Climate Change and Global Warming.

Climate change refers to the variation in the earth's global climate or in the regional climates over time. Human activates such as burning of fossil fuel (Coal, crude oil, natural gas etc.) have led to generation and build up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The green gases include Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Methane (CH4) .Nitrous oxide (N2O), Hydro fluorocarbons (HFC), Perflurocarbons (PFCs) and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6). These green house gases absorb the radiations from the sun and leads to warming the earth's atmosphere. Excessive build of these greenhouse gases is resulting into increase of earth's average temperature, also called as Global Warming.

 

The impact of Global Warming.

 

1.    The Co2 concentration is expected to increase between 540 to 970 ppm (Parts per million) by 2100 compared to pre industrial level of about 280 ppm.

 

2.    The world's average surface temperature has increased by around 0.74˚C.Over the past 100 years(1906-2005) A warming of about 0.2˚C is projected for each of the next two decades.

 

3.    Melting of ice caps/glaciers-Glaciers in Greenland, Alaska, the Himalayas and the Antarctic Peninsula are retreating. Sea ice in the Arctic Ocean during summer is disappearing.

 

4.    The sea level may rise between 110 to 770 mm by 2100 due to ocean expansion & glacier melt.

 

5.    634 people live in the threatened coastal areas world wide, areas at less than 33 feet above sea level.

 

6.    China is most  at risk with 143 million people living by the coast, followed by India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Indonesia, Japan, Egypt and the US.

 

7.    Warmer water in the oceans pumps more energy into tropical storms, making them more intense and potentially more destructive.

 

8.    Warmer temperatures increase the energy of the climatic system and lead to more intense rainfall at some times and in some areas.

 

9.    Warmer temperature could also increase the probability of drought.

 

10.     Deaths rates for poor from global warming related illness, such as malnutrition, diarrhea, malaria will rise.

 

11.     Polar bears in the wild and other animals will be pushed to extinction.

 

12.     By 2080 between 1.1 and 3.2 billion people will face water shortages and 200 to 600 million will face extreme hunger.

 

13.     A temperature rise of 1-2 degrees centigrade would see one third of the earth's species either displaced or wiped out.