We’re going back to the basics here to gain a better understanding of climate change and temperature.
Welcome to Back to the Basics! In this blog series, we’re focusing on understanding climate change. Instead of only focusing on the impacts of climate change, we’re going to take a different approach focusing on the indicators of climate change. We’ll look into proven research and I will offer a ton of resources to aid in your own understanding and the understanding of your students when it comes to climate change and temperature! I hope this series offers a helping hand in making the connection between what we are experiencing and how our actions and policies have impacted the change in climate.
This blog post is all about understanding climate change and temperature!
Climate Change
By now, we’ve all heard the words “climate change”. Many of us have formed our own opinion on what climate change and temperature means and how it may or may not be impacting our planet. One of the things I love most about Science is the goal of gaining knowledge to understand the natural world. Science uses investigations, testable questions, observations, and logical reasoning to come to conclusions about our world.
According to a new survey of 88,125 climate-related studies, over 99.9% of peer-reviewed scientific papers agree that climate change is mainly caused by humans (source). While yes, climate change is natural, the issue is the speed at which our climate is changing. Since humans are speeding up climate change more quickly than nature can keep up with, there is a chance that once we cross a particular threshold we will set off a chain of ecological reactions that will be detrimental and irreversible to our planet. Why is all this important? In order to ensure that our planet remains habitable and healthy we must identify the current issues, the causes of those issues, and work towards solutions – quickly.
Related Post: Are We In a Climate Crisis? Understanding Climate and Weather
Climate Change and Temperature
There are several key indicators identified by climate scientists showing the impacts of our rapid climate change over time. In fact, the EPA has identified over 50 indicators. In this blogging series, we will explore 6 of these indicators. In today’s blog post, we will explore climate change and temperature.
A Shift During the Industrial Revolution
What is the connection between climate change and temperature? Scientists have identified that average temperatures have risen quickly since the 1970s. This was the time of the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution is characterized by the switch from goods being produced through home businesses to machines in factories. In addition, there were major changes in transportation, manufacturing, communications, and technology (source).
Americans switched from working at home or in small shops and outdoors to working for large companies or factories. During this time, the United States began to shift from rural to urban. And while there were many benefits to our change in culture and social advancement and economic growth, there were also some major disadvantages. Some of these disadvantages included the burning of fossil fuels and pollution from factories and big industrial cities. (source).
Question to consider: is it possible to have economic growth AND sustainable practices which consider the health of people and the planet?
Questions to consider: could we have been the driver of climate change even before the Industrial Revolution? Check out this article on the Early Onset of Industrial-Era Warming.
For You: Teaching Resources for the Industrial Revolution
Climate Change Indicator: Temperature
The graph below shows temperatures in the U.S. since the 1900s to help understand the connection between climate change and temperature:
Questions to consider:
- Which years were temperatures lowest? highest? consistent?
- Describe the culture and economy of the United States in the 1900s. The 1970s? The 2000s?
- What major events took place?
- What major legislation was passed?
- What were the defining moments of these time periods?
- What could explain the warming periods in the 1900s – 1980s?
- What could explain the warming periods in the 1900s – 19080s?
Climate Change and Temperature: How do human activities contribute to climate change?
As we know, the Earth naturally has warming and cooling periods. These periods can even be exacerbated by weather events like el nino and la nina. Despite this fact, human activities have further contributed to this and accelerated the warming the Earth is experiencing. These activities have created more heat-trapping gasses in our atmosphere which is acting as a greenhouse, warming the planet.
Related Posts: Are We In a Climate Crisis? Understanding Climate and Weather
Human activities that cause more heat-trapping gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases) to be released:
- Burning of fossil fuels for energy and transportation
- Industry processes (like the production of cement and steel)
- Deforestation (cutting down trees)
- Decaying organic materials in landfills (food scraps, newspaper, grass, leaves, etc.)
- Livestock farming of cows, goats, and sheep)
- Livestock manure
- Production of oil and natural gas
- Rice production
- Livestock manure
- Fertilizing crops
- Wastewater treatment (handling of waste that goes down your drain or down the toilet)
- Refrigerant production
- Using aerosols
- Manufacturing aluminum, magnesium, and electronics
Questions to consider:
- Describe the carbon cycle. How does this relate or not relate to climate change?
- Is all carbon bad? Are there any benefits to having carbon in the atmosphere?
- What is one way we can reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere? methane?
- Calculate your carbon footprint. Are there any sustainable living changes you could make to decrease the amount of carbon you and your family produce?
I hope this blog post helped you learn more about understanding climate change and temperature!
Related Posts:
Leave a Reply