SUSTAINABILITY

Global Warming and Climate Change Week 5

(Taught in week 4)

Tutorial - Student Version

General Education Program GESU121

Date: ____________ CRN: _________ Section: ___________

Teacher name: ________________________ Student name: ________________________ Student ID: ___________________________ Classroom: ___________________________

Adapted from the text: ‘Living in the Environment’

G. Tyler Miller, Jr. Scott E. Spoolman Other images used are taken from ‘Pixabay”

Muir Glacier (Alaska) in 1948 Muir Glacier (Alaska) in 2004

Adapted from the text ‘Living in the Environment’

1

Global Warming and Climate Change

The chart below shows atmospheric CO2 concentrations (in parts per million) over the past 400,000 years. Describe what you think is happening. Discuss this with the class.

What is the difference between ’weather’ and ‘climate’?

Start of industrial

revolution.

Start of farming

Adapted from the text ‘Living in the Environment’

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Use the following website to help:

https://solarimpulse.com/global-warming-solutions?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8Zm70s704QIV8TLTCh1F-glHEAAYASAAEgIZ0PD_BwE

Human Factor Causes Reasons/Effects

1

2

3

4

5

6

Large amounts of CO2 released into atmosphere.

Burning Fossil fuels

Teacher note: Ozone layer: discussion point for

class- though a little off topic.

During weeks 2 & 3, we learned what the greenhouse effect is. What human factors do you think are causing global warming (greenhouse effect)?

Label the pictures with the causes from the above table.

Burning fossil fuels

Example:

Adapted from the text ‘Living in the Environment’

3

Adjectives are words that describe or modify a noun. Adjectives nearly always appear immediately before the noun it is modifying.

Examples

natural urban rural

global healthy/unhealthy complex

rich artificial geographical

atmospheric controlled stable

Put an appropriate adjective in the sentence below:

Adjectives – comparatives – superlatives:

Adjective Comparative Superlative

beautiful

healthy

polluted

pretty

interesting

amazing

cool

green

peaceful

happy

1. An environment that is untouched by humans is said to be .

2. We should live on a planet whose environment is by nature, not by humans.

3. Methane is a gas that contributes to the rise in temperatures.

4. Today, more people are moving to areas, and this can cause an environment to live in.

5. We need to control the amount of CO2 we put into the atmosphere to return to more levels.

6. Scientists look for special areas to find fossil fuels.

Grammar Focus: Adjectives & Adverbs Teacher note:

This could be a review for most students, or given as an out-of-class activity.

natural

Find the comparative and superlative of the following adjectives (for words that have two or more syllables, use more and most). If the adjective has two syllables and ends in ‘y’ then change the ‘y’

to ‘i’ and use ‘er’ and ‘est’)

Example:

more beautiful

most beautiful

Example:

Adapted from the text ‘Living in the Environment’

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Adverbs: An adverb can modify a verb. Many adverbs can be identified by their "ly" ending though not all adverbs have this. Unlike an adjective, an adverb can be found in various places within the sentence. Adverbs of frequency: Adverbs of frequency tell us how often something happens. Some common forms of frequency adverbs are:

If the main verb is in the form of the ‘be’ verb, then the adverb of frequency is put directly after the ‘be’ verb.

The children are noisy in class.

Ahmed is late for lessons.

The woman was lonely since she had a big family

If a modal auxiliary verb is used, then the adverb of frequency comes between the modal auxiliary verb and the main verb.

Hind can remember all her friends’ birthdays.

Marwa would go to China for conferences.

Students should see their teacher during office hour.

100% 50% 0%

always occasionally sometimes often frequently usually rarely seldom hardly ever never

Adverbs of frequency generally come after the subject and before the main verb of the sentence.

1. We pollute our environment.

2. Humans overconsume in their daily life.

3. Hundreds of years ago, humans polluted the atmosphere.

frequently Example:

always

often

Example:

Example:

Teacher note: Answers will vary depending

on the adverb chosen.

Teacher note: For higher level students, see

appendix 1 for adverbs of manner.

Adapted from the text ‘Living in the Environment’

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Greenland, the world’s largest island, has a population of about 60,000 people. It is roughly one-fourth the size of the continental United States. Glaciers can be as deep as 3.2 kilometers and they cover about 80% of this mountainous island.

