PALAWAN STATE UNIVERSITY

College of Sciences

GE-STS: SCIENCE,
TECHNOLOGY AND
SOCIETY

Climate Change

Module 7
 Table of Contents

Content Page

Title Page
Table of Contents……………………………………………………………………….1
Learning Outcomes………………………..…………………………...………………2
Overview…….………………………………………………………………….............3
Initial Activity…………………….………………….......………………………………4
Discussion …………………………………………………………….………………..5
7.1 Climate Change and the Energy Crisis………………...............5
7.2 Causes of Climate Change………………....……….….………..6
Learning Check………………………………………………………………………..12
7.3 Effects of Climate Change on Society………………….….......13
Learning Check…………………………………………………….………………….14
Evaluation……………………………………………………………..……………….15
Rubrics………………………………………………………………………………….16
Lesson in Action ………………………………………………………………………18
References…………………………………………………………………................19

Page 1
 Learning Objectives

After going through in this module, you should be able to:

✓ LO2 Construct a fishbone map that shows the causes and effects of
climate change to humans and environment.

✓ LO3 Illustrate personal understanding on how dangerous climate change

is.

✓ LO4 Develop ideas on how humanity will solve climate change.

✓ LO5 Create a video presentation that disseminates knowledge on climate

change.

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 Overview

In our last module, we realized the Note it!

importance of nanoworld and gene therapy 416 parts per million the
(stem cell). Now we are going to proceed to concentration of carbon dioxide
the next topic which is the climate change, (CO2) in our atmosphere, as of
here we can be able to assess what is the May 2020, is the highest it has
been in human history
connections between nanotechnology and
other inventions to our earth’s climate. 2020 was one of the warmest
years on record and indicate
Our Earth’s climate is evolving. mounting risks of climate
change.
Many proofs show changes in our weather,
oceans, ecosystems, and more. We cannot Eleven percent of all global
explain all of these changes only by natural greenhouse gas emissions
cause by human is due to
causes. A human deed is adding to climate deforestation- comparable to
change; primarily by releasing billions of tons the emissions from all of the
of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other heat- passenger’s vehicles on the
trapping gases know as greenhouse gases planet.
into the atmosphere every year. Climate Eleven percent of the world’s
changes will continue. The more greenhouse population (800 M) is currently
gases we release, the larger future climate vulnerable to climate change
changes will be. (“Overview of Climate impacts, such as droughts,
floods, heat waves, extreme
Change Sciences”, 2017) weather events, and sea-level
rise.
4
In this module, we will talk about
how climate change affects our health, https://www.conservation.org/st
environment, and economy. ories/11-climate-change-facts-
you-need-to-know

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 Initial Activity

Mapping your Thoughts

Fill out the diagram arranging the following words given below to describe your
understanding of the structure of climate change.

Climate change, Cause, Evidence, Manage, Warming oceans, Natural

processes, Volcanic eruption, Human activity, Population increase,
Fossil fuels, Melting glaciers, Rising sea levels, Further scientific
research, Changing consumer behavior, Laws/policies

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 Discussion

7.1 Climate Change and the Energy Crisis

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), A United

Nations body that analyzes climate change science, releases its report on global
climate change. The report’s important conclusions were the following: world’s
climate change has changed significantly over the past century; the significant
change has human influence; using climate models and if the trends continue the
global means surface temperature will increase between 1 ºC and 3.5 ºC by 2100
(Serafica, et al., 2018).

But first, what is climate change? Climate change refers to the

statistically significant changes in climate for a continuous period. Factors that
contribute to climate change can be natural internal process, external forces and
persistent anthropogenic changes in the composition of atmosphere or land use. It
can be due to natural occurrences or contributed by acts of human beings (Serafica,
et al., 2018).

The global economy future will increase the consumption of needed

energy, especially with the developing Asian countries with high energy demand.
This is associated with the tremendous risk of climate change correlated with the use
of fossil fuel and other energy sources that makes supplying the required safe level of
energy increasingly difficult. People rely on coal, oil, and gas for over 85% of their
current energy needs, a situation that shows little sign of changing over the medium-
term without drastic policy changes. This dependence on COG (Council of
Government) is expected to increase by almost half in 2038. Even though humanity
understands the increase in demand for these energy sources, it is still alarming that 6
our resources may soon be lacking with catastrophic consequences for the world
economy and quality of life (Doria, et al., 2018).

