Observing a Warming Earth
December 26, 2008 by Tommy Linsley
Filed under Climate Change
It seems that the idea of climate change used to be an intellectual
curiosity and yet another worrisome warning from people you wouldn’t
invite to parties. However, in the span of just a few years, there has
been a dramatic shift in how people perceive climate change in North
America.
It may be disappearing polar bears or killer bees, but the wacky weather
that is now apparent to so many has been on the mind of climate
researchers for over a century.
While searching for the cause of ice ages, it was discovered that the
climate seemed to warm whenever carbon dioxide levels reached a critical
point. Therefore, it was reasoned, the burning of coal could one day
cause the atmosphere to heat up too much.
When this was first proposed in the late 17th century, it was thought it
could take 500 years or more for such levels to be reached. Had the
consumption of petroleum not become so widespread, that might have been
true, but in less than half that time, the Earth as far exceeded the
carbon dioxide concentrations that it were theorized would case the
opposite of an ice age to occur.
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- How Does Climate Change Affect Agriculture and Consumers?
- Unusual Violent Weather
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- Fighting Drought Years
