Global Warming
Background of global warming
There are different opinions about the reasons for the global warming. Most scientists are convinced that mankind with its ever increasing consumption of energy and the massive release of so called "Greenhouse Gases" Methane and Carbon Dioxide have contributed significantly to the increase of the Earth´s temperature. The average temperature (including the oceans) is rising constantly for the last decades and is about 0,7 degrees up since 1900.
- Long dry periods...
- ...and flooding become more frequent.
The consequences
The consequences are rather unpleasant: Long dry periods, extremely hot summers, melting of polar ice caps and glaciers resulting in a rise of sea level by several meters (New York under water as well as the Maledives). On the other side more extreme weather conditions with colder winters, very heavy storms, extreme rainfall causing additional local flooding etc.
These consequences of climate changes are affecting mankind as well as animals and plants directly - and it has already started.
Many studies have concluded that the climate change can not be stopped or reversed, but perhaps slowed down. But even to achieve that would require a massive change of our economic system, our private live, our energy consumption - basically our entire live situation, which does not really seem realistic.
Even if we assume that the global warming would be happening without the influence of mankind - the result remain the same: higher temperatures and more extreme weather conditions.
