Worksheet 2.2

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE PUBLISHED FOR EVERYBODY ROUND THE EARTH


1. Man-made climate change?
Observed changes in concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
Observed changes in the Earth’s climate
The inertia of the climate system
Feedback effects
Abrupt changes
Worksheet 1.1
Worksheet 1.2
2. What will a warmer world be like?
Changes in different parts of the world
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
Future emissions and climate change
Vulnerability and adaptation
Worksheet 2.1
Worksheet 2.2
3. How can we hinder man-made climate change?
More emissions despite improved technology
Emissions trading in the EU
The Climate Convention (The UNFCCC)
The Kyoto Protocol
Worksheet 3.1
Worksheet 3.2
Worksheet 2
1. Questions to be answered individually or in groups
a) The extent to which a country is affected by climate change depends on at least three conditions: How exposed and vulnerable the country is, and what adaptive capacity it has. Explain what is meant by these three terms.
b) Why are the polar bear and other polar species particularly vulnerable to climate change?
c) In what way is the atmospheric system's inertia important to describe and predict climate change?
2. Generate climate-relevant statistics!
Go to http://www.globalis.no/ and choose English language. Then choose four different countries, for instance:
1) your own country in Europe
2) USA
3) China
4) Sudan
For each country, find information about
1) present population and population growth rate, estimated population in 2015
2) present energy consumption per capita
3) present CO2 emission per capita and how this has changed during the past decades
What can you say from these data about each country's present and possible future contribution to increasing the greenhouse effect?
About this page:
Authors: Ellen K. Henriksen and Camilla Schreiner - University of Oslo - Norway.
Scientific reviewer: Andreas Tjernshaugen - CICERO (Center for International Climate and Environmental Research - Oslo) - Norway - 2004-01-20
Educational reviewer: Nina Arnesen - Marienlyst school in Oslo - Norway - 2004-03-10.
Last update: 2004-03-27.