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 Discussion

7.2 Causes of Climate Change

The causes of climate change could be natural or by human activities.

https://19january2017snapshot.epa.gov/climate-change-science/overview-
climate-change-science_.html

7.2.1 Natural Causes

1. Volcanic Eruption

One of the natural causes of climate change is volcanic eruption.

When volcanoes erupt, its release different natural aerosols like carbon
dioxide, sulfur dioxide, salt crystal, volcanic ashes or dust, and even
microorganisms like bacteria and viruses. The volcanic eruption can cause a
cooling effect to the lithosphere that can block a certain percentage of solar
radiation because it emitted aerosol. This cooling effect can last for one to two 7
years (Serafica, et al., 2018)

https://www.getrealphilippines.com/2020/01/the-opposition-are-
desperately-using-the-taal-volcano-eruption-to-make-duterte-look-bad/

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 Discussion

7.2.1 Natural Causes

2. Orbital Changes

Causes climate change also due to Earths orbits. This was proposed by
Milankovitch Theory with three elements that have cyclic variation are eccentricity,
obliquity and precession, its states “that as the earth travels through space around
the sun, cyclical variations in three elements of earth sun geometry combine to
produce variations in the amount of solar energy that reaches earth (Serafica, et al.,
2018)

https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/72339137751615567/

3. Carbon Dioxide Theory

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is added when power and heat are produced by
burning coal, oil, and other fossil fuel. Carbon dioxide is transparent to sunshine but 8
not invisible to infrared (heat) radiation leaving the ground. Carbon dioxide absorbs
part of the infrared radiation in the air and returns in to the ground keeping the air
near the surface warmer than it would be if the carbon dioxide raises the temperature
to 2 ºC to 3 ºC. (Serafica, et al., 2018)

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 Discussion

7.2.1 Natural Causes

4. Human Activities

One of the main contributors to climate change is human activities. The

burning of fossil fuels, which releases carbon dioxide gas into the atmosphere, is the
largest known contributor. Greenhouse gases and aerosols affect climate change by
altering incoming solar radiation and outgoing infrared (thermal) radiation that are
part of Earth’s energy balance. Warming or cooling of the climate system results from
changing the atmospheric abundance of properties of these gases and particles. The
overall effect of human activities on climate has been a warming influence Since the
start of the industrial era (about 1750). The human impact on climate during this era
greatly exceeds that due to known changes in natural processes, such as solar
changes and volcanic eruptions. Human activities result in emissions of four principal
greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide (CO2) methane (CH4) nitrous oxide (N2O) and
halocarbons (a group of gases containing fluorine, chlorine, and bromine). These
gases accumulate in the atmosphere, causing concentration to increases in time.
(Serafica, et al., 2018)

https://19january2017snapshot.epa.gov/climate-change-
science/overview-climate-change-science_.html

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 Discussion
5. Global Warming

It is the long-term warming of the planets overall temperature. Though

this warming trend has been going on for a long time, the burning of fossil fuels has
significantly increased in the last hundred years. As the human population has
increased, the volume of fossil fuels being burned also increase. Fossil fuel includes
coal, oil, natural gas, and burning them causes what has known greenhouse's effects
on the atmosphere. Global warming is the excess heat in the atmosphere that has
caused the average global temperature to rise over time. (National Geographic
Society, 2019)

Global warming has presented other issues called climate change.

Sometimes these phrases are used interchangeably, however, they are different.
Climate change refers to changes in weather patterns and growing seasons around
the world. It also refers to sea level rise caused by the expansion of warmer seas and
melting ice sheets and glaciers. Global warming causes climate change, which poses
a serious threat to life on earth in the forms of widespread flooding and extreme
weather. Scientists continue to study global warming and its impact on Earth.
(National Geographic Society, 2019)

These maps show temperatures

across the world in the 1880s (left)
and the 1980s (right). Blue colors
represent cooler temperatures
compared with the average
temperatures from 1951 to 1980,
and red colors represent warmer
10
temperatures compared to this
average. The map on the left shows
that it was colder in the 1880s in
most places. The map on the right
shows it was warmer in the 1980s
in most places. Earth's average
surface temperature has increased
by more than 1.5°F since the
https://19january2017snapshot.epa.gov/climate-
1880s. Two-thirds of the warming change-science/overview-climate-change-
has occurred since 1975, at a rate science_.html
of roughly 0.3°F – 0.4°F per decade

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 Discussion
6. Greenhouse Gases

They are gases that absorb and emit radiant energy within the thermal infrared
range, causing the greenhouse effect known as greenhouse gas. The primary greenhouse
gases in Earth’s atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and
ozone. (Wikipedia, 2021)

Gases that trap heat in the atmosphere are called greenhouse gases. This
section provides information on emissions and removals of the main greenhouse gases to
and from the atmosphere.

