Activity 7

Waste and Pollution

Objectives:
1. Define global warming
2. Trace the causes of global warming
3. Explain the concept greenhouse effect
4. Describe El Nino and La Nina phenomena and their effects to plant and animal
diversity.

Critical Thinking Questions

1. What will happen to the earth if global warming continues?
Global warming is the phenomenon that everyone is facing today due to the impact

of increased surface temperatures. But global warming will have additional, far-reaching

effects on the planet. Warming modifies rainfall patterns, amplifies coastal erosion,

lengthens the growing season in some regions, melts ice caps and glaciers, and alters

the ranges of some infectious diseases. Some of these changes are already occurring. If

people could not stop the effects global warming then people must take actions just like

lessening the effects of global warming. For most places, global warming will result in

more frequent hot days and fewer cool days, with the greatest warming occurring over

land. Longer, more intense heat waves will become more common. Storms, floods, and

droughts will generally be more severe as precipitation patterns change. Hurricanes may

increase in intensity due to warmer ocean surface temperatures.

2. How does CFC cause ozone depletion?

Earth enjoys many advantages among the planets in the solar system, from its

moderate temperatures and the existence of water and oxygen to its layer of ozone
molecules that protect its inhabitants from the sun’s harmful energy. The advent of

chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, threatened the ozone layer and the survival of Earth

dwellers. Manufacturers thought the chemicals were the panacea to their manufacturing

headaches because CFCs emitted no odors, were stable, were not flammable or toxic

and could be manufactured cheaply. Little did these manufacturers know that their hopes

would be dashed only decades later.

Imagine when the sun’s UV rays come in contact with CFCs, the chlorine atoms

come loose. These chlorine atoms wander around the atmosphere until they meet up with

ozone molecules. The chlorine atom and one of the oxygen atoms of ozone combine,

leaving behind diatomic, or molecular, oxygen. When a free oxygen atom contacts this

chlorine-oxygen compound, the two oxygen atoms combine to form molecular oxygen,

and the chlorine goes off to devastate more ozone molecules. Molecular oxygen, unlike

ozone molecules, cannot keep UV rays from reaching the Earth's surface. As a matter of

fact, when UVB rays absorb the breakdown of CFC's elements it will result to a

contaminated UVB ray that will cause lot of genetic deficiency to the people if we don't

lessen the use of CFC

3. What can you do as a student to solve global warming and climate change ?
Global warming is naturally occurring today since as observed the glaciers

nowadays are evaporating so fast and it turns up the sea level to increase. Given the fact

that as a student we could lessen the effects of global warming by lessening the effects

of it. For example instead of burning plastics, throwing garbage anywhere what if we

recycle them. Recycling the garbage can lessen the effects of global warming also having

a discipline to our self is enough to lessen the effects of the global warming as I believe
the root of all tragedy that we are facing nowadays its cause from our wrong actions and

abusing interest.

4. How is El Ninos phenomenon related to La Nina?

We wait in anticipation of droughts and floods when El Niño and La Niña are

forecast but what are these climatic events. The simplest way to understand El Niño and

La Niña is through the sloshing around of warm water in the ocean. El Niño and La Niña

are opposite phases of what is known as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle.

The ENSO cycle is a scientific term that describes the fluctuations in temperature

between the ocean and atmosphere in the east-central Equatorial Pacific (approximately

between the International Date Line and 120 degrees West). While the La Niña is

sometimes referred to as the cold phase of ENSO and El Niño as the warm phase of

ENSO. These deviations from normal surface temperatures can have large-scale impacts

not only on ocean processes but also on global weather and climate.

5. Are El Ninos related to global warming?

It is not yet clear how climate change will affect El Niño and La Niña. The events

may get stronger, they may get weaker or they may change their behavior in different

ways. Some research is suggesting that El Niños might become more frequent with

climate change, while others are hypothesizing that the recent increase in El Niño is due

to climate change effects already having an impact.

Because climate change, in general, may decrease rainfall over southern Australia

and increase potential evaporation (due to higher temperatures) then it would be

reasonable to expect that the drought-induced by El Niño events will be exacerbated by

climate change.
6. Climate change is often described as environmental issue, but a potential change in
the earth’s temperature would affect many other aspects of human lives.
Hypothesize about what these effects might be and discuss them. Will anyone
benefit if global temperature rise?

7. Is the climate becoming more variable or extreme? How are these changes in a
longer term context? Can the observed changes be explain by natural variability
including changes in solar output?