7

Environmental
Science
Quarter 3- Module 3:
Impact of Climate Change on
the Environment

DIVISION OF ANGELES CITY

Environmental Science – Grade 7
Alternative Delivery Mode
Title: Impact of Climate on the Environment
First Edition, 2021

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Published by the Department of Education

Regional Director : May B. Eclar PhD, CESO V
Assistant Regional Director : Rhoda T. Razon EdD, CESO V

Development Team of the Module

Writer: Jamil D. Calimlim

Editors: Lorie l. Macatula, Analiza P. Coricor, Suzzeth M. Ramirez, Amelita Pineda
Reviewers: Amelita Pineda, Gemima A. Estrabillo, Emily F. Sarmiento,
Hermes P. Vargas, Noel S. Reganit, Adrian Tamayo,
Krislene Ida N. Mercado, Ryan Sapao, Billy Ray B. Manuel,
Marvin R. Leano, Gemmarie G. Rivas
Illustrators: Ray Jason Sanguyu, Anthony D. Taruc
Layout Artists: Ray Jason Sanguyu, Anthony D. Taruc
Management Team: May B. Eclar PhD, CESO V
Rhoda T. Razon EdD, CESO V
Ma. Irelyn P. Tamayo PhD, CESE
Fernandina P. Otchengco PhD, CESE
Librada M. Rubio PhD
Ma. Editha R. Caparas EdD
Emily F. Sarmiento, PhD
Gemima A. Estrabillo, PhD
Rochella C. David

Printed in the Philippines by ________________________

Department of Education – Region III – Schools Division of Angeles City

Office Address: Jesus St., Pulungbulu, Angeles City
Telephone: (045) 322-5722; 322-4702 888-0582; 887-6099
E-mail Address: [email protected]
 7

Environmental
Science
Quarter 3- Module 3:
Impact of Climate Change on
the Environment
Introductory Message
This Self-Learning Module (SLM) is prepared so that you, our dear learners,
can continue your studies and learn while at home. Activities, questions, directions,
exercises, and discussions are carefully stated for you to understand each lesson.

Each SLM is composed of different parts. Each part shall guide you step-by-
step as you discover and understand the lesson prepared for you.

Pre-tests are provided to measure your prior knowledge on lessons in each

SLM. This will tell you if you need to proceed on completing this module or if you
need to ask your facilitator or your teacher’s assistance for better understanding of
the lesson. At the end of each module, you need to answer the post-test to self-check
your learning. Answer keys are provided for each activity and test. We trust that you
will be honest in using these.

In addition to the material in the main text, Notes to the Teacher are also
provided to our facilitators and parents for strategies and reminders on how they can
best help you on your home-based learning.

Please use this module with care. Do not put unnecessary marks on any part
of this SLM. Use a separate sheet of paper in answering the exercises and tests. And
read the instructions carefully before performing each task.

If you have any questions in using this SLM or any difficulty in answering the
tasks in this module, do not hesitate to consult your teacher or facilitator.

Thank you.
 What I Need to Know

The module is designed and written for the learners to be able to master the
impact of climate change to the environment. The scope of this module permits it
to be used in many different learning situations. The language used recognizes the
diverse vocabulary level of students. The lessons are arranged to follow the
standard sequence of the course. But the order in which you read them can be
changed to correspond with the resources you are now using.

This module contains:

● Lesson 5 – Impact of Climate Change on the Environment

After going through this module, you are expected to:

1. Discuss the impact of climate change to the environment

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 What I Know

Directions: Read each question carefully. Choose the letter of the correct answer.
1. Which of the following allows the right amount of sunlight to warm the Earth?
a. atmosphere
b. cloud layer
c. gravity
d. water

2. Which of the following is responsible for keeping us “not too hot in the summer
and not too cold in the winter”?
a. Greenhouse Effect
b. Seasonal Effect
c. Ocean Basins
d. Weather

3. Water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide are what examples
of gases in the atmosphere?
a. Fluorinated Gases
b. Greenhouse Gases
c. Ozone Gases
d. Solar Gases

4. Which of the following is responsible for warming the Earth?

a. Fluorinated Gases
b. Greenhouse Gases
c. Ozone Gases
d. Solar Gases

5. Which of the following solar radiation bounces off the Earth back toward the
atmosphere?
a. Gamma radiation
b. Infrared radiation
c. Nuclear radiation
d. X-ray radiation

6. Which of the following greenhouse gases is most commonly produced by

human activities?
a. Carbon dioxide
b. Fluorinated gases
c. Methane
d. Nitrous oxide

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7. Which of the following human activities has a significant contribution to the
greenhouse gases of the Earth?
a. Burning coals.
b. Burning forests.
c. Burning fossil fuels in their vehicles.
d. Using materials that contain chlorofluorocarbons.

