How UK is being affected by climate change
How UK is being affected by climate change? Global warming has a significant effect on the climate in UK. Four of the five warmest years for more than three centuries have occurred in the last 10 years. By the 2050s, annual temperatures in the south east of the country could be on average more than 2C warmer than they are now - 30 years later that may rise to more than 3C. Predictions by the Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia put global sea level rises between 12cm and 67cm by 2050.due to increased rainfall and rising sea levels. Parts of East Anglia as well as parts of the south east could end up under water. The threat of rising sea levels is compounded by the fact that the UK is gradually tilting (not equal in height). The south east of the country is sinking while the northwest is rising. Studies of long term trends of climate change at the Climate Research Unit have found that winter precipitation (the amount of water fall in winter) could increase by more than 20% by the 2080s. By contrast, in summer, central and southern UK could be much dryer than it is now with up to 18% less rainfall by 2080s. However northern England and Scotland is likely to experience the double whammy (double consequences) of both wetter summers and wetter winters. With hotter weather, the demand for water would increase significantly as would evaporation from reservoirs
Global Environmental System - The Global Climate Change Affects on UK
Module Title: Global Environmental System The Global Climate Change Affects on UK Table of Content The Global Climate Change Affects on UK 1 Table of Content 1 Introduction 1 The climate on the Earth 2 The effects on climate and human life 2 Climate change over UK 4 Climate history of UK 5 Conclusion 6 Bibliography 7 Introduction Since now, the global warming, the so caused global climate change and consequent effects on the global eco-system are getting worse increasingly. Human beings begin to pay more and more attention on the series of problems, which were directly or indirectly caused by human activities. The lake are filled by sands, trees are losing away, air is full of dust, all of those phenomenon are happening at every corner of the world, also including Britain. Before looking onto this part, we should be aware of the global general climate trend first. The climate on the Earth The climate is different with the weather. Usually the climate is described as the average weather condition over a relatively long period. However, it is not the only definition of the climate, there are over 50 definitions are accepted in the worldwide. Also the climate is always defined as in a local area; because the local climate is formed by many factors, and the factors are not always the same in vary areas. There are mainly three determinations of the local climate,
The UK government has failed to meet the challenge of climate change Discuss
'The UK government has failed to meet the challenge of climate change' Discuss Overwhelming scientific evidence shows that there have been changes in the global climate since the early 1900s, and that these climate changes, and future climate change predicted over the next century, are largely due to human activities and excessive greenhouse gas emissions, which are warming up the Earth. This is climate change is also known as global warming. This is a highly politically relevant issue because it has sparked interest of the public globally and therefore interest of the politicians all over the world. In the UK most environmental targets are set by the EU, due to the fact that 27 countries can make more of an impact than one country can in terms of climate change. However many people argue that The UK government have failed to meet the challenge of climate change because it tends to put the economic needs at the expense of the environment, this is reflected by the current environmental secretary who said money cannot be spent on environmental policies when the nation is at a risk of economical crisis. It could be argued that the government has not failed to meet the challenge of climate change because the previous Labour government introduced the climate change bill in 2008. This included targets to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 80 per cent by 2050. This policy made the
Climate change
Climate Change presentation Climate Change in relation to energy In relation to the UK case study, i will take a main example of climate change in relation to energy of "The Low Carbon Transition Plan." * Main ideas of The UK Low Carbon Transition Plan. Transforming the country into a cleaner, greener and more prosperous place to live is at the heart of our economic plans for 'building Britain's future' and ensuring the UK is ready to take advantage of the opportunities ahead. * The UK Low Carbon Transition Plan plots how the UK will meet the 34 percent cut in emissions on 1990 levels by 2020, set out in the budget. * We have already reduced emissions by 21 percent - equivalent to cutting emissions entirely from four cities the size of London. The objectives are, by 2020: * More than 1.2 million people will be in green jobs. * 7 million homes will have benefited from whole house makeovers, and more than 1.5 million households will be supported to produce their own clean energy. * Around 40 percent of electricity will be from low-carbon sources, from renewables, nuclear and clean coal. * We will be importing half the amount of gas that we otherwise would. * The average new car will emit 40 percent less carbon than now. Main Carbon Emissions * The 3 types of fossil fuels that are used the most are coal, natural gas and petroleum. When fossil fuels are combusted,
Climate Change
U.K Climate Change and its Effects The threat of climate change will have impact in the following areas of life in the British Isles: • Sea level rises • Flooding • Ocean currents • Health • Agricultural • Wildlife However there may be new opportunities offered by a warmer climate. However, the overall effect of climate change for the world is NEGATIVE. Rising Sea Levels Sea level will rise by between 10cms and 90cms this century depending on how we reduce CO2 emissions. The coastline of Britain could change dramatically. Low lying areas could be invaded by the sea e.g. East Anglia Ocean Currents The Gulf Stream brings warmth to the UK and north-west Europe and is the reason we have mild winters. The average annual temperature of north-west Europe is about 9C above the average for our latitude. If greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase, the temperature and density of the sea water in the North Atlantic will change with dramatic consequences. The gulf stream may stop or be greatly reduced. This would mean that less heat is brought to north-west Europe - harsher winters and mild summers. Flooding The UK has experienced devastating floods throughout the last five years, which have affected thousands of people and caused millions of pounds worth of damage. Last Summer's floods shocked the country - Large town were cut off or under
