The document outlines a presentation on climate change that covers distinguishing weather from climate, the science of climate change, causes such as natural factors and human activities, impacts like rising sea levels and effects on agriculture, and what individuals can do through climate activism. The objectives are to list what is known about climate science, things to learn, and questions. Sections define climate and compare it to weather, describe the earth system and indicators of climate change like greenhouse gases. Potential impacts on areas, health, forests and more are reviewed.

1. Presenter: Nasratullah Mateen
Environment and NRs Activist and Writer

3. Topics to Cover:
• Distinguishing climate from weather
• Science of Climate Change
• Causes of Climate Change
• Impacts of Climate Change
• What can we do
• Climate Activism
Workshop Objectives

4. List the following things about climate science and climate change:
Exercise: What Do You Know?
3 Things you know about the topic
2 things you want to learn
1 question you want to ask
Pair yourself to the one sitting on your right hand side
and discuss your answers.

5. Weather
• The actual state of the atmosphere in a period of several hours up
to a few days (in a given place).
Climate
• A statistical description in terms of the mean and variability of
relevant quantities over a period ranging from months to
thousands or millions of years (IPCC).
• The classical period is 30 years, which are most often surface
variables such as temperature, precipitation, and wind.
• Climate in a wider sense is the state, including a statistical
description, of the climate system (World Meteorological
Organization (WMO)).
Climate vs. Weather

6. •Temperature
•Wind
•Clouds
•Precipitation
•Humidity
•Storms (cyclones!)
Characteristics of Weather and Climate

7. Air
Water
Life
Land
Ice
Earth System (Interaction)
Atmosphere (all air)
Hydrosphere (all water)
Biosphere (all living things)
Geosphere (solid portion
of the earth)
Cryosphere (frozen water
part of the earth)

8. IPCC, 3rd Assessment Report:
Climate change: a statistically significant variation in either the
mean state of the climate or in its variability, persisting for an
extended period (typically decades or longer).
UNFCCC, Article 1:
“climate change”: “a change of climate which is attributed directly
or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the
global atmosphere and which is in addition to natural climate
variability observed over comparable time periods.”
What is Climate Change?

9. What are the
Primary Indicators
of Climate
Change?

10. What are the Primary Indicators of
Climate Change?

12.  Natural Causes
Volcanic eruptions
Ocean currents
Solar Variation
Earth’s movements
Causes of Climate Change

13.  Greenhouse gases
 Deforestation
 Coal mining
 Burning of fossil fuels
 Industrial processes
 Agriculture
Human Causes
(Anthropogenic or Man-made Causes)

15. RISE IN SEA LEVEL
Effects of Climate Change
Melting ice sheets  Sea level rise

16. Heavy rainfall across the globe
Effects of Climate Change

17. Extreme drought
Effects of Climate Change

18. Decline in crop productivity
Effects of Climate Change

19. Ecosystems are changing
Effects of Climate Change

20. Hurricanes
Effects of Climate Change

21. Rise in temperature
Effects of Climate Change

22. Carbon dioxide acidifies seawater
• CO2 and carbonate (which plankton use to make shells) combine in the
ocean.
• The ocean is already more acidic than it was 50 years ago.
CO2 CO2
Ocean
Atmosphere
“shelled-critters”
Effects of Climate Change

23. Causes of Climate Change

24. Green House Gases and Earth’s
Greenhouse Effect

25. Actual Greenhouse vs. the Greenhouse
Effect - Similar But Not Quite The Same

26. GHE#1 - Natural
Earth’s Natural Greenhouse Effect

27. GHE#2 - Humans
Human-caused Global Warming

28. GHE#3-Text
The science of global warming is based on well-understood
physical principles. There is NO scientific debate about
this!
Due to human activities, there are now 40% more
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere than there were a
few hundred years ago.
The Earth has already warmed as the consequence of this,
and scientists expect that the next 20 to 100 years the
world will warm a lot more!

29. GHGs Trap Heat

30. Increasing greenhouse gases trap more heat
GHGs Trap Heat

31. Atmospheric Lifespan of Greenhouse Gases

32. 2008 Global CO2 Emissions From Fossil Fuel Combustion
and Some Industrial Processes: Country comparisons
Source: National CO2 Emissions from Fossil-Fuel Burning, Cement Manufacture, and Gas Flaring: 1751-2008.

33. Any questions
till now?

34. Climate Change Impacts

35. If it is:
• Hotter?
• Dryer?
• Windier?
What happens to your area?

36. Extreme Flooding at Bangkok in October 2011

37. Climate Change Impacts

38. Consequences of Climate Change
For example:
 Temperature
increase
 Sea level rise
 More rain
Agriculture and food
security
Crop yields, irrigation demands...
Forests
Composition, health and
productivity...
Water resources
Water supply, water quality...
Coastal areas
Erosion, inundation, cost of
prevention...
Species and natural areas
Biodiversity, modification of
ecosystems...
Human health
Infectious diseases, human
settlements...
Consequences of
climate change:

41. Changes and Impacts in Context

42. Impacts of climate change on water resources

46. Warmer temperatures  Drier soils
 Drier vegetation  More and larger fires  More
Erosion and Stream Sedimentation  Less fish
 Less high-quality food.
What are the consequences of increased rainfall?
Cascade of Changes

47. Global Population
 The world
population is
expected to rise
throughout the 21st
century, although
this growth is
projected to
decelerate markedly
in 2050 to 2100.
 Currently, the world
population’s annual
growth rate is 1.1%.

48. Effects on Health

55. Greta Thunberg

59. Thank You For
Your Attention