Environmental Chemistry of Global Climate Change

As its title implies Environmental Chemistry of Global Climate Change explains the relationship between the discipline of environmental chemistry and the profound changes in Earth’s climate that are almost certainly under way, primarily due to emissions of greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. Chapter 1, “Environmental Chemistry and the Five Spheres of the Environment,” provides the background in environmental chemistry needed to understand how environmental chemistry relates to climate. It begins with a brief overview of the challenge posed by global warming and climate change. The remainder of the chapter is devoted to a discussion of the nature of environmental chemistry in order to provide the background needed to relate this discipline to climate change. The specific topics covered include the five environmental spheres (atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, biosphere, and anthrosphere), chemical processes that occur in the environment, the definition and meaning of environmental chemistry, environmental chemistry as it relates to environmental pollution, the discipline of green chemistry (sustainable chemistry), and cycles of matter.
Chapter 2, “Environmental Chemistry and the Five Spheres of the Environment,” deals specifically with climate change and its relationship to environmental chemistry. It begins with an overview of Earth’s climate and climate change followed by discussions of greenhouse gases and global temperature, the consequences of global climate change, dealing with global climate change, mitigation and minimization of greenhouse gas emissions, countracting measures that might be taken to reduce global warming, and adaptation to global warming.