8. Which of the following phenomena will happen if too many greenhouse gases
block heat in the atmosphere?
a. Global warming
b. Ice Age
c. Thunderstorm
d. Tropical storm

9. Which will happen if the Earth continues its warming?

a. drought
b. lower sea levels
c. melting polar ice caps
d. more reflected sunlight off the ice pack

10. Which of the following could you do to help decrease the effects of global
warming?
a. Keep your freezer door open.
b. Keep your air conditioner on high.
c. Burn dry leaves and plastics in your backyard.
d. Turn off your lights when you’re not using them.

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 Lesson
Impact of Climate Change
1 to the Environment
We are usually confused if we are thinking of climate and weather.
Sometimes we could not differentiate these two. However, how weather and climate
are different from each other?
Weather is described as the immediate condition in a specific place. For
example, if you see that it is raining outside right now, that is a way to describe
today’s weather. Rain, snow, wind, hurricanes, tornadoes — these are all-weather
events.

On the other hand, the climate is more than just one or two rainy days. It
describes the weather conditions that are expected in a region at a particular time of
year. It is also the usual weather of a place. The climate can vary in every season. A
place might be mostly warm and dry in the summer, while it may be cool and wet in
the winter. Different places can have different climates.

Picture 1. Weather in a day Picture 2. Climate

http://bit.ly/3ipX5P3 https://bit.ly/38ZmZWw

Since we all know the difference between weather and climate now, what specific
phenomena are we experiencing right now concerning our climate? What could be
the possible impacts of this phenomenon on our environment?

What’s In

In our previous module, we learned that natural disaster is a force of nature

that affects the environment and leads to environmental, financial and/or human
losses (e.g. volcanic eruption, earthquakes, landslides, floods, tornadoes, storm
surge, drought, tsunamis, thunderstorm, etc.).

Climate change is described as a change in the average conditions — such as

temperature and rainfall — in a region over a long period. Also, global climate change
refers to the average long-term changes over the entire Earth. This includes warming

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temperatures and changes in precipitation, as well as the effects of Earth’s warming,
such as:
● rising sea levels
● shrinking mountain glaciers
● ice melting at a faster rate than usual in Greenland, Antarctica, and the Arctic
● changes in flower and plant blooming times.

Picture 3. Rising sea levels due to the melting of Ice Bergs Picture 4. Shrinking Mountain Glaciers
https://bit.ly/3qEf5bn http://bit.ly/39PCrnH

Thus, in this module, you will learn if climate change is considered a natural
disaster or a manmade disaster, or even both.

What’s New

The scientific discovery of climate change began in the early 19th century
when ice ages and other natural changes in paleoclimate were first suspected, and
the natural greenhouse effect was first identified. In the late 19th century, scientists
first argued that human emissions of greenhouse gases could change the climate.
Many other theories of climate change were advanced, involving forces
from volcanism to solar variation.
Climate change, broadly interpreted, is a significant and lasting change in
the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to
millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or weather
distribution around the average conditions (such as more or fewer extreme
weather events). Climate change is caused by
factors that include oceanic processes (such
as oceanic circulation), biotic processes
(e.g., plants), variations in solar
radiation received by Earth, plate
tectonics and volcanic eruptions, and
human-induced alterations of the natural
world. The latter effect is currently causing
global warming, and “climate change” is often Picture 5. Some effects of Climate Change
used to describe human-specific impacts. on Environment
URL: https://climate.nasa.gov/effects/

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 What is It

Climate change is a change in the usual weather found in a place. It could

be a change in how much rain a place usually gets in a year, or it could be a change
in a place’s usual temperature for a month or season.
Climate change is also a change in Earth’s climate. It could be a change in
Earth’s normal temperature, or it could be a change in where rain and snow usually
fall on Earth. (National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 2014)
Causes of climate change
Humans are increasingly influencing the climate and the Earth’s temperature
by burning fossil fuels, cutting down rainforests, and farming livestock.

It adds enormous amounts of greenhouse gases to those naturally occurring

in the atmosphere, increasing the greenhouse effect and global warming.

Greenhouse gases
Some gases in the Earth’s atmosphere act a bit like the glass in a greenhouse,
trapping the sun’s heat and stopping it from leaking back into space.