This graph shows the increase in

greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations in
the atmosphere over the last 2,000 years.
Increases in concentrations of these gases
since 1750 are due to human activities in
the industrial era. Concentration units are
parts per million (ppm) or parts per billion
(ppb), indicating the number of molecules
of the greenhouse gas per million or billion
molecules of air.

https://19january2017snapshot.epa.gov/climat
e-change-science/overview-climate-change-
science_.html

A. Carbon dioxide: carbon dioxide enters the 11

atmosphere through burning fossil fuels (coal,
natural gas, and oil), solid waste, trees and
other biological materials, and also as a result
of certain chemical reactions (e.g.,
manufacture of cement). Carbon dioxide is
removed from the atmosphere (or
sequestered) when it is absorbed by plants as
part of the biological carbon cycle. (Overview
of Greenhouse Gases, 2017)

https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/overview-greenhouse-gases

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 Discussion
B. Methane: methane is emitted during the
production and transport of coal, natural
gas, and oil. Methane emissions also
result from livestock and other agricultural
practices and by the decay of organic
waste in municipal solid waste landfills
(Overview of Greenhouse Gases, 2017).

https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/overview-greenhouse-gases

C. Nitrous oxide: nitrous oxide is emitted

during agricultural and industrial activities,
combustion of fossil fuels and solid waste, as
well as during treatment of wastewater
(Overview of Greenhouse Gases, 2017).

https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/overview-greenhouse-gases

D. Fluorinated gases: hydro fluorocarbons,

perfluorocarbons, sulfur hexafluoride, and
nitrogenous trifluoride are synthetic, powerful
gases that are emitted from a variety of 12
industrial processes. Fluorinated are
sometimes used as substitutes for stratospheric
ozone depleting substances
(chlorofluorocarbons, hydro
chlorofluorocarbons, and halons). These gases
are typically emitted in smaller quantities, but
because they are potent greenhouse gases,
they are sometimes referred to as high global
warming potential gases (High GWP gases).
(Overview of Greenhouse Gases, 2017)
https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/overview-greenhouse-gases

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 Learning Check

Make a fishbone map showing causes and effects of climate

change to both humans and environment.

13

Page 12
 Discussion

7.3 Effects of Climate Change on Society

Climate change could cause severe affects to all life forms around our
planet. It direct affects the basic elements of people’s lives like water, food, health, use
of land, and the environment. These are the following causes and effects of climate
change according to Serafica, et al., (2018).

⮚ Melting glaciers will increase flood risks during the wet season and strongly reduce
dry-season water supplies to one-sixth of the world’s population, predominantly in
the Indian subcontinent, part of china, and the Andes in South America. Melting or
collapse of ice sheets would raise sea levels and eventually threaten at least 4
million km2 of land, which today is home to 5 percent of the world’s population.
⮚ In Africa, are likely to leave hundreds of millions without the ability to produce or
purchase sufficient food because of Declining crop yields due to drought
⮚ Oceans edifications, a direct result of rising carbon dioxide levels, will have major
effects on marine ecosystems, with possible adverse consequences on fish stocks.
⮚ Climate change will increase worldwide deaths from malnutrition and heat stress.
⮚ Vectors-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue fever could become more
widespread if effective control measures are not in place.
⮚ Rising sea levels may results in more flooded areas each year with a warming of 3
ºC to 4 ºC.
⮚ There will be serious risks and increasing pressures for coastal protection.
⮚ Ecosystem will be particularly vulnerable to climate change, with one study
estimating that around 15-40 percent of species face extinction with 2 ºC of
warming.
⮚ Warming may induce sudden shifts in regional weather patterns like the monsoons 14
or the El Niño. Such changes would have severe consequences for water availability
and flooding in tropical regions and threaten the livelihood of billions.
⮚ The consequences of climate change will become disproportionately more
damaging with increased warming. Higher temperature will increased the chance of
triggering abrupt and large scale changes that leads to regional disruption,
migration, and conflict.

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 Learning Check

Make your own poster that shows your personal understanding on how dangerous
climate change nowadays is.

15

Page 14
 Evaluation

Essay Writing

Write an essay on how humanity will solve climate change. Give your essay a
creative title. (minimum of 300 words)

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 Rubrics

Table 1.3 Rubric for Concept Mapping/Poster Making

Criteria 10 9-7 6-4 3-1

Content Contents are Contents are Some contents Contents are

relevant. The relevant. Some of are not relevant. irrelevant. Many
topics are the subtopics are Some subtopics subtopics are
properly not included. are not included missing and are
summarized and Topics are and are not not properly
organized. organized. properly summarized
summarized and and organized.
organized.

