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© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Current and Future Trends and Impacts AP Environmental Science Mr. Grant Lesson 50
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Current and Future Trends and Impacts
AP Environmental Science
Mr. GrantLesson 50
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Objectives:
• Define the term Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
• Outline current and future trends and impacts of global climate change.
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Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC):
Define the term Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
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Outline current and future trends and impacts of global climate change.
• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) synthesizes current climate research, and its periodic reports represent the consensus of the scientific community.
• Temperatures on the Earth have warmed by an average of 0.74 degrees C (1.33 degrees F) over the past century and are predicted to rise 1.8-4.0 degrees C (3.2-7.2 degrees F) over the next century.
• Changes in precipitation vary by region.• Melting glaciers will diminish water supplies, and
melting ice sheets will add to sea level rise.
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Outline current and future trends and impacts of global climate change.
• Sea level has risen an average of 17cm (7in) over the past century.
• Other impacts include ocean acidification; extreme weather events; effects on organisms and ecosystems; and impacts on agriculture, forestry and health, and economics.
• Climate change and its impacts will vary regionally.• Despite some remaining uncertainties, the scientific
community feels that evidence for human’s role in influencing climate is strong enough to justify taking action to reduce greenhouse emissions.
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The IPCC’s fourth assessment report (2007)
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The IPCC’s fourth assessment report (2007)
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Temperatures continue to increase
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The future will be hotter
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Temperatures will rise globally
Projected increases in surface temperature for 2090–2099 relative to 1980–1999
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Projected changes in precipitation
Precipitation will increase at high latitudes and decrease at low and middle latitudes
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Worldwide, glaciers, snow and ice are melting rapidly
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Rising sea levels
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Coastal areas will flood
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Rising sea levels will devastate coasts
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Coral reefs are threatened
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Climate change affects organisms and ecosystems
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Animals and plants have nowhere to go
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Climate change affects people
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Heat waves will increase
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Climate change affects economics
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Impacts of climate change will vary regionally
The Arctic has suffered the most so far
U.S. temperatures will continue to rise
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Impacts of climate change will vary
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2009 U.S. Global Change Research Program
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Predictions from two climate models
By 2050, Illinois will have a climate like Missouri’s
By 2090, it will have a climate like Louisiana’s
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Causes and consequences of climate change
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Are we responsible for climate change?
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The debate over climate change is over
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“Climategate”
