Module 3: Section 5

Climate Change and

Environmental
Awareness
PRESENTED BY:
GROUP 10
This section reviews key concepts on climate
change and its various impacts on society, and
weighs in on the local, regional, and global
efforts to address it. It primarily aims to
inculcate environmental awareness among
students.
INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this section, the students should be able to :

1. explain climate change and its adverse effects on the

environment and society;

2. promote the significance of disaster preparedness in the face

of natural disasters, and

3. discuss the value of conserving and preserving the environment

to address the impacts of climate change on society
WHAT IS CLIMATE CHANGE
?

Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. These shifts may be
natural, but since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due
to the burning of fossil fuels (like coal, oil and gas), which produces heat-trapping gases.

is the range of global phenomena caused by burning fossil fuels that add heat-trapping gases to the Earth's
atmosphere. Global warming, used interchangeably with climate change, specifically refers to Earth's upward
trend of temperature since the 20th century. It is generally defined as the general warming effect caused by
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Some common greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming include naturally occurring gases
such as carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH), and nitrous oxides (NO), and man-made gases such as
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulfur hexafluoride
(SF). OL 1 pirki the planet warm and prevents warm air .
 What are the causes of Climate change ?

 what are the effect of climate change ?

 What are the solution to minimize climate

change ?
The causes of climate change

Generating power

Generating electricity and heat by burning fossil fuels causes a large chunk
of global emissions. Most electricity is still generated by burning coal, oil,
or gas, which produces carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide – powerful
greenhouse gases that blanket the Earth and trap the sun’s heat. Globally,
a bit more than a quarter of electricity comes from wind, solar and other
renewable sources which, as opposed to fossil fuels, emit little to no
greenhouse gases or pollutants into the air.

deforestation

Cutting down forests to create farms or pastures, or for other reasons,

causes emissions, since trees, when they are cut, release the carbon
they have been storing. Each year approximately 12 million hectares of
forest are destroyed. Since forests absorb carbon dioxide, destroying
them also limits nature’s ability to keep emissions out of the
atmosphere. Deforestation, together with agriculture and other land use
changes, is responsible for roughly a quarter of global greenhouse gas
emissions.
Using transportation

Most cars, trucks, ships, and planes run on fossil fuels. That makes transportation a
major contributor of greenhouse gases, especially carbon-dioxide emissions. Road
vehicles account for the largest part, due to the combustion of petroleum-based
products, like gasoline, in internal combustion engines. But emissions from ships and
planes continue to grow. Transport accounts for nearly one quarter of global energy-
related carbon-dioxide emissions. And trends point to a significant increase in energy
use for transport over the coming years.
The effect of climate change

More severe storms

Destructive storms have become more intense and more frequent in many
regions. As temperatures rise, more moisture evaporates, which exacerbates
extreme rainfall and flooding, causing more destructive storms. The
frequency and extent of tropical storms is also affected by the warming
ocean. Cyclones, hurricanes, and typhoons feed on warm waters at the
ocean surface. Such storms often destroy homes and communities, causing
deaths and huge economic losses.

Hotter temperatures

As greenhouse gas concentrations rise, so does the global surface

temperature. The last decade, 2011-2020, is the warmest on record. Since
the 1980s, each decade has been warmer than the previous one. Nearly all
land areas are seeing more hot days and heat waves. Higher temperatures
increase heat-related illnesses and make working outdoors more difficult.
Wildfires start more easily and spread more rapidly when conditions are
hotter. Temperatures in the Arctic have warmed at least twice as fast as the
global average.
The effect of climate
change
the other example is the melting of ice caps in the polar regions of the Earth
that causes dilution of salt in the ocean and disruption of natural ocean
currents.

The melting ice caps also affect albedo, the ratio of the light reflected by any
part of the Earth's atmosphere. Snow, with the highest albedo level, reflects
sunlight back into space making the Earth cooler. When snow melts,
the Earth's temperature rises resulting in climate change.
The solution to
minimize climate
change
switching to renewable
energy sources

 Solar

 Hidro electric

 wind energy
stratospheric ozone depletion
A thin layer of ozone (O₃) is maintained at the stratosphere as protection from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays.
Only a thin layer is needed because when there is higher O₃ concentration, meteorological parameters, i.e., temperature
and wind, brings down O₃, in the troposphere and causes respiratory problems in humans. In this case, O₃ becomes a
criteria pollutant. Ozone depletion occurring in the stratosphere therefore is a normal photolytic process as well as Og
formation. The following reactions occur to maintain a thin layer of O₃.

