Climate Change: Cause & Effect

Abstract

There has been a significant climatic change that has taken place throughout the years on Earth. Periods warmer than today as well as much colder, during glacial episodes, have alternated. Man has affected the environment throughout his stay on earth; the impact has been most intense in the relatively short era. In our time, rapid population growth with increased demand for natural resources and energy, has made society increasingly vulnerable to environmental changes, both natural and those caused by man; human activity is clearly affecting the radiation balance of the Earth. These changes have affected society in more than one way. However, there is nothing society can do about the long term influences of climatic changes. Society has tended to address the short term effects of climatic changes that influence the global temperatures within the life span of present generations. We need not only understand the mechanisms for climate change and climate variability, we also need to identify means to remedy the anthropogenic influence on Earth’s climate. Variability is often expressed statistically, in terms of averages over a season or number of years, of temperature or rainfall and sometimes in terms of other variables such as wind, humidity, and so on. Variability is an important factor.

Keywords: Climate Change, Greenhouse Gases, Greenhouse Effects, Sustainable Development,           Radiometer, Sunspot & Environment.