Lesson 8 Scientific Collaboration on Climate Change
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| Course: | Science 10 [5 cr] - AB Ed copy 1 |
| Book: | Lesson 8 Scientific Collaboration on Climate Change |
| Printed by: | Guest user |
| Date: | Sunday, 7 September 2025, 6:44 PM |
Introduction
What is the scientific and international community doing about climate change?
The international scientific community and other international communities have joined together to continue researching and assessing the impacts of climate change. There are international groups who are continuing to investigate climate change, and others who have joined together to fight climate change. In this lesson, you will learn about some of the present and historical groups.
This lesson will also teach you about the technology being used to measure, model, and interpret climate and climate change. You will learn how scientists research climate change, and you will learn the limitations of the scientific community.
This lesson will also teach you about the technology being used to measure, model, and interpret climate and climate change. You will learn how scientists research climate change, and you will learn the limitations of the scientific community.
Targets
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to- describe the technology in measuring, modelling, and interpreting climate and climate change
- evaluate the role of science in increasing the understanding of climate and climate change through international groups
- describe the limitations of scientific knowledge and technology in making predictions related to climate and weather
Watch This
How Climate Scientists Predict the Future © YouTube SciShow
Watch this video for an outline of how climate models were invented and how they have changed over the years. The video also talks about some of the limitations seen by these climate models. It talks about how the accuracy of our climate models has increased over the decades and how these models have successfully predicted climate in the near future. Please note that this video uses GCM to represent general climate models while this course uses GCM to represent general circulation models.
Climate Technology
What technology is needed to study climate and climate change?
In order to make the most accurate predictions and study climate and climate change across the globe, scientists from different countries need to work together and share data. As more and more scientists are willing to share their data and work with other scientists, the predictions they are able to make about climate change become more and more accurate.
With this willingness to share data and research, the tools scientists are using are getting more and more advanced as well. This has also increased the accuracy of the predictions around climate change, as it helps scientists gain a better understanding about the factors affecting climate. A better understanding of these factors as well as better computers has allowed scientists to build complex models to use for future predictions. NASA also maintains a fleet of Earth science spacecraft and instruments in orbit to study all aspects of Earth. The information sent back to Earth from this fleet helps scientists observe the impacts of different factors and gives them more data to feed into their models, making those models even more accurate.
© NASA
D8.2 NASA’s Earth-observing satellites
D8.2 NASA’s Earth-observing satellites
© NOAA, via Wikimedia Commons
D8.3 The different parts of an atmospheric model such as a GCM
D8.3 The different parts of an atmospheric model such as a GCM
Currently, the most commonly used type of model is a general circulation model (GCM). All climate models use mathematical representations of the interactions between the different parts of climate and the laws of physics to predict what will happen to our global climate in the future, and the GCM is no different. Smaller models will focus on smaller geographical locations, and some scientists argue those models are actually more accurate.
The problem with the smaller models is that scientists would then have to put all the data from each of the smaller units together to get an idea of what will happen globally. Scientists need to think about the data they have and the question they are trying to answer before picking the model that will work best for them. It will not always be a GCM.
GCMs focus on the effects of changes affecting Earth’s energy balance, such as changes in insolation and albedo and thermal energy transfer in the atmosphere. By focusing on these key factors, the model can predict how our climate will react to different factors in the future. Using climate models is quite expensive though, so scientists often have to come together and share resources in order to use one.
GCMs focus on the effects of changes affecting Earth’s energy balance, such as changes in insolation and albedo and thermal energy transfer in the atmosphere. By focusing on these key factors, the model can predict how our climate will react to different factors in the future. Using climate models is quite expensive though, so scientists often have to come together and share resources in order to use one.
Did You Know?
© NASA
D8.4 NASA logo
D8.4 NASA logo
As of 2017, NASA has 15 missions operating to observe and record climate data with 7 more planned for 2018 and beyond.