Many of these gases occur naturally. However, human activity is increasing the
concentrations of some of them in the atmosphere, in particular:
● carbon dioxide (CO2)
● methane
● nitrous oxide
● fluorinated gases
CO2 is the greenhouse gas most produced by human activities, and it
is responsible for 64% of human-made global warming. Its concentration in the
atmosphere is currently 40% higher than it was when industrialization began.

Other greenhouse gases are emitted in smaller quantities, but they trap heat
far more effectively than CO2, and in some cases, are thousands of times more
potent. Methane is responsible for 17% of human-made global warming, nitrous
oxide for 6%. (United States Environmental Protection Agency [EPA], n.d.)

Causes for rising emissions

● Burning coal, oil, and gas produce carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide.
● Cutting down forests (deforestation). Trees help to regulate the climate by
absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere. So, when they are cut down, that
beneficial effect is lost, and the carbon stored in the trees is released into the
atmosphere, adding to the greenhouse effect.
● Increasing livestock farming. Cows and sheep produce large amounts of
methane when they digest their food.
● Fertilizers containing nitrogen produce nitrous oxide emissions.

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 ● Fluorinated gases produce a powerful warming effect, up to 23 000 times
greater than CO2. Thankfully, these are released in smaller quantities and are
being phased down by EU regulation.

Global warming
The current global average temperature for March 2020 was 1.16ºC (2.09 ºF),
higher than it was in the late 19th century. Each of the past three decades has been
warmer than any preceding decade since records began in 1850.
The world’s leading climate scientists think human activities are almost
certainly the main cause of the warming observed since the middle of the 20th
century.
Scientists see an increase of 2°C compared to the temperature in pre-
industrial times as the threshold beyond which there is a much higher risk that
dangerous and possibly catastrophic changes in the global environment will occur.
For this reason, the international community has recognized the need to keep
warming below 2°C.
What’s the difference between global warming and climate change?

Global warming refers only to the Earth’s rising surface temperature,

while climate change includes warming and the “side effects” of warming—like
melting glaciers, heavier rainstorms, or more frequent drought. Said another way,
global warming is one symptom of the much larger problem of human-caused climate
change.
Another distinction between global warming and climate change is that when
scientists or public leaders talk about global warming these days, they almost always
mean human-caused warming—warming due to the rapid increase in carbon dioxide
and other greenhouse gases from burning coal, oil, and gas.
On the other hand, climate change can mean human-caused changes or
natural ones, such as ice ages. Besides burning fossil fuels, humans can cause
climate changes by emitting aerosol pollution—the tiny particles that reflect sunlight
and cool the climate— into the atmosphere or transform the Earth’s landscape, for
instance, from carbon-storing forests to farmland.
A climate change unlike any other
The planet has experienced climate change before: the Earth’s average
temperature has fluctuated throughout the planet’s 4.54 billion-year history. The
planet has experienced long cold periods (“ice ages”) and warm periods
(“interglacials”) on 100,000-year cycles for at least the last million years.
Previous warming episodes were triggered by small increases in how much
sunlight reached Earth’s surface and then amplified by large releases of carbon
dioxide from the oceans as they warmed (like the fizz escaping from a warm soda).
Increases and decreases in global temperature during the naturally occurring
ice ages of the past 800,000 years, ending with the early twentieth century. NOAA
Climate.gov graph by Fiona Martin, based on EPICA Dome C ice core data provided

4
by the Paleoclimatology Program at NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental
Information.
Today’s global warming is overwhelmingly due to the increase in heat-trapping
gases that humans add to the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels. In fact, over the
last five decades, natural factors (solar forcing and volcanoes) would have led to a
slight cooling of Earth’s surface temperature.
Global warming is also different from past warming in its rate. The current
increase in global average temperature appears to be occurring much faster than at
any point since modern civilization and agriculture developed in the past 11,000
years or so—and probably faster than any warm interglacial periods over the last
million years. (Kennedy and Lindsey, 2015)

