Lessons 3-5
Core Unit Part 3:
Patterns in environmental quality and sustainability
Atmosphere and change
Discuss the causes and environmental
consequences of global climate change.
Global climate change
Definition: The changes in global patterns
of rainfall and temperature, sea level,
habitats and the incidences of droughts,
floods and storms, resulting from
changes in the Earth’s atmosphere,
believed to be mainly caused by the
enhanced greenhouse effect.
Temperature
changes in
Greenland
over the last
75,000
years.
What do you
notice?
Causes of global climate change
Uncertainty in geography – try to avoid
very precise statements in your exam in an
area where there is uncertainty.
Nobody knows 100% what the exact causes
of global change are and there is even
more uncertainty regarding the
consequences it might have in the future.
It is therefore wise to show that you are
aware that there is uncertainty and that
there might be different results in the
end.
Debate : Is global climate change
a human or natural phenomenon?
• You will be given some information about
the human and natural causes of global
climate change.
• In your group, you need to have a short
speech prepared to convince your
opposition about your viewpoint.
• You can also use the IB Geog guide (p.32)
and Planet Geography to help you - p.
108-109 (human) or p. 104-105 (natural
– although the info is limited)
Lesson 4
Core Unit Part 3:
Patterns in environmental quality and sustainability
Atmosphere and change
Discuss the causes and environmental
consequences of global climate change.
Geography Homework:
Title: What are the expected global impacts of Climate Change in 2080-2099
according to the IPCC?
Task1: Complete the following table, using the BBC’s website.
Weblink: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/629/629/6528979.stm
Task 2: Find out what the positive impacts of climate change are – categorise them as
social, economic and environmental.
Due in  next lesson
Location
North America
Latin (South)
America
Europe
Africa
Asia
Australia & New
Zealand
Arctic
Antarctica
Temperature
Sea Level
Precipitation
Temperature Change
Sea Levels
Precipitation
•
Intergovernmental Panel of
Climate Change
IPCC - The Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change is the leading body
for the assessment of climate change, established by the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organisation
(WMO) to provide the world with a clear scientific view on the current
state of climate change and its potential environmental and socio-economic
consequences.
Amongst other things, they have made predictions about the changes in:
 Global temperatures
 Sea levels
 Precipitation.
You have 1 minute to discuss (ready to feedback) with the person next to you
why these three things are relevant to peoples lives around the world…
Impacts of Climate Change are Global…
The latest study from the
IPCC predicts that most
regions of the world will
witness a variety of negative
effects of global warming
including increased human
mortality, shifts in crops and
agriculture production, and
further degradation of local
ecosystems.
How might they impact
on peoples’ lives around
the world?
Task
• You are going to produce a world map showing the
negative impacts of climate change around the world…
• Each group will be given information about the negative
effects of climate change in a different region of the
world.
• You need to:
(1)Read the information about your region and in groups,
annotate it with a summary of the impacts of climate
change (an example is shown on the next slide)
(2)Classify the impacts as social, economic and
environmental
(3) Prepare a short presentation (max 2 mins) to
feedback to others in your class, so that they can add
information about the region you have studied onto
their own map.
By the end of the lesson:
You will have one region with more detailed notes and
the other 6 regions with less detailed notes…
20 minutes
Plenary: Group Presentations
• As each group is presenting their ideas
about the region they have studied, you
need to be adding annotations onto your
own world map…
• Each group will have no more than 2
minutes to present…
2 minutes
1. North America
2 minutes
2. Africa
2 minutes
3. Polar Regions (Arctic & Antarctic)
2 minutes
4. Central and South America
2 minutes
5. Asia
2 minutes
6. Europe
2 minutes
7. Australasia and the Pacific Region
Lesson 5
Core Unit Part 3:
Patterns in environmental quality and sustainability
Atmosphere and change
Discuss the causes and environmental
consequences of global climate change.
5 minutes
Starter: What negative impacts is
climate change having on planet Earth?
•From last lesson, recap
what some of the
negative impacts of
climate change are.
•Write 1-2 ideas on
your post it note and
stick it on the board…
5 minutes
What negative impacts is climate
change having on planet Earth?
Three impacts of climate change which have been seen
as being particularly problematic are:
1. Impact on food production
Reason it’s a problem:
2. Impact on sea levels
Reason it’s a problem:
3. Retreating glaciers
Reason it’s a problem:
Task: Copy the paragraph above – for each impact, give
1-2 reasons why you think that impact has been
deemed to be a big problem.
