Green Climate Seeker

Tag: Water vapor

  • How to Adapt to the Effects of Climate Change?

    How to Adapt to the Effects of Climate Change?

    Climate change is an increase in global average temperature caused by human activities – particularly the burning of fossil fuels that add heat-trapping greenhouse gases to Earth’s atmosphere. But people can adapt to climate hazards and take advantage of opportunities that come with changing weather conditions.

    Communities around the world are getting better at doing this. They are building flood defenses, planting drought-resistant crops and protecting critical infrastructure from storm damage.

    Water

    Clean, safe water is essential for life. Yet around 450 million people lack access to adequate water supplies, and this number is growing as climate change makes floods and droughts more frequent. Floods contaminate and damage sanitation systems, which can increase the spread of deadly pathogens such as cholera; severe droughts reduce food production, increasing hunger and malnutrition; and rising sea levels increase salinity in drinking water sources. Droughts and floods also reduce agricultural productivity and increase costs of water-intensive industries such as tourism and energy.

    In addition, increased temperatures are expected to cause more water to fall than the soil and vegetation can absorb, resulting in floods or excess runoff. This water can pick up pollutants like fertilizer and carry them into larger bodies of water, contaminating drinking water supplies. It can also degrade water quality by raising water temperatures and causing the growth of Harmful Algal Blooms.

    As a result, water is one of the most critical climate adaptation priorities. But many of the tools available to address climate change-related water impacts – such as insurance, managed retreat via home structural mitigations and beach nourishment, or evacuation – have yet to be implemented in sufficient scale, nor are they accessible to all communities at risk.

    Adaptation strategies for water must be integrated into broader development, climate action and resilience efforts. They can be broadly classified as nature-based or technology-driven, and must include both. Nature-based mitigation strategies such as restoring and maintaining healthy ecosystems act as carbon sinks and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while technological approaches such as improved drainage and water storage can provide protection against climate hazards and promote sustainable development.

    IUCN has been active in the area of water and climate, with an emphasis on implementing the IUCN Global Water Programme, which provides a platform for sharing experiences. The programme focuses on improving water management in a changing climate and supporting the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, including the targets on climate change. However, in order to make a difference, global dialogue must transition into implementation and country-driven actions.

    Heat

    As extreme heat blankets the world, claiming lives and disrupting food production, water supplies, and more, people are learning how to adapt. But unlike hurricanes, wildfires and floods, adaptation to blazing temperatures is more complex and expensive. From opening cooling centers and extending public pool hours to girding electric grids for peak air-conditioning demand, climate adaptation to heat takes many forms.

    Communities need to become more resilient, from the ground up. The Paris Climate Agreement aims to increase resilience in all sectors of society, including education, water, and housing. This work is happening on a large scale, from building flood defenses to designing new schools that are more heat-tolerant. In urban areas, this may include improving street design and reducing the “urban heat island” effect – where streets, buildings, and pavement amplify the intensity of heat waves.

    While reducing heat-trapping emissions can help reduce the severity of climate change, it is important to prepare for the impacts that are inevitable. This is why the 2015 Paris Agreement includes, for the first time, an adaptation goal.

    Scientists predict that global warming will lead to more extreme weather and disasters, particularly in rural and low-income countries. Developing nations and communities that experience the most severe climate hazards also have the least resources to cope, which means they will face additional risks to their livelihoods, health, and wellbeing.

    This is why climate adaptation must go hand in hand with mitigation – cutting back on greenhouse gas emissions to limit the extent of future warming. The world is currently on track to warm even more than the target agreed in Paris, which could be catastrophic for communities around the globe.

    The good news is that we have the tools to mitigate the impacts of climate change and adapt to those that cannot be avoided. But we need to move faster if we want to avoid the most devastating effects of warming. The upcoming climate talks at COP26 in Glasgow offer an opportunity to raise ambitions on both mitigation and adaptation. It will be crucial that developed nations make a concrete commitment to support developing nations’ ability to adapt to unavoidable climate impacts, including heat.

    Food

    Climate change affects all aspects of our lives, from homes to health and food. The goal of adaptation is to reduce the risks of these climate impacts by learning how to cope with them. That means preparing for floods, heat waves, wildfires, and drought, while taking advantage of potential benefits like longer growing seasons and increased yields in some regions.

    Many of the same actions we take to mitigate climate change – such as cutting greenhouse gas emissions and expanding carbon “sinks” – can also help us adapt. But adaptation involves a different set of steps, and it’s crucial to make sure we have a plan in place.

    One of the most important ways to adapt is through our diets. Changing our habits can have a profound impact on the world’s climate, even if we do everything else right.

    For example, eating less meat and more plant-based foods will help reduce the amount of water used to grow crops. And reducing the waste we produce will cut down on emissions, too. About 1 billion tons of food – or 17 percent of the world’s food supply – ends up in trash bins each year. That adds up to a huge amount of greenhouse gases.

    Eighty percent of the world’s crops are rainfed, and climate change is altering rainfall patterns, increasing droughts, and making extreme weather more common. This is putting food security at risk for millions of people, especially in the world’s poorest regions.