Watch This
NASA’s vantage point to view Earth © NASA https://adlc.wistia.com/medias/h4re2e6480
No planet is better studied than the one we live on. This video will show you the highlights of NASA’s fleet of Earth science missions and spacecraft. With instruments in space, scientists can get data for the whole globe in detail they cannot get anywhere else.
Read This
Please read page 419 in your Science 10 textbook. Make sure you take notes on your readings to study from later. You should focus on the technologies that scientists use to study climate change and how scientists make them more accurate. Remember, if you have any questions or you do not understand something, ask your teacher!
Practice Questions
Complete the following practice questions to check your understanding of the concept you just learned. Make sure you write complete answers to the practice questions in your notes. After you have checked your answers, make corrections to your responses (where necessary) to study from.- What is the most common type of model used to predict changes in our future climate?
A general circulation model (GCM) is the most common model used.
- How do scientists increase the accuracy of the models they use?
They increase the accuracy of the models by using the most up-to-date data. This data mostly comes from observations from around the globe on Earth’s surface and by satellites in space. Scientists from different countries have to work together to share data to make sure the models have a comprehensive view of the global climate.
As our knowledge around climate and climate change increases, so does the accuracy of our models, as we can fine-tune them with the knowledge we have gained. Better technology and computers has also helped increase the accuracy of the models.
International Agreements
How have governments and the international community been involved in climate change?
- describe the role of the IPCC
- describe the role of UNFCCC
- describe the Kyoto Protocol, and say why Canada withdrew from it.
- Give the goal of the Paris agreement
D8.5 Governments working together
Governments around the world are starting to see the dangers of climate change and are coming together to do what they can to prevent it. Since the 1980s, two main international bodies have been formed to lead the way on climate change research:
the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Governments have been asked to participate in three agreements to try to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of their
countries. You will read about the Montreal Protocol in your textbook, but we will not focus on it here as this agreement has been completed. We will study the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement, reviewing Canada’s participation in each.
The IPCC is an organization formed in 1988 that collects and shares data and information around climate change. It is a group of scientists who were brought together by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment
Program (UNEP) to gather and analyze information related to climate change and then report that information back to governing bodies.
The IPCC was the first group to link climate change to the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and it continues to lead the way in climate change research.
The information provided in the reports from the IPCC provides the background knowledge needed for governments to develop climate-related polices as well as all international agreements related to climate change. These reports are made public, so anyone can read them.
For more information on the IPCC or to read any of the reports they have created, please go to the IPCC website. https://www.ipcc.ch/
The information provided in the reports from the IPCC provides the background knowledge needed for governments to develop climate-related polices as well as all international agreements related to climate change. These reports are made public, so anyone can read them.
For more information on the IPCC or to read any of the reports they have created, please go to the IPCC website. https://www.ipcc.ch/
Take Notes
Make sure you take notes on your readings to study from later. You should focus on the purpose of the IPCC. Remember, if you have any questions or you do not understand
something, ask your teacher!
D8.7 UNFCCC Logo
The UNFCCC is an agreement between 197 nations of the world to work toward stabilizing greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activity. This organization does not plan how to stabilize greenhouse gases; instead it lays out the
process for making international agreements that outline how to stabilize greenhouse gases. The UNFCCC created the Montreal Protocol, the Kyoto Protocol, and the Paris Agreement.
When nations entered the UNFCCC, part of the agreement signed was to ensure any action taken must
When nations entered the UNFCCC, part of the agreement signed was to ensure any action taken must
- not threaten global food production
- not threaten the economic interests of any nation
- support sustainable development
Read This
Please read pages 421 and 422 in your Science 10 textbook. Make sure you take notes on your readings to study from later. You should focus on the Montreal Protocol
as a historical agreement and the key element of the UNFCCC. Remember, if you have any questions or you do not understand something, ask your teacher!
