2. What is it?
• Climate change is a significant
and lasting change in the
statistical distribution
of weather patterns over periods
ranging from decades to millions
of years. It may be a change in
average weather conditions, or in
the distribution of weather around
the average conditions. Climate
change is caused by factors that
include oceanic processes,
variations in solar
radiation received by Earth, plate
tectonics and volcanic eruptions,
and human-induced alterations of
the natural world; these latter
effects are currently
causing global warming, and
"climate change”.
3. Causes
• The global increase in
demand and energy
consumption and
industrial activity,
transport, agriculture and
deforestation, have led to
an increase in emissions
of CO2 and methane, the
main greenhouse gas
causing climate change.
4. Effects
• According to the IPCC (International
Panel of Experts on Climate Change),
the global warming of the Earth is
already a fact that is occurring, and will
produce serious consequences on the
climate, atmosphere and biodiversity:
increasing the average temperature of
the Earth in this century between 1 and
3.5 degrees, reduced ice caps at the
poles, sea level rise and flooding of
low lying areas and islands, increasing
desertification, disappearance of flora
and fauna in ecosystems, shortages
water and atmospheric instabilities
(hurricanes, fires, etc..), side effects of
human catastrophes (spread of famine
and disease, etc..).
5. Solutions
• Climate change is a global
problem requiring a global
solution. Measures to alleviate
this terrible future abide pass
guidelines agreements like the
Kyoto Protocol: reduce CO2
emissions, reduce the use of
fossil fuels and renewables
increase, improve efficiency
and energy diversification,
pursue a policy of sustainable
development and especially
aware of the seriousness of
the problem to future
generations.
6. What is global warming?
• Global warming is the rise in the
average temperature of Earth's
atmosphere and oceans since the
late 19th century and its projected
continuation. Since the early 20th
century, Earth's mean surface
temperature has increased by
about 0.8 °C (1.4 °F), with about
two-thirds of the increase
occurring since 1980. Warming of
the climate system is unequivocal,
and scientists are more than 90%
certain that it is primarily caused
by increasing concentrations
of greenhouse gases produced by
human activities such as the
burning of fossil
fuels and deforestation.
7. What is greenhouse effect?
• The greenhouse effect is a process by
which thermal radiation from a planetary
surface is absorbed by
atmospheric greenhouse gases, and is re-
radiated in all directions. Since part of this
re-radiation is back towards the surface and
the lower atmosphere, it results in an
elevation of the average surface
temperature above what it would be in the
absence of the gases.Solar radiation at the
frequencies of visible light largely passes
through the atmosphere to warm the
planetary surface, which then emits this
energy at the lower frequencies
of infrared thermal radiation. Infrared
radiation is absorbed by greenhouse gases,
which in turn re-radiate much of the energy
to the surface and lower atmosphere. The
mechanism is named after the effect of
solar radiation passing through glass and
warming a greenhouse, but the way it
retains heat is fundamentally different as a
greenhouse works by reducing airflow,
isolating the warm air inside the structure so
that heat is not lost by convection.
8. Climate change in America
• Latin America is especially vulnerable
to climate change because of its
geography. First, most of Mexico and
Central America is within the hurricane
belt, which now acts more strongly and
volatility as a result of global warming.
Second, the low coastal areas of Latin
America - including its many islands
and several urban areas in the region -
will be threatened by rising sea levels
induced by global warming. Third,
much of the urban and agricultural
activities in South America depends on
water that comes from the Andean
glaciers, which are also affected by
being dangerously warming. All this
threatens the sustainability of the
region's populations and economies
and, in particular, the main source of
low-carbon energy in the region -
hydropower.
9. Climate change in Asia
• Asia is undoubtedly one
of the regions most
vulnerable to the
consequences of climate
change. In 2007, 75% of
people who died as a
result of a natural disaster
and lived in this area for
the past three years the
number of natural
emergencies in that
continent grew from 50 to
200 per year.
10. Climate change in Europe
• The average temperature
in Europe has increased
in the last 100 years 0.95
degrees Celsius, which
means a 35% higher than
the average warming of
the planet (0.7 degrees).
The greatest warming
has been recorded in the
Iberian Peninsula,
northwest Russia and
some Arctic regions. The
75% of alpine glaciers, if
the trend continues, it will
have thawed in 2050.
11. Climate change in Africa
• Increasing deforestation
in Africa has much of the
blame for the frequent
droughts and floods in the
east of the continent each
year suffering the effects
of climate change and the
threat that hangs over the
plant and animal species
in danger of extinction are
in the area. The area of
glaciers in the Africa has
decreased by nearly 550
acres in one hundred
years.
12. Climate change in Oceania
• Climate change has become a major issue
in Australia due to drastic climate events since the
turn of the 21st century that have focused
government and public attention. Rainfall in
Australia has increased slightly over the past
century, although there is little or no trend in rainfall
in northeast and southwest Australia. Water
sources in the South Eastern areas of Australia
have depleted due to increasing population in urban
areas (rising demand) coupled with climate change
factors such as persistent prolonged drought
(diminishing supply). At the same
time, Australia continues to have the highest per
capita greenhouse gas emissions.The federal
government and all state governments (New South
Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South
Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, Northern
Territories and Australian Capital Territory) have
explicitly recognised that climate change is being
caused by greenhouse gas emissions, in conformity
with the scientific opinion on climate change.
Sectors of the population are actively campaigning
against new coal mines and coal fired power
stations because of their concern about the effects
of global warming on Australia. There is expected
to be a net benefit to Australia of stabilising
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere at 450ppm
CO2 eq.