Global warming and climate change is with us. A decade ago, it was speculation. Now the future is unfolding before our eyes. Many organizations study climate change and global warming, but the main one is the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Climatologists reporting for the IPCC predict that the pattern of global warming which began in the last century will continue through this one and cite evidence such as:
- The thinning of the Arctic ice cap and the evidence that some mountain glaciers are retreating.
- Average global temperatures have risen by 0.5ºC in the last 100 years and the years since 1980 have been the hottest on record. Scientists have found that the Earth has probably never warmed as fast as in the past 30 years – a period when natural influences on global temperatures, such as volcanoes and solar cycles should have cooled us down.
- The amount of carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas, has increased since the Industrial Revolution. Before the Industrial Revolution there were 270 parts per million by volume (ppmv) of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. By 2000 this had risen to 360 ppmv.
But these are not the only signs of global warming. Around the globe we are experiencing changes in the climate, desertification, unusual weather patterns and a rise in sea levels by about 10 –20cm over the past century.
But if global warming is happening, what is causing it and who or what is responsible for it? Many people still argue about the reality of global warming or understand why global warming might be a problem – after all, in many areas it will create a more pleasant and warmer climate. But scientists predict it will drastically change the world, as we know it.