SDG 13 Climate Action-my focus-Ozone layer depletion,climate change,Green house gases,global warming
Introduction:
The 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) to transform our world:
GOAL 3: Good Health and Well-being
GOAL 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
GOAL 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
GOAL 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
GOAL 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
GOAL 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
GOAL 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
GOAL 16: Peace and Justice Strong Institutions
GOAL 17: Partnerships to achieve the Goal
For the PYP Exhibition, I am working with a team of young, bright, enterprising entrepreneurs who are working on their respective per STG.
Our team's name:Our actions affect the world
Our team focus was on :
Goal 13.Climate Action (Aiden)
Goal 11.Sustainable cities and communities (Aanyaa)
Goal 16:Peace and Justic Strong Institutions
Goal
Goal
Climate Action- my STG
2019 was the second warmest year on record and the end of the warmest decade (2010- 2019) ever recorded.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) levels and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere rose to new records in 2019.
Climate change is affecting every country on every continent. It is disrupting national economies and affecting lives. Weather patterns are changing, sea levels are rising, and weather events are becoming more extreme.
Although greenhouse gas emissions are projected to drop about 6 per cent in 2020 due to travel bans and economic slowdowns resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, this improvement is only temporary. Climate change is not on pause. Once the global economy begins to recover from the pandemic, emissions are expected to return to higher levels.
Saving lives and livelihoods requires urgent action to address both the pandemic and the climate emergency.
Ozone layer & the depletion of the ozone layer
The ozone layer is found in the lower portion of the earth’s atmosphere. It has the potential to absorb around 97-99% of the harmful ultraviolet radiations coming from the sun that can damage life on earth. If the ozone layer was absent, millions of people would develop skin diseases and may have weakened immune systems.
However, scientists have discovered a hole in the ozone layer in Antarctica. This has focussed their concern on various environmental issues and steps to control them. The main reasons for the ozone hole are chlorofluorocarbons, carbon tetrachloride, methyl bromide and hydrochlorofluorocarbons.
Ozone layer depletion
Ozone layer depletion is the gradual thinning of the earth’s ozone layer in the upper atmosphere caused due to the release of chemical compounds containing gaseous bromine or chlorine from industries or other human activities.”
Ozone layer depletion is the thinning of the ozone layer present in the upper atmosphere. This happens when the chlorine and bromine atoms in the atmosphere come in contact with ozone and destroy the ozone molecules. One chlorine can destroy 100,000 molecules of ozone. It is destroyed more quickly than it is created.
Some compounds release chlorine and bromine on exposure to high ultraviolet light, which then contributes to ozone layer depletion. Such compounds are known as Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS).
The ozone-depleting substances that contain chlorine include chlorofluorocarbon, carbon tetrachloride, hydrochlorofluorocarbons, and methyl chloroform. Whereas, the ozone-depleting substances that contain bromine are halons, methyl bromide, and hydro bromo fluorocarbons.
Chlorofluorocarbons are the most abundant ozone-depleting substance. It is only when the chlorine atom reacts with some other molecule, it does not react with ozone.
Montreal Protocol was proposed in 1987 to stop the use, production and import of ozone-depleting substances and minimise their concentration in the atmosphere to protect the ozone layer of the earth.
Causes of Ozone Layer Depletion
The ozone layer depletion is a major concern and is associated with a number of factors. The main causes responsible for the depletion of the ozone layer are listed below:
Chlorofluorocarbons
Chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs are the main cause of ozone layer depletion. These are released by solvents, spray aerosols, refrigerators, air-conditioners, etc.
The molecules of chlorofluorocarbons in the stratosphere are broken down by the ultraviolet radiations and release chlorine atoms. These atoms react with ozone and destroy it.
Unregulated Rocket Launches
Researches say that the unregulated launching of rockets result in much more depletion of the ozone layer than the CFCs do. If not controlled, this might result in a huge loss of the ozone layer by the year 2050.
Nitrogenous Compounds
The nitrogenous compounds such as NO2, NO, N2O are highly responsible for the depletion of the ozone layer.
Natural Causes
The ozone layer has been found to be depleted by certain natural processes such as Sun-spots and stratospheric winds. But it does not cause more than 1-2% of the ozone layer depletion.
Volcanic eruptions are also responsible for the depletion of the ozone layer.
Effects Of Ozone Layer Depletion
The depletion of the ozone layer has harmful effects on the environment. Let us see the major effects of ozone layer depletion on man and the environment.
Effects on Human Health
Humans will be directly exposed to the harmful ultraviolet radiation of the sun due to the depletion of the ozone layer. This might result in serious health issues among humans, such as skin diseases, cancer, sunburns, cataract, quick ageing and weak immune system.
