Businessinsider. The world is getting warmer and that's already causing disasters that will devastate lives and cost hundreds of billions of dollars. Those problems are only getting worse, as shown by recent reports from the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change (IPCC) and the White House, among others. The greenhouse gas emissions that drive warming "now substantially exceed the highest concentrations recorded in ice cores during the past 800,000 years," the IPCC said. Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, which primarily come from the burning of fossil fuels, have risen 40% since preindustrial times.
Last month, world leaders convened at the UN Climate Summit 2014 to discuss plans to reduce carbon emissions — though there were some notable absences. Most attendees recognized that failure to address these issues could spell terrible consequences for people all over the world. We've gathered some of those terrible consequences of climate change below. 1. 2. 3. 4. Wikimedia Commons/David S. Uk.businessinsider. Sea Level Rise -- National Geographic. Core samples, tide gauge readings, and, most recently, satellite measurements tell us that over the past century, the Global Mean Sea Level (GMSL) has risen by 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters). However, the annual rate of rise over the past 20 years has been 0.13 inches (3.2 millimeters) a year, roughly twice the average speed of the preceding 80 years. Over the past century, the burning of fossil fuels and other human and natural activities has released enormous amounts of heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere.
These emissions have caused the Earth's surface temperature to rise, and the oceans absorb about 80 percent of this additional heat. The rise in sea levels is linked to three primary factors, all induced by this ongoing global climate change: Thermal expansion: When water heats up, it expands. About half of the past century's rise in sea level is attributable to warmer oceans simply occupying more space. Consequences How High Will It Go? The Relative Impact of Climate Change on the Extinction Risk of Tree Specie...: EBSCO Discovery Service. Climate Change. [electronic resource] : Past, Present, and Future: EBSCO Discovery Service. Sea level rise, storm risk, denial, and the future of coastal cities. The world’s present coastal land use is unsustainable in the face of sea level rise and storm surges induced by climate change. This is true of urban, suburban, and—to some degree—recreational use of coastal land, but it is especially true of the urban infrastructure that serves our economic activities and livelihoods.
Hurricane Sandy was only one example of what the future holds; such events will occur with greater frequency and severity as the level of the ocean rises as much as 6 feet by the end of this century. Therefore, architects, engineers, designers, urban planners, developers, infrastructure operators, and decision makers in the private and public sectors must start planning now the best ways to minimize the increased flood hazards that threaten the built environment. The Science of Climate Change | ClimatePath.
At ClimatePath, we are concerned about misinformation and doubts regarding the threat and causes of climate change. The following is a brief summary of the science, based primarily on "Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)". All of the underlying documents are available at the the IPCC website. Direct citations from the report are in "quotes". Additional information is available from the report Climate change evidence and causes-an overview from the Royal Society and the US National Academy of Sciences.
Please feel free to pass this summary on. Conclusions about climate change are based on science. Fossil fuel and agriculture have drastically increased greenhouse gasses (GHG). The radiant forces of increased GHG is warming the planet. This warming will continue, and accelerate if we do not take action. This warming will have severe consequences. Yes, some do. Climate change. Current rise in Earth's average temperature and its effects Climate change has an increasing impact on the environment.
Deserts are expanding, while heat waves and wildfires are becoming more common.[6] Amplified warming in the Arctic has contributed to thawing permafrost, retreat of glaciers and sea ice decline.[7] Higher temperatures are also causing more intense storms, droughts, and other weather extremes.[8] Rapid environmental change in mountains, coral reefs, and the Arctic is forcing many species to relocate or become extinct.[9] Even if efforts to minimise future warming are successful, some effects will continue for centuries.
These include ocean heating, ocean acidification and sea level rise.[10] Climate change threatens people with increased flooding, extreme heat, increased food and water scarcity, more disease, and economic loss. Terminology In the 1980s, the terms global warming and climate change became more common. Global temperature rise Differences by region Modelling. Why is climate important? Scenes of flooding and storms show us just how much weather and climate can affect our lives. Understanding and predicting what the coming winter might bring, or predicting how climate will change over the next century is of vital importance - both for our economy and for society. Climate can be thought of as the average or typical weather conditions we experience.
