Greenhouse Effect

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Greenhouse Effect
6A Chloe Choy 6B Priscilla Fung Kiki Lee
Stella Yiu
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What are greenhouse Gases?

• Greenhouse Gases are gaseous components of the
  atmosphere that contributes to Greenhouse
  Effect
• Naturally occurring greenhouse gases include
• Water Vapor
• Carbon Dioxide
• Methane
• Nitrous Oxide
• Chlorofluorocarbons

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What are the functions of Greenhouse Gases?
Water Vapor Carbon Dioxide Methane Nitrous
Oxide Chlorofluorocarbons
Trap outgoing radiation and retain heat
Greenhouse effect
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Greenhouse Effect
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Greenhouse Effect
Natural Atmospheric Process Keeping our planet
suitable for life ( previous illustration)
Climatic Change Dramatic increase in temperature
due to increase in greenhouse gases
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How do human activities affect the concentration
of Greenhouse Gases in the atmosphere?
Others
Industrial Sources

• Large scale trash burning
• Increase in the number of cars

• Combustion of fossil fuels
• Aerosol spray propellants
• Foam packaging
• Solvents
• Refrigerants

Agricultural Sources
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• Rice cultivation
• Raising livestock (ruminants)
• Cutting down of trees
• Fertilizers
• Biomass burning

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Consequence of excessive Greenhouse Effect?!

• Global warming
• Sea level rise
• Melting of ice-caps
• 4.Significant worldwide climate change

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1978 Glacier AX010, Nepal
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2004 Glacier AX010, Nepal
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1980 Peru
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2002 Peru
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Kilimanjaro AFRICA
1970
2000
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Kilimanjaro , Africa 2005
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Why is the Greenhouse Effect causing so much
international concern?

• Economic Impact economic loss
• sinking of coastal world's cities,
• Damage of buildings and roads
• bankrupt the insurance industry
• the costs to implement a worldwide plan

• Effect on biodiversity
• reduce fish populations , (Increased salinity in
  estuaries could reduce the abundance of
  freshwater species but could increase the
  presence of marine species.)
• Extinction of some plants and animals

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Causing concern?

• Effect on hydrological cycle
• Changes in water supply
• Decrease water quality

• Agricultural Impact
• Change in crop yields.
• Increase irrigation demands

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• Weather extremes
• Prolong heat waves
• Increase flooding
• More intense hurricanes, tropical storms,
  tornadoes, typhoons

• Effect on ourselves
• Cause outbreak of disease
• Spread of tropical diseases to temperate regions
• growing pollution due to the increase in fossil
  fuel burning for energy
• More environmental refugees

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What are the different views towards this
threat? Green groups Industrialists
Individuals Legislators of LDC
Legislators of MDC
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What possible remedies are there?

• Developing other renewable resources
• Improving energy efficiency
• Reduce emission from cars by technology
• (clean vehicles)
• Protecting forests
• Cap-and-trade Systems
• Individual responsibilities

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• Developing other types of renewable resources
  For example,
• Nuclear power
• Wind power
• Wave power
• Tidal power
• Solar power
• Geothermal power
• Biomass power
• Biogas power
• etc

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Cap- and- Trade Systems

• A common feature among the climate strategies of
  US for reducing emissions, after not
  participating in the Kyoto Protocol.
• establishes a cap
• the rest of the permit take on financial value
• Companies are free to buy and sell permits
• Companies who are able to reduce emissions at a
  low cost can sell their extra permits to
  companies facing high costs

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Key advantages of the Cap-and trade system

• gives companies flexibility
• it sets a clear limit on emissions
• contribute to long term growth of the economy
• encourages companies to meet their emission
  targets
• Limitations of this system

• not very beneficial if the polluters have
  identical costs for reducing emissions

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Individual responsibilities ?
Using energy-saving electrical appliances Adjusti
ng the air conditioner to appropriate
temperature
Take mass transportation Switch off the lights
when you leave the room Help plant more
trees

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What is the Kyoto Protocol?

• agreement made under the United Nations
  Framework Convention on Climatic Change (UNFCCC),
  
• signed by about 180 countries at Kyoto, Japan, in
  December 1997.

Opened for signature Dec11,1997 . Kyoto,
Japan Entered into force Feb16,2005
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• Objectives
• cut global emissions of greenhouse gases.
• The objective is to stabilize concentrations of
  GHG in the atmosphere.

Note the United States and Australia refuse to
ratify the agreement. Other countries, like
India and China, which have ratified the
protocol, are not required to reduce carbon
emissions under the present agreement despite
their relatively large populations.
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USA
Australia
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Main principles established by the Kyoto Protocol

• two general categories

• Any country failing to meet its Kyoto targets is
  subject to a fine

• Goal countries have to reduce their
• GHG emissions by around 5

• "flexible mechanisms"

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• What are the targets?
• Industrialized countries have to cut their
  emissions to 5 below 1990 levels by 2008-2012
• Each country agreed to its own specific target.
  E.g. EU and Japan dont have the same target
• Have the targets been achieved?
• NO
• Not even the countries in EU are certain to reach
  their goals

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Sohow much difference will Kyoto Protocol
make??? Most scientists saygtgt the targets set
in the protocol are merely.. SCATCHING
THE SURFACE OF THE PROBLEM!
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Why did US pulled out?! US President George W
Bush says it would GRAVELY damage the US
economy.. US administration dubbed the treaty gtgt
FATALLY FLAWED, partly because it does not
require developing countries to limit GHG
emissions ( meaning India China)
Voluntary actions and new energy technologies
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The BIG Emitters !
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• US
• Emits the MOST GHG per head than other countries
  produces more wealth
• damage economy
• protocol did not yet require LDC to control
  their emission

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EU.
The most enthusiastic supporter of the
Protocol Helped to put pressure on countries
like, Russia, Japan and Canada to ratify the
protocol Despite its tough stance, the EU is some
way off its own target
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CHINA
Second largest GHG emitter Not required to reduce
its emission as a LDC Worlds biggest coal
producer and oil consumer Announce plans to
generate 10 power from renewable plants
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• Difficulties in international agreements
• Difficulties in monitoring and enforcement
• Emissions from less developed countries unchecked

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Difficulties in solving the problem of global
warming

• Diversified views
• Some industrialists are still unwilling to
  sacrifice their opportunities to make big profits
  , for the sake of their future generations
• Some scientists still believe that the change in
  climate is merely a natural occurrence and humans
  can surely adapt to it.
• Doubt whether their small actions can make any
  change to this serious problem

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Is Global warming a false alarm??

• Certain scientists believe that global warming is
  not a threat factors causing the phenomenon and
  the measurements are not fully understood,
• the trend is a false alarm
• human beings can adapt to the changes caused by
  global warming
• believes that most changes are due to the energy
  of the sun is fluctuating.

?!
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Al Gore Inconvenient truth 5th October, 2006