Campaign brief Climate change

1. Campaign briefClimate change By Harry Su

2. contents Dummies’ Guide to Climate Change........................................................................ Slides 1-3 What is climate change?............................................................................................... Slide 1 Why’s it an issue?......................................................................................................... Slide 2 How can climate change be reduced?........................................................................... Slide 3 Letter to the Prime Minister....................................................................................... Slides 4-7

3. Dummies’ guide to climate change:WHAT IS CLIMATE CHANGE? • WHAT IS CLIMATE CHANGE? Climate change is the heating of a planet with an atmosphere, when more heat and light energy from a heat source is trapped inside the planet’s atmosphere than average, or than there previously was. The earth, where we live, is a planet with an atmosphere, and its main source of heat and light energy is a yellow dwarf star named the sun. Consequently, the sun is also one of two of the earth’s main causes of climate change. • WHAT CAUSES CLIMATE CHANGE, AND HOW DOES IT OCCUR? The cause of climate change on earth starts at the earth’s crust, where we live. Here, homo sapiens (our species) have developed knowledge and technologies far advanced in comparison to any other species known to us, allowing us sufficient understanding of science required to do many things never done before, on and off earth. One of the things done on earth was building buildings used to mass produce items, otherwise known as factories. One of the side-effects of factories, and some other places however, is their pollution of the atmosphere. Different forms of matter are released into the atmosphere in the form of gas, the majority of which are extremely harmful to the environment. Some of them are known as greenhouse gases, due to the effect they have when released into the earth’s atmosphere. When the sun’s rays hit the ozone layer, the light not reflected goes through not only the ozone, but also the greenhouse gases. When they go through these gases, the frequency of the light is altered, the difference between the original frequency and the new frequency depending on the amount of greenhouse gases. The light and heat energy with newly altered frequency goes down to earth, heats it , then is reflected back up to the ozone layer. The problem is when it hits the ozone layer. Due to its new frequency, the majority of it is reflected back to earth, and the minority of it goes into outer space. The more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the more the frequency is altered, and so the more light and heat will be trapped in the earth’s atmosphere, thus, the more climate change and the higher the temperature on earth. 1

4. Dummies’ guide to climate change:WHY’S it an issue? • HOW DOES IT MAKE ANY MAJOR DIFFERENCE, AND WHY SHOULD ANYONE CARE? While the rise in temperature can easily be ignored right now, most wouldn’t even notice it in the first place, it is quickly rising. Already, the general global temperature has risen by a few degrees Celsius/Kelvins, and, while it mightn’t seem like much, it’s a start, and when you consider that the entire surface area of earth has experienced this rise in temperature, it all adds up to a lot. Climate change has actually been making a big difference, the only reason why its not significant is simply due to the immense surface area of earth, or any item big enough, and, as such, to possess a gravitational pull strong enough, to classify itself as a planet. The earth is heating up, and if climate change isn’t reduced, it could provide an extremely threatening future. Venus, between Mercury and Earth, has an average temperature of about 735 Kelvins, or 462 degrees Celsius, and its traps almost all of the heat it receives from the sun with greenhouse gases. If we don’t be careful, the earth could get towards that point until we die out. As too cold is just as bad as too hot, the ozone was what made the temperature on Earth survivable, but if it were to be continually polluted with greenhouse gases, it may very well be what wipes out life on earth as well. 2

5. DUMMIES’ GUIDE TO CLIMATE CHANGE:HOW CAN CLIMATE CHANGE BE REDUCED? • CAN CLIMATE CHANGE BE COMPLETELY STOPPED? No, it is not possible to completely stop climate change, for two reasons. One, some climate change is actually natural, though the natural part is minute, and a tiny fraction in comparison to the total amount of change. Two, in order to stop climate change, the amount of greenhouse gases must be cut off completely. As our knowledge is not yet sufficient enough to do so without putting the majority of our technologies to waste, for now, climate change can only be reduced, though someday, there will be completely green energy sources and ways of production, for the reason why we have risen above all other species on Earth is due to our nature, which came from evolution. Our nature is to continue, to advance, and always strive for what we want, but seems can’t have. Some people call it greed, but, if so, it is a greed for something achieved fairly, and not to be thought of as a fault, but a quality to be proud of. But whatever you call it, most homo sapiens are never satisfied with what they have, but will always want more, and it is the same with their knowledge. Someday, greener ways will be found, the only question is when. • HOW CAN PEOPLE RESPOND TO CLIMATE CHANGE? Though climate change cannot be completely stopped at the current time, there are some ways to reduce the change made: • When purchasing electrical appliances, look for ‘Energy Star’ and ‘Water Star’ ratings. • Use clean energy sources (Solar, wind and water) • Recycle anything you can. • Turn off the power point as well as the appliance when not in use. • Use environment-friendly fuels for your car. • Make sure the tyre pressure on your car isn’t too low, or your car will use fuel quicker, making more gas emissions. • Check the fuel economy of any car you buy. • Don’t always use your car. Use public transport sometimes, and walk if you’re not far from your destination. • Always make sure that your car is in best working condition and efficiency. • Encourage others to help reduce climate change. END OF ‘DUMMIES’ GUIDE TO CLIMATE CHANGE’. 3

