Climate Change Presentation
By: Cindy Duan, Elena Huang, Maggie Xu
Climate Change Presentation
- Tropical Zone -
By: Cindy Duan, Elena Huang, Maggie Xu
Cuba
Result
Safer environment for people living the coastal areas, islets and inland areas of Cuba
Average Temperature: 77.5 °F
Average High Temperature: 84.5 °F
Average Low Temperature: 71.2 °F
Annual Precipitation: 1320 mm
The Biome for Cuba: Tropical Rainforest
Koppen Classification System:
Eastern Central America - Af: TROPICAL RAINFOREST
Western Central America - Aw: TROPICAL WET-DRY (LOW SUN DRY) - SAVANNA
Cuba - Af: TROPICAL RAINFOREST
- Tropical Rainforest is a hot, moist biome found near Earth's equator
- The temperature rarely gets higher than 93 °F (34 °C) or drops below 68 °F (20 °C)
- Average humidity is between 77 and 88%
Climate Vs. Weather
Slowing down Global Warming
Indicators & Effects of Climate Change
The effects of Climate Change
- burning of fossil fuels and other human and natural activities has released enormous amounts of heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere
- these emissions have caused the Earth's surface temperature to rise, and the oceans absorb about 80 percent of this additional heat
- this has caused the sea levels to rise
Koppen Category
Tropical moist climate
Two Clearly Defined Seasons:
Dry Season: from November to April
Wet Season: from May to October
- December, January, and February are the coolest months of the year
- average maximum daily temperature is 25°C, and an average of 18°C at night
- June, July, and August, hottest months of the year
- temperatures rise to 38°C on the Eastern side of the island during the summer
- Cuba entered into force of the Kyoto Protocol on16 Feb 2005.
- Cuba’s revolutionary socialist government became the first in the world to carry out a rapid and whole scale changeover to compact fluorescents during 2005 and 2006
- the first country to ban the sale of incandescent globes
- Cuba’s power generation and distribution system is not broken up into many competing profit-oriented businesses, it functions as a single national enterprise at the service of society
-more extreme typhoons (Typhoon Haiyan)
-more storms hitting the country more frequently
-the increase of sea temperature - destroying coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass, and meadows
-increase occurrence of floods and landslide
-Increase of frequency of cyclones
More-specific causes of rising sea levels:
Thermal expansion: When water heats up, it expands.
Melting of glaciers and polar ice caps: Large ice formations, like glaciers and the polar ice caps, naturally melt back a bit each summer.
- hurricane season from July to November
- September and October are months with the highest probability of cyclone activity
The Biome
-the average temperature of each month is above 18 degrees
-the annual precipitation is 5000 cm which higher than 1500cm
Tropical Rainforest
My Suggestions
Kyoto Protocol
Bibliography
Actions Taken/To be Taken
- remove some buildings to higher ground
- ensuring that designs for new building projects include the use of more resistant materials and stronger roofing, to cope with the combined actions of rain, wind and storm surges
- continue to work together to reduce their carbon emissions
- Annual precipitation: 96-406 cm
-Annual average temperature: 23 -32 degree Celsius
The Issue
1.http://climateandcapitalism.com/2012/04/14/cuba-prepares-for-rising-sea-levels-and-extreme-weather/
2.http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/critical-issues-sea-level-rise/
3.http://www.weathercuba.net/
4.http://www.cubagrouptour.com/information/cuba/weather/
5.http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Americas/Cuba-CLIMATE.html#b
6.http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/city.php3?c=CU
7.http://directaction.org.au/issue10/cuban_energy_revolution_combating_global_warming
8.http://www.havana.climatemps.com/havana-climate-graph-sm.gif
- the biggest risks are concentrated in coastal areas and the eastern part of the island
- builders are constructing houses that are raised more than two metres above ground level, using part of an older house and strong pillars for support
- many human settlements could suffer the combined onslaught of rising sea levels and oversized waves from swells and storm surges associated with hurricanes
- adaptation measures must also be planned for inland areas impacted
Adaptation in the field of urban planning involves:
- finding ways to resettle people in the same place
- putting up lightweight installations in public spaces in the most exposed areas in already existing settlements and towns
- reducing both building density and the number of residents per block
Cuba is responsible for only a tiny fraction of global carbon emissions. On its own, Cuba’s energy revolution won’t do much to slow global warming
Indicators of Climate Change
The preservation of Cuba's coastal ecosystems against the predicted rise in sea level and increasingly catastrophic extreme weather events.
