Climate Change, Population Growth, and Natural Disasters Vocabulary

BIO100: Climate Change, Population Growth, and Natural Disasters

Course Information

• Instructor: Christofer Bang Jr., PhD, Arizona State University (@asubiologist)
• Discord: https://discord.gg/Yuvtp5WHpA

To-Do List

• Submit Act II, Community Ecology Assignment by Sunday at 11:59pm AZ time.
• Schedule and attend DSL Community Ecology Act III.
• Continue reading Module 5.
• Bonus: Biomes and natural disasters quiz.
• Exam review questions.

Course Evaluations

• Anonymous opportunity to provide constructive feedback.
• Input is important for enhancing the course.
• Results released after the course concludes and grades are posted.
• Student anonymity is maintained.

Exams

• Exam 4:
  • Friday, May 2, from 12:00am to 11:59pm.
  • 75 minutes.
  • Covers content since Exam 3.
  • Requires LockDown browser and monitor.
  • In-person option: MUR 201, 9:00 AM - 10:15 PM.
• Cumulative Final Exam (Optional):
  • Monday, May 5, from 12:00am to 11:59pm.
  • 110 minutes.
  • Covers all content from Day 1.
  • Requires LockDown browser and monitor.
  • In-person option by request only.
• Exam Policies:
  • Must have taken 4 exams; take the final if one was missed.
  • If five exams are taken, the lowest score will be dropped.
  • If in doubt, take the exam; there's nothing to lose.

Learning Objectives

• Explain how weather and climate affect global biomes.
• Compare and contrast biotic and abiotic factors and their application to conservation.
• Integrate photosynthesis and the carbon cycle into current global weather patterns.
• Explore how conservation science uncovers connections between biodiversity and human health.

Reading Concepts Review

• Greenhouse effect
• Biodiversity and biomimicry
• Population growth
• Conservation
• Natural disasters
• Climate change

The Greenhouse Effect

• Greenhouses are used to grow plants, especially in winter.

How Greenhouses Work

• Energy passes through the glass, but only some is reflected back out.
• The inside accumulates energy and heat.

The Atmosphere as a Greenhouse

• The atmosphere acts like the glass in a car or greenhouse.
• Only some entering energy reflects back into space.
• Greenhouse gases trap much of the energy, causing the world to heat up.
• The thicker the atmosphere, the more energy trapped.

Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

• Most important greenhouse gas.
• Responsible for 60% of the enhanced greenhouse effect.
• Enhanced due to human activities:
  • Industrialization
  • Burning of fossil fuels to generate electricity and run vehicles
  • Burning of forests
• CO2 is now 1/3 more than before the industrial revolution.
• Source: https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions

Is the Greenhouse Effect Bad?

• Naturally occurring greenhouse gases trap some of the sun’s heat.
• This keeps the planet from freezing, allowing warming sunshine through and preventing heat from escaping.
• Human activities increase greenhouse gas levels, leading to an enhanced greenhouse effect.
• The result is global warming and unprecedented rates of climate change.

The Rise of Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide

• Measured in parts per million (ppm).
• Atmospheric CO2 at Mauna Loa Observatory (Scripps Institution of Oceanography, NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory).
• January 2021 data shown in a graph.
• Source: https://www.c2es.org/content/main-greenhouse-gases/

Knowledge Check Questions

• Which statement best describes the greenhouse effect?
  • Correct Answer: D. Carbon dioxide and other gases act like the roof of a greenhouse as they allow warming sunshine through, but prevent heat from escaping.
• What is the second leading source of human-produced carbon dioxide?
  • Correct Answer: A. Deforestation

Threats to Biodiversity

• What is climate change NOT expected to do?
  • Correct Answer: D. Increase biodiversity

Learn From Them: Biomimicry

• Our species does not always use resources sustainably.
• Millions of years of natural selection have molded other species with effective adaptations.
• Fossils of extinct organisms represent what didn’t work.
• Living plants and animals carry the secrets of what works well.
• Biomimicry uses Nature as a blueprint to inspire new innovations.

Biomimicry Definition

• Engineering based on nature; adaptations of species inspire solutions to human problems.

Biomimicry Examples

• Kingfisher's beak modeled the nose cone of Japan's 500 Series Shinkansen bullet train.

World Population Growth

• A graph showing world population growth from 1000 AD to 2000 AD with projections.
• Visual representation of population trends in different regions (Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, North America, Oceania).

Current World Population

• As of TODAY:
  • Population: 8,219,180,841
  • Births today: 340,797
  • Deaths today: 160,585
  • Population Growth today: 180,212
• THIS YEAR:
  • Births this year: 41,332,569
  • Deaths this year: 19,476,100
  • Population Growth this year: 21,856,469
• Source: https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/

Our World in Data: Population Growth

• World population growth from 1700-2100.
  • 600 million in 1700
  • 1 billion in 1805
  • 2 billion in 1925
  • 2.5 billion in 1950
  • 5 billion in 1987
  • 8 billion in 2023
  • 9.7 billion in 2050 (projected)
  • 10.43 billion in 2086 (projected)
• Annual growth rate of the world population:
  • 0.04\% between 10,000 BCE and 1700
  • 2.3\% in 1963
  • 0.9\% in 2023
  • -0.1\% in 2100 (projected)
• Source: Our World in Data based on HYDE, UN, and UN Population Division [2022 Revision]

Population Growth Dynamics

• Populations may grow or decline.
• Unrestrained growth or decline is exponential.
• The pattern of population growth depends upon two primary factors:
  • The biotic potential
  • Resource availability

Population Growth Formula

• Population Growth = Births + Immigration - (Deaths + Emmigration)

Zero Population Growth (ZPG)

• When these two factors exactly balance.

