Climate Change
Week 6

Placed by Otilia Radu 2021/Oct/27

Description: 

6 authors, all students, put together knowledge about climate change by presenting them in a coherent way starting from the climate, the people responsible for these changes, the causes, effects and solutions. The teacher acted only as a coordinator.

Evidence of climate change
The earth's climate has changed throughout history. Even in the last 650,000 years there have been seven cycles of glacial advance and retreat. Most of these climate changes are attributed to very small variations in the Earth's orbit, which changes the amount of solar energy that our planet receives.
It is undeniable that human activities have warmed the atmosphere and the ocean, and there have been widespread and rapid changes in the atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere (the Earth's geosphere made up of all solid water) and the biosphere.
Satellites orbiting the Earth and other technological advances have allowed scientists to see the big picture, collecting many different types of information about our planet and its climate on a global scale. This body of data, collected over many years, reveals the signals of climate change.

Causes of climate change
1. electricity and heating: 30.6% - burning fossil fuels to produce electricity and heat is the biggest cause of climate change, according to the World Resources Institute (WRI). Emissions account for almost a third of total greenhouse gas emissions.
2. transport: 14.8% - cars, planes and other means of transport are the second cause of global warming
production and construction: 13.3% - this issue is not debated as much as transport, but it is the third largest cause of climate change
3. agriculture: 11.1% - our food production systems are causing climate change. Proponents say giving up meat, especially beef, would help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
4. burning of other fuels: 8.2% - this category includes wood and burnt fuels in residential and commercial buildings, but also those used for agriculture.

The effects of climate change
Global climate change has already had observable effects on the environment. Glaciers have shrunk, ice on rivers and lakes has crumbled earlier, plant and animal areas have changed, and trees are blooming faster ....
Scientists are confident that global temperatures will continue to rise in the coming decades, largely due to greenhouse gases produced by human activities.

      In short: The effects of global warming caused by humans are happening now, are irreversible on the time scale of living people and will worsen in the coming decades.

The potential future effects of global climate change include more frequent fires, longer periods of drought in some regions and an increase in the number, duration and intensity of tropical storms.

"Taken together, the range of published evidence indicates that the net costs of climate damage could be significant and increase over time." Intergovernmental Commission on Climate Change

Sustainability, sustainable development, involves taking action now to enable a future in which environmental and living conditions are protected and improved.

  Implementation of sustainability practices:

  • increase energy efficiency;
  • increasing the use of renewable energy;
  • measuring, reporting and reducing direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions;
  • conservation and protection of water resources through efficiency, reuse and management of stormwater;
  • waste disposal, pollution prevention and increased recycling;
  • stimulating the procurement of agencies to promote markets for sustainable technologies and environmentally friendly materials.

An original idea
The leaves of the trees are one of the main sources of oxygen on our planet.
Engineer Julian Melchiorri has designed an artificial biological leaf that can produce oxygen through chlorophyll photosynthesis.
The leaf contains chloroplasts taken from real plant cells, which are suspended in a silk protein material. When it comes in contact with carbon dioxide, water and light, it turns it into oxygen, just like a real plant.
This invention is not only a very solid method in solving climate change, the synthetic leaf that produces oxygen can be used in future space missions, shaping new horizons.
In the absence of gravity, in fact, it is not possible to grow plants and this leads to major problems for oxygen supply. Instead of cylinders and tanks full of 02, space stations could be "filled" with artificial leaves capable of autonomously producing the oxygen astronauts need to breathe and survive. 

Wish you all the best!

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