1. Man vs Nature- Where do we lay the blame?
Climate Change
Man vs Nature- Where do we lay the blame?

2. Brainstorm on the board
What do you know about Climate Change?

3. Is the Earth warming?
It’s getting hotter- Let’s take some notes

4. Not all climate change is caused by humans Natural Causes of Climate Change:
Plate Tectonics
Volcanic Activity
Sunspot Activity
Milankovitch Cycles

5. 1. Plate Tectonics Affecting Climate Change
Ice needs a land mass to collect on.
If plates move away from poles = no land for ice to gather on
Currently there is no land mass directly on the North Pole, but close enough with Greenland.
This allows ice to gather and stick around.

6. 2. Volcanic Activity Causing Climate Change
Volcanoes release of aerosols (tiny solids) that block solar radiation.
Ex Mt. Tambora “Year without a Summer”. Snow in June, frost in August.

7. Volcanoes impacting weather
The dips in temperature correspond to LARGE volcanic eruptions.
Mt. St. Helens
Mt. Pinatubo
Krakatoa
Mt. Tambora
The year without a summer

8. 3. Sunspot Activity Causing Climate Change
Sunspots are dark blemishes on the surface of the sun
They release solar eruptions which radiate HEAT
Sunspots
Solar flare
50 times the diameter of Earth

9. Natural Causes in Climate Change- 4. Milankovitch Cycles
Earth’s tilt changes on a 26,000 year cycle
Earth’s orbit becomes very elliptical, back to “circular” on a 100,000 year cycle.
Major glaciations occur when they both align.

10. Natural Causes in Climate Change- Milankovitch Cycles
During circular orbits, Earth warms.
During elliptical orbits, Earth cools.

11. So there are 4 Natural causes of climate change.
Let’s check out the first 4 minutes of this video:
(13:41) ‘Teachers TV- Climate Change - The Causes

12. What about the Human Impact?
The FOUR “Fs”
Farming
Flatulence
Fertilizing
Fossil Fuels

13. Human Impact of Climate- 1. Farming
Cutting down trees/vegetation for farming
Decreases the absorption of CO2 (bad)
Stirring soil (tilling) releases naturally stored CO2 in soil aggregates. (bad)
***We’ve been doing this for 1000s of years***

14. Human Impact of Climate- 2. Flatulence
Methane (CH4) is produced from cattle farts, swamps & landfills
Absorbs times more radiation than CO2

16. Human Impact of Climate- 3. Fertilizing & 4. Fossil Fuels
FERTILZING: Nitrous Oxide (N2O) is produced from nitrogen fertilizers
FOSSIL FUELS: CO2 and N2O are produced during the combustion of fossil fuels.
N2O is also a greenhouse gas and is
300 times better at absorbing infrared
radiation than CO2*** = HOT

17. Consequences of Climate Change
The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change):
"Taken as a whole, the range of published evidence indicates that the net damage costs of climate change are likely to be significant and to increase over time."

18. Consequences of Climate Change- US example
Hurricane Sandy 2012
$65,000,000,000
2012 Midwest/Plains Drought
$35,000,000,000

20. Consequences of Global Warming- Storm frequency

21. Consequences- Glaciers melt = oceans rise

22. Let’s watch the rest of that video:
(13:41) ‘Teachers TV- Climate Change - The Causes

23. Answer these questions based on pages 28-29 in your atlas
What challenges to climate change does the Atlas discuss in the first few paragraphs?
Identify different problems created by industrialized and less industrialized countries.
What are the water stats in New Delhi, India? What problems might this lead to?
What is happening in Borneo and what is ‘biodiversity’?
How are desert sands impacting Mauritania & how are they dealing with it?
In what areas of the world is the ‘human footprint’ the greatest? Define ‘human footprint’
Sketch a rough map in your notes that indicates areas in the world that have been affected by falling fish numbers

24. So are humans to blame & what can we do?
(25:24) ‘Al Gore: The Case for Optimism on Climate Change (TED 2016)