    Rising temperatures also speed up evaporation from soil and plants, leading to reduced irrigation and water shortages. That may lead to more flooding and crop failures – as well as more pathogens and pollutants that can make their way into our food supplies.

    To combat these impacts, countries are implementing a range of adaptation strategies. Find out how your country is adapting by looking up its National Adaptation Plan. And see how communities are using nature to protect themselves from climate threats – like restoring mangrove forests in Kiribati that serve as a barrier against sea-level rise and provide fish, shelter, and water for humans and wildlife alike.

    Energy

    The climate changes caused by our greenhouse gas emissions are already putting pressure on energy systems. These include the power plants that provide electricity, as well as natural gas and oil pipelines and refineries. Increasing temperatures and rising sea levels will affect the reliability of those systems, increasing the risk of outages. They are also affecting the availability of water, which is critical for energy production. As the climate warms, melting polar ice and shifting rain patterns can reduce freshwater supplies. That’s especially important for energy-adjacent activities such as farming, cooling, and transportation.

    Fortunately, we can slow the pace of climate change. We can also invest in technologies that will help make our energy infrastructure more resilient to future challenges. That’s why it’s so important to support the clean energy transition, including renewable and storage technologies. It will benefit our businesses, our communities and the environment.

    Climate actions can significantly reduce the cost of a range of climate impacts, from hurricane damages to power system costs and residential utility bills that increase as the climate changes. In fact, one study found that if we don’t rein in our climate-related losses, those costs could reach the level of GDP by 2025 and more than double to GDP by 2100.

    In our current policy scenario, the additional energy needed to adapt to climate change adds up to about 5000 GtCO2eq by the end of the century. In more stringent mitigation scenarios that keep global mean temperature below 2.5°C and even lower in those that are well below, the total energy use for adaptation is much smaller.

    The difference is mainly due to variation in the cost of generation. Developing and tropical regions with low electricity efficiency and slower energy transitions will experience higher energy needs for climate change adaptation. The impact is also amplified by the direct effect of increased thermal comfort humidity on peak electricity demand, which can amplify power system costs and contribute to heat stress on equipment. Those effects are partly offset by behavioral changes in heating and cooling appliances, the use of more efficient new buildings and business models and a reduction in energy consumption from better urban planning.

  • The Most Abundant Gas in the Atmosphere

    The Most Abundant Gas in the Atmosphere

    Did you know that oxygen is not the most abundant gas in the atmosphere? It’s actually nitrogen, which is four times more abundant. In fact, these two gases make up 99 percent of the “dry air” in the atmosphere. This is because they are responsible for producing all of the oxygen in the air. But what’s even more amazing is that the two gases are so close in their properties that they form almost perfect chemistry.

    Nitrogen

    The atmosphere is a largely gaseous composition that is essential for all life. It provides oxygen for breathing, absorbs damaging ultraviolet radiation, protects the planet from falling meteorites, and regulates our climate and water cycle. Nitrogen is the most abundant gas in the atmosphere, accounting for 78% of the planet’s volume. Other gases, including oxygen, argon, carbon dioxide, and neon make up trace amounts of the atmosphere.

    Oxygen is the second most abundant gas in the atmosphere. Both gases are diatomic, meaning that they are composed of two atoms. Nitrogen makes up 78 percent of the atmosphere, while oxygen makes up 21 percent of the air. The third most abundant gas is argon, an inert gas. However, the two gases share a similar chemical structure. Both gases are essential for life and are important components of proteins, amino acids, and DNA. Nitrogen is also essential for the development of all living things, from a baby to a grown-up.

    In addition to being the most abundant gas in the atmosphere, nitrogen is also the most abundant element in the universe. Its chemical makeup makes it an excellent choice for protective barriers. Oil companies also use nitrogen in their drilling operations to push crude oil to the surface of the earth. But what is the most common gas in the atmosphere? Unlike nitrogen, oxygen is odorless and colorless but is extremely reactive with other elements. The abundance of oxygen in the atmosphere and in our bodies depends on our ability to absorb and release it.

    Oxygen

    The atmosphere is made up of many different gases, some of which are pollutants and others are greenhouse gases. Nitrogen is the most common gas, followed by oxygen and argon. These gases contribute to the global climate by influencing how much sunlight reaches the ground. They are also a major part of DNA and amino acids, two of the most important building blocks of life. Nitrogen is essential for the growth and development of all living creatures, including humans. Plants get nitrogen from their food, while animals obtain nitrogen from the soil they eat. The bacteria in the soil convert ammonium into di-nitrogen, which is a greenhouse gas.

    Oxygen is the second most common gas in the atmosphere. Both nitrogen and oxygen make up about 21% of the atmosphere, and nitrogen is about three times more common than oxygen. Oxygen and nitrogen make up the troposphere, which is the lower layer of the atmosphere, and water vapor makes up about 4% of the atmosphere. However, the concentration of water vapor varies widely across the globe. Water vapor makes up about 0.005 percent of the earth’s crust, but makes up a significant percentage of our atmosphere.