What’s More

Activity 1. ANAGRAM
Direction: Arrange the following letters to form the correct word that suits its
definition.
1. E T C I A L M –The weather conditions prevailing in an area in general or over
a long period.
2. S I L S F O L F U E - These are made from decomposing plants and animals
which found in the Earth’s crust and contain carbon and hydrogen that can
be burned for energy.
3. E R H T A W E -The state of the atmosphere with respect to heat or cold,
wetness or dryness, calm or storm, clearness or cloudiness.
4. A M T H O S R E E P – The envelope of gases surrounding the Earth or another
planet.
5. G L B O L A W R M A N G I– It refers to the Earth’s rising surface temperature.
6. S A G E S U O H E E R N G E S – These are gases like carbon dioxide, nitrous
oxide and methane.
7. E C O M T E S S Y - A geographic area where plants, animals, and other
organisms, as well as weather and landscape, work together to form a bubble
of life.
8. F F E E C T G E R E N E S U O H – A natural process that warms the Earth’s
surface.
9. B O A R T M R E E – The device used to measure atmospheric pressure.
10. C A L I M O T S I G T – A person who studies climate in general or long-term
changes in the atmosphere

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Guide Questions
1. What is the difference between climate and weather?
2. How do greenhouse gases contribute to the Earth’s surface?

Activity 2. Visualize Me NOW!

Direction: Identify the impact of climate change in each picture.

1. 3.

Source:https://movementgeneration.org/ Source: https://magazine.columbia.edu/

2. 4.

Source: https://www.abc.net.au/news/ Source: https://www.acurite.com/

Guide Questions
1. What message can you derive from the images?
2. How do these images show the impact of climate change on the environment?

Activity 3. Let’s Find the Truth!

Direction: Read the following statements carefully. Write a FACT if the statement is
correct and BLUFF if it is not.
1. Weather reflects short-term conditions of the atmosphere.
2. Climate change is an effect of human activities on the environment only.
3. Burning fossil fuels, cutting down rainforests, and increasing farming
livestock are some reasons for climate change.
4. Wasting less food is a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
5. The overwhelming majority of scientists or public leaders agree that climate
change is real and caused by humans.
6. Unplugging your appliances and gadgets when you’re not using them
could save the planet.
7. Nitrous oxide is a greenhouse gas that is commonly produced by human
activities and contributes to the majority of Earth’s warming.

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 8. Greenhouse gases trap the heat coming from the sun to maintain a warm
temperature on Earth.
9. The increasing heat index felt by humans is an effect of climate change.
10. Global warming is just a “side effect” of climate change.

Guide Questions
1. How does climate change affect the environment and all living creatures?
2. How do humans reduce the effects of climate change on the environment?

What I Have Learned

Activity 2. Match Me!

Direction: Match column A to Column B. Write only the letters of your answers.

Column A Column B

1. Refers to the gradual rise in the Earth’s temperature A. Animals

as a result of human activities.
2. A glass building used to grow plants and keeps the B. Atmosphere
plants warm and protects them from bad weather.
3. The gases that released into the air that trap the C. Climate
sun’s heat and causes the Earth to get warmer.
4. A build-up of gases in the air around the Earth, D. Fossil fuels
which causes the Earth’s temperature to rise.
5. Examples of these are coal and oil which formed E. Global warming
from the remains of decayed plants and animals.
6. The layer of air and other gases that surrounds the F. Greenhouse
Earth.
7. State of the atmosphere at a particular place during G. Greenhouse effect
a short period of time.
8. A condition of the atmosphere at a particular H. Greenhouse gases
location over a long period of time.
9. Organisms that gives off oxygen and take carbon I. Plants
dioxide as exchange.
10. Organisms that need oxygen to survive. J. Weather

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 What I Can Do

Activity 3. Crossword Puzzle

Direction: Complete the crossword puzzle below.

The Greenhouse Effect and Climate Change

Across Down
2. A greenhouse gas 1. The process that traps heat
7. Earth's reflective surface 3. Atmospheric gas
9. A greenhouse gas 4. A greenhouse gas
10. The daily atmospheric conditions 5. A significant difference in climate over
11. Weather conditions in one place over time
a period of time 6. A collection of elements
12. A greenhouse gas 8. The sun's energy

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 Assessment

Directions: Read each question carefully. Choose the letter of the correct answer.

