Essay Global Warming

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Global Warming

What is Global Warming?
When speaking of the term global warming, we are referring to a consistent recently measured rise in the average temperature of the planet (i.e. at global scale). However, neither the rise in temperature nor the related impacts on atmospheric and oceanic circulation are likely to occur uniformly across the globe at the same time. Since 1971, 90% of the global warming has occurred in the Earth’s oceans. Despite the oceans' dominant role in energy storage, the term global warming can also be used to refer to increases in average temperature of the air/sea on the Earth's surface. Since the early 20th century, the global air and sea surface temperature has increased by roughly 0.8 °C, with about 2/3 of the increase occurring since the year 1980. Each of the last three decades has been successively warmer at the Earth’s surface than any preceding decade since 1850.
Why can Global Warming be considered the earth’s greatest issue?
There are several reasons as to why global warming can be can be considered the world’s greatest hazard. Global warming has been considered an increasingly serious problem for our planet. The main reason we can consider it as the greatest hazard is because it is a global issue, meaning the effects of global warming will protect everyone and everything on the planet. Many Governments, corporations, and individuals around the world are debating the reality of global warming, and working on solutions. Global warming is likely to continue for centuries, and that it is already too late to stop some of the serious consequences it will bring, such as those that have arguably already started to take place (melting ice-caps). The effects of global warming are the ecological and social changes caused by the rise in global temperatures. There is a scientific consensus that climate change is occurring, and that human activities are the primary driver. Evidence of climate change includes the instrumental temperature record, rising sea levels, and decreased snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), most of the observed increase in global average temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely due to the observed increase in human greenhouse gas concentrations. Projections of future climate change suggest further global warming, sea level rise and an increase in the frequency and severity of some extreme weather events. Human activities have contributed to a number of the observed changes in climate - human-induced warming could lead to large-scale, irreversible, and abrupt changes in physical systems. An example of this is the melting of ice sheets, which contributes to sea level rise. The probability of warming having unforeseen consequences increases with the rate, magnitude, and duration of climate change. Observations show that there have been changes in weather. As climate changes, the probabilities of certain types of weather events are affected. Changes have been observed in the amount, intensity, frequency, and type of precipitation. Widespread increases in heavy precipitation have occurred, even in places where total rain amounts have decreased. Since the 1950s, it is very likely that the number of cold days and nights have decreased globally. There have been other changes in climate extremes, e.g., floods and tropical cyclones, but these changes are more difficult to identify. As we previously stated, human influences appear to have contributed to some of the observed changes. Future climate change will very likely be associated with more very hot days and fewer very cold days. The frequency, length and intensity of heat waves will very likely increase over most land areas. It's likely that the average maximum wind speed of tropical
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