6. Letter to the Prime Minister To the Prime Minister, It has come to my attention that the rapid rate in the unwanted increase in climate change is becoming a rather large issue, and is providing the possibility of an increasingly worrying future. It is my wish for the production of climate change to be slowed, and my belief that, if addressed with the right method, such an achievement is possible. In this letter I shall briefly explain what climate change is, why I believe this matter deserves your prompt attention and response and why it should be of your higher interests to solve the problem, and what I propose to solve the issue, respectively. I hope you find my opinion and suggestions useful. Climate change, caused mainly by greenhouse gases which change the frequency of the light so as it cannot exit earth’s atmosphere, into space, is a permanent alteration of weather patterns and temperature statistics, significant enough to deserve major attention from meteorologists and concern some other people in society. Climate change can effect the general weather conditions, or the amount/frequency of weather phenomenon (e.g. destructive weather events (e.g. tornadoes, tsunamis etc.)). The speed of change, amount of area and region effected is immaterial, the change may even be global. Climate change is a major threat to us and poses an extremely worryingly future. I believe that the reduction of the production of climate change should be held in the greater interests of anyone willingly to improve the present and possible future of Australia, and, if successful enough, the world, and I believe this for many reasons. Climate change is warming the earth, and already the average global temperature has risen a few (Continued) 4

7. Letter to the prime minister degrees. Living on the crust of this planet, we are the first and most directly affected by any change in temperature or rise in frequency of any destructive weather phenomena. Though an absence of heat in an environment can be extremely deadly, too much excess heat can be just as deadly, as our neighbouring planet Venus(735K/462°C) has shown, and it achieved its hot environment with an atmosphere that stopped heat from getting out, just like greenhouse gases do. Climate change is most definitely a global threat, but if there’s one country that should be worrying about it, its Australia, and for more reasons than one. Already, there is a weakened area in the ozone, right above Australia, and the ozone is the one thing that stands between the raw heat of the sun and us, and when the sun shines on the surface of the moon, which has no atmosphere, the temperature soars up to 123°C, and goes down to -233°C in the shade, when the heat isn’t trapped by any atmosphere. A report on this century’s risks of Australia’s coasts due to climate change revealed that storms which currently happen every 10 years will, in 2100, happen every 10 days, meaning that the frequency of the storms will be 365 times itself in 90 years, which means that it will multiply itself by 4 times in THE NEXT YEAR if we don’t do anything about it. Powerful weather events can make catastrophic damage and deal destructive blows to the region(s) they affect, causing the government to pay billions of dollars to fix the damage that they leave in their wake. The report mentioned in the above paragraph also said that weather events currently occurring once every (Continued) 5

8. Letter to the prime minister century may occur several times a YEAR in 2100. Weather events such as the 2007 June storm in Newcastle, which forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes, lost over 200,000 homes’ power, stranded a coral ship on a local beach, and altogether made over 1.3 billion dollars worth of damage, was considered the sort of storm that would occur once in a century, but if things continue to go the way they are going, those sort of storms will be making much more frequent appearances before 2100, maybe even in few years time. Agriculture is a main source of food, and without food, it would be extremely hard to survive. Roughly 66% of Australia’s water is used for agriculture, and another one per cent for food processing, making agriculture extremely reliant on water, and extremely unstable should rainfall in Australia change. According to the National Farmers Federation, global temperatures should rise by 1-6°C by 2070, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts a rise in global temperature of about 1.4-5.8° by 2100, both sources of information predicting a dramatic rise in temperature. In Australia, this will mean that temperatures will heighten, storms strengthen, droughts lengthen, and evaporation of water quicken, all of which adds up to lower availability of food resources. Storms can lower the availability of food and fruit, as well, as demonstrated by Cyclone Larry in 2006 and Cyclone Yasi in 2011, when they attacked the banana crops of Northern Queensland. Lower availability causes the food to cost more, the best example being in 2007-2008, when wheat prices rose by 42% in a single year, due to the drought that made them harder to yield. As prices rise, some of the poorer communities mightn’t be able to afford the food, purchasing only food of lesser quality, which has raised some concerns, such as how poorer quality food may result in health problems such as childhood obesity. 6

9. Letter to the prime minister As storms and tropical cyclones increase, this will also put communities in tropical areas at risk. The population of tourist centres may decrease dramatically, and some major tourist attractions such as the Great Barrier Reef, which earns over 2 billion tourism dollars a year, will be heavily affected. I hope that I have convinced you that climate change is a major threat to our future, and that something must be done about it. You will find my proposed plan to help reduce climate change in the next paragraph, and I hope you find it useful. The plan of which I propose is as follows: • Attempt to pass a lawwhich limits the amount of pollution/greenhouse gases a company/factory can produce. • Fund organisations which research sustainable energy sources. • Reward companies which produce pollution/greenhouse gases below a certain threshold. • Organise campaigns to plant trees. • Publicise/raise awareness of climate change. • Place benefits for purchasing eco-friendly cars. Yours sincerely, Harry Su END OF ‘LETTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER’. END OF CAMPAIGN BRIEF. 7