What is Climate Change?. The Global Climate is changing. Surface temperatures, precipitation, sea level, ice Greenhouse gases are increasing. Sometimes.

What is Climate Change?

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What is Climate Change?• The Global Climate is changing.• Surface temperatures, precipitation,

sea level, ice • Greenhouse gases are increasing.• Sometimes also called Global

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Surface Temperatures are Rising:

Precipitation Patterns are Changing

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Summer Winter

Sea Levels are Rising and snow cover is decreasing

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Why is this Happening?

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Greenhouse Gas Concentrations are rising

Why are Greenhouse Gases Important?

• “Blanket” that insulates the earth• Without greenhouse gases surface temperatures would be 60º F

colder than they are now.• This is because they are responsible for a phenomenon called “The

Greenhouse Effect”

• Examples of greenhouse gases are: water vapor (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4).

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What is the Greenhouse Effect?

Similar to your car on a hot day!

• This phenomenon is similar to the warming that occurs in an automobile parked outside on a sunny day.

• During the day, the sun’s energy passes through the car’s windshield

• Energy re-radiated from the warm car cannot pass through the windshield, and the car warms up - a lot!

So how are humans enhancing the Greenhouse

effect?• Burning fossil fuels puts

more greenhouse gases (like CO2) into the atmosphere.

• Increasing the concentration of these gases blocks the escape of infrared radiation.

• Too much = Climate Change.

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The atmosphere as a bathtub

• Fossil fuel tap

• Bathtub represents atmosphere

• Drain represents ocean and land

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Climate Change: Huh?

• Where?• Who?

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What are the Solutions?

• Individual?• Community?• State?• Country?• World?

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Since 1950: Carbon Emissions Tripled

2050: Carbon Emissions Could Double Again!

Triple the Emissions?!

Significant Global Warming!

Can We Stop It?

What If?

Stabilization Triangle

Cut Carbon Emissions

Large Emission Cuts Needed: OUCH!

We Have the Technology!

One Wedge: Cut 1 Billion Tons Per Year

15 Strategies

Work Together

It Can Be Done!

Choose 7 Strategies

Wedges

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Stabilization Wedges

• 15 ways to cut carbon• Efficiency and

Conservation• Fossil Fuel Based

Strategies• Nuclear Energy• Renewables and

Biostorage

Stabilization Wedges: A Concept and Game

• Learn about technologies currently available

• Understand scale of effort needed to address carbon and climate situation

• Negotiate solutions

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Judge/Assess

• Economic• Social• Environmental• Political

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