Climate change is commonly portrayed as a dire prediction made by advanced computer models. However, the scientific basis for climate change continues to be much wider, and in fact, models are just one piece of it (although, surprisingly, they’re surprisingly accurate.) Global warming is primarily caused by the increase of greenhouse gas emissions as well as other pollutants in the atmosphere. A sudden rise in temperatures above what nature can handle could be catastrophic in some regions; in others it would simply mean a rise in precipitation. Extreme weather events could be exacerbated by global warming, increasing the risk of migration and more poverty.
Scientists have been debating what effect climate change will have on our world for over half a century. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change (IPCC) has been meeting since 1988 to evaluate the extent of man-made carbon emissions. The panel provides regular reports detailing progress made in implementing its evaluations. Although most scientists agree that man-made greenhouse gases are the primary cause of climate change, disagreement still exists over how fast and extreme as the effects of climate change will occur. There is also some disagreement as to how to monitor and gauge climate change.
One of the major findings from the IPCC’s third report was that greenhouse gases are the primary cause of climate change. Researchers took Earth’s temperature into consideration in producing the report. Temperatures have risen steadily since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, causing researchers to speculate as to what might be causing recent climate change. According to the experts at the panel, greenhouse gases are the most likely cause of recent climate change. Although there are a number of theories relating to the causes, the final determining factor is the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide caused by burning of fossil fuels.
Another reason behind the panel’s finding that greenhouse gas emissions are a major cause of climate change has to do with the composition of the earth’s atmosphere. As the Earth’s temperature increased, the Earth’s environment became subjected to changes that cause it to warm up and cool down. Geologists believe that the change in the Earth’s environment, called glacial cooling, caused the start of the planet’s climate system. During the same period, the Earth’s glaciers and oceans took up additional water and expanded, which helped to keep the Earth stable. Over the course of thousands of years, the Earth gradually became warm and arctic land areas became tropical rainforest.
Today, due to the start of the Industrial Revolution and the development of new technologies, scientists are able to observe the Earth’s climate system in greater detail than ever before. By combining data from weather stations around the world, scientists have been able to produce a record of global temperatures for the last half a century. These records have shown a steady increase in global temperatures over time, especially during the last 15 years. They also found a small increase in the number of abnormally hot days across the globe. While most climate change scientists attribute the warming to greenhouse gases, the record number of abnormally hot days is something that is not so easy to explain.
One possible explanation is that human-caused warming caused the oceans to increase their alkalinity, which in turn caused global warming. Another possibility is that natural climate variability caused the oceans to become more acidic, which in turn led to the increase of the acid levels in the ocean waters. Regardless of which explanation is ultimately correct, one thing is clear: human-caused climate change poses a severe risk to the existence of human life on the planet. Rapid changes in atmospheric conditions, particularly the decrease in certain natural climate variability, could lead to disastrous effects on the Earth’s ecosystems and could result in the extinction of many forms of life. The creation of the Science and Environmental Technology Research Alliance (SEEA) has led to more cooperation among scientists who are examining the impact of human activities on the environment.
An example of the type of change in natural climate that scientists are currently examining is the increase in crop failures due to heat waves. There is a strong connection between extreme heat waves and increasing crop failures, and while crop failures may not directly cause climate change, the combined effect can be devastating to farmers. Scientists have been focusing on how to increase the tolerance of crops to heat waves by studying the relationship between the El Nino Event of the last three decades and the global climate change. The SEEA is making efforts to increase agricultural research in this area, as well as attempting to reduce the damage caused by natural disasters like hurricanes and floods.
Global warming may have occurred at a slower rate than originally thought, but the reality is that it has already caused a number of drastic changes in the Earth’s climate. If global warming continues at the rate that it is currently going, the Earth will experience extreme weather that will likely threaten the survival of human civilization. In order to save the Earth from the harsh effects of climate change, scientists are working on developing more efficient energy alternatives to meet the growing demand for energy globally. Advances in alternative energy research are also making it easier to protect the Earth from further destruction, with the goal of preventing harmful greenhouse gas emissions from being passed into the atmosphere. With global warming becoming a much greater threat, it is time to take action to save the Earth from further devastation and change.