Scientists know that climate varies naturally on many timescales and they know that people are affecting climate - particularly through emissions of greenhouse gases. In NCAS-Climate, scientists are investigating how natural and human factors are affecting climate and what this means for the future. The big research questions that we are addressing: How does the climate system work? NCAS-Climate scientists carry out research to understand the fundamentals of how the climate system works.
How and why does climate vary naturally? How are people affecting climate? What changes in climate can we expect over the coming decades? Relative importance of climate and land use in determining present and future global soil dust emission - Tegen - 2004 - Geophysical Research Letters. Abstract [1] The current consensus is that up to half of the modern atmospheric dust load originates from anthropogenically-disturbed soils. Here, we estimate the contribution to the atmospheric dust load from agricultural areas by calibrating a dust-source model with emission indices derived from dust-storm observations.
Our results indicate that dust from agricultural areas contributes <10% to the global dust load. Analyses of future changes in dust emissions under several climate and land-use scenarios suggest dust emissions may increase or decrease, but either way the effects of climate change will dominate dust emissions. Provide feedback or get help You are viewing our new enhanced HTML article. If you can't find a tool you're looking for, please click the link at the top of the page to "Go to old article view". 1. . [2] The magnitude of climate forcing by soil dust aerosol is uncertain but potentially important [Houghton et al., 2001]. 2. 3. 4.
Acknowledgments. Importance of Climate Change for the Ranges, Communities and Conservation of Birds. Institut für Zoologie, Abteilung V—Ökologie, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Becherweg 13, D-55099 Mainz, Germany Available online 4 November 2004 Choose an option to locate/access this article: Check if you have access through your login credentials or your institution Check access Get rights and content This chapter focuses on the effects of global climate change on the size and position of geographic ranges and the richness and composition of bird communities.
Copyright © 2004 Elsevier Ltd. NASA: Climate Change and Global Warming. Climate Change: Security Risk? - U.S. Water Alliance : U.S. Water Alliance. A new report released by the University of Cambridge argues that the risks of climate change should be assessed in the same way as risks to national security, financial stability, or public health, concentrating on the worst that can happen and how likely that may be.
The risk assessment was informed by a series of meetings, held at Harvard University, Tsinghua University in Beijing, the Council on Energy, Environment and Water in Delhi, and Lancaster House in London. The report considers: What we are doing to the climate: the future trajectory of global greenhouse gas emissionsHow the climate may change and what that could do to usWhat, in the context of climate change, we might do to each otherHow to value the risksHow to reduce the risks To read a free copy of the policy brief click here. The report considers: To read a free copy of the policy brief click here. Future Climate Change | Climate Change | US EPA. Key Points Continued emissions of greenhouse gases will lead to further climate changes. Future changes are expected to include a warmer atmosphere, a warmer and more acidic ocean, higher sea levels, and larger changes in precipitation patterns. The extent of future climate change depends on what we do now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The more we emit, the larger future changes will be. Increasing greenhouse gas concentrations will have many effects Greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere will continue to increase unless the billions of tons of our annual emissions decrease substantially. Increased concentrations are expected to: Increase Earth's average temperature Influence the patterns and amounts of precipitation Reduce ice and snow cover, as well as permafrost Raise sea level Increase the acidity of the oceans Increase the frequency, intensity, and/or duration of extreme events Shift ecosystem characteristics Increase threats to human health Confidence Key U.S. . .
Climate change and human health: present and future risks. Review a National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, The Australian National University, Canberra 0200, Australiab University of Otago, Wellington School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Wellington, New Zealand Available online 9 February 2006 Choose an option to locate/access this article: Check if you have access through your login credentials or your institution Check access Get rights and content Summary There is near unanimous scientific consensus that greenhouse gas emissions generated by human activity will change Earth's climate. Copyright © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. Amplification and dampening of soil respiration by changes in temperature variability | Directory of Open Access Journals.