10 minutes
Impact on food production
• The global pattern of crop yield is expected to be
affected by climate change. The world’s most
important food are rice and wheat and these are
grown in distinct regions.
• Almost every country depends of food imports and at
any given moment the world has about 40 days worth
of food supply in store.
• If climate change reduces harvests significantly then
food prices will rise and some populations will be very
badly affected, especially in Sub Saharan Africa.
Data response questions:
(a) Using figure 7, identify the world’s largest importers and exporters of wheat.
Include data in your answer.
(b) In what ways would you expect these figures to change in the future? Explain
your answer.
Food production
• Currently – a small number of countries are
responsible for growing the majority of the world’s
wheat crop that is sold on the world’s markets. The
‘wheat belts’ in countries such as the USA, Canada
and the Russian Federation are in the interior of
these countries.
• Future prospects – climate change could potentially
affect these crop yields in a detrimental (negative)
way, e.g. through droughts, changes in
temperatures/rainfall, or flooding etc.
• This will not only affect the economies of the ‘wheat
belt’ countries but also the world’s food supply,
creating extra pressure on the governments to find a
solution to a global decrease in food supply.
20 minutes
Impact on retreating glaciers/ sea
level
• The vast majority of the world’s glaciers are retreating
(i.e. melting) – some more quickly than others. 90% of
glaciers in Antarctica are retreating.
• The melting of the glaciers/ice sheets is linked to the
rising of sea levels
• The melting of the glaciers at the poles and the increase
in the amount of fresh water could also affect ocean
water movements such as the Gulf Stream. This could be
diverted further south – potentially leading to colder
temperatures in Western Europe.
• Sea levels are also predicted to rise due to the expansion
of the sea water as it gets warmer
• Rising sea levels threaten the survival of small low lying
islands and coral reefs, and will have an impact on all
coastal regions. In addition, low lying deltas and
floodplains may be contaminated by sea water. This will
affect the local ecosystems.
Retreating Glaciers – before and after…
Data response question: Using the map below, describe and explain
the changes that are expected to happen to the summer sea ice
extent in the Arctic.
Data response question –What are the three scenarios that
the IPCC has predicted, for future sea level rise?
Extension – which of these three scenarios do you think is
most likely and why?
Data response:
By 2020, the IPCC has predicted that regardless of any changes we make
to our lifestyles, there will be little variation in the number of people who
are flooded.
 Using figure 9, describe the changes that the IPCC expects to see in
the future. Suggest reasons for your answer.
Figure 9: forecasts of the average annual global
number of people flooded under the three
scenarios set out by the IPCC.
5 minutes
Plenary – in pairs, discuss the answers to
these sentences
Three impacts of climate change which
have been seen as being particularly
problematic are:
1.
2.
3.
Other knock on effects of climate change
could be…
Did you get any of these?
Three impacts of climate change which have been
seen as being particularly problematic are:
1. Impact on food production
2. Impact on sea levels
3. Retreating glaciers
Other knock on effects of climate change could
be…
War/conflict, famine, loss of bio-diversity, threat
to human health (with more vulnerable at risk of
death in some cases), increased likelihood of
flooding and other natural disasters
Can you think of any others?
5 minutes
Conflict in Darfur, Sudan (East Africa) - an example of
a localised knock on effect of climate change…
• http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/n
ewsnight/7368366.stm
• A UN report in 2007 concluded that the Darfur
conflict in Sudan is driven by climate change and
environmental degradation, which threatens to
trigger a succession of new wars across Africa.
• The vulnerability of a community to climate
change depends on the sensitivity of the systems
it relies on to changes in temperature and
rainfall, its adaptive capacity, or ability to adjust
to new circumstances.
(If there is time)
Data response questions:
(a) Using figure 7, identify the world’s largest importers and exporters of wheat.
Include data in your answer.
(b) In what ways would you expect these figures to change in the future? Explain
your answer.
Data response question: Using the map below, describe and explain
the changes that are expected to happen to the summer sea ice
extent in the Arctic.
Data response question –What are the three scenarios that
the IPCC has predicted, for future sea level rise?
Extension – which of these three scenarios do you think is
most likely and why?
Data response:
By 2020, the IPCC has predicted that regardless of any changes we make
to our lifestyles, there will be little variation in the number of people who
are flooded.
 Using figure 9, describe the changes that the IPCC expects to see in
the future. Suggest reasons for your answer.
Figure 9: forecasts of the average annual global
number of people flooded under the three
scenarios set out by the IPCC.