Climate Change

1. Climate Change
Sandra Calderon

2. Climate Change What is It?
 Climate change is a change in the usual weather found in a place. This could
be a change in how much rain a place usually gets in a year. Or it could be a
change in a place's usual temperature for a month or season.
 Climate change is also a change in Earth's climate. This could be a change in
Earth's usual temperature. Or it could be a change in where rain and snow
usually fall on Earth.
 Weather can change in just a few hours. Climate takes hundreds or even
millions of years to change.
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3. The Earth is Warming
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4. Where is Climate Change Happening?
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 No longer is global warming something only facing future generations.
Changes to our climate are being documented all across the planet today.
People, animals, and plants are already feeling the heat. The Earth's
atmosphere has already warmed by 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit since 1900. This
warming signal is also found in ocean temperatures, soil temperatures,
melting glaciers and melting polar ice caps. It has been linked to widespread
impacts on ecosystems around the planet. This preponderance of evidence all
points to the conclusion that our planet is warming and natural systems are
struggling to keep up.

5. Animals & Plants Struggle to Adapt to
the effects caused by Rising Sea Levels
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6. How does it affect life on Earth?
 Temperatures are increasing
The most striking evidence of a global warming trend is closely scrutinized data that show a relatively
rapid and widespread increase in temperature during the past century. The 10 warmest years on
record occurred during 1997-2008, according to NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies.
 Sea levels are rising
Global sea level has increased by roughly 8 inches over the past century, and the rate of increase is
accelerating. Global warming causes sea-level rise in two ways: (1) Ocean water is expanding as it
warms. (2) Land-based ice in glaciers and ice sheets is melting.
 Sea ice is melting
Declining sea ice is one of the most visible signs of global warming on our planet. Since 1979, Arctic sea
ice extent in September (when the annual minimum is reached) has declined by over 30 percent,
according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center. The ice extent has been declining in other seasons,
too. Despite slightly larger ice extents in 2009, recent observations indicated that the ice is thinner and
much younger (less multiyear ice) than it used to be.
 Precipitation patterns are changing
Some places are getting more rainfall and others are getting less. Nearly everywhere is
experiencing more heavy rainfall events, as warmer air is able to hold more water vapor.
 Oceans are acidifying
The ocean has absorbed a large fraction of the carbon dioxide fossil fuel burning has pumped into the
atmosphere, slowing the rate of global warming. But, all this extra carbon dioxide is impacting the
ocean, too. The pH of surface seawater has decreased by 0.1 units since 1750, and is projected to drop
another 0.5 units by 2100 if no action is taken to curb fossil fuel emissions. These changes would take
tens of thousands of years to reverse.

7. How does it affect life on Earth?
Effects of Climate Change There is no Planet B
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8. Issues with climate change?
World leaders inability to reach an
agreement on how to tackle climate change
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9. 11 Solutions for Climate Change
1. Forego Fossil Fuels
2. Infrastructure Upgrade
3. Move Closer to Work
4. Consume Less
5. Be Efficient
6. Eat Smart, Go Vegetarian?
7. Stop Cutting Down Trees
8. Unplug
9. One Child
10. Exploring nuclear energy
11. Revving up renewables
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10. Sources
1. Stillman, Dan, Green Jocasta. “NASA Knows.” http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents, September 4, 2015
2. “Global Warming is Happening Now.” www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Threats-to-Wildlife/Global-Warming, No date provided
3. Shah, Anup “Climate Change and Global Warming.” http://www.globalissues.org, February 02, 2015
4. Biello, David “10 Solutions for Climate Change.” http://www.scientificamerican.com/, November 26, 2007
5.Union of Concerned Scientist “ Solutions to Global Warming.” http://www.climatehotmap.org, No date provided
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