Week 12: Climate Change

 Week 12: Climate Change

1. What did you do in lab today? Primary Points: Human caused, renewable energy is a solution, and not a future problem its a now problem. Major Issues: Glaciers melting, Sunny day flooding, Coal consumption, Greenhouse gasses, Deforestation and Coastal ecosystems completely knocked down. Questions: I want to understand why countries are getting the normal half a year rainfall in five hours. What causes this?? If we were to implement a carbon tax into our country, how would it exactly work? Does the tax get added on to each singular item that contributes to carbon in the atmosphere? Teaching: I learn best through videos so I would show my students videos/movies etc.

2. What was the big question? Question: What causes rainfall? Answer: Rainfall occurs when the sun causes water on earths surface to evaporate, creating water vapor that rises upwards through the atmosphere, condenses, and becomes heavy enough to fall back on the earth.

3. What did you learn in lecture? As the planet warms, it is predicted that large areas of earth surface will experience a greater frequency of extreme precipitation that could damage essential infrastructure and lead to flooding. The state of Iowa has seen an upward trend in the number of days that experience more than 1.25 inches of rainfall.

Textbook:

1. What did you learn? Hotter Temperatures in Iowa --> Heat waves and normal summer temperatures are on the rise. Dangerously hot temperatures negatively affect humans and animals health and safety. The graphs that show the different levels of high temperatures in Iowa prove that climate change is happening as there will be twice as many 90 degree days as we had in 2005. 

2. What was the most helpful? The impact on agriculture was interesting and helpful as agriculture is massive in Iowa (and a huge part of a lot of peoples lives). Higher temperatures can lead to longer growing seasons (a positive), but that can lead to an increase in agricultural pests. The unpredictability of weather patterns have a massive impact on when farmers can harvest their crops.

3. What do you need more information on? I have always heard the phrase "One persons actions are not going to make the change". This makes sense as I am one human out of trillions in this world, but if I have the motivation to make a change hopefully that will trickle to the people around me. I guess I just wonder when our world or maybe country to start out with will make a massive change that forces people to make changes in their daily life. 

1. What questions, comments, and/or concerns do you have? I am concerned that our new standards in Iowa address climate change as climate trends. Why are we teaching our students that these are climate trends? Why did they eliminate a scientific term?

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