(Equation) 1 O₂ + UV (<242 nm) → 0 + 0

(Equation) 2 O+ O₂ + M → O₃ + M
(Equation) 3 O₃ + UV or visible → O + O₂
stratospheric ozone depletion

Due to the presence of substance X, which are free radical catalysts such as chlorine radical (Cl)
and bromine radical (Br) coming from substances made of chloroforms or bromine-based substances
used as aerosols, refrigerants, fire retardants, and the like, and nitric oxide radical (NO), and hydroxyl
radical (OH), which are naturally occurring, the ozone formation and destruction is now represented as
follows:

(Equation) 4 X + O₃ → XO + O₂
(Equation) 5 XO + O₂ → X + O₂
(Equation) 6 O₃ + O → O₂ + O₂

As an intermediate product, say X is Cl, CIONO₂, will be produced. This substance is inert and is deposited on both
the northern and southern polar regions due to winds as the Earth rotates. The problem occurs when the CIONO₂
reservoirs are exposed to direct sunlight when a part of the polar region experiences six straight months of daytime,
24/7. The following reactions produce the obnoxious Cl radical, which is very reactive to the point of destroying
100,000 molecules of O, in the stratosphere:

(Equation) 7 HOCI + hv → CI + HO
(Equation) 8 CI + O₃ → CIO + O₂
(Equation) 9 OH + O₃ → HO₂ + O₂
(Equation) 10 20 ₂ 30₂
(Equation) 11 CIO + HO₂ → HOCI + O₂
(Equation) 12 HOCI + hv → CI + OH
stratospheric ozone depletion

The worst case will occur if the available X is Br, which is 100 times
more reactive than Cl (Rowland, 2006).

Although a direct relationship exists between global warming and

stratospheric ozone depletion, the correlation on the greenhouse gases
as they contribute to creating the cooling conditions in the atmosphere.
may lead to ozone depletion.
ACID
DEPOSITION
ACID DEPOSITION
• When SO₂ and NO₂ react with particulate matters (dry) or with water vapor (wet), acid deposition occurs
which causes surface water acidification and affects soil chemistry. At pH levels lower than 5, acid
deposition may affect the fertilization of fish eggs and can kill adult fishes. As lakes and rivers become highly
acidic, biodiversity is reduced

• Death of microorganisms because of acid depositon can inhibit decomposition and nutrient recycling
because the enzymes of these microbes are denatured by the acid or are changed in shape so they no
longer function. Deposition of sulfur and nitrogen oxides affects the ability of leaves to retain water
under stress

• As these impacts affect aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, it is also imperative to examine the
connection between acid deposition and climate change (Mihelcis, 2014).
Thermal Inversion
The major component of photochemical smog, peroxylacetyl nitrate (PAN), is a combination of different
criteria pollutants. PAN is a transporter of NO, into rural regions and causes ozone formation in the global
troposphere, which can decrease visibility especially in elevated places. The pollutants that come from
sources (i.e., industrial chimney or stack) mix with air. The mixed air normally rises to the atmosphere. In a
normal cycle of thermal inversion, an unstable air
mass and air constantly flow between warm and cool areas.

Freezing rain or ice storms develop in some areas with a temperature inversion in a cold area because
snow melts as it moves through the warm inversion layer. The rain continues to fall and passes through the
cold layer of air near the ground. As it moves through this final cold air
mass, it becomes "super-cooled" drops, cooled below freezing point without becoming solid. Intense
thunderstorms and tornadoes are also associated with inversions because of the intense energy released
after an inversion blocks the normal convection patterns of a region.
(ThoughtCo.). Thermal inversion profiles lead sea surface temperature to decrease on the seasonal time scale
via heat exchange at the bottom of the mixed layer, which balances climatological atmospheric cooling in fall
and winter (Nagura et al., 2015)
Thermal Inversion

El Niño is a normal climate pattern that describes the unusual warming of

surface waters in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean also known as the "warm phase."
The opposite of it is La Niña, the "cool phase" which is a pattern that describes the
unusual cooling of the surface waters of the region. These phenomena are supposed to
occur
perennial and globally, on one end of the equator and on the other. However,
abnormalities in the occurrences of these phenomena cause widespread and severe
changes in the climate.
Enviromental Awareness

One of the main culprits of climate change is increasing CO presence in the

atmosphere, coming from industrial and mobile sources. Shifting from fossil fuels as
sources of energy to renewable energy resources, (e.g., solar, wind, or hydropower) is
one way to decrease the generation of CO,. Spaces that need air conditioning or heating
should be sealed to ensure adequate insulation and energy efficiency. When buying
appliances, such as refrigerators, washing machines and the like, it is recommended to
buy those that are tagged as energy efficient.

The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement that extends the United

Nations Framework Convention 2016in which the Philippines
14on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
is one of the signatories. This protocol commits each signatory or member by setting
internationally binding emission reduction targets
Enviromental
Awareness
The Montreal Protocol is another global agreement set to protect the
stratospheric ozone layer by phasing out the production and consumption of ozone
depleting substances (ODS). The protocol aims to help the ozone layer recuperate from
the hole it has attained due to increasing presence of ODS in the atmosphere.
Disaster risk
management

When the Philippines was struck by typhoon Haiyan (locally

called typhoon Yolanda) in November 2013, the death toll reached
6,340. Many blamed the lack of disaster risk reduction efforts for the
extreme damages the typhoon brought to the country, especially in
the regions where the typhoon made a landfall.

0
What happened to Tacloban during typhoon Haiyan is an
example of why disaster risk management plans should be
established. With the coming of more intense typhoons because of
climate change and with the geographical vulnerability of the
Philippines to a number of typhoons every year, it is important for
the country to establish measures to mitigate the effects of natural
disasters for the benefit of the citizens.