Essays on What is Global warming?

Of great importance in the reconstruction of the possible effects of modern climate variability is the restoration of the natural conditions of the previous interglacial period. As much warmer interglacial period temperatures were several degrees higher than today (set according to the isotopic analysis of residues of microorganisms and gaseous inclusions in ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland), the boundaries of natural areas were shifted to the north by several hundred kilometers, compared to modern ones. In the reconstruction of the warmer interglacial periods today – the so-called Holocene climatic optimum, which took place from 6 to 5 thousand years ago, established the following. The average annual temperature was 2-3 degrees above today’s, and the boundaries of natural areas were also located north of the modern (the general plan of their geographical distribution roughly coincides with Mikulinsky interglacial). From the available data on paleogeography logical to assume that a further increase in temperature will transform the geographic span the same way. This contradicts the hypothesis of the cold weather in northern Europe and North America and the displacement of natural areas in these regions to the south of their present situation. Mutual influence of climate change and ecosystems are still poorly understood. It remains unclear to strengthen or weaken the effects of global warming by natural mechanisms. For example, increasing the concentration of carbon leads to an intensification of plant photosynthesis, which prevents an increase in concentration. On the other hand, the growth area of dry land reduces recycling of carbon dioxide.

Forecast. The report of the Intergovernmental Working Group Panel on Climate Change (Shanghai, 2001) the seven models of climate change in the XXI century. The major findings in the report – are the continuation of global warming, accompanied by increase in greenhouse gas emissions (although some scenarios at the end of the century as a result of the prohibitions on industrial emissions can decrease emissions of greenhouse gases); increase in surface air temperature (by the end of the XXI century is possible to increase the surface temperature in some parts of the globe in 6 ° C); sea level rise (on average – at 0.5 meters per century). The most likely factors include changes in weather are: more intense precipitation; higher maximum temperatures, more hot days and fewer frost days, in almost all regions of the Earth, while in most continental areas of heat waves will become more frequent; decrease the spread of temperatures, as stated in Global warming.

As a consequence of these changes we can expect more severe storms and increased intensity of tropical cyclones (the general tendency to increase further noted that in the XX century), increasing the frequency of heavy precipitation, marked increase in areas of drought.

The Intergovernmental Commission has identified a number of areas most vulnerable to the expected climate change. It is Sahara region, the mega-deltas of Asia and small islands.

The negative change in Europe include increased temperatures and increased drought in the south (as a result – reduction of water resources and reduction of hydropower production, decrease agricultural production, worsening terms of tourism), reductions in snow cover and the retreat of mountain glaciers, increasing the risk of severe flooding and catastrophic floods on rivers, increasing summer precipitation in Central and Eastern Europe, increasing the frequency of forest fires, fires in peat lands, reducing the productivity of forests, increase the instability of soils in Northern Europe. In the Arctic region – there is a catastrophic reduction in the area of glaciation, the reduction of sea ice, increasing coastal erosion, as stated in Stop Global warming.

Some researchers offer a pessimistic forecast that in the first quarter of the XXI century is possible surge climate in an unexpected direction, with the consequence may be the beginning of a new ice age over hundreds of years. The famous British scientist, naturalist and broadcaster David Bellamy believes that the most important environmental problem the planet is reducing the area of tropical forests in South America. In his opinion, the danger of global warming is greatly exaggerated – at that time as the disappearance of forests in which they live two-thirds of all animal and plant species of the planet is indeed a real and grave threat to humanity. Although, American physicist Freeman Dyson argues that the measures proposed to combat global warming, have long been beyond the scope of science, and are politicking and speculative business. Founder of Weather Channel Weather Channel, John Coleman said the journalist, “the so-called global warming the greatest scam in history”. According to him, “some dastardly and cowardly scientists in order to protect the environment and the different policy objectives brazenly manipulated long-term observations of the weather, to give people the illusion of global warming. No rapid climate change will happen. The impact of humanity on Earth’s climate is negligible. Our planet is not in danger. After one or two decades, bankruptcy of the theory of global warming will be obvious to all.”

Danish economist Bjorn Lomborg believes that global warming is not as rampant as it is painted, some experts and repeats them to journalists. “Subject warming overheated” – he says. Lomborg’s views in detail in the book, “Cool! Global warming. Skeptical guide.”

Some critics pointed out that in the past (for example, in the Eocene), the temperature was considerably higher than today, and then died out even though many species that flourish in the future life.

According to Greenpeace,
“…The struggle to reduce emissions of” greenhouse gases “in any event will bring many benefits. It involves the transition to innovative economic development through the introduction of energy efficient technologies, renewable energy, etc., etc. These requirements would be relevant even if the climate change problem would not exist. Fossil fuels, on which the global economy are not forever. Sooner or later it will end. The only question is who will be ready for this, and who, speaking of the “global conspiracy of environmentalists, politicians and business” will remain with nothing”.

“Over the past half-century temperatures in the south-west of the Antarctic, the Antarctic Peninsula has risen by 2,5°C. In 2002, Larsen Ice Shelf area of 3250 km² and a thickness of over 200 meters, located on the Antarctic Peninsula, broke the iceberg area of over 2,500 km²”, as described in Global warming. The destruction happened within 35 days. Although, the glacier has remained stable for 10 thousand years from the end of the last glacial period. It should be noted that “the melting of the ice shelf resulted in the release of a large number of icebergs in the Weddell Sea. However, the area of glaciation in Antarctica is increasing. There was noted accelerated degradation of the permafrost. Since the early 1970s, the temperature of permafrost in Western Siberia have increased by 1,0 ° C, in central Yakutia – at 1-1,5 ° C. In the north of Alaska since the mid-1980s, the temperature of the upper layer of permafrost has increased by 3°C”, as described in Global warming.

All in all, global climate change is not limited to warming. There has also been changing the salt density of the oceans, increasing the humidity of the air, the changing nature of rainfall and melting of Arctic sea ice at a speed of approximately 600 thousand square km per decade. The atmosphere becomes more humid, more rains fall in the high and low latitudes, and less – in the tropical and subtropical regions. All human activity influences people’s well being, health and life. Humanity has to take measures to protect the environment from different risks and dangers anyway, even if the global warming is not really happening.