Climate Change revision
________________ Geo Skills & Challenges Part I ________________ These changes occurred due to natural causes. Natural causes of climate change are grouped into two categorises, internal and external factors. External Factors Solar Output: The amount of energy released from the sun changes over time. The concentration of sunspots can indicate the amount of solar energy emitted. The more spots there are; the more energy is given off and the warmer our climate is. (0.1% 1980’s) Orbital Patterns: The shape of the earth’s orbit around the sun changes over time. It changes from being virtually circular to being elliptical and back again every 95,000 years. Cold periods in our past have tended to occur during periods of circular orbits. Internal Factors Volcanic Activity: Volcanic eruptions can release large quantities of ash into the atmosphere. This ash acts like a blanket and blocks out the sun, reducing the amount of solar energy that reaches the Earth. To confuse matters... volcanoes can also release massive amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere,
What Factors affect Britains climate ? essay
Weather is different in every country even city. Climate is the general weather conditions usually found in a particular place. Through climate we can judge the type of fruit or vegetables that grow in a certain area. The Mediterranean climate is good for growing citrus fruits and grapes. Where as the American climate is good for growing bananas and Indian and Pakistani climate is perfect for mangoes. Britain is an island country and is surrounded by sea which gives it a varied climate. We never actually know what the weather will be like, one day it might be sunny the next there might be rain. As we have such a variable climate its hard to predict in general we have warm summers and cool winters our summers our cooler than other countries because we are surrounded by sea but our winters are milder. The main influence on Britain's climate which are important are latitude , altitude ,distance from the sea, ocean currents and the prevailing winds. Latitude: Latitude is the position north or south of the equator measured from 0° to 90°. If you are on the equator then your latitude would be zero. If you are near the north pole your latitude would be nearly ninety degrees north and if you are more to the south pole your latitude would be almost 90 degrees south. The further away from the equator you are the colder it is. Therefore when we compare the UK with a country such
Barcelona - location and climate
Destination 1-Barcelona INTRODUCTION-Barcelona is the most popular tourist city of the kingdom Spain, it is the second largest city in Spain, the city purely radiates atmosphere. WORLD MAP LOCATION OF SPAIN Spain is large country located in south-western Europe on the Iberian Peninsula, however the mainland of the city is bordered to the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea it does however share borders with France, Portugal Andorra and Gibraltar, and it is also adjoining the Bay of Biscay, Mediterranean Sea, to the North by France, Andorra and the Bay of Biscay and to the west by the North Atlantic Ocean, and Pyrenees Mountains, Portugal and the southwest of France. LOCATION OF BARCELONA Barcelona is situated on the Mediterranean coast in the east of Spain; the city is however positioned at 41.40°N Latitude and 2.17°E Longitude. The country Spain is situated in Europe, Europe is one of the worlds 7 continents which is separated from Asia to its east and to its north it is the Arctic Ocean, Europe is located in the Northern hemisphere of the earth. To the west is the Atlantic Ocean and on the south it is of course the Mediterranean Sea. MAP OF EUROPE ON THE MAP ABOVE BARCELONA IS HIGHLIGHTED BARCELONA-CITY AREA: 91 SQUARE KM; METROPOLITAN AREA: 477 SQUARE KM From the UK to Spain the approximate driving distance is around about 940 miles where as in KM it
Notes on Managing Climate Change.
Managing Climate Change Adaptive Capacity: the extent to which a system can cope with climate change. In human systems it depends on available human physical and financial resources. Climate vulnerability: the degree to which a natural or human system lack the ability to cope with climate change. Vulnerability is a result of the magnitude of the change, its speed of onset, the sensitivity of the system and its adaptive capacity. Mitigation or adaptation? Mitigation mean reducing the output of greenhouse gases and increasing the size of greenhouse gas sinks. I.e. targets to reduce emissions, switching to renewable energy sources, capturing carbon emissions from power stations and storing them. Adaptation means changing the lifestyles to cope with new environment rather than trying to stop climate change. I.e. managed retreats of coastlines vulnerable to sea level rise, developing drought resistant crops, enlarge conservation areas to allow shifting of habitat zones. > For human systems i.e. the economy, mitigation could involve an upfront cost, to reduce atmospheric pollution to 'safe' levels. Adaptation might mean costs were more gradual and spread over time. > For natural systems like ecosystems, mitigation could limit damage. Some ecosystems may not be able to 'adapt' and could lead to death and my cause extinction. Wealthy countries may have the adequate
Climate change
Climate Change: True or False? Climate change has become a main part of today's media and global warming has become a major talking point for many of us. There seems to be much advertised evidence to support the theory of climate change and also there is information on how it is going to affect our lives. Also there is evidence to support the fact that climate change is not as bad as it is made out to be. From an article I have read called 'Instant Expert: Climate Change' I have gained much evidence to support the theory of climate change and some of the causes. Some of the theories that are believed to lead to climate change are the burning of fossil fuels which releases billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year and carbon dioxide is known to trap the Sun's radiation and in turn heat up the planet. This is believed to cause an increase of 2-5°C and this very small temperature rise could have catastrophic effect on crop growth, drought, ice caps melting, weather changes and the destruction of some habitats. However there is evidence from 'An Experiment That Hints We Are Wrong on Climate Change' that suggests that the Earth is not warming up as quickly as it is made out to be. It claims that there has been no overall change in air temperature since 1999 and that even though the sea-ice in the Arctic has diminished since 1978 it has grown by 8% in
