Global Warming

The global warming is the increase in the average temperature of the Earth's near-surface air and oceans since the mid-20th century and its projected continuation. Global surface temperature increased 0.74 0.18 C (1.33 0.32 F) during the last century. An increase in global temperature will cause sea levels to rise and will change the amount and pattern of precipitation, probably including expansion of subtropical deserts. The continuing retreat of glaciers, permafrost and sea ice is expected, with warming being strongest in the Arctic. Causes: This is caused by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases resulting from human activity such as fossil fuel burning and deforestation. The IPCC (The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: is a scientific intergovernmental body tasked to evaluate the risk of climate change caused by human activity) also concludes that variations in natural phenomena such as solar radiation and volcanoes produced most of the warming from pre-industrial times to 1950 and had a small cooling effect afterward. IPCC: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: is a scientific intergovernmental body tasked to evaluate the risk of climate change caused by human activity. Effects:

Extreme Weather:

Increasing temperature is likely to lead to increasing precipitation but the effects on storms are less clear. Extra tropical storms partly depend on the temperature gradient, which is predicted to weaken in the northern hemisphere as the polar region warms more than the rest of the hemisphere
- Increased areas will be affected by drought (Grandes areas se

veran afectadas por la sequia)

- There will be increased intense tropical cyclone activity. - There will be increased incidences of extreme high sea level

(excluding tsunamis).

Glacier retreat and dissaperance:

Excluding the ice caps and ice sheets of the Arctic and Antarctic, the total surface area of glaciers worldwide has decreased by 50% since the end of the 19th century. Currently glacier retreat rates and mass balance losses have been increasing in the Andes, Alps, Pyrenees, Himalayas, Rocky Mountains and North Cascades. The loss of glaciers not only directly causes landslides, flash floods and glacial lake overflow,[43] but also increases annual variation in water flows in rivers. Glacier runoff declines in the summer as glaciers decrease in size; this decline is already observable in several regions. Glaciers retain water on mountains in high precipitation years, since the snow cover accumulating on glaciers protects the ice from melting. In warmer and drier years, glaciers offset the lower precipitation amounts with a higher melt water input. Sea level rise and oxygen depletion The sea level has risen more than 120 meters (390 ft) since the Last Glacial Maximum about 20,000 years ago. This is a consequence of the glacial melting, those increase the sea level and cause flood on the cities or towns near to the coast even causes amount of oxygen dissolved in the oceans may decline, with adverse consequences for ocean life. Kyoto Protocol: The Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC or FCCC), an international environmental treaty with the goal of achieving "stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. The Kyoto Protocol establishes legally binding commitment for the reduction of four greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, sulphur hexafluoride), and two groups of gases (hydrofluorocarbons and perfluorocarbons) produced by "annex I" (industrialized) nations, as well as general commitments for all member countries.