Global Warming and Climate Change

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The world has become warmer in the last 50 years mostly due to human activities. The global temperature may increase by between 1.4 to 5.8 C with such consequences as rising sea level and amount and pattern of precipitation. These may also manifest in extreme whether condition such as global retreat floods droughts heat waves, hurricanes, cyclones and trumaric. All these may lead to extinction of many species and unintended consequences on human lives. Despite proliferation of knowledge of climate changes experts are divided on the linkages between human activities and the question of the changes. Most studies focus on the period upto 2100 through warming is likely to continue beyond then since carbon dioxide has a long atmospheric lifetime. The debate on how much climate changes is likely in future is overshadowed by the still greater debate on what it any should be done to reduce or reverse global warming. How to tackle the consequences is another issue that is engaging the attention of environments and policy makers across the world. This book is likely to increase appreciation of this phenomenon which is not limited to territorial boundaries of certain countries though political debates may make if look so. Since human included emissions of green house gases occur primarily as a result of inefficient use of energy climate change needs to be attacked at its source with the focus on emissions energy efficiency and renewable energy. The book avoids over simplistic treatments of scientific findings and departures from rational objectively which can undermine public trust in natural sciences and could play into the hands of anti environmentalists more so in causes where scientific results are some what uncertain. This book alerts readers to another global threat that could be worse than carbon emissions, namely the problem of nitrogen over fertilization.Table of ContentsPreface Introduction The global problem Environmental policy economics and the global commons international reports and conferences History of the global climate Climate change global warming Greenhouse gas Fundamentals Business as usual lternatives Efficiency plugging leaks Reforestation the garden verses the greenhouse Energy policy Freeing the green market Perceptions and responses perceiving believing Future climate and human change Appendices