlife Range Changes

• Pest Introduction

  • Movement of wildlife introduces pests to new areas.

• Mountain Pine Beetle:

  • Infestation in British Columbia's boreal forest leading to tree die-off.
  • Beetles expand territory due to warming climate.

• Mosquitoes and Tropical Diseases:

  • Warming climate allows mosquitoes to survive year-round.
  • Spread of diseases like dengue fever into North America.

Albedo

• Definition:

  • Measure of how reflective a surface is
  • High albedo: Very reflective
  • Low albedo: Not reflective

• Examples:

  • Highest albedo: Snow and ice
  • Low albedo: Ocean, soil, forest

• Impact

  • Melting ice caps decrease Earth's albedo.

Albedo and Evaporation

• Cloud Cover

  • Increased evaporation creates more cloud cover
  • Cooling or warming effect depending on circumstances

• Water Vapor:

  • Greenhouse gas leading to a warming effect: Positive feedback loop
  • Cycles out of the atmosphere quickly

• Cloud Formation:

  • Increased cloud formation; fluffy white clouds increase albedo, leading to a cooling effect: Negative feedback loop

Types of Clouds and Their Effects

• Cumulus Clouds:

  • Thick, white, fluffy clouds closer to the ground
  • Cooling effect: Reflect light back into space

• Cirrus Clouds:

  • Thinner clouds at high altitude
  • Heating effect

Cooling Effects

• Ocean Absorption

  • Ocean absorbs $CO_2$, slowing down climate change

• Planetary Albedo

  • Increase in bright white clouds has a cooling effect

• Volcanic Eruptions and Sulfate Aerosols

  • Volcanic eruptions block sunlight, leading to a cooling effect
  • Sulfate aerosols (a form of pollution) create atmospheric haze, contributing to a cooling effect.

• Ice Albedo

  • Reflectivity of ice: More ice reflects more sunlight
  • Decreasing ice cover results in less reflectivity, causing a warming effect: Positive feedback loop

Main Idea of Climate Change

• Greenhouse Gases:

  • Greenhouse gases are increasing due to human activities, especially burning fossil fuels

• Consequences:

  • Leads to climate change, causing significant problems

Solutions for Climate Change

• Legislation

  • Importance of legislation
  • Examples: Clear Air Act, Kyoto Protocol (ozone), Montreal Protocol (climate change), and Paris Climate Accord (climate change).

• Prevention

  • Reduce fossil fuel use: Transition to nuclear and renewable energies
  • Use less coal (dirtiest fossil fuel)
  • Improve energy efficiency and use less energy
  • Adopt new, more energy-efficient and renewable technologies
  • Reduce deforestation

• Economic Measures

  • Put a price on greenhouse gas emissions
  • Shift subsidies from fossil fuels to renewables.

• Reduce Population Growth

• Carbon Sequestration:

  • Remove carbon from the atmosphere and store it elsewhere.
  • Increase forests.
  • Implement sustainable agricultural practices.
  • Develop new technologies to sequester $CO_2$.
  • Reduce leaks from gas pipelines.
  • Change animal feeds to reduce methane production.

International Agreements

• Kyoto Protocol:

  • One of the first international agreements by the United Nations to fight global warming.
  • Set targets for nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Signed by 41 nations, including the European Union and developed industrial nations, except for the US and Australia.
  • Went into effect in February 2005.

• US Non-Participation

  • The United States did not participate in the Kyoto Protocol, making it less effective.
  • President Clinton supported it, while President Bush withdrew.
  • The US and China are the biggest emitters
  • US non-participation impacted the success of the Kyoto Protocol

Cap and Trade System in the US

• Federal Law

  • Designed to reduce carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions in a cost-effective manner
  • Places a limit (cap) on emissions for each large-scale emitter
  • Allows companies to trade permits if they emit less than their limit

• Loophole

  • Creates a loophole for businesses with enough money to continue emitting by paying for extra permits

• Advantages:

  • Legal limit on emissions and rewards cuts in emissions through cost savings.
  • Mostly successful and has low expenses for consumers.

• Disadvantages:

  • Not predictable and vulnerable to cheating.
  • Rich polluters can continue polluting.
  • Puts a variable price on carbon.

Carbon and Energy Taxes

• Main Disadvantage:
  • Everybody hates taxes.

Paris Climate Agreement

• Modern Version of Kyoto Protocol

  • International agreement from 2015
  • Aims to strengthen the global response to climate change by keeping global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels
  • Attempts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius

• Political Support

  • Supported under the Obama administration.
  • Trump withdrew The United States from the agreement, and Biden rejoined.

Personal Actions to Reduce CO2 Emissions

• Calculate Carbon Footprint

• Transportation

  • Drive more fuel-efficient vehicles.
  • Use alternate forms of transportation like biking, carpooling, and public transit.

• Reduce Waste

  • Reduce garbage and waste to decrease manufacturing that causes $CO_2$ emissions

• Energy Efficiency

  • Use more energy-efficient appliances and lights.
  • Use warm or cold water instead of hot water.
  • Dry clothes on a rack or line instead of in a dryer.
  • Increase home insulation.

Point Source Pollution Reduction: Scrubbers

• Function:
  • Removes airborne pollutants, including $CO_2$, from smokestacks to cut down emissions

Mitigating Effects of Climate Change

• Preparation
  • Prepare for inevitable consequences in coastal areas.
  • Change infrastructure, such as raising road levels and pumping water out of streets.
  • Move vulnerable infrastructure away from the coast, such as nuclear power plants and hazardous waste storage.
  • Employ building designs that raise structures off the ground.