Climate
Hi!
Many scientists are predicting that the average temperature at the surface of the earth will gradually rise. Many of them say that this is partly because of the activities of man.
Even if the average temperature rises, this does not mean everywhere will get warmer. For example, some scientists are predicting that a side-effect of global warming will be the failure of the gulf stream which warms the sea off the UK, so the UK would stop becoming warmer and actually become colder.
If the climate changes, there will be winners and losers. Some animals and plants will simply head north or head up the mountains. If the change is too fast, however, they may not be able to do so. For some, they are already at the top of the mountain and will have nowhere to go. The Scottish skiing resorts are already in trouble because there is not enough snow. We will be able to grow plants outoors where they have been considered not hardy enough in the past. Other plants might not survive hot summers and droughts. While some places will get more rain, others will get less and huge numbers of people will need to migrate to survive.
Sea levels are rising, both because of ice sheets on land are melting (ice on the sea makes little difference when it melts) and because water expands as it gets warmer. This puts low-lying cities, habitats, and even island nations at risk.
There is still some dispute as to how much of the warming is man-made, and how much is natural. I see no point in pointing fingers when it comes to past actions, as the leaders in the industrial revolution had no idea that they could be affecting the climate. I believe we now know enough that we ought to be taking action if we want to minimise global warming in the future.
The world has been through extremes of hot and cold many times in the past, and survived, and I believe it will again. Some species and habitats have not, however. I would hate to see our own species or any other suffer because of our actions or inactions. That is why I am so interested in this subject, and have created this web site.
Under construction
- Climate change
- global warming
- greenhouse effect
- Meteorology
- Ozone Depletion