climate change, does it matter? martin hedberg meteorologist swedish weather center
TRANSCRIPT
Climate change, Does it matter?
Martin Hedberg meteorologistSwedish Weather Center
Weather (Precipitation, clouds, winds, humidity, temperature…)
Natures way of balancing forces in the atmosphere.
ClimateClimate: Statistics about the weather.
Climate is the average weather pattern over a longer period of time.
100 years
Climate change (Weather patterns, glaciers, sea level rise…)
Climate change is a significant change in weather patterns.
When you put it in the perspective of a longer period of time you find it has
happened many times before.
100 000 years
Greenhouse effect
At any planet with an atmosphere.
Energy radiates from the earth surface
Radiation from the sun warms the earth’s surface
Without greenhouse gases:
-18 degrees!
With greenhouse gases:
+15 degrees!
Greenhouse gases are being warmed by the radiation from earth
Energy radiates from the atmosphere
External causes Solar activity
Earths orbit
Meteorites
Internal causesAnthropogenic
Emissions of greenhouse gases
Particles/clouds
Land change
Internal causesNatural
Feedback
Volcanic eruption
Chance
- Climate change -
Greenhousegases
Particles
Left in the atmosphere
for 1 week
Left in the atmosphere
for 100 years
(mostly a cooling effect)
(has a warming effect)
Roger Revelle and Hans E. Suess. Carbon Dioxide Exchange Between Atmosphere and Ocean and the Question of an increase of Atmospheric CO2 during the Past Decades. Tellus 1957.
CO2
Easy to make statistics from
Easy to compare to historical climate
There are more greenhouse gases, both natural and anthropogenic
There are more things than greenhouse gases that affect the climate
Carbon dioxide is used to describe
how we affect the climate
Ice age
Year 1900
Year 2100?
Year 2000
Climate change within 100 years:
About half an ice age, but on the warm side
Easy to make statistics from
Easy to compare to historical climate change
Might misunderstand ”climate-temperature” vs. daily temperature
Climate change is also precipitation, humidity, winds etc
Temperature as a tool to measure climate change
The thermometer is how we measure climate change
But it isn’t about the temperature itself.
It is all about the consequences.
Ideström & Skinnarmo
It’s getting warmer.
More evaporation. And more rain.
Sea-levels are rising, Glaciers are melting, Extreme
weather...
Plants and animals adapt, or disappear.
People and societies adapt.
”It’s just natural climate change”
”When we understand all the physics, we can stop it”
”Somebody else has to lower their emissions”
Humanity's large self-deception
Many small steps. They all add up.
More effective use of energy
Renewable energy
Capture carbon dioxidefrom both bio-fuels and fossil fuels
Weather patterns changeWhen, where, how often, strength…
Average temperature rises
More/heavier precipitationFlooding, landslides…
More evaporation. Drought, erosion, wildfires…
Long braking distance
Climate has…
Domino effectsClimate has…
Many irreversible processesClimate has…
YES Climate change matters.
As usual.