#green

* reduce your carbon emissions

and tread lighter on the planet

CONTENTSGROWTH

OPTIMISM

DISCOVER

CHALLENGE

THE GLOBAL WARMING CRISIS

THE PROBLEM

CUT CARBON OUT

WHAT IS CLIMATE CHANGE?

CLIMATE CHANGE IS HAPPENING

YOUR CARBON IMPACTS

YOUR EFFECT ON THE PLANET

YOUR CARBON LIFESTYLE

YOUR USAGE

GLOBAL CARBON FOOTPRINT

This is the first issue in a series concerning

the sustainability of our environment. The

series intends to inform you of a different

environmental problem and defines the

causes, effects and proposes a solution

for the reader. The idea is to make you

aware what your doing and to persuade

you to lower your environmental impact.

By treading lighter on the planet and

becoming a greener citizen. It’s time to

change your ways, change your lifestyle!

CHANGESMALL CHANGE

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JANUARY 2013 GREENcarbon

GROWTHknowledge and understanding of

what is happening to planet Earth

Our actions produce greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide and nitgrogen oxide. The suns radiation heats the earths atmosphere which acts as a blanket and stops heat escaping. Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere absorbs more heat and the temperature of the Earth increases this leads to the problem we call global warming.

THE GREENHOUSE EFFECTThe greenhouse effect happens naturally and it is not a problem itself. The greenhouse gases in the atmosphere allow the sun’s energy to reach and heat the earth but prevent much of this heat escaping back into space. Similar to glass in a greenhouse. That is the reason why it’s called the greenhouse effect, and why the gases responsible (water vapour, CO2, methane and others) are called greenhouse gases. Research has shown that, without the greenhouse effect, the Earth would be about 30 oC cooler - making it uninhabitable to most forms of life. The gases are effective in keeping the planet warm, we know that any changes in the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere will affect the Earth’s temperature.

THE ENHANCED GREENHOUSE EFFECTThis is where mans activites are increasing the amount of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. The amount of CO2 in the atmosphere has dramatically increased since the Industrial Revolution, going up by about 38%. Due to its long lifespan, as we emit more carbon from burning fossil fuels and other activities, the amount will continue to rise. This means the extra CO2 will trap more and more of the sun’s heat, and this will warm our climate. As the atmosphere warms, the amount of water vapour it holds increases which further adds to the warming effect. This is how human activity has impacted our climate and the natural environment.

THE ATMOSPHERIC PROBLEMGlobal Warming is the increase in the earth’s temperature resulting in climate change. The problem of Global Warming is due to the greenhouse effect being intensified, as more and more man-made greenhouse gases are added to the atmosphere. The global average surface temperature rose 0.6 to 0.9 degrees Celsius between 1906 and 2005, and the rate of temperature increase has nearly doubled in the last 50 years and continues to rise.

THEGLOBAL WARMING CRISIS


main components of greenhouse

gases including carbon dioxide,

methane, nitrous oxide and

sulphur flouride

approximately 31% of solar

radiation is relfected back

into spaceapproximately 69%

of solar radiation is

absorbed by earths

suface and warms it

the earth re-emits radiation,

a percentage passes through

the atmosphere and a percentage

is trapped and absorbed by

greenhouse gases. The effect

of this is warming of the

earths surfaceSOLAR RADIATION

PASSES THROUGH

ATMOSPHERE

EARTHATMOSPHERE

a percentage of the solar

radiation is reflected

by the Earth and

the atmosphere

infrared radiation is

emitted from the

Earth’s surface

THEPROBLEM


you can make a differenceOPTIMISM

YOUR CARBONLIFESTYLE*Deforestation involves reducing the

number of trees which absorbs and

therefore reduces carbon dioxide from

the atmosphere

*Burning fossil fuels is polluting as it

releases more gases

*Increasing standard of living and demand

for energy

*Car ownership increases pollution

*Population increasing (9 billion by 2050)

CLIMATE CHANGE

IS HUMAN INDUCEDYOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT

The total amount of greenhouse

gases produced to directly and

indirectly to support human

activities, usually expressed in

equivalent tons of carbon dioxide

(CO2). William Rees coined the

term in his 1992 paper published

in the journal, Environment and

Urbanization. A carbon footprint

calculation attempts to quantify

your effect on the environment.