Exponential Growth

• A graph illustrates the lag phase and exponential growth phase.

Logistic Growth

• The number of individuals an environment can maintain over an indefinite period is called the carrying capacity.

Human Impact on Carrying Capacity

• Why has the human species never reached carrying capacity?
  • Correct Answer: C. Because humans change the environment in order to increase carrying capacity.

Factors Influencing Population

• Suppression of Disease
• International Aid

Average Life Span

• A world map showing average life span in years by country.

Unequal Population Growth

• A world map showing population growth rate (% per year) 2005-10.
• Source: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60696-5

Conservation

• Cloud of Air Pollution Over Eastern China (Image)

Cleaner Air

• Measures to contain the coronavirus outbreak reduced nitrogen dioxide pollution across China.
• Comparison of January 1-20 2020 and February 10-25 2020 showing reduced pollution in major cities.

Air Pollution in US Cities

• Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA; Visalia, CA; Bakersfield, CA; Fresno-Madera-Hanford, CA; Phoenix-Mesa, AZ (2023 data).
• A list of 25 Cities Most Polluted by Ozone.
• Weighted Average Days in each city is presented.
• Source: https://www.lung.org/research/sota/key-findings/ozone-pollution

Visual Examples of Air Pollution

• Air Pollution in Los Angeles (July 1998)
• Air Pollution in Los Angeles (March 2020)

Water Pollution

• Images depicting water pollution.

Energy Production and Use

Alternative Energy Sources

• Geothermal
• Wind
• Nuclear
• Solar
• Hydroelectric
• Biomass

Geothermal Energy

• Geothermal hot spots in the United States are concentrated in the West, but heat pumps can be used everywhere.
• Map showing temperature above 100 °C (212 °F) for electric power and direct use.
• Area suitable for geothermal heat pumps (Entire U.S.).

Natural Disasters

Definition

• A natural event such as a flood, earthquake, or hurricane that causes great damage or loss of life.

Economic Damage

• The Natural Disasters That Inflict The Most Economic Damage (1995 to 2015 data).
• Breakdown by Disaster Type: Storm, Flood, Drought, Geophysical, Weather related-other.
• Breakdown by Region: Americas, Asia, Europe, Africa, Oceania.
• Source: UNISDR (via StatistaCharts).

Effects of Global Warming

• In North America, snowpack is decreasing.
• The number of cold days and nights are decreasing.
• The number of hot days and nights are increasing.
• Heat waves will occur more often and last longer.
• Heavy rainstorms and snowstorms will become more intense and frequent.
• Species are vanishing at an alarming and ever- increasing rate.
• Sea level is rising, and at an increasing pace.
• Glaciers are melting, ice sheets are thinning, and Arctic sea ice is disappearing.

Climate Change Feedbacks

Positive Feedbacks (Amplify Warming)

• Water vapor
• Methane
• Snow cover loss and ice shelf melt reduce reflection of sunlight
• Warming increases water vapor in the air
• Melting permafrost releases methane into the air

Negative Feedbacks (Reduce Warming)

• Warmed Earth radiates more infrared (heat) energy into space
• Plants remove carbon dioxide from the air
• Oceans remove carbon dioxide from the air

Consequences of Inaction

• Increase in health problems on a global level.
• Mass extinctions and disappearances of species will increase.
• Erratic and extreme weather phenomena will become more frequent and difficult to predict.
• Our planet will become a shell of what it is today, and possibly unlivable.
• IT HAS ALREADY STARTED!

Current Climate Discussions

• Climate Talks Teeter, With Rich and Poor Countries in a Tug of War.
• COP29 climate finance deal hits fresh setback as deadline looms.
• Fossil fuel sponsors war and climate change terror.

Optimism Check

• How optimistic are you that world leaders will solve the climate crisis?
  • A. They will make it better
  • B. The climate will probably remain the same no matter what we do
  • C. They will make it worse

Hopeful Signs & Actions

• Thermoresistant 'super corals' offer hope amid climate change.
• Climate Change: The Technologies That Could Make All the Difference.
• Satellites and AI offer hope for global action, says UN weather agency.
• Indigenous people are leading the way on housing, food, and wildfire adaptation.
• Sources:
  • https://www.vox.com/climate/391702/2024-hope-climate-progress
  • https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/09/1154466
  • https://abcnews.go.com/International/thermoresistant-super-corals-offer-hope-amid-climate-change/story?id=121027867
  • https://www.wsj.com/business/energy-oil/climate-change-technologies-that-could-make-a-difference-11650656071

Reminder for Students

• Submit Act II, Community Ecology Assignment by Sunday at 11:59pm AZ time.
• Schedule and go to DSL Community Ecology Act III.
• Continue reading Module 5.
• Bonus – Biomes and natural disasters quiz.
• Exam review questions.