Climate change is a tricky subject. Some groups are willing to turn a blind eye and put doubt into the minds of others, as there is a fear that our comfortable lives may be thrown right out the window. So I thought I would address how climate change has one, proven to be human-caused and two, is happening right now. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a report in 2001, noting that the only way to absolutely prove climate change is to do a controlled experiment.
But as we have only one Earth, we are currently doing our own uncontrolled experiment! We are injecting carbon dioxide (CO2), methane, and other gases into the atmosphere, and then observing the changes.
And so, here, a computer model can be made to prove cause and effect. It includes all the natural variables from the earth such as weather fluctuations like the El Nino. The variables made by humans are also put in, such as CO2 and methane releases. This model is then a good description of how the system works. It will be able to show how the atmosphere responds to more CO2, or how reduced snow may effect different parts of the world. If the model is created well, it can be re-run, but all the factors by humans may be left out.
If the model without human inputs is inconsistent with the observed changes in temperatures, and if the model with human inputs is consistent, then one can be very confident, that the human inputs have made the difference. This shows that without the human input, the changes would not have been so dramatic.
Carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide are the three most important and damaging greenhouse gases. All of these gases are released naturally in different ways. But when looking at a graph like the one below, it shows that the natural forcings of these gases are small and relatively average across time. When this is coupled with human forces, then the warming is explained.
Should we care about the warming of the globe? What are the effects of climate change? One that most people have heard about is the polar regions are warming much faster than the rest of the world. The extremes being witnessed are consistent with climate models. In the artic, the sea ice is only half as thick as it was 30 years ago! This affects a range of wildlife.
Another scary thought is that the Greenland ice cap is melting twice as fast as it was a few years ago, and if it completely melts, it holds enough water to raise the sea level by about 7 metres. All over the world, species are dying out or extending their territories to places that are now warmer or cold enough for them to thrive in.
The worst effect for humans currently would be the extreme weather changes. Droughts are becoming more regular. In Africa, droughts have increased by 30% since 1970. Droughts are the single largest cause of famine. On the other end, there are stronger storms and they are becoming increasingly more damaging. For example, hurricane Katrina, demolished an area the size of Great Britain, and caused $200 billion damage. It was the greatest storm loss in American history. As the climate continues to warms and the weather patterns continue to change, should we be preparing for even worse weather patterns? What can be done to stop this from happening?
Here is a link to a website that gives you tips on how you can help to protect the climate. It has tips for at home, work, school, and on the road.
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/
I hope this has some helpful information. There are plenty of eco-friendly tips on websites, books and magazines out there as well.
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