ATMOSPHERE AND CLIMATE CHANGE
BY
(STUDENT NUMBER)
TO PROFESSOR
ENV0002
DATE OF SUBMISSION
Long-term changes in the climate that takes place over decades, centuries or longer are
referred to as climate change. It is brought on by the Earth's atmosphere's fast-rising
concentration of greenhouse gases, mostly as a result of burning fossil fuels (e.g., coal, oil,
and natural gas).
These heat-trapping gases are warming the Earth and the Oceans, causing changes in rainfall,
storm patterns, ocean currents, melting of snow and ice, more intense heat events, fires, and
drought. It is anticipated that these effects, which have already had an impact on human
health, infrastructure, forests, agriculture, freshwater supplies, coastlines, and marine
systems, will persist and, in some circumstances, worsen.
Catastrophic Effects
A nine-hour eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines in June 1991 released poisonous
sulphur dioxide gas, water vapour, and at least 15 to 20 million tonnes of volcanic ash into
the atmosphere. The gas changed into small sulphate aerosols or mists within two hours,
forming brilliant clouds. Between 1992 and 1993, the clouds covered the entire planet and
persisted for a full year, effectively lowering global temperatures by 0.4 to 0.5 degrees
Celsius. Two years later, when these cooling aerosols descended from the stratosphere, global
temperatures climbed once more.
Aerosol particles, despite being extremely tiny, can have a significant impact on the
atmosphere and climate. Known for changing monsoon circulations and precipitation patterns
all around the world, major volcanic eruptions and the high-altitude aerosol emissions they
cause have even been known to cause catastrophic droughts in Eastern China and India.
Although the consequences are somewhat different at the ground level, burning fossil fuels
can also produce aerosols that have an impact on the climate. However, while human
societies work to limit their emissions of these dangerous particles, they unintentionally
produce undesirable side effects as well.
AEROSOLS, CLIMATE CHANGE AND ATMOSPHERE
The average global temperature has been rising at a rate of 1.7 degrees Celsius per century
ever since the first Earth Day was held in 1970. The pace of warming prior to 1970 was only
0.01 degrees C per century. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued a
warning that if current trends continue, the average global temperature might increase by
more than 2 degrees Celsius by 2100, which would have catastrophic effects on the world.
Aerosols are a mixture of liquid and solid particles suspended in the air with unique chemical
compositions, sometimes referred to as particulate matter (PM). The health effects of an
aerosol are more severe the smaller it is. The lungs are easily penetrated by PM2.5, or
particulate matter having a diameter of fewer than 2.5 millimetres. Compared to PM10,
which has a width of at least 10 microns, PM2.5 has been linked to greater rates of
respiratory, autoimmune, and neurological illnesses.
In the atmosphere, aerosols like dust, pollen, plankton, and sea salt are thought to make up
90% of the particles. Up to 80% of the particulate matter in coastal locations, on average, is
caused by sea salt.
Nevertheless, manmade aerosols are the exact reverse. They are continuously released from a
variety of sources, including ships, coal-fired power stations, factories, oil refineries,
agricultural areas, and burning wood. Anthropogenic aerosols and greenhouse gases have
both sharply increased in the atmosphere since the start of the industrial revolution in the
Global North. By 1970, the general public and environmentalists were concerned about the
country's poor air quality as pollution levels increased.
Most human-made aerosols are created in the atmosphere from gas molecules. For instance,
when coal is burned, the sulphur that is already present in the fuel is oxidised and released as
sulphur dioxide gas into the environment. After that, the gas interacts with clouds, water
vapour, and other pre-existing substances to change into sulphate aerosols, which chill the
lower atmosphere.
In many places of the world, ozone pollution is now far worse than it was previously. Higher
temperatures speed up interactions between volatile organic molecules that are confined in
the lower atmosphere and nitrogen oxides. Researchers found that another factor contributing
to the rise in ozone pollution in Chinese cities is the removal of aerosols or small particulate
matter.
High concentrations of PM2.5 in the air used to behave as sponges, effectively absorbing the
radicals that caused ozone pollution. The aerosols reliably prevented the formation of ozone.
China unintentionally changed the chemistry of the atmosphere by vigorously attacking the
sources of sulphur dioxide emissions. According to a study, as the sulphate-dominated PM2.5
concentrations decreased, more sunlight and radicals were left behind to form ground-level
ozone.
Obligation To Solve World Inequality
The various difficulties associated with reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and air
pollutants while still fostering sound economic development are being addressed by climate
scientists and innovators worldwide.
The first global climate risk index with a child-centred perspective is presented in UNICEF's
2021 study, "The Climate Crisis Is a Child Rights Crisis: Introducing the Children's Climate
Risk Index" (CCRI). India is placed 26th overall out of 163 countries in the study. This
suggests that children in India are among those who are most "at risk" from the effects of
climate change, posing a threat to their safety, education, and health. According to the same
study, 90% of children worldwide breathe contaminated air every day, and air pollution is
linked to several of the leading causes of paediatric death, including pneumonia.
A 'green' pandemic recovery following the spread of COVID-19 could, according to UNEP's
2020 Emissions Gap Report, ‘shave up to 25% off the emissions we would anticipate seeing
in 2030 with the adoption of unconditional NDCs - putting the globe near to the 2° C route.
Thus, every single element causing disruptions in the atmosphere has catastrophic effects on
the climate.
REFERENCES
A Forward-Looking Perspective on the Interconnectedness of Climate Risks. (n.d.).
AIRWorldwide. https://www.air-worldwide.com/publications/perspectives/a-forward-
looking-perspective-on-the-interconnectedness-of-climate-risks/
Advancing the Science of Climate Change. (2010). National Academies Press EBooks.
https://doi.org/10.17226/12782
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/climate-change/
Zhang, L., Xu, M., Chen, H., Li, Y., & Chen, S. (2022, March 15). Globalization, Green
Economy and Environmental Challenges: State of the Art Review for Practical
Implications. Frontiers in Environmental Science; Frontiers Media.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2022.870271
Environmental sustainability and climate change | Internet Governance Forum. (n.d.).
https://www.intgovforum.org/en/content/environmental-sustainability-and-climate-
change
https://journals.indexcopernicus.com/search/details?id=44252
https://www.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-priorities/
