Climate Change – The Facts
Understanding Climate Change
It is now accepted worldwide, that human activity is having a serious impact on the way our planets climate is structured. Over the past 20 years it has become increasingly evident that human activity is accelerating climate change.
An enormous amount of research has been devoted to this topic, and it indicates that global atmospheric temperatures and global surface temperatures are on a steady increase. A major contributing factor to climate change is the increasing levels of three main green house gases in our atmosphere and environment; methane, nitrous oxide and the most important of which is carbon dioxide (CO2).
'Carbon dioxide accounts for 85% of Green House Gas (GHG) emissions'.
The Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii has the longest record of direct measurements of CO2 in the atmosphere, and the Global Monitoring Division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has measured carbon dioxide levels for several decades at a globally distributed network of air sampling sites. Both sets of data show increasing trends in atmospheric carbon dioxide globally.
The Graph below illustrates the increasing annual, mean atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration:
Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations begun to rise with the advent of the industrial revolution in the eighteenth century. Industrialisation begun to drive up the burning of fossil fuels in the developed world, and CO2 levels started to rise. At first the increase was slow - it took a century and a half to reach 315 parts per million ("ppm"). The rate of increase accelerated during the 20th century reaching 330ppm by the 1990's and 380ppm today. We have observed and increase of 20ppm CO2 within a decade - this rate of increase in CO2 levels has not been seen since the most recent ice age ended, 20 to 40 million years ago when sea levels were 300 Ft higher than today.
'If current trends continue by 2050 atmospheric CO2 levels will have increased in excess of 500ppm - roughly double pre-industrial levels'
Sources of Carbon Dioxide
The two major sources of CO2 are emissions from fossil fuel use and deforestation – one releasing carbon by burning ancient biomass and the other by burning its modern equivalent. Carbon dioxide emissions continue to increase at an alarming rate, and at present carbon dioxide levels are now significantly higher than at any point in the past 600,000 years. It is now clear (with more than 90% confidence) that green house gases are warming the planet and impacting on our climate.
The Academy of Medical Sciences recently made a statement on climate change. The Academy President, Professor Sir John Bell, stated:
‘ Climate change possess a major threat to the health of populations across the globe. It will have an effect on food, water, air, shelter and social stability – any diverse changes to these will ultimately impact on global health. To minimise the extent of climate change, all nations must take immediate and substantial action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The longer we delay the more severe the impacts on health will become.'
How do rising levels of Carbon Dioxide cause Global Warming?
Effects of climate change
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a non governmental organisation charged with reviewing comprehensive scientific studies on climate change. It is responsible for providing an objective understanding of climate change, its potential impacts and options for adaptation and mitigation. The IPCC is the leading body for the assessment of climate change, established by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) to provide the world with a clear scientific view on the current state of climate change. Thousands of scientists from all over the world contribute to the work of the IPCC.
In their last report 'The IPCC Fourth Assessment Report: Climate Change 2007' the IPCC stated:
'Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures; wide spread melting of snow and ice and rising global average sea level'
The latest report 'IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) is now being compiled.
Climate change models predict severe weather conditions which will cause prolonged and widespread droughts, floods and freak weather. We are already seeing evidence of these, for example, the drought China experienced at the end of 2010 which has stretched into 2011. Australia and South Africa have both been struggling with extensive flooding this year.
In the past three decades we have observed accelerated glacier retreat, so much so, that some glaciers have disappeared. The greatest proportionate glacial loss has been observed in mid-latitude mountain ranges. Melting glaciers result in rising sea levels, which will in turn threaten fresh water supplies and irrigation.
The loss of numerous plant and animal species will occur as a result of irreversible and insurmountable changes to their fundamental habitat.
We are already observing some of these changes. The Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change is a 700-page report released for the British government by economist Nicholas Stern, chair of the The Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics and also chair of the Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy (CCCEP) at Leeds University and LSE. The report discusses the effect of global warming on the world economy.
The review states that:
"Some impacts of climate change itself may amplify warming further by triggering the release of additional greenhouse gases. This creates a real risk of even higher temperature changes. Higher temperatures cause plants and soils to soak up less carbon from the atmosphere and cause permafrost to thaw, potentially releasing large quantities of methane – another green house gas. Analysis of warming events in the distant past indicates that such feedbacks could amplify warming by an additional 1 – 2°C by the end of the century."
The effects of climate change are already evident throughout the world; we have witnessed an increase in the incidence of severe weather events which have devastated numerous countries. It is apparent that the poorest countries will bear the brunt and are already suffering the consequences. We all need to take action now. Let Ecological Sense help you fight Climate Change. Our Carbon Strategy and Carbon Offset Projects allow you to do this in a way that matters and makes real change.