© Canuckguy and Danlaycock, via Wikimedia Commons
D8.8 Status of countries within the Kyoto Protocol
D8.8 Status of countries within the Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement created from the UNFCCC that gives the nations involved emission reduction targets. This agreement was signed in 1997 by 160 countries. These countries agreed to set a goal of a 5% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2012, using the levels from 1990 as a baseline. In December 2012, an amendment was made to the Kyoto Protocol creating a second goal ending in 2020 asking the countries involved to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 18% below the 1990 levels. This amendment also revised the list of greenhouse gases to be reported. Different countries are involved in each of the two goals; Canada was only involved in the first goal, and we did not reach the goal.
The Kyoto Protocol placed higher goals on developed or industrialized countries. This agreement stated developed countries are mostly responsible for the current high levels of greenhouse gases, as they have been producing these gases for over 150 years. Many countries, including Canada, felt this was unfair, as developing countries are currently releasing more greenhouse gases than developed countries. Because of this idea, Canada was given a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 6% below 1990 levels by 2012. Canada pulled out of the Kyoto Protocol in 2011, stating we were unable to meet this goal and it would cost us too much money to purchase the emission-reduction credits needed to meet the goal. Our government felt the money could be better spent on other Canadian priorities, including environmental protection. The following statement was made by the government at the time, outlining Canada’s problems with the Kyoto Protocol:
“From an environmental perspective, the Kyoto Protocol has not served the international community well in meeting the real challenges of global climate change or effectively engaging all major economies. The Protocol only covers countries
responsible for a small, and increasingly smaller, percentage of global emissions and, as a consequence, is not an effective vehicle for addressing the global challenge of climate change. Importantly for Canada, the United States, which
is Canada’s biggest economic trading partner and is responsible for nearly 20% of global emissions, is not covered by the Kyoto Protocol.
These issues have led Canada to focus its efforts on the development of a fairer and more comprehensive global agreement based on the Copenhagen Accord, the Cancun Agreements and the Durban Platform. This includes implementing domestic measures toward achieving Canada’s GHG emissions reduction commitments.”
– December 15, 2011, Government of Canada
These issues have led Canada to focus its efforts on the development of a fairer and more comprehensive global agreement based on the Copenhagen Accord, the Cancun Agreements and the Durban Platform. This includes implementing domestic measures toward achieving Canada’s GHG emissions reduction commitments.”
– December 15, 2011, Government of Canada
Read This
Please read pages 422 to 424 in your Science 10 textbook. Make sure you take notes on your readings to study from later. You should focus on the key elements of the Kyoto Protocol and its problems. Remember, if you have any questions or you do not understand something, ask your teacher!
The Paris Agreement is the first agreement created from the UNFCCC where all 197 nations are involved. Once each country has signed the agreement, the leader of each country needs to take the agreement back to the government in their country.
Once government accepts the agreement, it has been ratified. As of December 2017, 171 of the 197 countries have ratified the Paris Agreement.
The goal of the Paris Agreement is to keep the global temperature rise this century below 2 ˚C, and, if possible, make efforts toward keeping the temperature rise below 1.5˚C. Recall that the current prediction is the global temperature will raise 2 to 6 ˚C this century. The agreement also aims to help countries deal with the impacts of climate change. The agreement includes appropriate financial resources and technology to help developing and vulnerable countries reach their goals.
The goal of the Paris Agreement is to keep the global temperature rise this century below 2 ˚C, and, if possible, make efforts toward keeping the temperature rise below 1.5˚C. Recall that the current prediction is the global temperature will raise 2 to 6 ˚C this century. The agreement also aims to help countries deal with the impacts of climate change. The agreement includes appropriate financial resources and technology to help developing and vulnerable countries reach their goals.
Other important elements of the Paris Agreement include the following:
- Each country is expected to put forward its best efforts by creating nationally determined contributions (NDCs), and these efforts are expected to increase each year.
- Countries are to meet every five years to report on their progress and create new NDCs.
- Countries aim to reach a peak of greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible; after the peak is reached, greenhouse gas emissions should only get smaller.
- Countries should conserve and, if possible, grow, carbon sinks.
