Global Warming

What is Global Warming

1. “Climate change means a change of climate which is attributed directly or
indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere”
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 1992 (UNFCCC)
2. “Climate Change is a more all-encompassing term than ‘Global Warming’
because it includes changes in rain-fall pattern, sea level rise, potential droughts,
habitat loss, and heat stress” UN National Safety Council
3. “Global Warming is simply the rise of average temperature of the planet Earth”
American Meteorological Society (AMS)

Facts
1. The Green House Gasses (GHG) of most concern are Carbon Dioxide CO2,
Methane CH4, and Nitrous Oxide N2O, Halocarbon, Water vapors, Aerosols .
UN National Safety Council
2. External Forces (that contribute towards global warming) are Solar Radiation,
rotation of Earth around its orbit, while Internal Forces are GHG emission,
deforestation etc.
3. Green House Effect ---- GHG act as a blanket and impedes the way of radiation
going back to the upper / outer atmosphere, hence radiation gets trapped in the
atmosphere and temperature rises
4. “The Arctic is among the most vulnerable regions”
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
5. The USA and China are biggest polluting countries but Australians are heaviest
polluting people i.e. Per Capita CO2 emission Australia 10 ton per person,
Americans 8.2 tons pp, Chinese 8.2 tons Center for Global Development

Impacts of Climate Change

1. Global Warming – Earths average temp. has risen 0.74 C, Snowfall in Argentina
on June 09 2007

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2. Year 2006 was the sixth warmest year on the record, Dec. 2006 was the warmest
December since global surface records were instituted
3. Rise in sea levels ---- 3.1 mm per year (1993 – 2003)
4. Change in rain fall patterns ---- Heavy rain in China, Australia June 2007
5. Glaciers are melting
6. Change in Sea Surface Temperature cause change in wind patterns
7. Increase of intense tropical cyclones ---- Cyclone of Bangladesh 2007
8. Australia, USA, & parts of Europe experienced unprecedented heat in summer 07
9. Damage to Ecosystem: Extinction of Species as happened in Australia ----
Globally, 30% of earth’s species will disappear if temperature rise 2.5 C and up
to 70 % if it rise to 3.5 C” UN Report
10. At lower latitudes crop productivity will be lowered
11. Coastal societies / civilizations are in danger
12. Climate-sensitive economies will suffer badly
13. Climate change will threaten peace and security as extreme weathers will result
in decrease of agricultural land and resources, which are already creating millions
of Climate Refugees. So a competition of resources will generate more conflicts.
14. Increase in CO2 emissions has turned oceans more acidic killing coral reefs and
disturbing the whole aqua-life and in the long run, it will affect every species” UN

General Remarks
1. Climate change is no longer a distant reality
2. The impact of Climate Change has reached a critical stage
3. It is an all-encompassing threat
4. In a warm world infectious diseases like Malaria, Yellow Fever will spread more
and faster
5. International Energy Outlook (IEO) has predicted that CO2 emissions till 2025
will be 2015 billion metric tons
6. United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UNFAO) ----
Deforestation accounts for 18% of CO2 emission

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7. The Latest UN report estimates 1.8 to 4 C rise is expected in temperature ….. 18

– 59 CM rise is sea level
8. Arabian Sea has got warmer by 0.2 to 0.8 C
9. The World suffered 120 disasters in a year due to global warming in 1980s while
this figure in 500 for recent years------- Oxfam report
10. UNDP Human Development Report 07-08 Nov 2007 – Due to global warming
the reverse of human development is on the verge …… Most hit areas are
Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Haiti...
11. Bangladesh, Egyptians, and Vietnamese are at the ‘verge of disaster’ as the
average sea level in the Bay of Bengal may rise by 40cm” UN Report
12. “Carbon and other heat trapping GHG emission must stabilize by 2015 and then
decline” UN Nobel Prize Winning Network of Scientists
13. Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Report Dec
2007 --- Major Asian cities (Tokyo, Shanghai, Mumbai, Bangkok etc) and
American cities (NY, Miami, New Orleans) face risk of catastrophic floods due to
increasing sea levels”
14. Harlan Watson (US participant in Bali) “We are not ready to commit anything”
“One size fits all approach is not acceptable to US”…… “No targets, no
deadlines, no timetables etc shall be included in the roadmap for 2009”
15. Al Gore (In Bali) “My own country, the US, is principally responsible for
obstructing progress here in Bali and We all know that”
16. Nothing binging was decided in Bali. However the silver lining is that it has
started a process that may result into a binding agreement in Copenhagen 2009
17. Bali “Developing countries should check GB through measurable, verifiable, and
reportable ways”
18. Bali was not a failure rather it’s a start of new beginning and 50 years back such
a summit was even inconceivable.

Efforts to Curb GW
 First UN Conference on the Human Environment (Earth Summit)
1972

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 Climate Conference Geneva 1979

 Establishment of World Climate Program 1985
 The Montreal Protocol 1987
 UN Resolution 43/53 in 1988 recognized “Climate change a concern for
all humanity”
 Establishment of United Nations Framework Convention for Climate
Change (UNFCCC) in 1992 during Second Earth Summit–Rio de Janeiro
 Kyoto Protocol – 1997 (every state has ratified it except USA)
 G-8 signed a climate change agreement in their Annual Summit July 07 to
cut GHG emissions to 50 % by 2050.
 The IPCC’s fourth Synthesis assessment report ---- Nov 07 – The world
must do more to fight global warming
 Global Environment Outlook (GEO 4) – UN Environmental Program’s
latest report Oct 2007 ----- Human have polluted this planet 1.4 times
more than its biological capacity------ Now we should spend more time on
how to limit this rather than estimating the effects ----------- Half of the
world’s population derives livelihood from fisheries, agriculture, and
forests hence it is being harshly affected ----
 UN Climate Change Meeting --- Bali --- Dec 2007
 Hawaii – Honolulu – USA – Jan 30, 2008 Summit of Biggest Polluters
 Earth Summit 2019
 Climate Action Summit 2020

Two View Points

1. Climate Change is man Made
2. Some scientists believe that it’s a natural process
3. Conclusion: It is a mix of both but man-made factors are worsening it badly

Loss of natural habitat of animals / organisms will lead to their interaction with
humans that will ultimately lead to novel diseases (2008) – COVID-19