Global Climate Change Update...

Scientific evidence for warming of the climate system is unequivocal (IPCC, 2022).

Earth's climate has changed throughout history. In the last 650,000 years ther

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Steve Oberle
Steve Oberle

Global Climate Change Update...

Scientific evidence for warming of the climate system is unequivocal (IPCC, 2022).

Earth's climate has changed throughout history. In the last 650,000 years ther

3 years ago

Global Climate Change Update...

Scientific evidence for warming of the climate system is unequivocal (IPCC, 2022).

Earth's climate has changed throughout history. In the last 650,000 years there have been seven cycles of glacial advance and retreat, with the abrupt end of the last ice age about 11,700 years ago marking the beginning of the modern climate era — and of human civilization. Most of these climate changes are attributed to very small variations in Earth’s orbit that change the amount of solar energy our planet receives (NASA, 2022).

The current warming trend is of particular significance because it is unequivocally the result of human activity since the mid-20th century and proceeding at a rate that is unprecedented over millennia. It is undeniable that human activities have warmed the atmosphere, ocean, and land and that widespread and rapid changes in the atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere, and biosphere have occurred. Earth-orbiting satellites and other technological advances have enabled scientists to see the big picture, collecting many different types of information about our planet and its climate on a global scale. This body of data, collected over many years, reveals the signals of a changing climate (NASA, 2022).

Human-induced climate change is causing dangerous and widespread disruption in nature and affecting the lives of billions of people around the world, despite efforts to reduce the risks. People and ecosystems least able to cope are being hardest hit, according to the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, released February 28 (IPCC, 2022).

The IPCC is the UN body for assessing the science related to climate change. It was established by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in 1988 to provide political leaders with periodic scientific assessments concerning climate change, its implications and risks, as well as to put forward adaptation and mitigation strategies. Their 2022 report has a strong focus on the interactions among the coupled systems climate, ecosystems (including their biodiversity) and human society. These interactions are the basis of emerging risks from climate change, ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss and, at the same time, offer opportunities for the future (IPCC, 2022).
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https://climate.nasa.gov/
https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/
https://www.unep.org/resources/report/ipcc-sixth-assessment-report-clim…
https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/
https://www.ipcc.ch/report/sixth-assessment-report-working-group-ii/