Facts – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet

Climate change: Oceans 'soaking up more heat than estimated' Image copyright Getty Images The world has seriously underestimated the amount of heat soaked up by our oceans over the past 25 years, researchers say. Their study suggests that the seas have absorbed 60% more than previously thought. They say it means the Earth is more sensitive to fossil fuel emissions than estimated. This could make it much more difficult to keep global warming within safe levels this century. Media playback is unsupported on your device What have the researchers found? According to the last major assessment by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the world's oceans have taken up over 90% of the excess heat trapped by greenhouse gases. But this new study says that every year, for the past 25 years, we have put about 150 times the amount of energy used to generate electricity globally into the seas - 60% more than previous estimates. That's a big problem. This new calculation shows that far more heat than we thought has been going into oceans.

Evidence for climate change This page has information on what climate change is, how we know it is happening, and what this might mean for the future. What is climate change? Earth’s atmosphere is made up of oxygen, a large amount of nitrogen and a small percentage of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane. Greenhouse gases act like a blanket around the Earth. They trap warmth from the sun and make life on Earth possible. This process is often called global warming, but it is better to think of it as climate change. Multiple lines of evidence show climate change is happening There is lots of evidence that tells us the average temperatures of the world's atmosphere and oceans have increased over the past 150 years. The evidence includes: A number of biological changes have also been observed. These include: shifts in the ranges of some plant and animal species earlier timing of spring events such as leaf-unfolding, bird migration and egg-laying for some species. Future climate change

Home | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Kuluttaja­valintojen liika korostaminen ilmasto­talkoissa on vaarallista ajan­hukkaa - Mielipide Kuluttaja­valintojen liika korostaminen ilmasto­talkoissa on vaarallista ajan­hukkaa Kansainvälisen ilmastopaneelin IPCC:n uusin ilmastoraportti on jälleen sähköistänyt ilmastokeskustelun. Myös suomalaiset puolueet ovat heränneet ja ennakoivat seuraavista eduskuntavaaleista ilmastovaaleja. Tavallisten kansalaisten rooli ilmastotalkoissa on myös palannut keskusteluun. Mainos (Teksti jatkuu alla) Mainos päättyy Kuluttajavetoisten ilmastotoimenpiteiden heikkoudet ovat laajalti tiedossa. Kuluttajan vastuun korostamisen suurin riski on kuitenkin kansan jakautuminen identiteettiheimoihin ilmastokysymyksissä. Yhdysvalloissa oli vuosina 2006–2008 ja varsinkin vara­presidentti Al Goren tähdittämän Epämiellyttävä totuus -dokumenttielokuvan ilmestymisen jälkeen laaja konsensus ilmastopolitiikan tarpeellisuudesta. Sittemmin ilmastokeskustelu Yhdysvalloissa polarisoitui, suurelta osin identiteettipoliittisista syistä. Henri Weijo apulaisprofessori ja kulutustutkija Aalto-yliopisto

Our Changing Climate | National Climate Assessment The global warming of the past 50 years is primarily due to human activities, predominantly the burning of fossil fuels. Climate has changed naturally throughout Earth’s history. However, natural factors cannot explain the recent observed warming. In the past, climate change was driven exclusively by natural factors: explosive volcanic eruptions that injected reflective particles into the upper atmosphere, changes in energy from the sun, periodic variations in the Earth’s orbit, natural cycles that transfer heat between the ocean and the atmosphere, and slowly changing natural variations in heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere. 2000 Years of Heat Trapping Gas Levels All of these natural factors, and their interactions with each other, have altered global average temperature over periods ranging from months to thousands of years. Natural factors are still affecting the planet’s climate today. Carbon Emissions in the Industrial Age Carbon Emissions in the Industrial Age CoalOilGasCement

Climate change: Arctic reindeer numbers crash by half Image copyright KAJ R. SVENSSON/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY The population of wild reindeer, or caribou, in the Arctic has crashed by more than half in the last two decades. A new report on the impact of climate change in the Arctic revealed that numbers fell from almost 5 million to around 2.1 million animals. The report was released at the American Geophysical Research Union meeting. It revealed how weather patterns and vegetation changes are making the Arctic tundra a much less hospitable place for reindeer. Reindeer and caribou are the same species, but the vast, wild herds in northern Canada and Alaska are referred to as caribou. It is these herds that are faring the worst, according to scientists monitoring their numbers. Other stories from the AGU meeting you might like: Why is a warmer Arctic worse for reindeer? There are multiple reasons. "We see increased drought in some areas due to climate warming, and the warming itself leads to a change of vegetation." Image copyright NOAA

Effects | Facts – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet We already see effects scientists predicted, such as the loss of sea ice, melting glaciers and ice sheets, sea level rise, and more intense heat waves. Scientists predict global temperature increases from human-made greenhouse gases will continue. Severe weather damage will also increase and intensify. Our Trajectory Earth Will Continue to Warm and the Effects Will Be Profound Global climate change is not a future problem. Effects that scientists had long predicted would result from global climate change are now occurring, such as sea ice loss, accelerated sea level rise, and longer, more intense heat waves. "The magnitude and rate of climate change and associated risks depend strongly on near-term mitigation and adaptation actions, and projected adverse impacts and related losses and damages escalate with every increment of global warming." Some changes (such as droughts, wildfires, and extreme rainfall) are happening faster than scientists previously assessed. Future Effects in the U.S.

Dimensions - The Next Evolution in Linked Scholarly Information (scroll down for search function) Suomalaistutkijan animaatio ilmastonmuutoksesta kohahduttaa jälleen maailmalla – "Ei näytä, että ilmaston lämpeneminen olisi vähenemässä" Ilmatieteen laitoksen erikoistutkijan video tiivistää hätkähdyttävästi poikkeavuudet eri maiden lämpötiloissa yli sadan vuoden aikana. Videota on katsottu jo miljoona kertaa. Ilmaston lämpeneminen on maailmanlaajuinen ilmiö, eikä se ole hidastumassa – pikemminkin päinvastoin. Tässä on yhteen virkkeeseen kiteytettynä se, mitä kuopiolainen Ilmatieteen laitoksen erikoistutkija Antti Lipponen haluaa tuoreimmalla videollaan kertoa. Lipponen julkaisi 25. elokuuta Twitterissä animaation lämpötilojen poikkeavuuksista eri maissa vuosina 1880–2017. Tätä juttua kirjoitettaessa videota on katsottu pelkästään Lipposen omalta Twitter-tililtä (siirryt toiseen palveluun) lähes miljoona kertaa. #Temperature anomalies 1880-2017 by country 🌡. Animaatiossa lämpötilan poikkeavuudet keskiarvosta on merkitty värikoodeilla. – Ei näytä, että ilmaston lämpeneminen olisi vähenemässä. Video pohjautuu NASAn avoimeen dataan, josta Lipponen on laskenut maakohtaiset lämpötilat itse ja lopuksi visualisoinut datan.