Creativity Ideas and Ideas and Some of the ideas The concept
drawings are drawings are and drawings are map/poster is
creative. creative. Some creative. Some plain and no
Thoughts are thoughts are thoughts are creativity.
original; drawings familiar; drawings familiar; drawings
are neat and are almost neat are almost neat
clear. and clear. and clear.

17

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 Rubrics

Table 1.4 Rubric for Essay Writing

Criteria 10 8-9 5-7 1-4

Focus and One simple, well-focused One simple, well- Several subjects It is not clear about
Details subject exists. The key focused subject exist. The main the subjects and main
concepts are exists. Key concepts are concepts.
straightforward and well principles are somewhat
supported by thorough and simple, but apparent.
precise details. comprehensive
knowledge is not
well supported.

Creativity Thoughts and ideas are Thoughts and ideas Most of the The essay is plain and
creative. The voice is are creative. Most thoughts and without creativity.
original, and the essence of of the parts are ideas are
the topic is unique. original and creative. Some
creatively unique. parts are familiar.
Organization The whole essay is Most of the A few sections There is no
structured. The key topic is components are are not organization of the
given and an outline of the structured. The standardized. The whole essay. No
paper is provided. introduction sets main subject is simple introduction,
Knowledge is important and out the main mentioned in the structure, or
presented in a logical order. subject and offers a introduction. conclusion is present.
Inference is strong. summary of the There is a
article. A conclusion
conclusion is included.
included.
Sentence All phrases are well The majority of Most phrases are Sentences sound
Structure, developed and differ in phrases are well well built, but unnatural, are
Grammar, structure and duration. In built and differ in they have a repeated distractingly,
Mechanics & grammar, mechanics, and / form and duration. structure and/or or are hard to
Spelling or spelling, the author In grammar, duration that is comprehend. In
makes no mistakes. mechanics, and / or identical. In grammar, mechanics,
spelling, the author grammar, and/or spelling, the 18
makes a few mechanics, author makes several
mistakes, but they and/or spelling, errors that interfere
do not interfere the author makes with comprehension.
with learning. many errors that
interfere with
comprehension.
Instructor’s
Comments

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 Lesson in Action

Directions: Make a 3-5 minutes video presentation based on the given scenario
and activity below.

Scenario:
You are the Mayor of Puerto Princesa City and you are scheduled to meet with the
delegation of the United Nations (UN). The UN delegation will discuss the possible
climate change prevention project/program that may be developed – and hopefully
funded and implemented – in PPC. Such climate change prevention
program/project will form part of your Prevention Actions services in PPC.

Activity:
In this situation, the only reference you can hold on to is the lecture of your
instructor in this module. Read all the necessary discussions, and you can also
visit and check other references available if you want. As a mayor, come up with a
creative video presentation that you will be using to disseminate information about
climate change awareness to the public. Wear proper attire during presentation.
Your video presentation must contain the following elements and respond to the
following questions:

1. What is climate change?

2. What are the cause and effects of climate change?
3. What are the solutions of climate change?
4. What you can do to stop climate change?
5. What will happen if we do nothing to stop climate change?
19
Note: Don’t limit your presentation to the given questions, you can add more
information that are related to climate change.

Page 18
 References

Climate Change Science. (2016, September 9). Overview of Climate Change

Science. Environmental Protection Agency. https://19
january2017snapshot.epa.gov/climate-change-science/overview-climate-change-
science_.html.

Doria, et al. (2018). Science, Technology and Society. Jimczyville Publications. #16
Concha St., Bgry. Tinajeros, Malabon City.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions. (2020, September 8). Overview of Greenhouse Gases.

Environmental Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/overview-
greenhouse-gases

Muller, T. (n.d.). Climate Change: 11 Facts You Need To Know. Conservation

International. https://www.conservation.org/stories/11-climate-change-facts-you-need-
to-know

National Geographic Society (2019). Global warming. National Georgaphic.

https://www.nationalgeographic.org

Serafica, et.al. (2018). Science, Technology and Society. Rex Book Store, Inc. 856
Nicanor Reyes Sr. St., Manila.

Wikipedia (2021, January 25). Greenhouse gas.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenhouse_gas 20

Prepared by:

Nuevacubeta, Merick Jan U.

CS-BPS Faculty

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