Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Summary
There is clear evidence that GHGs concentrations in the atmosphere have been rising since
the industrial revolution in the 18th century. Atmospheric concentrations of both CO
2
and
CH
4
are higher than anytime within at least the last million years. Within 100 years we
have put more carbon into the atmosphere than the amount of carbon that was emitted
between the long natural glacial‒interglacial cycles, which took thousands of years. The
current scientific consensus is that these recent changes in GHG concentrations in the at-
mosphere have already caused the global temperatures to increase. Since 1880, the global
average surface temperature has increased by 0.85°C. This warming has been accompanied
by a significant warming of the ocean, a rise in sea level of 20 centimetres (cm), a 40 per
cent decline in Arctic sea ice, and an increase in number of extreme weather events. As we
emit more and more carbon into the atmosphere the effects in climate change will increas-
ingly threaten and challenge human society. The science, politics, and potential solutions to
climate change are examined in the rest of this topic. In
Chapter 2
the recognition of cli-
mate change as a global pollution problem is examined.
Chapters 3
and
4
discuss the cur-
rent scientific evidence for climate change and how scientists are modelling the future to
assess how global carbon emissions will alter our climate.
Chapters 5
and
6
examine the
impacts of these future climate changes and the possibility that there may be hidden sur-
prises within the climate system that may exacerbate climate change.
Chapters 7
and
8
in-
vestigate the political aspects of climate change, and potential political and technological
solutions. Finally,
Chapter 9
provides multiple views of the future dependent on how we
decide to tackle carbon emissions and the impacts of climate change.
