Six Degrees Could Change the World

CHEM Assignment: “Six Degrees Could Change the World” January 30, 2020 . Please find the National Geographic Channel video “Six Degrees Could Change the World (2008)” Please search for the following terms and answer the questions below as you watch the video. After watching the video, complete the “After You Watch” part and Further Study proposal. Before You Watch: Define: Carbon Sink: a forest, ocean, or other natural environment viewed in terms of its ability to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Carbon Sinks are things that take CO2 out of the atmosphere via absorption and/or consumption in chemical reactions. Examples of Carbon Sinks would be forests, photosynthesising bacteria, and bodies of water. Carbon Source Carbon Sources are things that release CO2 into our atmosphere Examples of Carbon Sources would be cities, wildfires, and volcanos. Ocean Acidification it is the decrease in pH levels of the ocean caused by greater amounts of carbon dioxide being dissolved in it. Explanation: The acidification of the oceans is a direct consequence of greater amounts of carbon dioxide dissolving in it. Natural seawater is basic, i.e. it has a pH slightly over 7, which is neutral. The acidification that is occurring is more a reduction of this alkalinity and a movement towards neutral pH, rather than an actual formation of acidic seawater. The greater quantities of CO2 in the atmosphere results in more being dissolved in the oceans. This causes the formation of bicarbonate ions with the resultant release of H+ ions that reduce the pH of the seawater. Greenhouse Gases A greenhouse gas is a gas that absorbs and emits radiant energy within the thermal infrared range. Greenhouse gases cause the greenhouse effect on planets. The primary greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone Fossil Fuels Fossil fuels are hydrocarbons, primarily coal, fuel oil or natural gas, formed from the remains of dead plants and animals. ... Carbon Footprint the amount of carbon dioxide and other carbon compounds emitted due to the consumption of fossil fuels by a particular person, group, etc. As You Watch: 1. In __4___ decades all the glaciers on the __himalayas__, the source of water for millions, could be gone. 2. By the end of this century the Amazon rainforest, home to half the world’s ____bio diversity__, could whither to a dry savannah. 3. A temperature rise between 1 and _11 degrees F is possible over the next century. 4. In the winter of 2001, more than _900_ fires encircled Sydney. 5. Bushfires are already bad. Climate scientists predict that in the next _3_ decades, they’ll get worse. 6. A small percentage is the greenhouse gases, a cocktail of water vapor, carbon dioxide, ___methane___ and nitrous oxide. 7. Today, 383 _ carbon dioxide out of every million molecules is found in the atmosphere. 8. With one degree F of warming, the Arctic will be _ice free half of each year. 9. Six thousand years ago, much of the American southwest was a vast _dessert.______________. 10. In the last _million years it has never been more than 1 degree C warmer than it is now. 11. Nearly 90 percent of the world’s energy starts as a fossil fuel. 12. The carbon footprint__ means all the energy that was consumed each step of the way from each of the cheeseburger’s parts. 13. Two hundred million metric tons of __carbon dioxide equivalent _ are released each year for all the cheeseburgers eaten in the United States. 14. If there is a _____ degree F warming, we will lose the vast majority of the world’s tropical coral reefs. 15. The oceans are the world’s largest carbon _sink - nature’s primary mechanism for absorbing carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. 16. Too much carbon dioxide in the ocean can turn it _acid__. 17. Acidification of ocean water dissolves the _creatures shells___ and skeletons of forams and coccoliths. 18. It took nature 150. thousand_ years to make the Greenland ice sheet. 19. The Greenland ice sheet contains enough water to raise global sea level by as much as 7_ meters. This is enough to flood __london bagcock new York shang hi __ City, 20. In the summer of _2003__, there were severe heat waves in Europe. 21. Between 2500 and _2500-3000 people died in Paris the night of August 10th. 22. The death toll across Europe topped _30,000___. 23. Twenty percent of the world’s oxygen is produced by the amazon rainforest______________________. 24. Trees help generate 50_ percent of the water for rainfall in the Amazon. 25. One hundred year storm will become common if global temperatures warm 3 degrees F. 26. Hurricane Katrina’s winds reached _175_ mph. 27. If global temperatures rise 4 degrees F, the _mother gangi holly river_ River in India will dry up and become a dirty creek. 28. There will be no more glaciers in the Himalayas by the year 2035. 29. With a _5 degree F temperature rise, there will be vast social upheaval and fighting for resources. 30. With a ___6__ degree F temperature rise, the oceans will die, deserts spread, and cities will be flooded and abandoned. 31. We currently have experienced a __.8 degrees celcious_____ degree F temperature rise. 32. We could avoid a large increase in temperature if greenhouse emissions peaked by the year ___2015___. 33. The solution starts with increased efficiency. 34. Cars produce almost ____20__ percent of greenhouse emissions. 35. To keep warming below the critical 2 degree F threshold, we need to cut seven _billiom__ tons of greenhouse emissions each year. 36. Doubling the average fuel efficiency of all cars from 15_ mpg to 30_ mpg would save 1 billion tons. 37. One wind turbine can power about 300_ homes. 38. It would take more than two million__ wind turbines to replace coal power plants worldwide. 39. What two things do all climate scientists agree on? Don’t know and hope we never find out. After You Watch: Write a paragraph describing the impact of carbon on our global temperatures. Include the terms “Carbon Sink,” “Carbon Source”, “Ocean Acidification”, “Green Chemistry”, “Greenhouse Gases”, and “Fossil Fuels”. Do not just define these terms, but make them work together in an explanation. Green house gasses trap the heat from the sun and releases some to earth to keep the earth warm. Our most abundant greenhouse Gases are Water vapor, Carbon dioxide, and Methane. The impact of carbon on our global temperatures is affecting the sustainability our land and our ocens. An example of a Carbon Source is the emissions that we release into the atmosphere while burning fossil fuels. Carbon Sinks natural deposit that absorb carbon from the atmosphere and contribute to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the air.Oceans and forests are natural sinks and are responsible for extracting the co2 from the atmosphere. Oceans are often considered the main sink as it obsorbs about 50% of the carbon emited. Plankton coral fish and other photeseinthetic bactria are responsible for this capture. In the forest this is also done through photosynthesis. Forest plants store some cotent of the carbon and ruturn oxygen to the atmosphere. The problem with is that they have a maximum limt causing Ocean Acidification when exceded. It esencial to abandon dependence on Fossil Fuel and a strong commitment to renewable energies. This is where Green Chemistry comes in helping us engineer products designed to minimize or even eliminate the use and production of hazardous substances to our environment.