1. What do you call the changes we see and feel outside from day to day?
a. climate
b. global warming
c. greenhouse
d. weather

2. Which of the following spheres of the Earth portrays the blanket of gases that
surround and protect the planet?
a. Atmosphere
b. Biosphere
c. Hydrosphere
d. Lithosphere

3. What phenomena describes the weather conditions that are expected in a

region at a particular time of year?
a. climate
b. global warming
c. greenhouse
d. weather

4. Which of the following gases does NOT belong to the group?

a. Carbon dioxide
b. Methane
c. Nitrous oxide
d. Oxygen

5. Which of the following is NOT a cause of rising emissions of greenhouse gases?

a. deforestation
b. increasing livestock farming
c. nitrogen fertilizers
d. reforestation

6. Which of the following is NOT an example of fossil fuel?

a. coal
b. gas
c. oil
d. water

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 7. What do you call the rising of the surface temperature of the Earth?
a. Climate
b. Global warming
c. Greenhouse
d. Weather

8. Which of the following phenomena portrays the change in the usual weather
found in a place?
a. Climate change
b. Global warming
c. Greenhouse effect
d. Weather forecast

9. Which of the following could you do to help decrease the effects of global
warming?
a. Cutting old trees
b. Using chlorofluorocarbonated products
c. Planting plants and trees in your backyards
d. Leaving appliances plugged even it is not using

10. Which of the following human activities show concern on promoting global
climate change awareness?
a. Not using any kind of vehicle
b. Conducting a rally to the government
c. Cutting old trees and replacing them with new ones
d. Setting a good example to others by being responsible to the environment

Additional Activities

Direction: As a Grade 7 student, what contributions can you make to lessen the
effects of global warming on Earth? Write at least ten (10) ways that you could do.

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 11
What I Know What I have Learned
1. a 6. a Activity 2
2. a 7. d 1. E 6. B
3. b 8. a 2. F 7. J
4. b 9. c 3. H 8. C
5. b 10. d 4. G 9. I
5. D 10. A
What’s More:
What I Can Do
Activity 1: ANAGRAM
1. Climate Activity 3
2. Fossil fuel Across
3. Weather
2. CARBON DIOXIDE
4. Atmosphere
7. ALBEDO
5. Global warming
9. METHANE
6. Greenhouse gas
10. WEATHER
7. Ecosystem
11. CLIMATE
8. Greenhouse effect
12. WATERVAPOR
9. Barometer
10. Climatologist Down
1. GREENHOUSE EFFECT
Guide questions – Possible Answers
3. OXYGEN
1. Weather reflects short-term conditions of 4. NITROGEN
the atmosphere while climate 5. CLIMATE CHANGE
is the average daily weather for an extended 6. MOLECULE
period of time at a certain location. 8. RADIATION
2. Greenhouse gases absorb heat coming from
sun (solar energy) keeping the Earth’s
surface warm. Assessment
1. d 6. d
Activity 2: Visualize Me NOW! 2. a 7. b
1. Strong Typhoon 3. a 8. a
2. Melting Ice Caps 4. d 9. b
3. Forest Fires 5. d 10. d
4. Increasing Heat Index felt by humans
Guide questions – Possible Answers Additional Activities
1. The images implies the effects of climate Answers may vary.
change to both environment and living
things.
2. It destroys the ecological balance of the
environment.
What’s More:
Activity 3: Let’s Find the Truth!
1. Fact 6. Fact
2. Bluff 7. Bluff
3. Fact 8. Fact
4. Fact 9. Fact
5. Fact 10. Fact
Guide questions – Possible Answers
1. It affects in a way that it destroys the natural
environment and cause extinction of some
species.
2. Humans can help reduce the effects of
climate change on the environment by
means of acting things that are concerning
to the wellness of the environment.
Answer Key
References
“Greenhouse Effect Models: Hot Stuff! - Activity – TeachEngineering.” Accessed
December 30, 2020. http://bit.ly/2Xr688H

“What Is Climate Change? | NASA Climate Kids.” Accessed December 30, 2020.
http://go.nasa.gov/35sx789
“Climate change word search- WordMint.” Accessed December 30, 2020.
http://bit.ly/3nxL8Yt

“What Is Climate Change? | NASA.” Accessed December 30, 2020.

http://go.nasa.gov/2XoBTiE
“Global Warming.” Accessed December 30, 2020. https://bit.ly/3sejWBM
“Causes of climate change | Climate Action.” Accessed December 30, 2020.
http://bit.ly/2Lzlh5g
"Greenhouse Gas Emissions” |United States Environmental Protection Agency,
Accessed December 30, 2020. https://tinyurl.com/zeodmrl
Caitlyn Kennedy and Rebecca Lindsey (June 17, 2015) What's the difference between
global warming and climate change?. NOAA. Accessed December 30,2020.
https://tinyurl.com/jbedbav

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For inquiries or feedback, please write or call:

Department of Education – Region III- Schools Division of Angeles City

Jesus St., Pulungbulu, Angeles City, Pampanga, Philippines 2009

Telefax: (045) 322-5722; 322-4702; 888-0582; 887-6099

Email Address: [email protected]