ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE [Name of Student]
TABLE OF CONTENT Introduction Climate System of Earth Natural Causes of Climate Change Milankovitch Theories Human-Caused Climate Change Atmospheres Greenhouse Effect Earths Heat Budget Greenhouse Gases Changes from Global Warming Predicted Changes: Changes in the Oceans Rising Sea Level Reducing Greenhouse Gases Conclusion References
INTRODUCTION Humans are adding greenhouse gases to Earths atmosphere. Climate change will cause many severe problems in the ocean environment. It is necessary to reduce and mitigate the effects of these changes (Sokolova et al., 2012, p.15).
CLIMATE SYSTEM OF EARTH Climate system – exchanges of energy and moisture between these spheres Climate – long term atmospheric conditions in a region Earths climate includes interactions of: Atmosphere Hydrosphere Geosphere Biosphere Cryosphere (Otto et al., 2013, p.415)
EARTHS CLIMATE SYSTEM
HUMAN-CAUSED CLIMATE CHANGE The human-Caused climate changes due to following reasons Combustion of fossils fuels such as CO2 Leakage, domestic cattle, rice agriculture such as methane Combustion of fossil fuels, industrial processes such as N2O By-product of combustion such as O3 Refrigerants, industrial uses such as CFC-11 and CFC-12
HUMAN-CAUSED GREENHOUSE GASES
ATMOSPHERES GREENHOUSE EFFECT Global warming – increase in Earths global temperatures Greenhouse effect – keeps Earths surface habitable Incoming heat energy is shorter wavelengths Longer wavelengths – some trapped, some escape, net warming effect (Hu et al., Cui 2012, p.6423)
EARTHS HEAT BUDGET Addition to or subtraction from heat on Earth Incoming radiation from Sun shorter wavelengths Outgoing radiation from Earth longer wavelengths Rates of energy absorption and re-radiation must be equal (Slade & Bauen, 2013, p.29)
EARTHS HEAT BUDGET
GREENHOUSE GASES Water vapor Most important 66–85% of greenhouse effect Carbon dioxide Natural part of atmosphere Greatest relative contribution from human activities Burning of fossil fuels Methane Second most abundant human-caused greenhouse gas Great warming power per molecule Landfill decomposition Cattle Other trace gases Nitrous oxide, CFCs, ozone (Slade & Bauen, 2013, p.29)
CHANGES FROM GLOBAL WARMING
CHANGES IN THE OCEANS
GLOBAL SEA LEVEL RISE
CONCLUSION Global warming, greenhouse gases and ocean changes will lead to substantial changes in the worlds climate. Climate and atmosphere changes have major impact on human life and the built environment. Need efforts to reduce fossil energy use. Promote green energies, particularly in the building sector. Energy use reductions can be achieved by minimising the energy demand, by rational energy use, by recovering heat and the use of more green energies.