Climate change: a general introduction

Solidarity for sustainability
Sustainable development initiative, Nepal



What is climate change?
Carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O), methane (CH4) and other halocarbons (HC) are considered to be green house gases (GHGs) when the layer of these green house gases get thick in the atmosphere, the heat reflected from the earth’s surface can’t penetrate that layer and heat is re-radiated back to the earth causing temperature rise on the earth’s surface. This increase in the temperature changes the different associated components of climate system which is known as “climate change”. The evidences from scientific study for 100 years (1906-2005) temperature data revealed that average temperature increasing is at rate of 0.74 degree Celsius.
Causes:
 Increasing use of fossil fuels in vehicles and industries
 Rapid industrialization
 Modernization of the agricultural sectors
 Deforestation
 Popularity on using luxurious items
 Land use changes
All these actions increase the emission of the GHGs in the atmosphere causing rapid rise in the temperature in the earth.
Effects and Impacts
 Temperature rise changing the monsoon pattern, time frequency and rate.
 Somewhere drought and somewhere over flooded due to heavy rainfall
 Landslides, erosion and flood
 Glacial lake outburst flood (GLOFs)
 Changes in distribution of flora and effects in fauna
 Forest, agriculture and biodiversity adversely effected
 Positive impacts like growth of new plants an colder regions due to temperature rise
What can we do?
• Reducing emissions of Green House Gases (GHGs)
• Reducing negative impacts of temperature rise and utilizing positive impacts called process of “adaptation”
• Telling others about climate change
• Using renewable energy (solar, wind, hydroelectricity, biogas) to reduce GHGs emission
• Giving pressure/ requesting to concerned state authority, political parties and community people to take actions against climate change