ENV100Y5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 46: Global Commons, Radiative Forcing, Cryosphere

• School: UTM
• Department: Environment
• Course: ENV100Y5
• Professor: Barbara Murck

Document Summary

Module 5, class 5: tragedy of the commons. Tragedy of the commons global change affects the global commons : tragedy is that there is individual incentive to overuse the resources, if the cost is going to be shared among all of us. Climate change is caused by the earth"s energy cycle: energy sources, sun, geothermal energy (earth"s interior, that powers volcanoes, tidal energy ( earth, moon and sun causes earth to change shape! Land & soil: ocean + cryosphere, biosphere (plants) Radiative forcing can be positive or negative: positive forcing warms the surface has changed towards the positive since the industrial revolution, negative forcing cools the surface. There are : internal and external factors that cause radiative forcing ex: green house effect/ gases are internal factors that are changing the radiative balance towards the positive. Trace gases in the atmosphere are radiatively active = absorb energy in certain wavelengths.