YOUR USAGE

CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons)This gas is produced from aerosols, plastic foam and fridges, are the most damaging of greenhouse gases

CARBON DIOXIDE Is produced by power stations, factories and road vehicles that burn fossil fuels. Also the buring of oil and coal to heat houses.Deforestation and the buring of rainforests also produces carbon dioxide

NITROUS OXIDE Is emitted from car exhausts, power stations and fertillisers

METHANE Is released from waste dumps, farms and animals

GREENHOUSEGASES


GLOBAL CARBONFOOTPRINT

http://visual.ly/global-carbon-footprint


knowledge of your imact and how

you can change

DISCOVER

WHAT ISCLIMATE CHANGE?


The Earth’s climate has changed on many timescales in response to natural factors. On long timescales, such as tens of thousands of years, we see the Earth move in and out of ice ages. At the other extreme, El Ninos come and go every few years, temporarily raising the Earth’s temperature. So, what is causing these changes? Since we emerged from the last ice age around 11,000 years ago, the Earth’s climate has remained relatively stable, with global temperatures averaging at about 14oC. However, in the last century our climate has started to change rapidly. This isn’t thought to be just a temporary blip in the system; the evidence points to a long-term change in our climate which is happening at an unusual rate. But how can we tell if these changes are natural or whether they are down to us? There are many factors that can cause a warming of our climate; for example, more energy from the sun, large natural events such as El Nino or an increased greenhouse effect. Scientists have ruled out the sun and natural variations in our climate as the major causes of the recent warming. There is overwhelming evidence that most of this warming we’ve seen is due to increased amounts of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases, such as water vapour, carbon dioxide and methane, occur naturally in the atmosphere. But human activities have directly increased the amount of carbon dioxide, methane and some other greenhouse gases. These increases can be through the burning of fossil fuels such as oil and coal, and changes in land use such as chopping down forests for cattle grazing. Carbon dioxide and methane are both important greenhouse gases which have the greatest effect on our changing climate. Methane has a stronger greenhouse effect, but there is less of it and it only remains in the atmosphere for about a decade. Carbon dioxide on the other hand is much more abundant in the atmosphere and lasts for about 100 years or more, having a greater

cumulative affect on our climate. The amount of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere has increased by 38% since the industrial revolution and because it stays for such a long time in our atmosphere, as we emit more it continues to build up. The world has warmed by three-quarters of a degree in the last century. On top of this we have seen changes in extremes of weather events, such as heatwaves and heavy rainfall. There is a natural carbon cycle in our climate. Carbon dioxide enters the atmosphere from a variety of sources, from the oceans, land and vegetation, from animals breathing or volcanoes erupting. They are sources of carbon dioxide. This in turn is absorbed by things like trees and plants, especially as they grow, by rocks and by the oceans. They are sinks of carbon dioxide. This cycle has been delicately balanced for thousands of years. However, the increases in the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere can not only be explained by these natural phenomena. The current changes are very unusual and can not be explained simply as part of any natural cycle, such as El Nino and La Nina, which cause the warming and cooling of the tropical Pacific Ocean, which affects world temperature. Natural cycles can lead to periods with little or no warming and other periods with rapid warming. However, what is important is to look at the longer term trends in temperature, which are rising, and which scientists believe is almost certainly caused by human activity. When studying climate change, scientists draw their evidence from many sources. Are humans contributing to the warming we are observing? Or could it be natural causes and changes to the climate? Scientists, such as those at the Met Office, are continuing to look at all the possible effects, both man-made and natural. However, it is widely understood that our emissions of greenhouse gases are causing climate changes.

(www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate-change/guide/what-is-it)


YOUR CARBON IMPACT

Will occur as more energy is trapped in the

earths atmosphere. Storms and hurricanes

will become more frequent, e.g. in southeast

USA and the Carribean. World rainfall patterns

will change; areas with sufficient rainfall are

likely to receive more resulting in flooding

and areas with insufficient rainfall are likely

to receive less giving increased drought. The

changes in the weather pattern is detrimental

to the earth and it’s population.