- The agreement aims to help countries adapt to climate change through support and international cooperation.
- The agreement states developed countries should be helping and supporting developing nations reach these goals through the voluntary donation of finances and resources.
- Countries should be educating their population on climate change, making sure the public is aware of the information around climate change.
As of the end of 2017, Canada is still part of the Paris Agreement; however, we are lagging behind in our goals. According to UN Environment, Canada’s existing targets are too low and we do not have the policies in place to even meet
the targets we have made. If Canada and the other countries involved in the Paris Agreement do not meet the goals needed, there is no hope of keeping the global increase in temperature to below 2 ˚C this century. The Canadian government
says they are working toward the targets they have come forward with.
D8.10 Parliament of Canada in Ottawa
Take Notes
Make sure you take notes on your readings to study from later. You should focus on the key parts of the Paris Agreement and Canada’s status within it. Remember,
if you have any questions or you do not understand something, ask your teacher! Digging Deeper
D8.11 People around the world
In 2015, a group of youths filed a constitutional climate lawsuit against the US government. Their complaint is that the government failed to protect essential public trust resources and that through the government’s actions that cause climate change, the government has violated the youngest generation’s constitutional rights to life, liberty, and property. The case is still ongoing. Go to the following link for more information about this court case.
Practice Questions
Complete the following practice questions to check your understanding of the concept you just learned. Make sure you write complete answers to the practice questions in your notes. After you have checked your answers, make corrections to your responses (where necessary) to study from.- What are the two international organizations around climate change? How do they differ from the agreements?
The two international organizations are the IPCC and the UNFCCC. These organizations differ from the agreements because they are not action plans; they provide data and information around climate change (the IPCC) and a process for creating agreements (the UNFCCC).
- What are the two international agreements outlined in the course? What is Canada’s status in each?
The two international agreements are the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement. The Montreal Protocol is also outlined in the textbook. Canada has completed the Montreal Protocol, left the Kyoto Protocol as it did not meet the goals, and is currently still part of the Paris Agreement. Canada is lagging behind in our goals for the Paris Agreement, though.
Limitations of Science
What are our limitations with ongoing research into climate change?
How does science measure weather? How does it determine climate?
Historically, weather was measure using weather stations in large cities and some small towns. Ships also collected weather data. This data documented only a fraction of the Earth's weather in total, so it gave only an incomplete picture.
Weather data is also collected by balloons and airplanes in the atmosphere, and by submarines and floating stations underwater. Yet this is only a small sample of world weather.
A complete picture of world weather might be obtained by a systematic array of weather stations world wide. This is not economically feasible. Instead we have used satellites and remote sensing to obtain global data over the past few decades. Science has been studying climate for only a short amount of time.
You have seen that historic weather and climate data can be be obtained indirectly using ice core samples, varves, tree rings, etc. This gives use data for hundreds of thousands of years. You also know that there are many mechanisms that affect climate, like intensity of the sun, size and shape of Earth's orbit, and tilt of Earth's axis.
Climate models are mathematical models that rely on powerful computers to process all of the variables. Considering the issues with data, and the factors that affect climate, making computerized climate models has be only moderately successful.
Predicting future climate is hindered by a lack of data, an incomplete knowledge of the complex factors that affect climate, and a limit on the processing power of computers running massive amounts of data through complex mathematical algorithms. Predictions over vast areas of Earth seem accurate, but predictions about smaller areas, like North America, are less reliable.
Scientists agree climate change is occurring, the effects this will have on Earth and on individual locations are not clear. The biosphere is a very complex system with many interactions, so it is very difficult to predict what will happen when one or many of those interactions change. Even factors that seem simple, such as the effect of clouds on climate, have turned out to be very complex. The impacts of climate change could be quite small, or they could be huge. Recent natural disasters, such as the six major hurricanes, the floods in South Asia, the droughts in East Africa, and the forest fires across North America in 2017 alone, seem to point to the impacts of climate change being quite large. None of these natural disasters were caused solely by climate change, but it was a factor.
