This material was used for school visits by three Finnish environmental organisations in 2007-2008.

1. The greenhouse effect makes life on Earth possible
• The gases in the atmosphere behave
like glass panels in a greenhouse: they
trap some of the heat energy of the Sun.
• The greenhouse effect is natural –-
without it, the Earth's surface would be
33°C cooler.
• Water vapour is the most significant
natural greenhouse gas.
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2. In the case of climate change, emissions reinforce the
greenhouse effect
• The most important human-produced
greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide (CO2),
methane (CH4), and nitrogen dioxide (N2O).
• Gases are produced by the use fossil fuels
– coal, oil, natural gas and peat– and by
forest fires, industrial processes, landfills,
and agriculture.
• The amount of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere is now greater than in the past
20 million years.
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3. The temperature has already risen – and it's getting even
hotter
• During the 20th century, the average
temperature of the Earth rose by 0.6°C.
• The warming is mostly caused by human
action.
• During the next 100 years, the temperature is
estimated to rise by 1.4–5.8°C.
• The sea level is estimated to rise by 10–90
cm during the next 100 years.
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4. Variation in
Lämpötila suhteessa
temperature in the vuoden 1990 arvoon
Northern
Hemisphere
over the last
1,000 years
Lähde: IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
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5. The climate change causes hurricanes, diseases, and famine
• It is estimated that the climate change will:
• Melt glaciers and cause water shortage
• Rise the sea level > island states and low-lying coastal
regions will be covered with water
• Increase the number and potency of extreme weather
events like floods,draughts and storms
• promote the spread of tropical diseases, like malaria,
into new regions
• Lead to crop failures and famine
• Wipe out species
• Increase the number of environmental refugees
A temperature rise of 1,5 degrees may put 50
million people in risk of famine, 200 million in
risk of malaria, and 2 billion in risk of water
shortage.
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6. Temperature will also rise in Finland – especially in winter
• It is estimated that in 2100, the temperature in Finland
will be circa 1.1–6.6°C higher than today. The rainfall will
increase by 3–16 %.
• It is estimated thatArctic areas will warm twice as fast as
the rest of the planet.
• Temperature will rise especially in winter and in spring. In
2100, winter sports and white Christmas may be just a
dream in Southern Finland.
• Because of the impact of the Golf Stream the average
temperature in Finland is 20-30°C higher than in Siberia
and Greenland, for example. The climate change may
also have an impact on sea currents, and in that case,
the climate might even get colder in Finland.
Lähde: SWECLIM. Swedish Regional Climate Modelling Program
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7. Species will die out – even in Finland
• The climate change will cause the
vegetation zones to shift northwards,
and some of the Finnish biotopes may
disappear.
• The Saimaa ringed seal, for example,
may die out because the ice season
shortens and makes its nesting
difficult.
• Butterflies will spread northwards. In
2001, more butterfly species than ever
before were found in Finland. The snow nest has collapsed and a wet seal
pup is lying on the ice, waiting for its mother.
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8. The climate change may get out of hands
• Feedback effects: warming may launch reactions that speeds it up
• Warming melts the permafrost, and the methane trapped under it is released into
the atmosphere.
• The warming seas release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere
• The climate change increases the number of forest fires which release even more
carbon dioxide.
• In the worst scenario, the climate change feeds on itself uncontrollably. In that
case, the temperature might rise by 10ºC, and the consequences would be
catastrophic.
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9. A rise of 2 degrees in the A rise of 10 degrees in the
Earth's average Earth's average
temperature temperature
Permafrost Methane is
melts released

