Global Warming:
Global warming is the term used to
describe a gradual increase in the average
temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere
and its oceans, a change that is believed
to be permanently changing the Earth’s
climate. There is great debate among
many people, and sometimes in the news,
on whether global warming is real (some
call it a hoax). But climate scientists
looking at the data and facts agree the
planet is warming. While many view the
effects of global warming to be more
substantial and more rapidly occurring
than others do, the scientific consensus
on climatic changes related to global
warming is that the average temperature
of the Earth has risen between 0.4 and
0.8 °C over the past 100 years. The
increased volumes of carbon dioxide and
other greenhouse gases released by the
burning of fossil fuels, land clearing,
agriculture, and other human activities,
are believed to be the primary sources of
the global warming that has occurred over
the past 50 years. Scientists from the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
carrying out global warming research
have recently predicted that average
global temperatures could increase
between 1.4 and 5.8 °C by the year 2100.
Changes resulting from global warming
may include rising sea levels due to the
melting of the polar ice caps, as well as
an increase in occurrence and severity of
storms and other severe weather events.
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