01A. Climate Change
Climate change is defined as a significant and long-term change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns of the Earth’s climate, or of a region on Earth. It is caused by factors including oceanic circulation, variations in solar radiation received by Earth, tectonics, volcanic eruptions and human-induced alterations. These latter effects are currently causing global warming.1 Just a few years ago it was possible for large economies to ignore the issue of global warming and to continue as always. Today even these have recognized that the biggest threat to their countries is not other economies but it is themselves causing the climate to change by burning vast amounts of coal, oil and natural gas in order to keep up their comfortable life style.
What causes global warming? There are several greenhouse gases responsible for warming, and humans emit them in a variety of ways. Most of these gases come from the combustion of fossil fuels in cars, factories, and electricity production.2 The gas responsible for most of the warming is carbon dioxide. Other contributors include methane released from landfills and agriculture, nitrous oxide from fertilizers, gases used for refrigeration and industrial processes, and the loss of forests that would otherwise store CO2. Rainforests have been one of the main sources of oxygen in the atmosphere. Nowadays, the rainforests are being destroyed at an unprecedented rate. Every second one and a half acres of rainforest are being cut down. It is
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1 http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/climate_by_any_other_name. html 2 http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn9903-instant-expert-climatechange.html
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