CSR_Module5_Green Earth Initiative, Tree Planting Day
Human induced climate change
1.
2. GLOBAL WARMING
• Global warming is the long-term rise in the average temperature of
the Earth's climate system.
• With the advent of the industrial revolution, humans have been
rapidly altering the established balance of gases in the atmosphere.
• Burning fossil fuels like coal and oil releases primary greenhouse
gases like water vapor, carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), ozone,
and nitrous oxide (N2O).
• Without major societal changes over the next decade, the planet will
face a irreversible global environmental catastrophe that will cause
or worsen war, poverty, water shortages, reduced crop yield,
drought, wildfires, flooding, migration, and massive extinction of
species.
3. HUMAN INDUCED CLIMATE CHANGE
Ways to Ascertain Facts
Basic Chemistry:
Burning carbon-based
materials, CO2 is
emitted.
Basic Accounting:
Of what we burn, and
therefore how much CO2
we emit.
Measuring CO2
Concentration:
There is increase in
concentration of CO2 in
the atmosphere and CO2
trapped in ice.
Chemical Analysis:
Increase atmospheric
CO2 is coming from
burning fossil fuels
Basic Physics:
Shows us that CO2
absorbs heat.
Monitoring Climate
Conditions:
Recent warming of the
Earth is correlated to
rising CO2 emissions.
Ruling out Natural
Factors:
That can influence
climate like the sun and
ocean cycles.
Adopting Computer
Models:
Correlate experimental
data of natural versus
human-influenced
simulations of Earth.
Consensus among
Scientific Community:
They will consider all
previous lines of
evidence and make their
own conclusions.
4. TRAVEL & TRANSPORTATION
• The vast majority of vehicles on the road, in the air, and in water are
powered via burning of gasoline, diesel, and other fossil fuels derived
from petroleum.
• As they burn this fuel to power their engines, these vehicles release
carbon in form of long-lived carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, short-
lived black carbon generated primarily by diesel vehicles, and other
pollutants, affecting both air and water quality.
• The transport sector is the fastest growing contributor to climate
emissions. Greenhouse gases trap heat within the atmosphere,
which causes global temperatures to rise.
5.
6. INDUSTRIALIZATION
• Earth's climate has always been in a state of flux.
• The transition of economies from primarily farming-based to lately
industrial began in the late 1700s resulted in changing the world's
climate in a rapid and unprecedented way.
• While these changes took place in the developed economies nearly
two centuries ago, rise of other global developing economies are
further contributing to industrialization and related pollution.
• Industrialization has cause a massive increase in green house
gasses, specifically carbon, that gets trapped in the atmosphere
trapping heat and thus heating the planet in general.
7.
8. DEFORESTATION
• Millions of acres of forest are cleared every year for Timber
Harvesting, Agriculture Expansion, Wild Fires, Road Construction,
and to make way for residential and industrial areas.
• Forests store enormous amounts of carbon, essentially removing it
from the air and preventing it from being absorbed into the
atmosphere.
• In addition to losing the natural air-scrubbing function of trees,
deforestation decreases biodiversity, which can cause ripple effects
throughout entire ecosystems, putting whole species at risk.
• Deforestation in the rainforest is a major cause to climate change.
9.
10. LIVE STOCK PRODUCTION
• Climate change impacts livestock directly (for example through heat
stress and increased morbidity and mortality) and indirectly (for
example through quality and availability of feed and forages, and animal
diseases).
• Ranching contributes to climate change in a few ways. In addition to
clearing trees to make room for large areas for grazing, adequate for the
care and feeding of animals for food required feed crop production, these
animals create a huge amount of waste, which produces methane and
nitrous oxide which are very harmful greenhouse gas.
• Livestock production is likely to be adversely affected by climate
change, competition for land and water, and food security
11.
12. FACTORY FARMING
• The industrialization of agriculture takes the potential negative
effects of livestock production and amplifies them.
• Livestock production is notorious for emitting dangerous levels of
methane gas, as well as contributing to deforestation when growing
feed for cattle.
• Factory farming for purpose of Poultry, Eggs, Pork intensifies climate
change, releasing vast volumes of greenhouse gases.
• Large-scale, industrialized farming known as concentrated animal
feeding operations negates the positive impact of organic food and
animal production.
13.
14. CONSUMERISM
• The environmental impact of consumerism comes not from direct
behaviors like driving cars or taking long showers, but rather from
sources further down our products’ supply chains.
• This bent toward consumerism has ripple effects around the world.
• The products used by humans contribute to more than 60 percent
of greenhouse gas emissions and as much as 80 percent of total
land, water and material use.
• In addition to the energy it takes to produce all the stuff we buy,
keeping it going and using it to its fullest requires even more energy.
• As consumerism grows, earth suffers.
15.
16. OVERUSE OF ENERGY
• Fossil fuels like coal, petroleum, and natural gas are our main
sources of energy, producing the vast majority of fuel, electricity,
and heat used by people across the globe.
• Globally, the use of energy represents by far the largest source of
greenhouse gas emissions from human activities.
• In essence, greenhouse gas emissions related to energy can be cut
in two ways: by opting for cleaner energy sources, for example by
replacing fossil fuels with non-combustible renewable sources,
and/or by reducing the overall consumption of energy.
17.
18. OVER FISHING
• Climate change is causing ocean warming, acidification, and
reduced oxygen level thereby modifying fish distribution and the
productivity of marine and freshwater species.
• Human population growth and resulting overfishing are depleting
natural marine stocks, which impacts the health and biodiversity of
the entire ocean. Overfishing is putting the oceans at risk by
threatening the entire marine ecosystem.
• It has been estimated by the United Nations Food and Agriculture
Organization that over 70% of the world’s fish stocks are either fully
exploited or depleted.
19.
20. USE OF AEROSOLS
• Aerosols in high concentrations, these tiny particles are one of the
deadliest substances in existence, burrowing deep into our bodies
where they can damage hearts and lungs.
• These products are loaded with greenhouse gases, including
CO2 and methane, as well as chlorofluorocarbons, which erode the
ozone layer.
• Toxicologists refer to aerosols as ultrafine, fine, or coarse matter
(aerosol sources, such as smoke, ash, haze, dust, pollution, and
soot).
• Regulatory agencies, as well as meteorologists, typically call them
particulate matter (PM2.5 or PM10), depending on their size.
21.
22. INABILITY TO CHANGE
The impact of human-caused global warming will remain for
decades, if not centuries. The magnitude of the issue is, quite
simply, too difficult for many of us to comprehend.
• Fly sparingly, carpool and take public transit.
• Recycle as much as you can, and buy recycled items.
• If possible, compost organic waste instead of putting it in the trash.
• Don’t use plastic water bottles. Buy fresh foods with little packaging.
• Shop and eat local; walk there if you can.
• Keep reusable bags on hand, and avoid plastic bags.