Raise your voice , not the sea level
World Environment Day Celebrations -2014
NLC, Neyveli - June 5, 2014
Dr. K. Kumaraswamy
Chairman, School of Geosciences
Bharathidasan University
Tiruchirappalli – 620 024
E-mail :kkumargeo@gmail.com
Dynamic Earth
Land – Water Boundaries
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Plates of the Earth – 14 + 14
Dynamic – Space and Time
Natural and Anthropogenic Activities
Natural movement and sea level rise
Anthropogenic Activities and Sea level Raise
Small Island Developing States (SIDS) 52
Action : Global to Local / Local to Global
Relative size of
Earth ! ?
Big,
Bigger, Biggest
Small, Smaller,
Smallest
The Universe…..!? Where are we…..?
WHAT IS THE LESSON ?
Earth is Dust
of the Dust
Ubiquitous
Resources
Think Future
Generation
Judicial
Utilization
Sustainable
Development
Are we.. ?
Physical evidences of global climate change :
Record-breaking global average temperatures for
air, land surfaces, lakes, and oceans;
Ice losses from mountain glaciers and from the
Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets;
Declining soil-moisture conditions and resultant
effects on crop yields;
Changing distributions of plants and animals;
Global impact of global sea-level rise, which
threatens coastal populations and development.
CAUSE AND EFFECTS OF GLOBAL
WARMING
Rise in
Atmospheric
Increased
Greenhouse Effect
CO2
Global
warming
Methane..
Melting of
Ice Sheets
Increased rainfall
and evaporation
Temporal
Changes
Rise in
sea level
Flooding
Loss of
coastal habitat
Breeding
pests
Disease
Antibiotics ?
Extinction of
Some species
Altered
Biomes
Carbon dioxide emission
2
China took the lead in overall carbon dioxide
emissions (29%), with the United States second
(16%), and the European Union third (11%).
On a per capita basis in 2011, China, with
19.5% of global population, produced 7.2 tonnes
per person, on par with the European Union (at
7.5 tonnes per person). The United States, with
4.5% of world population, produced 17.3 tons of
CO2 emissions per person. Among the world’s
major industrialized countries, Australia had the
highest per capita CO2 output at 18.3 tonnes per
person in 2011.
Climate Change Science :
It is an interdisciplinary study of
the causes and consequences of
changing climate for all Earth
systems and the sustainability of
human societies.
Climate change is one of the most
critical issues facing humankind in the
twenty-first century
Multidisciplinary Involvement in Environmental
Studies
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Engineering
Nature
Mathematics
Law
Human
Environment
Religion
Art
Sociology
Society
Culture
Literature
Political
Science
History
• There is still a considerable lack of awareness
about the interrelated nature of all human
activities and the environment.
• It is due to inaccurate and insufficient availability
of information, especially in developing countries.
• Sensor based in situ data collection, remotely
sensed data products, Geographical Information
System based analysis etc., would enhance the
precision and quality of environmental analysis.
• Besides, there is an urgent need to increase the
public sensitivity to environment issues and
involvement of various disciplines in solving
environmental problems.
Thank You ? !