*crop yields

expected to fall in

Africa, parts of Asia

and Latin America

CLIMATE CHANGE

*tourism will be

affected with

ski resorts in the

Alps suffering

from lack of snow

and resorts

in Southern England

attract more

vistors as sunshine

increases

*melting icecaps

increase the risk

of flooding

*increased risk

from insect-borne

diseases: Maleria


YOUR EFFECTON THE PLANET

Alaska

Sitka Sruce Trees

have been hit by

spruce bark beetles,

whose numbers

have increased

dramatically since

1987 due to

warmer summers

Great Barrier Reef

Coral reefs will

die if water

temperature

reaches 27oC or

more. This is

occuring more

frequently

USA

The Glacier

National Park

was created in

1910 with 150

glaciers. Now there

are 30 and these

are 70% of their

orgional size

Antartica

Adelie penguin

colonies are

declining. One

colony decreased

from 320 in 1990

to 54 pairs in 2004.

This is because the

sea ice is retreating,

depriving Penguins

of feeding

platforms in which

to hunt krill, their

main food

UK

British birds are

nesting an average

of 9 days earlier

than they were 100

years ago

Gulf Stream

The Gulf Stream

warms Europe. It

could be disrupted

by the water

flowing from

melting artic ice,

meaning colder

winters in the UK

Netherlands

Flycatcher birds still

nest at the same

time as they did 20

years ago but the

moth caterpillers

they feed their

young emerge 2

weeks earlier, so

flycather chicks

miss the peak of

caterpiller hatching

and starve to death

Quesecaya ice cap

If this ice cap in

Peru continues to

melt at the present

rate it will disapear

by 2100. Thousands

of people rely

on its meltwater

or drinking and

electricity

Mt Kilimanjaro

The famous white-

capped peak

of this mountian on

the equator

may soon disappear,

recent photographs

show little snow on

the summit

Sea levels

Sea levels are rising

by 0.2cm per year

and arepredicted to

rise to rise

10-75cm by 2100.

Bangladesh and

the Maldives are

threatened by

flooding

Artic ice cap

The ice cap has

shrunk by 9% per

year since 1978.

A seaway streching

from Europe to

Japan and China

round the north of

Russia may soon be

possible


Great Barrier Reef

Coral reefs will die if

water temperature reaches

27oC or more. This is

occuring more frequently

Quesecaya ice cap, Peru

If this ice cap continues to

melt at the present rate it

will disapear by 2100.

thousands of people rely on

its meltwater or drinking and

electricity

Glacier National Park, USA

The park was created in 1910

with 150 glaciers. Now there

are 30 and these are 70%

of their orgional size

the challenge of reducing your carbon emissions

CHALLENGE

CUTCARBON OUTTREAD LIGHTER ON THE EARTH,

REDUCE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT

BY LIVING A GREENER LIFESTYLE

Fifty years ago, few people cared about

pollution, deforestation or the Ozone layer.

But even with an increasing awareness of

issues concerning the environment, there

is still a long way to go.

It is imperative that every human on Earth

starts to act quickly to stop the pollution

of our environment. By taking steps to go

green, we can each have a hand in helping

our forests, rivers, oceans and Earth as

a whole to recover from the damage we

have done. Of course, by saving our earth,

water and atmosphere, we save our future.

Global impact is built on individual

action. Green living is a great way to

help maintain a healthy global ecology.

By making small changes in your lifestyle

you too can have a global impact. Regular

daily actions have an impact, it is critical

you adopt a more sustainable lifestyle.

This is the first, vital step in the process of

transformation and it all starts with you.

Choosing to drive less, use less resources

and recycle everyday is not just a personal

statement of your values, it is also a

positive contribution to the health of our

planet. It is a small world. We have one

planet - we are all in this together. How we

live impacts others, and how others live

impacts us. We all need to improve the way

we live our lives. Taking care of the world

that feeds us, just makes sense.


becoming a greener citizen

CHANGE

Download the #GREEN app to your

Ipad and daily you will receive a simple

task to complete (set the task to screen

background each day as a reminder).

Individuals can make small changes to their

lifestyle by cutting carbon out hence living

a greener lifetyle. These green solutions

will form the beginings of tackling climate

change and hopefully a global revolution.

Global impact is built on individual action.

by making small changes in your lifestyle

you can have a gloabl impact. Regular daily

actions have a positve impact.

ONE SMALL CHANGE A DAY

CONTRIBUTES TO GLOBAL CHANGE

SMALL CHANGE


#green

Documents

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