Global Warming

Global Warming and the resulting climate change is one of the most serious environmental problems facing the world community. This book is the most comprehensive guide available to the subject. A world-renowned expert, Sir John Houghton explores the scientific basis of global warming and the likely impacts of climate change on human society, before addressing the action that could be taken by governments, by industry and by individuals to mitigate the effects.

WORLD CHANGING: Continued global warming is predicted in the new report, leading to a "huge disruption to agriculture, more floods, heatwaves, desertification and melting glaciers." Droughts will be longer, flooding rains will be rarer but heavier. "Cyclones will hit harder. Violent storms and extreme heatwaves will strike more frequently. Evaporation will suck up scarce inland water. Sea levels will creep up half a meter. Oceans will be so acidic that in some places shells and reefs will dissolve." The increase in hurricane and tropical cyclone strength since 1970 "more likely than not" can be attributed to man-made global warming, the report finds. Australia, currently in the grip of its worst recorded drought, is warned that the Great Barrier Reef will "become 'functionally extinct' because of coral bleaching."

Since 1800 the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere has increased by nearly 36 percent. However, this reflects only half of the CO2 that has been emitted during this same time, leaving room for some doubt as to the urgency of global warming. Recent studies show that the "missing" CO2 has been absorbed into the oceans. And now, studies are demonstrating that the increased amount of CO2 in the oceans is threatening ocean life.
The oceans absorbed 48 percent of the carbon dioxide emitted into the air by humans over the last two centuries? At that rate, impacts from global warming could damage the ability for many ocean creatures to survive.
Between 1800 and 1994 the oceans absorbed 118 billion metric tons of carbon - equaling the weight of 118 billion small cars! What happens now? According to the study, the increased carbon can affect the acidity of the oceans, slow the development of coral reefs and shelled sea life - creatures that represent the base of the food chain in the ocean. Such a disruption to the food chain can severely affect the balance of ocean life with potentially catastrophic results.
The surface of the vast ice sheet in Greenland melted more during the summer of 2002 than at any time in the 24 years that conditions have been tracked. Some of the melting is due to accumulation of dark dust that increases absorption of solar energy. A large percentage of the dust comes from coal fired power plant