Historically, weather was measure using weather stations in large cities and some small towns. Ships also collected weather data. This data documented only a fraction of the Earth's weather in total, so it gave only an incomplete picture.
Weather data is also collected by balloons and airplanes in the atmosphere, and by submarines and floating stations underwater. Yet this is only a small sample of world weather.
A complete picture of world weather might be obtained by a systematic array of weather stations world wide. This is not economically feasible. Instead we have used satellites and remote sensing to obtain global data over the past few decades. Science has been studying climate for only a short amount of time.
You have seen that historic weather and climate data can be be obtained indirectly using ice core samples, varves, tree rings, etc. This gives use data for hundreds of thousands of years. You also know that there are many mechanisms that affect climate, like intensity of the sun, size and shape of Earth's orbit, and tilt of Earth's axis.
Climate models are mathematical models that rely on powerful computers to process all of the variables. Considering the issues with data, and the factors that affect climate, making computerized climate models has be only moderately successful.
"Modern climate models can simulate the present-day climate and some historical climate fluctuations reasonably well. These models describe the climate with satisfactory reliability, especially on a global scale. But for smaller geographical areas the models are less reliable. It is much easier to infer the globally averaged temperature than to predict the future precipitation in Berlin. Extensive measurement series are required to better understand regional climate. For many regions of the Earth, in the Southern Ocean for example, there are long time periods in the past with only a limited number of measurements. Today data are provided in these areas by satellites." (worldoceanrivew.com)
Predicting future climate is hindered by a lack of data, an incomplete knowledge of the complex factors that affect climate, and a limit on the processing power of computers running massive amounts of data through complex mathematical algorithms. Predictions over vast areas of Earth seem accurate, but predictions about smaller areas, like North America, are less reliable.
Scientists agree climate change is occurring, the effects this will have on Earth and on individual locations are not clear. The biosphere is a very complex system with many interactions, so it is very difficult to predict what will happen when one or many of those interactions change. Even factors that seem simple, such as the effect of clouds on climate, have turned out to be very complex. The impacts of climate change could be quite small, or they could be huge. Recent natural disasters, such as the six major hurricanes, the floods in South Asia, the droughts in East Africa, and the forest fires across North America in 2017 alone, seem to point to the impacts of climate change being quite large. None of these natural disasters were caused solely by climate change, but it was a factor.
D8.13 Different versions of the same location
Read This
Please read pages 415 and 416 under “Evaluating the Evidence of Climate Change” in your Science 10 textbook. Make sure you take notes on your readings to study from later. You should focus on the limitations scientists face while studying and predicting climate change. Remember, if you have any questions or you do not understand something, ask your teacher!Practice Questions
Complete the following practice questions to check your understanding of the concept you just learned. Make sure you write complete answers to the practice questions in your notes. After you have checked your answers, make corrections to your responses (where necessary) to study from.- What are the political limitations discussed in this section regarding climate change?
The political limitations discussed in the course are requiring countries to work together toward a common goal, needing countries to implement changes to reach those goals, and convincing the general population to accept the changes that need to be made.
- What are the scientific limitations discussed in this section regarding climate change?
Scientists do not fully understand all the limitations in the biosphere, and this limits their ability to understand climate change and predict what will happen. Climatology is also a relatively new field of science, so there is not much data to work with. Paleoclimatology uses indirect data, such as the space between tree rings or the particles and air pockets embedded within glaciers, to infer what the climate was like in the distant past.
The Study of Climate
What do we know about the study of climate?
D8.14 All hands needed to help fight climate change
Weather data has only been collected for a few hundred years. It was collected in only a few places on Earth. In most places, weather is constantly changing, and climate changes as well. A few hundred years is a very tiny sample of climate data.