-part of Kyoto Protocol
-joined on April 15, 1998
-helps reduce carbon emissions
-their first step of slowing climate change
-manage the environment more effectively
-enacted Clean Air Act and Solid Waste Act
Global Warming
The Climate of Philippine
Central America
- With the country’s 5,500 km of coastline and 4,000 cays and islets, almost everyone on the Cuban archipelago feels their life is tied to the sea in one way or another
-Increase of temperature in both summer and winter
-more extreme weather events
-unpredictable length of growing season
-2 seasons
- wet and dry base on the amount of rain
-Temperature
- March to October (warm months)
- May is the warmest
- November to February (cold month)
- January is the coldest
-Precipitation
- June to October (lots of rain because of the southwest monsoon)
- December to May (hardly any rain because no monsoon since wind from northeast carries no rain)
-2 main characteristics
- high temperature and high atmospheric humidity
- strong typhoons (occurs mostly June -November)
NIGERIA
The actions to slow down climate change
My suggestions
-switched from sodium streetlights with new energy efficient LEDs
-became an integral part of international efforts
- implemented a no plastic policy in stores and supermarkets
- always be ready for natural disasters
-spend their budget on sources that can reduce carbon emission
-use clean energy sources
- create shelters in case of natural disasters
- plant more coral reefs and mangroves
http://www.philippines.hvu.nl/climate1.htm
http://www.greenpeace.org/seasia/ph/Turn-the-Tide/Climate-and-Energy-Campaign/
http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/aboutcc/problems/rising_temperatures/hotspot_map/philippines.cfm
http://www.ledinside.com/news/2014/2/the_philippines_move_to_reduce_carbon_emission_by_switching_to_led_streetlights
Results from the actions
-carbon emission is reduced by around 125 tons per year
-less plastics = less carbon emission
- Less carbon emission = less flood and typhoons
Koppen Classification System
- tropical savanna climate - Aw
- monthly mean temperature above 18 °C
- most of the year is dry season
- tropical monsoon climate - Am
- similar to Aw but less temperature variance than Aw
- dry and wet seasons
- hot desert climates - BWh
- maximum temperature of 40-45°C during the summer
- in colder periods temperature can drop to below 0°C
- hot semi-arid climates - BSh
- hot / extremely hot summers
- mild winters
- experiences effects of monsoons
Climate Change in Nigeria
indicators:
- shift in temperature, rainfall, storms, and sea levels
Nigeria's Climate
effects:
- predicted shortage of resources like water
- more violence
- predicted damage of property
- more deaths due to sickness
- declining food production, while population increases
- climate refugees
Coastal cities
Average temperature range: 22°C - 32 °C
Annual precipitation: 3,000 mm
Cities in the north
Average temperature range: 5°C - 38°C
Annual precipitation: 500mm
Biomes: tropical rainforest, grassland
Bibliography
1. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/earth-insight/2014/may/09/behind-rise-nigeria-boko-haram-climate-disaster-peak-oil-depletion
2. http://www.usip.org/sites/default/files/Climate_Change_Nigeria.pdf
3. http://www.cenbank.org/OUT/2012/PUBLICATIONS/REPORTS/STD/EFFECTS%20OF%20GLOBAL%20CLIMATE%20CHANGE%20ON%20NIGERIAN%20AGRICULTURE.PDF
4. http://unfccc.int/files/essential_background/kyoto_protocol/status_of_ratification/application/pdf/kpstats.pdf
5. http://www.icfi.com/insights/projects/international-development/building-nigeria-national-response-climate-change
6. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%B6ppen_climate_classification
7. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/414840/Nigeria/55285/Climate
Actions by the Nigerian Gov't
- "Nigeria's First National Communication on Climate Change"
- Building Nigeria's Response to Climate Change
- Climate Change Unit
- $20 million worth of climate change related capital projects
- the EU and Canada have helped
- enhanced adaptation capacity
- joined Kyoto Protocol
Additional Steps
- Climate Change unit should work hand-in-hand with other sister agencies
- Take action against desertification
- Build stronger shelters in coastal regions
Comparison
Nigeria
Philippines
Cuba
Comparison to Nigeria:
- Both countries have wet and dry seasons
- Savannah climate in Eastern Central America, Savannah climate in northern Nigeria
- Both have extremely high temperatures
Comparison to Cuba:
- Biomes of both countries are Tropical Rainforests
- Warmest and coldest months are roughly the same
- High humidity in both countries
- Both affected by natural disasters (typhoon and hurricane) from around June/July to November
Comparison to Philippines:
- Both countries have tropical climate
- the climate changes depends on the location for Nigeria and the climate changes depends on the time of year in Philippines
- There are no rainforests in Philippines but many typhoons
- both have mangroves to prevent natural disasters
Mactan, Philippines
Havana, Cuba
Minna, Nigeria
My Impact On the World -Elena
My Impact On the World - Maggie
My Impact On the World
-Cindy
-Transportation to school
-buying goods that are manufactured by burning fossil fuels
-eating beef
-using air conditioner
-turning on lights (using electricity)
My Impact:
- Taking school bus to school, planning to take transit next year
- Using compact fluorescent bulbs (energy efficient lighting)
- unplugging and turning off electronic devices when not in use
- we have installed a programmable thermostat
- most vegetables we eat are organically grown in our backyard (saves transportation, packaging)
- recycling
I should:
- recycle old electronic devices
- eat less meat
- remember to turn off lights
- carpool to tutor classes more often
- take transit home from school
- reduce, reuse, recycle
- always turn up / turn down thermostat in summer / winter
- turn off lights often
- use CFL light bulbs
what I should start doing
-carpool or take public transportation
-save electricity
- temperatures are opposite in Cube and Nigeria
- warmest months in Cuba are coldest in Nigeria and vice versa
- Cuba has less precipitation and a smaller range in amount of precipitation than Nigeria
- temperature in all three countries are quite consistent throughout the year, however, Philippines is the most consistent
- precipitation in Cuba and Philippines are extremely similar
- lower precipitation in the Nigeria's dry season (nov - mar) than in Philippines
- the temperature / humidity / daylight hours in Philippines is consistent throughout the year, while in Nigeria they vary
The End :)