Main idea

Details/statistics on Greenland

Main idea Greenland’s ice is a result of the last ice age and survives only because of its huge mass. Its glaciers contain about 10% of the world’s freshwater. That is enough water to raise the global sea level by as much as 7 meters if the glaciers all melt. This would flood many coastal cities and much of the earth’s farmland. The large moving ice mass in a glacier sits on bedrock and moves along very slowly. However, it can pick up speed when meltwater flowing downward through its cracks lubricates the bottom of the glacier. As the thickness of the glacier decreases, its grip on the land weakens, further accelerating its movement toward the sea.

Recent satellite measurements show that Greenland’s net loss of ice more than doubled between 1996 and 2007, and it is not being replaced by increased snowfall. According to glacial ice expert Konrad Steffen, the record amount of ice melted from Greenland’s ice sheet during the summer of 2007 was equivalent to two times all of the ice in the Alps of south-central Europe. If this trend continues throughout much of this century, more of

Greenland’s land-based ice will melt, helping to raise the world’s average sea level.

Main idea

Areas of glacial ice melting in Greenland during summer increased dramatically between 1982 and 2007. If this net melting of Greenland’s land-based ice continues over a number of decades, the world’s average sea level

will rise sharply. (Data from Konrad Steffen and Russell Huff, University of Colorado, Boulder)

What is the main idea of each paragraph – works in pairs – discuss the ideas with your class.

Science Focus

Example:

Adapted from the text ‘Living in the Environment’

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How do we know if our atmosphere/climate is actually changing? In pairs, go to the following website and find out information about climate change. Share your ideas with the class.

https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/

1. Loss of drinkable water (meltwater sources)

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Critical Thinking: List ways in which the rapid melting of ice in Greenland (or other freezing places on the planet) over the next few decades could affect people’s lifestyle or that of future generations.

Global temperature rises – mostly over the past 35 years

Teacher note: Students may need guidance on this.

Teacher note: Parts of this could be class focal

discussion points.

Example:

Sunlight reflection - oceans - agriculture - potable water - habitat - meltwater

Helping vocabulary:

Example:

Adapted from the text ‘Living in the Environment’

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Climate change is affecting people all over the world.

In groups of four, go to the following website and research how climate change is affecting the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region of the world. You will need to find other websites.

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/04/middle-east-front-lines-climate-change-mena/

Choose one of the following topics:

Alexandria (Egypt)

Jeddah (Saudi Arabia)

Extreme heat and drought

Shrinkage of Dead Sea

Produce a short report (no more than one page) on your findings. This will be an assessed piece of work. You must all contribute to the writing and research of this report.

Things to think about:

Title

Sub headings if needed

Bold key vocabulary

Use images that help explain what you are saying

Paraphrase the information

Brief conclusion

Student names and IDs Title of course

Date Teacher’s name

Teacher note: Just use as an out-of-class activity if

students want.

Adapted from the text ‘Living in the Environment’

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We have briefly looked at the impact that thinning ice-sheets and glaciers have on certain species. Let us take a more general look at the effects of global warming on the earth’s biodiversity.

Global Warming Is a Major Threat to Biodiversity

According to the 2007 IPCC report, changes in climate resulting from global warming are now affecting physical and biological systems on every continent and are altering ecosystem services in some areas. A warmer climate could expand ranges and populations of some plant and animal species that can adapt to warmer climates, including certain weeds; insect pests, such as cockroaches, fire ants, and ticks; and some disease-carrying organisms.

What do you think is meant by ecosystem services (think about what we get from nature)?

What problems do you think could arise from the movement of flora and fauna into other areas that they were not originally found?

According to the 2007 IPCC study, approximately 30% of the land-based plant and animal species assessed so far could disappear if the average global temperature change exceeds 1.5–2.5 C°. This percentage could grow to 70% if the temperature change exceeds 3.5 C°. The hardest hit will be plant and animal species in colder climates, such as the polar bear in the Arctic and penguins in Antarctica; species at higher elevations; plant and animal species with limited ranges, such as some amphibians and those with limited tolerance for temperature change.

What do you think will be the effects on biodiversity and humanity if we lose such a percentage of species?

What does the word ‘tolerance’ mean?

Male golden toad in Costa Rica’s high-altitude Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. This species has

recently become extinct, primarily because changes in climate dried up its habitat.

Michael P. Fogden/Bruce Coleman USA

Teacher note: Sts. may need guidance on this.

