Climate Change (learning log)

Before I started the climate change topic, I had a vague understanding of the concepts. Throughout the lecture, my understanding between climate change and global warming, as I thought they were mostly the same thing. I also thought that the climate and weather were the same, but I now know that the climate is the average weather at a given point and time of year over a long period, whereas we expect the weather to change a lot from day to day.

The misconceptions that I had about climate change included the my thought that global warming meant that we would have warmer temperatures all year round. I now know that global warming means the fluctuation of weather, not just the weather getting warmer. I also know that the seasons are not fixed, that they blur together.

I have learned a lot in this module so far, which I will bring to the classroom. I have learned how our climate has changed, and how they measure the changes of the ice cover. Other interesting facts I have learned through this lecture is the effects of climate change to the world. for example, I now know the effect on agriculture includes the risk of crops being wiped out in low lying areas that suffer from flooring. Significant amounts of agricultural land on the edge of deserts become unusable, through the process of desertification. Sea levels are also effected, as the costal land is at risk and sea defences are under more stress.

After taking the “WWF Measure Your Footprint” quiz, my awareness has been increased of my own carbon footprint. From the results, it is clear that I could do more to reduce my carbon footprint. I have already taken steps to improving this. For example, I take the Bio-Bus when available and reduce the time I spend on public transport, choosing to walk when convenient. I also make sure to recycle whenever possible, and often reuse plastic bags.