Global Warming Climate Change - 1592 Words

In the past century, human activities, including burning fossil fuels and agriculture have caused the release of greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. Increasing greenhouse gasses as a significant cause of global warming induce global temperatures to increase and affect the Earths climate. Nowadays, Global Warming is a hot topic and one of the critical environmental issues facing the world. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) definition for climate change is: â€Å"Climate change in IPCC usage refers to a change in the state of the climate that can be identified (e.g. using statistical tests) by changes in the mean and/or the variability of its properties, and that persists for an extended period,†¦show more content†¦Global warming has wide-ranging effects on many aspects of human life and brought severe environmental problems, for instance, sea level rising and coastal flooding, changing rainfall distribution, alteration of oceanic and atmospheric circulation, and increasing the occurrence of powerful weather events such as floods, hurricanes, heat waves, and tornadoes. Sea level rising (SLR) is the most dangerous consequence of human-induced global warming. Global sea level changes arise from the mass addition of ocean water, as well as melting of glaciers, polar ice and snow into the oceans because of increasing global temperature. Sea level rising is a local and global phenomenon which is happening in many places [1]. IPCC reports point out SLR rates during 1901-1990, and 1993-2010 are 1.5 (1.3 to 1.7) mm/year and 3.2 (2.8 to 3.6) mm/year, respectively [? ]. There is a wide range of sea-level projections to 2100. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that sea level rising will be 0.15 meters with 95 percent confidence [4]. Additionally, the IPCC FAR predicts sea level rise 0.26-0.97 meters by 2100; figure1.1 designates projections of global mean sea level changes[2]. Accelerated sea level rise has been recognized as a key threat to the coastal zones, including coastal lagoons, estuaries, wetlands, and shorelines. Reports state that rising sea level reshapes shorelines by coastal erosion, transgression and inundation