Adapted from the text ‘Living in the Environment’

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A 2007 study by the Convention on Migratory Species warned that global warming could also disrupt the biological clocks of birds, whales, and other migratory species. This could put many of them in the wrong places at the wrong times and make them more vulnerable to food shortages, heat waves, droughts, or cold snaps that would accompany climate change in various parts of the world.

Why do you think certain species migrate? Do humans migrate and why?

The ecosystems most likely to suffer disruption and species loss from climate change are coral reefs, polar seas, coastal wetlands, high-elevation mountaintops, and alpine and arctic tundra. Some types of forests unable to migrate fast enough to keep up with climate shifts will decline, and others, such as oak–pine and oak–hickory forests in the United States, may expand northward. Mostly because of drier conditions, forest fires may increase in some areas such as the southeastern and western United States. This would severely

degrade some forest ecosystems, add more CO2 to the atmosphere, reduce total CO2 uptake by plants, and accelerate global warming and climate change through still another positive feedback loop.

Why do you think coral reefs are so important?

Why are forests so important to the amount of CO2 we have in our atmosphere?

Projected decline in arctic tundra (Figure 7-12, bottom, p. 151) in portions of eastern Russia between 2004 and 2100 as a result of global warming. The melting of permafrost in such tundra soils could release the greenhouse gases CH4 and CO2 and accelerate global warming, which would melt more tundra. This loss of arctic tundra could reduce grazing lands for caribou and breeding areas for a number of tundra-

dwelling bird species. Shrubs and small trees and eventually boreal, or northern coniferous, forests would gradually replace the lost tundra.

(Data from Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and 2004 Arctic Climate Impact Assessment)

Adapted from the text ‘Living in the Environment’

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A warmer climate can also greatly increase populations of insects and fungi that damage trees. In the Canadian province of British Columbia, for example, warmer winters have led to surges in mountain pine beetle populations that have infected huge areas of lodgepole pine forests, which are now dying. Pine beetles have also damaged about 60% of the lodgepole pines in the U.S. state of Colorado, which has been experiencing warmer winters. In Yellowstone Park in the United States, global warming has increased beetle infestations of white bark pine trees that grow at high altitudes. This threatens the park’s grizzly bears, which feed on white bark pine seeds.

Fungi and insects actually provide important services to forest ecosystems. What kinds of services do you think they provide?

In your own time, watch the following video and answer the questions on the next page.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/global-warming-causes/

With warmer winters, exploding populations of mountain pine beetles have munched their way through large areas of lodgepole

pine forest (orange colored trees) in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Foresters are trying to reduce the threat by

planting a mix of trees less susceptible to the pest—an example of applying the biodiversity principle of sustainability.

Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service

1. What types of molecules prevent heat from escaping the earth’s atmosphere?

2. What human activity is increasing the greenhouse effect? 3. At which point in our history does this contribution to the greenhouse effect begin? 4. On what does climate change have serious consequences? 5. What is causing sea levels to rise? 6. Why does growing food become more difficult?

Adapted from the text ‘Living in the Environment’

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7. In cities, what is created by the ‘trapping’ of heat? 8. What are the health problems we face with increasing air pollution in cities?

Adapted from the text ‘Living in the Environment’

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Adverbs of manner: Adverbs of manner describe how somebody is doing something. Adverbs of manner come after the direct object of the sentence

David always watches television .

or after the main verb if there is no direct object.

Sara sings when she is confident.

Often, an adverb is converted from an adjective by adding ‘ly’

quiet – quietly

beautiful – beautifully

However, there are exceptions:

1. If an adjective ends in ‘y’, then replace the ‘y’ with ‘ily’

angry – angrily

Create sentences (by converting the adjective in an adverb) for the following:

1. If an adjective ends in ‘able’ or ‘ible’ then replace the ‘e’ with ‘y’

reliable – reliably

terrible - terribly

Create sentences (by converting the adjective in an adverb) for the following:

Appendix 1:

quietly Example:

beautifully Example:

Example: Sara finished the timed exam easily. easy

angry

pretty

lucky

They took care of the exam reliably.

reliable Example:

Adapted from the text ‘Living in the Environment’

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Create sentences (by converting the adjective in an adverb) for the following:

suitable

justifiable

suitable

adorable

regrettable

audible

illegible

horrible

incredible

negligibly