CLIMATE CHANGE
global warming driven by
human emissions of greenhouse gases
large-scale shifts in weather patterns
EFFECTS
CAUSE
SOLUTIONS
oceans absorb heat
glaciers melt and shrink
CO2 in the atmosphere
makes water more acidic
accelerated sea level rise
wipe out species that are super-sensitive to pH
more droughts
longer frost-free season
more intense hurricanes
more intense heat waves
Mitigation
Adaptation
Legislation
reducing emissions of
heat-trapping greenhouse gases
adapting to the climate change
reducing our vulnerability to
the harmful effects of climate change
making the most of any potential
beneficial opportunities
stabilising the levels of
heat-trapping greenhouse gases
reducing the flow of
the gases into the atmosphere
reducing sources of the gases
enhancing the “sinks” that
accumulate and store the gases
enacting policies that encourage a speedy transition to clean energy such as wind and solar
accelerating the transition to clean energy
setting state-wide standards for
renewable energy production
establishing renewable portfolio standards
human activity
land-use changes
industrial processes
burning of fossil fuels
energy politics concentrated on fossil fuels
increased concentration of
atmospheric carbon dioxide
(one of the Earth’s greenhouse gases
which create the insulating effect )
carbon dioxide is piling up in the
lower layers of the atmosphere
heat is held in by the atmospheric greenhouse effect
excessive heat can't escape back to space