Industrial Revolution and Climate Change

Industrial Revolution and Climate Change

Ways To Reduce

Ed Chat on Climate Change

International Efforts

By: Kris Scanlan

Ways To Reduce

There are many ways to reduce our CO2, N2O, and CH4 emissions before they get to critical levels. Ways to reduce would mean drastically changing the lifestyles of almost every human being.

Kyoto Protocol: an international treaty signed in signed in 1997 by 192 countries worldwide (not including the U.S.)that commits the parties to reduce greenhouse gas emission based on the fact that a. global warming exists, and b. man-made CO2 emissions have caused it .

• CO2: Drive more fuel efficient cars, switch to renewable fuel sources that do not emit carbon, replant forests to combat deforestation.
• N2O: Remove nitrogen from fertilizers, have filters that filter out nitrogen in power plants so they are not emitted, fertilize crops with nitrogen rich natural legumes.
• CH4: Burn methane to produce CO2 and make it less potent, feed feedlot cattle grass instead of corn, do not store wastes in landfills.

Nitrous Oxide

Industrial Revolution

N20 is another potent greenhouse gas.

Major human activities that emit N2O include:

• Agriculture
• Burning fossil fuels
• Exhaust from cars
• Industrial processes

• Some of these byproducts have started what most believe is accelerated climate change.
• Climate change, by definition, is a long-term change in the earth's climate, especially a change due to an increase in the average atmospheric temperature.
• Scientists have discovered 4 chemicals, both natural and man-made, that cause climate change: CO2, H20, CH4, and N2O.

(Carbon Dioxide, Water Vapor, Methane, and Nitrous Oxide.

Water Vapor

Industrial Revolution

Climate Change

Industrial Revolution

What Is The Industrial Revolution?

Water Vapor, H20, is not a major issue regarding climate change because most water vapor is quickly cycled through the water cycle before it can trap heat in the atmosphere.

• Started around the year 1760, and continued until the period between 1820-1840.
• The many processes that were derived from the industrial revolution called for massive inputs of energy, resources, and manpower. These processes have produce and still produce their intended product, along with large amounts of pollutants, and byproducts.

So, according to many scientific studies, including the most extensive and extremely well known IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), it has been concluded that Climate Change is indeed occurring, and is caused by human activities. Over 2500 scientists researched data in the IPCC.

Industrial Revolution:The change in social and economic organization that resulted from the replacement of hand tools with machines and the development of large-scale industrial production.

Carbon Dioxide

Climate Change

All 4 greenhouse gases have been emitted in massive amounts since the start of the industrial revolution, that can only leave scientists to believe that the cause of the extensive outputs could be the Industrial Revolution.

Carbon Dioxide is not a very potent greenhouse gas, but is the emitted in the highest abundance. Major human activities that emit CO2:

• Burning fossil fuels
• Driving internal combustion engine cars
• Deforestation
• Forest Fires

Fin

International Efforts

Works Cited

Methane

Montreal Protocol: an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous substances that are responsible for ozone depletion. Effective in 1989.

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Thorpe, Gary S. AP Environmental Science. 3rd ed. Hauppauge, N.Y.: Barron's Educational Series, 2009. Print.

Methane is the most potent of the greenhouse gases, and has 12 times the heat trapping ability of CO2.

Major human activities that emit CH4 include:

• Burning natural gas
• Agriculture (Cows)
• Wastes (Landfills)