Recently the U.N's International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concluded:

" The Earth's climate system has demonstrably changed on both global and regional scales since the pre-industrial era, with some of these changes attributable to human activities." -IPCC Summary For Policy Makers (2007)

Global warming is the phenomenon that describes the increase in the Earth's average atmospheric and oceanic temperatures. Greenhouse gasses have always been a crucial element in the Earth's atmosphere these gasses insulate and warm the Earth by absorbing the Sun's energy. However, due to the burning of hydrocarbon fuels critical amounts of these gasses are being released into the air. These additional gasses are contributing the net warming of the Earth and thus are partly responsible for current global climate change. According to the IPCC, since the industrial revolution in the late 19th century average global temperatures have risen between 0.6 and 0.2° C. The IPCC estimates that temperatures may rise an additional 1.4 to 5.8° C by 2100.

Consequences of Higher Temperatures

Global climate change is happening and the effects are already very observable in the Earth?s coldest regions. Snow and Ice cover is diminishing and the earth?s glaciers are melting rapidly. If we do not act and climate change continues the effects of global warming are going to be severe. Rising sea levels, extreme weather, loss of species and habitat, are all possible consequences of a warming global ecosystem.

Rising Sea Levels

As the poles warm the ice melts and flows to the oceans. Global mean sea level is projected to rise between .29 and 2.88 feet by 2100, many islands and coastlines face submersion. According to the IPCC:

Average arctic temperatures increased at almost twice the global average rate in the past 100 years? Global average sea level rose at an average rate of 1.8 [1.3 to 2.3] mm per year over 1961 to 2003. The rate was faster over 1993 to 2003: about 3.1 [2.4 to 3.8] mm per year. -IPCC Source: IPCC http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/wg1/ar4-wg1-spm.pdf

Extreme Weather

Net warming effects translate into more extreme droughts, fiercer storms and extreme temperatures.

More intense and longer droughts have been observed over wider areas since the 1970s, particularly in the tropics and subtropics. -IPCC The frequency of heavy precipitation events has increased over most land areas, consistent with warming and observed increases of atmospheric water vapour. -IPCC

Widespread changes in extreme temperatures have been observed over the last 50 years. Cold days, cold nights and frost have become less frequent, while hot days, hot nights and heat waves have become more frequent. - IPCC

There is observational evidence for an increase in intense tropical cyclone activity in the North Atlantic since about 1970, correlated with increases of tropical sea surface temperatures. -IPCC

Source: IPCC http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/wg1/ar4-wg1-spm.pdf

Loss of Biodiversity

As the Earth?s average temperatures increase, the planet?s animal and plant life must adapt to the changing environmental conditions. A study conducted by the University of Maryland concludes that the effects of global warming are limited to meteorological changes.

Climate change over the past ,30 years has produced numerous shifts in the distributions and abundances of species1,2 and as been implicated in one species-level extinction.

Source : http://www.geog.umd.edu/resac/outgoing/GEOG442%20Fall%202005/Lecture%20materials/extinctions%20and%20climate%20change.pdf



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