BEACONS, registered charity number 700161, is one of a network of development education centres...

• BEACONS, registered charity number 700161, is one of a network of development education centres (DECs) covering the whole country. DECs are government authorised but receive no direct government funding.

• Run entirely by volunteers, BEACONS is the DEC for Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

• Our aim is to promote knowledge and understanding about the wider world in the two counties and beyond. We do this in a variety of ways, including providing learning resources, staff professional development, speakers, public lectures and by running conferences.

• Our website http://beaconsdec.org.uk/ contains more information about our activities and plans and is a valuable free source of information for teachers, students and the public generally, including our three continuously updated and free Guides to Climate Change.

Working to promote awareness and understanding of issues and developments in

the wider world

Climate Change:What should be done?

By David Terry, author, the BEACONS on-line Guides to Climate Change.

Free at http://beaconsdec.org.uk/resources/study-guides/

Three Books – Only one you have to buy!

You can buy this one... ...You CANNOT buy theBEACONS Guides

to Climate ChangeThe free three guides on Climate Change are entitled:

• Guide 1 – Climate Change: the Facts (Revised and updated, June 2015)

• Guide 2 – Politics, Science and the Future of Humanity (Revised and updated, October 2015)

• Guide 3 – UK Energy and Climate Change Policy (Revised and updated, November 2015)

They are FREE at: http://www.beaconsdec.org.uk/

But it is FREE at: http://www.withouthotair.com/download.html

But this you do have to buy, only £8.99 at

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Plus one that is essential for all

purposes...

By Professor Chris Rapley, it is

The Best Guide to Statistics Ever!

Only £6.99 at Amazon

Climate ChangeWhat do we know?

The Man who started it!

James

Watt

The man who started it!

1769

The Early Days

An increased demand for Energy and a rapid rise in Greenhouse Gas

Emissions

1824Jean-

Baptiste Joseph Fourier

1889Svante

Arrhenius

Arrhenius' Greenhouse Law is still used today

Atmospheric CO2 concentration from 650,000 years ago to near present, using ice-core proxy data and

direct measurements.Earth Science Communications Team at NASA's Jet Propulsion

Laboratory/California Institute of Technology (data from NOAA) - http://climate.nasa.gov/evidence

Levels of Atmospheric CO2

(CDIAC – Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Centre)

Global

Change

Rise in Emissions of Greenhouse Gases

Rise in levels of CO2 in the atmosphere

Rise in Global Surface Temperature

Source: Global Carbon Budget

Global Temperature Anomalies

Source: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Effects of Climate ChangeGood or Bad?

Harmful (for all)?•More Extreme Weather – More Frequently•Rising sea levels•Ocean Acidification•Desertification

Beneficial (for some)?•CO2 promotes plant growth• Farming possible in areas previously too cold, e.g. Greenland, Siberia•Reduction in Arctic summer sea ice allows shipping to use the NE and NW passages, and allows extraction of oil and other minerals

What do we know – How certain are we of each of the following?

1. CO2 is a greenhouse gas. The amount in the atmosphere has increased steadily from about 280ppm in pre-industrial times to about 400ppm today

2. CO2 emitted by burning fossil fuels remains in the atmosphere for at least 100 years

3. Other GHGs, notably water vapour and methane, have a stronger effects but remain for much shorter periods

4. Global temperatures have risen by about 0.80C in the last 100 years but since 1998 have risen only slightly

5. Sea levels have been rising for at least the last 150 years at a fairly steady 3.2 mm a year

6. The rise in temperatures and sea levels is largely a result of burning fossil fuels

7. If atmospheric CO2 reaches 450ppm global temperatures are likely to exceed 20C above those of 1900, and this will probably cause catastrophic climate change

8. The amount of CO2 emitted by each country

Climate ChangeWhat should we do?

A Global ProblemAN INTERNATIONAL TREATY TO REDUCE CO2 EMISSIONS:

WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?

Global Action

The Paris Aims:Reduce CO2 emissions so as to keep Global temperature increase below the 2°C limit from Pre-Industrial times.Keep Carbon levels in the atmosphere below 450ppmAvoid the worst of Climate Change

Brief History of Key UNFCCCAnnual COPS:• Rio Earth Summit, 1992• COPS• COP3 Kyoto, 1997• COP15 Copenhagen,

2009• COP21 Paris, 2015 (30th

Nov-12th Dec)

The United Nations and Climate Change

Possible Measures

Energy

Efficienci

es

• Use energy / resources more efficiently

• Rethink Personal Lifestyles

• Sustainable Transport

• Industrial Processes

• Agriculture

• Design of Things

• Consumption

• Houses – heating and cooling

Low Carbo

n Technologi

es• Renewa

bles / Carbon-free energy: Wind, Wave, Tidal, Solar, Hydroelectric, Geothermal

• Nuclear Fission

Other Available

Options?

• Natural Gas – Fracking

• Biomass Fuels

• Nuclear Fusion

• Carbon Capture and Storage

• Increase Natural CO2 Absorption

• Geo-engineering

• Prepare for a Hotter Planet

• Do Nothing – Wait and See

Mitigation and Adaptation

What should we do?1. Mitigate – Actions to

prevent worsening of Climate Change

2. Adapt – Actions for living with Climate Change Impacts

3. Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions

4. More Efficient use of Energy and Resources, with Less Waste

5. Prepare for a Hotter Planet6. Geo-Engineering

Techniques7. Nothing – Wait and See8. Think Global – Act Local

If all else fails, what future for humanity?

Move to another planet…?