More extensive weather data has been collected in the past few decades. There are more weather stations on Earth collecting more types of data. Satellites use remote sensing to collect data from vast area of the globe, and have produce huge amounts of data. Remote sensing is increasing and improving to make our knowledge of Earths climate related systems more complete. Weather stations, satellite data, weather balloons and undersea sensors are all direct ways of obtaining the data that we use to determine trends in climate.
Historical climate date is indirectly obtained from ice core data, varves, tree rings and coral growth, and many other ways. This gives us a picture of climate for up to 800 000 years. Inferences made from fossil evidence give us some ideas about Earths climate over the last 3 billion years.
There are many natural factors that affect climate. Climate models are mathematical models with many variables. We know they are not perfect, but they are improving. Huge amounts of direct and indirect data have been collected and are processed by powerful computers that run the mathematical models. Advances in computers are making the study of climate more efficient.
Science judges the reliability of climate models by how well they make predictions. The models are sometimes test by putting in historical date to see if they predicted the changes in climate, which we already know. Overall, it seems that climate models reliably predict broad changes over large areas, but do not predict specific changes over smaller areas.
Most evidence agrees that climate has been warming over the past 100 years. What is concerning to most people is that the rate of change seems to be greater than at any time in the past 800 000 years.
Analysis of many kinds of data indicate that the change seems to be man-made. This is called anthropogenic climate change. There are many scientific organizations that believe this is true and try to inform and find ways to fight climate change.
Climate changes will be very damaging to human civilization and change the natural world. (This will be further explored in the next lesson.) It has become a very important issue. While scientific evidence for climate change is extensive and growing, it is not complete. Conclusions about climate change seem more and more valid, they still have shortcomings.
In spite of the shortcomings, most governments collaborate through the UNFCCC and the two current agreements created from the UNFCCC. These agreements, the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement, have countries working together to meet common goals and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These types of agreements can be difficult to uphold, as countries often have a hard time working with each other.
In the next lesson, you will study the potential impacts of climate change and some potential solutions.
More extensive weather data has been collected in the past few decades. There are more weather stations on Earth collecting more types of data. Satellites use remote sensing to collect data from vast area of the globe, and have produce huge amounts of data. Remote sensing is increasing and improving to make our knowledge of Earths climate related systems more complete. Weather stations, satellite data, weather balloons and undersea sensors are all direct ways of obtaining the data that we use to determine trends in climate.
Historical climate date is indirectly obtained from ice core data, varves, tree rings and coral growth, and many other ways. This gives us a picture of climate for up to 800 000 years. Inferences made from fossil evidence give us some ideas about Earths climate over the last 3 billion years.
There are many natural factors that affect climate. Climate models are mathematical models with many variables. We know they are not perfect, but they are improving. Huge amounts of direct and indirect data have been collected and are processed by powerful computers that run the mathematical models. Advances in computers are making the study of climate more efficient.
Science judges the reliability of climate models by how well they make predictions. The models are sometimes test by putting in historical date to see if they predicted the changes in climate, which we already know. Overall, it seems that climate models reliably predict broad changes over large areas, but do not predict specific changes over smaller areas.
Most evidence agrees that climate has been warming over the past 100 years. What is concerning to most people is that the rate of change seems to be greater than at any time in the past 800 000 years.
Analysis of many kinds of data indicate that the change seems to be man-made. This is called anthropogenic climate change. There are many scientific organizations that believe this is true and try to inform and find ways to fight climate change.
Climate changes will be very damaging to human civilization and change the natural world. (This will be further explored in the next lesson.) It has become a very important issue. While scientific evidence for climate change is extensive and growing, it is not complete. Conclusions about climate change seem more and more valid, they still have shortcomings.
In spite of the shortcomings, most governments collaborate through the UNFCCC and the two current agreements created from the UNFCCC. These agreements, the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement, have countries working together to meet common goals and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These types of agreements can be difficult to uphold, as countries often have a hard time working with each other.
In the next lesson, you will study the potential impacts of climate change and some potential solutions.
4.6 Assignment
Unit 4 Assignment Lessons 8-9
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4.6 Assignment