Climate Change
Climate change is the long-term alteration of temperature and weather patterns. Unexpected changes in weather patterns make it difficult to maintain and grow crops in regions that rely on farming because expected temperature and rainfall levels can no longer be counted on. Climate change has also been connected with other damaging weather events, such as more frequent and more intense hurricanes, typhoons, floods, downpours, and winter storms. Climate change is largely caused by human activity, primarily the burning of fossil fuels like oil, coal, and natural gas. Carbon emissions from fossil fuels, methane, and nitrous oxide, among others, are called “greenhouse gases.” When released into the Earth’s atmosphere, these gases trap heat from the sun’s rays causing Earth’s average temperature to rise. This rise in the planet's temperature is called global warming. While the climate has continually changed throughout the Earth's history, it has usually been a slow process over thousands of years. Climate change caused by human activity is occurring at a much faster and more dangerous rate.
Events and Articles
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9th Session of IPCC Working Group III (WGIII) and 26th Session of IPCC (IPCC-26)
The meeting accepted Working Group III’s contribution to the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report titled “Climate Change 2007: Mitigation of Climate Change,” including approval of the Summary for Policymakers that emphasizes that greenhouse gas emissions have increased by 70% since 1970 and that with current policies their growth is projected to continue over the next few decades.
8th Session of IPCC Working Group II (WGII)
Delegates accepted Working Group II’s contribution to the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report titled “Climate Change 2007: Impacts, adaptation and vulnerability,” including approval of the Summary for Policymakers and acceptance of the underlying report and Technical Summary.
10th Session of the IPCC Working Group I (WGI)
There is more than a 90 percent probability that human action has contributed towards recent climate change according to the Summary for Policymakers of “Climate Change 2007: the Physical Science Basis,” which delegates approved at the meeting.