    Oxygen makes up 21 percent of the atmosphere. Other gases like nitrogen and argon make up less than one percent of the atmosphere. Nitrogen and oxygen make up 99 percent of the atmosphere, making them the most abundant gases in the world. While oxygen is the most abundant gas in the atmosphere, there are other gases in the air that are responsible for climate change. The two gases are responsible for many of the world’s climate problems.

    Water vapor

    A special report from the American Geophysical Union, or AGU, describes the state of knowledge about water vapor. The report is an outgrowth of research presented at the AGU Chapman Conference, held in Jekyll Island, Georgia, on October 25-28, 1994. At that conference, atmospheric scientists presented data on water vapor and identified areas for future research. The report also provides a look at the scientific process.

    While there are a variety of observational systems available for water vapor, the best data can be obtained by combining observations from different sources. To increase the accuracy of climate models, we should consider combining a combination of different observational methods. In the past, large-scale water vapor climatological studies have relied on radiosonde data, which are most accurate in the lower troposphere of populated areas. The data from these instruments, however, are limited at high altitudes and over remote oceanic regions.

    Water vapor is the most abundant gas in our atmosphere, making up over 4% of the total air mass. Human activities, including deforestation and irrigation, have only a small influence on the concentrations of water vapor in the atmosphere. Nitrogen and oxygen are the most abundant elements in the universe, with the other three being far less abundant. Nitrogen is the most stable element in the atmosphere and has accumulated far more than oxygen over geological time.

    Halogenated gases

    Although the GWP of halocarbons is not zero, it is not proportional to their ODP (ozone depletion potential). The GWP for each halocarbon depends on the chemical and physical properties of the molecule. For example, HFC-143a is not an ozone destroyer but is more than 5000 times more powerful than carbon dioxide in climate forcing. The GWP for halocarbons varies from less than one to 13 depending on the chemical composition of the molecule.

    The amount of halogenated gases in the atmosphere is increasing dramatically. Some of these gases have been identified as ozone-depleting, which means that they harm the ozone layer in the atmosphere. Although their concentrations have stabilized in the last few decades, they continue to increase because of the use of chemicals that deplete the ozone layer. In recent years, halogenated gases have also emerged as substitutes for ozone-depleting chemicals.

    After 1900, atmospheric halogens received little attention. Nevertheless, Cauer (1939) reported that iodine pollution in central Europe was a result of the inefficient burning of seaweed. Later on, Junge (1963) devoted less than three pages to halogen gas-phase chemistry, and he mentioned iodine. This study was based on the observation that the main source of halogens was sea salt. Furthermore, halogens were detected in the ocean waves.

    Methane

    Methane is the most abundant gas in our atmosphere. It is a colorless and odorless gas. It is found naturally and can also be produced by certain human activities. It is the most powerful greenhouse gas. Methane’s chemical formula is CH4.

    Methane is released into the atmosphere by burning coal, oil, and natural gas. The release of methane is a major anthropogenic cause of global warming. The extraction of natural gas and the destruction of bituminous coal are two of the biggest causes of methane emissions. Landfills also release large quantities of methane because organic waste decomposes underground in the absence of oxygen.

    Livestock also contributes a large portion of methane to the atmosphere. Livestock produces about 28 percent of the world’s methane emissions. But, other sources of methane include burning forests, rice fields, and wetlands. In developing countries, methane emissions are increasing due to land-use changes. As a result, the methane emission problem is becoming more serious.

    Methane emissions depend on local geography, but recent increases have been seen since the Industrial Revolution began in the eighteenth century. The increase is faster than geological timescales and is a clear sign that human activities are a contributing factor. Methane is also known to contribute to the greenhouse effect, trapping solar heat energy and preventing it from escaping into space. This helps keep the Earth warm enough for life.

    Carbon dioxide

    Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound that occurs naturally in the atmosphere and is constantly exchanged between the land, ocean, and atmosphere. A variety of microorganisms produce carbon dioxide and many plants and animals absorb it. These natural processes tend to balance each other when anthropogenic factors are not involved. However, since 1750, human activities have significantly contributed to climate change by adding CO2 to the atmosphere.

    The Earth’s atmosphere does not stratify like the air inside a tightly closed wine bottle, because the molecules in the air want to move. Because of this, they expand to fill the entire volume. In a tightly closed wine bottle, the molecules of CO2 do not mix until they are eighty kilometers above Earth’s surface. Unlike tightly sealed wine bottles, the Earth’s atmosphere is much more expansive, which means that CO2 molecules do not settle in stratified layers.

    The most common greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, is a trace component of the atmosphere. It accounts for 76% of all greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Nitrous oxides and fluorinated gases are the next two largest contributors. The most significant source of carbon dioxide is the burning of fossil fuels. In particular, fossil fuels are the primary source of electricity, while oil-based products provide most of the world’s transportation energy. Carbon dioxide is produced during the combustion of fossil fuels, as well as by plants during photosynthesis and respiration.