What are the causes of Climate Change?

All must: Be able to describe one cause of

climate change on Global Scale (Grade D/E)

Most should: Be able to explain how people

have caused climate change on Global Scale
(Grade C/D)

Some could: Be able to evaluate to what

extent people have caused climate change on
Global Scale. (Grade A/B)

TASK 1: What do the slides A, B

and C show?
A

these pictures all show how the

Global climate is changing

So what has caused these huge changes

in the climate?
There are two main causes of global climate
change
- Natural causes
- Human Causes

Task 2 : Copy these

definitions
Global warming is the gradual
heating of the earth.
The Greenhouse effect is the process
by which certain gases in the
atmosphere trap heat from the sun.
So lets see how global warming
happens..

The sun heats up

the earth by
sending solar rays
towards us

Some of the suns

heat gets
reflected back into
space

The rest of the heat is

absorbed by
greenhouse gases and
does not escape the
atmosphere. Without
this process the earth
would be 30 c colder
and it would be difficult
for life to survive

However we are producing

too many greenhouse gases,
which means we are
absorbing more heat and the
earth is heating too much:
This is called the greenhouse
effect which is responsible
for global warming.

TASK 3: Draw and annotate your own

version of this diagram of the
Greenhouse effect

TASK 4: Natural causes of global

climate change
Read paragraph 1 Page 104 WJEC text book.
Copy the spider diagram below and complete
it using the information you have just read.
The world's climate varies naturally as a
result of:
Natural causes of
global climate
change

Human causes of global climate

change
Most scientists believe that human
actions are also causing climate
change.
Although greenhouse gases are
needed to maintain the earths
temperature, too much causes a
problem.
Certain greenhouse gases such as
carbon dioxide and methane are
known to trap heat in the

Title:
Causes of Climate Change
Recap:
List as many human causes of climate
change as you can!
4 minutes!

Task 5:
Add a subtitle to your work :
Human causes of global
warming.
For each of the following human
causes explain how people have
caused climate change.

A.Burning fossil fuels

Electricity is the main source of
power in urban areas. These power
plants are run on fossil fuels
(mostly coal) and are responsible
for the emission of huge amounts
of greenhouse gases such as
carbon dioxide and other
pollutants.
Key words
fossil fuels, oil /coal, carbon
dioxide

B. Car use
Cars, buses, and
Key words:
trucks are the
car /lorries, petrol,
main ways by
carbon dioxide,
nitrous oxide
which goods and
people are
transported in
most of our cities.
These are run
mainly on petrol
or diesel- both
fossil fuels. Cars
release carbon

C. Landfill
We create large
quantities of
waste which are
dumped as
landfill. The
breakdown of
waste releases
methane. Old
fridges that
have been

Key words:
waste, landfill, methane,
fridges, CFCs

d. Cutting down trees

(deforestation)

We use a huge amount

of paper in our work at
schools and in offices.
Have we ever thought
about the number of
trees that we use in a
day? Trees take in
carbon dioxide and
release oxygen. Without
trees levels of carbon
Key words:
dioxide
significantly
trees, paper, carbon
increase.
dioxide, oxygen

e. Population increase

A growing population has

meant more and more mouths
to feed.
High-yielding varieties of crop
are being grown to increase the
agricultural output. However,
such crops require fertilizers;
and more fertilizer means more
emissions of nitrous oxide.
Increased rice production in
Asia releases methane.
Increased cattle (cows) means
more methane produced
throughpopulation,
flatulence!! crops, fertiliser, nitrous oxide,
Key words:
Rice, methane, cows, methane, flatulence

So what evidence
do we have of
global warming?

Proof

of Global climate
change

(the magic dragon)

Graph 1:EVIDENCE:
What does this graph show?

Graph 2:EVIDENCE:
What does this graph show?

Graph 3:EVIDENCE:
What does this graph show?

Graph 4:EVIDENCE:
What does this graph show?

Graph 5: EVIDENCE:
What does this graph show?

The

BIG questions

Is our global climate changing?

Yes almost certainly
Has global climate change occurred
at the same time of human increases
in greenhouse gas emission?
Yes definitely
Is Global climate change a human or
natural effect?
You have seen the evidence . you
decide

Next lesson.Alternate futures . What will the effects of

Global climate change be for people around the world in the
years to come?

 All Must: Be able to describe one cause

of climate change on Global Scale
(Grade D/E)
Most Should: Be able to explain how
people have caused climate change on
Global Scale (Grade C/D)
Some Could: Be able to evaluate to
what extent people have caused climate
change on Global Scale. (Grade A/B)