10. Do people have equal rights to produce emissions?
Tons of carbon dioxide /
person
World average
Lähde: Tilastokeskus 2006
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11. Climate is also a matter of justness
• Who causes the climate change?
So far, industrial countries have caused over 80 % of the global warming.
• Who suffers?
In the hot regions of the developing countries, even a mild warming has damaging
effects.
• Who decides?
Not everyone can join the political decision-making process concerning the climate.
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12. Emissions must be cut drastically
• Worldwide, emissions must be cut by 2/3 to prevent the climate change.
• Finland produces a lot of emissions. Thus, we must cut our emissions
even more: 75–95 %.
• It would be fair to distribute the rights to produce emissions equally among all
people.
In Finland, emissions must
be cut drastically to slow
down the climate change.
Lähde: Lammi & Tynkkynen 2001
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13. International co-operation is needed
• International climate treaties:
• 1992 UN Climate Treaty was signed in Rio de Janeiro; all countries, including the
USA, have signed it.
• 1997 Kioto Protocol, by which industrial countries agreed to cut down their emissions
by 5 % by 2008-2012.
• The Kioto Protocol should be strengthened so that it would require industrial
countries to reduce their emissions more drastically, and developing countries to act
actively in the issue.
• The rights to produce emissions must be distributed equally among all people.
• Emissions in the industrialising third world countries can be limited by renewable
energy and by a mutually agreed coal tax, for example
• International treaties can be successful
The Montreal Protocol signed in 1987 to prevent ozone depletion has stopped the use of
ozone depleting substances in almost all the industrialised countries.
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14. Energy production causes the greatest carbon dioxide emissions in
Finland
Energy sector total 83 %
Energy production 65 %
• for industry
• for the electricity
consumption in households
and
heating in the service
sector
traffic 18 %
• private cars
• transport within
industry and trade
•public
transportation
Lähde: Ilmastotavoite 2050
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15. Energy sources
Renewable:
- wood
- field biomass Unrenewable:
(e.g. reed canary-grass) - coal
- biogas - oil
-wind power - natural gas
- terrestrial heat - peat
- solar power - nuclear power
- hydropower
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16. Renewable: Unrenewable:
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17. Less than ¼ of Finland's total energy demand is produced by
renewable forms of energy
Turve
Ydinvoima 16 % Sähkön
7%
nettotuonti 1 %
Muut 1 %
Maakaasu 11 %
Vesivoima 2 %
Uusiutuvat
Puupolttoaineet
22 %
19 %
Hiili 17 %
Öljy 25 %
Lähde: Tilastokeskus 2004
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18. Wind power
• The market for wind power is growing at the rate of 20 % a year.
• In other countries, the development is rapid:
- Denmark:produces over 1/5 of the electricity by wind power and is
committed to raise the share to 50 % by the year 2030
- Compared to Finland, Germany's wind power capacity is 300-fold, Spain's
capacity is 120-fold and Denmark's capacity is 60-fold. The increase in the
wind power capacity of Austria in 2004 was 5 times as big as Finland's total
capacity.
• In Finland, only 0.1% of the electricity is produced by wind power.
• The wind conditions in Finland are better than those in Germany, a
leading country in the wind power production.
• Wind power provides 2–5 times more jobs per produced energy unit
than fossil or nuclear energy.
Lumituuli Oy:n voima-
laitos Lumijoella tuottaa
tuulisähköä verkkoon
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19. We need more emission-free bioenergy
• Today, 20 % of Finland's energy is
produced by bioenergy.
• There are good opportunities for
making bioenergy use even more
common.
• Examples of bioenergy:
- wood
- wood chips
- wood pellets
- biogas
- reed canary-grass
In the Kalmari farm in Laukaa the farm's own
- energy willow biogas generator generates the heat and electricity
- rape-seed oil needed on the farm In addition, the car runs by
biogas produced on the farm.
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20. Finland must do its share
• If all the people in the world
consumed as much natural
resources as we do, we would
need four globes.
• We have plenty of room for
improvement in Finland. For
example: with low-energy
technology, the energy
consumption of new apartment
buildings could be reduced by 70%
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21. Domestic policies have impact on climate change
• Means of economic steering
• taxation (e.g. energy tax)
• subsidies (e.g. investment subsidies for
wind power)
• Emission trade (e.g. EU carbon dioxide
trade)
• Legislation
• laws,regulations, and recommendations
(esim. building regulations)
• Information and education
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22. Choose energy efficient alternatives
• Buy energy-efficient appliances. Energy saving light bulbs use
80% less energy than normal light bulbs.
• Keeping home appliances, like TV and videos, in standby-state
consumes as much energy as a coal-fueled power plant
produces. So, turn off the devices completely!
• About 1/5 of the energy consumed in Finland is used for
heating. By reducing room temperature by one degree you
reduce the energy consumption of heating by 5 %.
• Turn lights and appliances off when you do not need them.
• Don't waste warm water.
Energy saving bulb
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23. Buy green energy
• You can choose which supplier you buy your
electricity from.
• At the cheapest, green energy costs the same
as ordinary energy on average.
• Changing your energy supplier is easy. You
can choose the energy supplier you like and
fill in a contract form on the “Vaihda virtaa”
campaign site.
• Energy produced by domestic renewable
energy sources is environmental friendly.
www.vaihdavirtaa.net
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24. Walking, biking, and public transportation: environmental friendly
choices
• More
• buses
• biking
• train trips
• transportation on rails
• Less
• cars
• fllying
Nearly half of all car rides are shorter than 5 km, and
one of four rides is shorter than three km.
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25. Bike or motorcycle?
Carbon dioxide emissions / 10 km
Lähde: Liikennevälineiden yksikköpäästöt http://lipasto.vtt.fi
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26. Think before you buy – reduce, re-use, recycle
• Fix broken clothes and items
• Recycle
• Don't buy unnecessary things
• Reduce the amount of waste; avoid heavily packaged
products, for example
• Sort out and compost
• Buy organic and locally grown food,
eat less meat
• Don't smoke
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28. 28

29. The cost of shopping
Manufacturing five low-quality t-shirts takes fives times as much energy as
manufacturing one high-quality t-shirt.
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30. Summary
• Climate change is the most serious
environmental problem in the world.
• If we can't slow down the climate change, the
consequences may be dramatic to both humans
and environment.
• Fortunately, reducing emissions is possible.
Steps to prevent the climate change have been
taken all over the world.
• We can slow down the climate change through
our own choices!
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31. What is the greatest challenge to the world economy?
-Cliate change, because it can change
everything. No terrorist can beat us, but we
cannot know when we exceed the ecosystem's
capacity for good. This is a great threat, but also
a great opportunity to create a better world,
including more jobs for people. Therefore, I
amserious about this.
Bill Clinton, 9.5.2006, Tampere
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32. Sources for climate information
Polttopallo
www.ilmasto.org/peli
– Luonto-Liiton ilmasto-opas
www.ilmasto.org
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34. Nuclear power is the wrong choice
• Nuclear power cannot be a long-term
solution to climate problems.
• Uranium is unrenewable
• Only 3 % of the world's energy is
produced by nuclear power
• There are still no solutions to the
problems concerning uranium mines and
radioactive waste
• Nuclear power is expensive and takes
resources from the development of
renewable energy sources.
• It is safe to build small-scale power
plants based on renewable energy
sources anywhere in the world.
Spider-Man volunteered to bring some cement
to the Olkiluoto nuclear plant construction
site in May 2006.