Facts on Climate Change A summary of the 2007 Assessment Report of the IPCC CLIMATE CHANGE is already having measurable consequences and future impacts are expected to A summary by: be wide-ranging and costly. How can we adapt to such changes or limit their extent? The latest findings of the IPCC provide some answers. .What makes the climate change? The Earth’s climate is influenced by many factors, mainly by the amount of energy coming from the sun, but also by factors such as the amount of greenhouse gases and aerosols in the atmosphere, and the properties of the Earth’s surface, which determine how much of this. | Facts on Climate Change A summary of the 2007 Assessment Report of the IPCC A summary by Green J Facts on Health and the Environment CLIMATE CHANGE is already having measurable consequences and future impacts are expected to be wide-ranging and costly. How can we adapt to such changes or limit their extent The latest findings of the IPCC provide some answers. What makes the climate change The Earth s climate is influenced by many factors mainly by the amount of energy coming from the sun but also by factors such as the amount of greenhouse gases and aerosols in the atmosphere and the properties of the Earth s surface which determine how much of this solar energy is retained or reflected back to space. Atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide CO2 methane CH4 and nitrous oxide N2O have significantly increased since the beginning of the industrial revolution. This is mainly due to human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels land use change and agriculture. For instance the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide is now far higher than in the last 650 000 years and has been growing faster in the last 10 years than it has been since the beginning of continuous measurements around 1960. It is very likely that overall human activities since 1750 have had a global warming effect on the Earth. Human emissions of greenhouse gases are likely to be the main cause of global warming How is climate changing and how has it changed in the past Figures are relative to the 1961-1990 average which is 0 on the scale Changes in temperature sea level and snow cover 1850 - 2005 The warming of global climate is now unequivocal. There are many observations of increasing air and ocean temperatures widespread melting of snow and ice and rising sea levels. More specifically 11 of the last 12 years 1995-2006 rank among the 12 warmest years ever recorded since global surface temperatures are measured 1850 . Over the last 100 years 1906-2005 global .