Effects on Animals
Direct exposure to ultraviolet radiation leads to skin and eye cancer in animals.
Effects on the Environment
Strong ultraviolet rays may lead to minimal growth, flowering and photosynthesis in plants. The forests also have to bear the harmful effects of the ultraviolet rays.
Effects on Marine Life
Planktons are greatly affected by exposure to harmful ultraviolet rays. These are higher in the aquatic food chain. If the planktons are destroyed, the organisms present in the food chain are also affected.
Solutions to Ozone Layer Depletion
The depletion of the ozone layer is a serious issue and various programmes have been launched by the government of various countries to prevent it. However, steps should be taken at the individual level as well to prevent the depletion of the ozone layer.
Following are some points that would help in preventing this problem at a global level:
Avoid Using ODS
Reduce the use of ozone-depleting substances. E.g. avoid the use of CFCs in refrigerators and air conditioners, replace halon based fire extinguishers, etc.
Minimise the Use of Vehicles
The vehicles emit a large number of greenhouse gases that lead to global warming as well as ozone depletion. Therefore, the use of vehicles should be minimised as much as possible.
Use Eco-friendly Cleaning Products
Most of the cleaning products have chlorine and bromine releasing chemicals that find a way into the atmosphere and affect the ozone layer. These should be substituted with natural products to protect the environment.
Use of Nitrous Oxide should be Prohibited
The government should take action and prohibit the use of harmful nitrous oxide that is adversely affecting the ozone layer. People should be made aware of the harmful effects of nitrous oxide and the products emitting the gas so that its use is minimised at the individual level as well.
Climate change in simple words
Climate change describes a change in the average conditions — such as temperature and rainfall — in a region over a long period of time. NASA scientists have observed Earth's surface is warming, and many of the warmest years on record have happened in the past 20 years.
Climate change describes a change in the average conditions — such as
temperature and rainfall — in a region over a long period of time. For example,
20,000 years ago, much of the United States was covered in glaciers. In the
United States today, we have a warmer climate and fewer glaciers.
Global climate change refers to the average long-term changes over the
entire Earth. These include warming temperatures and changes in precipitation,
as well as the effects of Earth’s warming, such as:
- Rising
sea levels
- Shrinking
mountain glaciers
- Ice
melting at a faster rate than usual in Greenland, Antarctica and the
Arctic
- Changes
in flower and plant blooming times.
Earth’s climate has constantly been changing — even long before humans
came into the picture. However, scientists have observed unusual changes
recently. For example, Earth’s average temperature has been increasing much
more quickly than they would expect over the past 150 years.
According to NOAA's 2020 Annual Climate Report the combined land and ocean temperature has increased at an average rate of 0.13 degrees Fahrenheit ( 0.08 degrees Celsius) per decade since 1880; however, the average rate of increase since 1981 (0.18°C / 0.32°F) has been more than twice that rate.
Causes of Climate change
Humans are increasingly influencing the climate and the earth's temperature by burning fossil fuels, cutting down forests and farming livestock.
This adds enormous amounts of greenhouse gases to those naturally occurring in the atmosphere, increasing the greenhouse effect and global warming.
Greenhouse gases
The main driver of climate change is the greenhouse effect. Some gases in the Earth's atmosphere act a bit like the glass in a greenhouse, trapping the sun's heat and stopping it from leaking back into space and causing global warming.
Many of these greenhouse gases occur naturally, but human activity is increasing the concentrations of some of them in the atmosphere, in particular:
- carbon dioxide (CO2)
- methane
- nitrous oxide
- fluorinated gases
CO2 produced by human activities is the largest contributor to global warming. By 2020, its concentration in the atmosphere had risen to 48% above its pre-industrial level (before 1750).
Causes of rising emissions
- Burning coal, oil and gas produces carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide.
- Cutting down forests (deforestation). Trees help to regulate the climate by absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere. When they are cut down, that beneficial effect is lost and the carbon stored in the trees is released into the atmosphere, adding to the greenhouse effect.
- Increasing livestock farming. Cows and sheep produce large amounts of methane when they digest their food.
- Fertilisers containing nitrogen produce nitrous oxide emissions.
- Fluorinated gases are emitted from equipment and products that use these gases. Such emissions have a very strong warming effect, up to 23 000 times greater than CO2.
https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/climate-change/
https://byjus.com/biology/ozone-layer-depletion/
https://climatekids.nasa.gov/climate-change-meaning/
https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-global-temperature#:~:text=According%20to%20NOAA's%202020%20Annual,more%20than%20twice%20that%20rate.
https://ec.europa.eu/clima/climate-change/causes-climate-change_en
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