Climatic Change and Human Strategy

Write brief answers for the following questions:

1)  What do human beings often tend to forget when engaging in large-scale developmental activities?

A: - E.K. Federov (1910-1981) was a Russian Citizen. He wrote number of books and articles on Environmental protection and ecology and Meteorology etc.

           In this lesson, Federov says that Human beings often tend to forget the damage they cause to nature. The current scientific and technological progress seems to be making mankind less controlled by natural environment. The construction industry, which was highly seasonal in the past, now, we make it active all the year round. We, with this large-scale construction, only bother the development and we tend to forget huge burden we impose on earth. We often make holes on the earth to extract huge amount of mineral resources (e.g.:- petroleum, coal, natural gas, stone etc.). While we do so, we often forget the consequences of these actions. We, for the sake of power generation, use all types of energy resources like water, coal etc. to the maximum extent. People don't bother the direct release of huge amount of heat that prevails (spread) in the atmosphere.

          It is possible that with the advancement of technology we can even transform desert areas into vast agriculture fields. In this way we tend to do anything for our development. While, we don't consider our dangerous activities that effect on the composition of atmosphere and hydrosphere. The present humanity as measured both by its size and by the duration over which it has taken place, has increased so much that it can almost be compared with the natural phenomena of nature. Now-a-days we cannot consider nature self-balanced, self-controlled. We cannot also consider nature's resources inexhaustible

     Moreover, many of our actions, such as construction, or land reclamation are deliberately intended to continue for long periods of time.

2. What are the parameters responsible for the overall stability of climate in different parts of the world?

A: - Climate is a consequence of the workings of complex processes in the atmosphere, in the oceans and on land. In other words, the sum of stable characteristics of mean and extreme temperatures, precipitation amount, and seasonal river discharge is called climate.

                  As a result of unequal heating of the Earth's surface by the sun, an atmospheric circulation pattern is developed and maintained. Theoretically, this circulation is very straightforward. It is a system in which air is warmed at low levels in the equatorial region, ascends, and flows to pole ward. It is then cooled, descends and flows back towards the equator. The main features of this general atmospheric circulation in the average time span of some years or decades, do exhibit some continuity and permanence. This relative stability of overall pattern is due to the general constancy of several atmospheric and oceanic parameters, even though the values of these parameters differ from one part of the planet to another. These parameters include, less and extreme temperatures, balanced precipitation amount and seasonal discharges etc.

3. Have there always been noticeable differences in climate in the history of the earth?

A: - No. There haven't always been noticeable differences in climate in the history of the earth. There is a good reason to believe that during the last several hundreds of million years, the normal climate of the earth as a whole was almost similar than it is at present. There were very less pronounced differences in climate between different latitudes, which we experience today.

               However, several tens of millions years ago, this situation began to change, and the temperatures of high latitudes fell gradually. About two million years ago this process accelerated and Arctic region temperatures dropped sharply. A glacial period resulted, in which repeated advances of ice sometimes reached mid latitudes with intervening periods when the ice moved back.

           From the recent one thousand years, less marked climatic changes have taken place. The temperature of North Polar Region was higher than it is today and the limit of sea ice was further less than it is at present.

4. What are the two kinds of factors that cause the climate to change over long periods of time? Give two examples of each kind.

A: - There are two kinds of factors that cause the climate to change over long periods of time. They are: external factors and internal factors.

              External factors include variations in the quantity of radiation emitted by the sun and the changes in the earth's orbit around the sun. The average temperature of a region varies by depending on the amount of radiation it receives from the sun. When an area receives huge amount of radiation, its temperature levels will increase. If a region receives less amount of radiation, its temperature levels will decrease. Likewise, the variations in the average distance between the sun and earth may result in the variations in temperature of a region.

            Internal factors include the formation and movement of continental areas, the growth of mountain ranges and the volcanic activity of various kinds that produces dust and gases which may change the visibility and other characteristics of the Earth's atmosphere.

5. What are the main ways in which human development has affected climate patterns on the earth?

A: - Human beings are mainly responsible for climatic changes. Human existence necessarily has its effects on nature. Human development could not have taken place as it transformed various elements of the natural environment. Some of the impacts that are of the most relevance to the subject of climatic changes are;

→ Transformation of land surface of the planet by deforestation, by ploughing up of the Steppes (grasslands) and the Great Plains, the construction of huge man-made lakes and reservoirs, the conversion of large areas to a built-up environment etc. These transformations alter the reflectivity of earth's surface and this, in turn causes changes in the energy balance and in local atmosphere circulation patterns.

→ Changes in the water balance i.e. a great quantity of river discharge is used for irrigation or to meet industrial needs. Evaporation over land areas consequently tends to increase, and run off into oceans decreases. It is probable that the entire discharge may ultimately be utilized in this way. This will not change the general hydrological cycle on the planet, but it will lead to a different relationship between the various elements of the cycle in different geographical regions.

→ Changes in the energy balance. The earth-atmosphere heat balance can be changed both by alterations in the transparency(visibility) of the atmosphere (due mainly to carbon dioxide released by combustion of fossil fuels) and by direct release of huge amount of heat as a result of power generation and the use of all types of energy.

        The problem, now, with this kind of human activity is, if energy production were to increase repeatedly (which is quite possible during the next 100 to 200 years), the climate would begin to change on a regional and possibly on a global scale as well.

6. Two elements of the strategy mentioned in the essay are the assessments of the meteorological parameters of climate change and its relation to socioeconomic development. What is the third part of the strategy the writer recommends?

A: - E.K. Federov recommended three strategies to stop irreversible climatic changes.

              The first one is the appropriate assessments (understanding) of the meteorological parameters of climate change. The second one is the impacts of climatic change on socioeconomic development and vice versa.

                The third element of the strategy is to make recommendations to all the people on how to avoid the adverse results of climatic change, or if possible to avoid such change altogether. It is, for example, often suggested that fuel and energy use should be reduced to prevent the percentage of Co2 content of the atmosphere. Restriction of energy use is also recommended in order to preserve the planetary balance.

            The majority of these kinds of recommendations are aimed at the preservation of present climate. While international cooperation, peace and disarmament are also very essential to achieve these strategies.