2.5.5 Climate change science notes

1. 2.5.5.1Greenhouse effect and greenhouse gases: sources and global warming potential

   Greenhouse gases let sunlight in but absorb the heat (infrared) the earth sends back, keeping the planet warm; adding more of them traps extra heat and causes global warming.

   Advanced · 9 min · Full course
2. 2.5.5.2Global warming: evidence and IPCC assessment findings

   The earth has warmed by about 1.1°C since the late 1800s, and the IPCC has concluded that human influence is unequivocally the cause.

   Advanced · 8 min · Full course
3. 2.5.5.3Impacts of climate change on India: monsoon, glaciers, coasts and agriculture

   In India, climate change shows up as hotter summers, a less reliable monsoon with more extreme downpours, shrinking Himalayan glaciers, rising seas and stronger cyclones, and these hit farm incomes hardest.

   Advanced · 9 min · Full course
4. 2.5.5.4Ozone layer depletion: ozone hole and ozone-depleting substances

   Man-made chlorine and bromine compounds such as CFCs and halons thin the stratospheric ozone layer that blocks harmful ultraviolet rays, creating an "ozone hole" over Antarctica each spring.

   Advanced · 8 min · Full course
5. 2.5.5.5Mitigation: carbon sequestration, carbon markets and India's Carbon Credit Trading Scheme

   Mitigation means cutting emissions or pulling CO2 out of the air; carbon markets put a price on emissions, and India's Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (2023) builds a domestic market for this.

   Advanced · 10 min · Full course
6. 2.5.5.6Adaptation, black carbon and geoengineering

   Adaptation means preparing for the climate change we cannot avoid; black carbon is a short-lived soot pollutant that warms the climate and melts ice; geoengineering is deliberate, large-scale intervention in the climate system.

   Advanced · 9 min · Full course

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