Global warming, climate change
61 images Created 21 Aug 2012
The overwhelming majority of the world's climate scientists agree that human-caused carbon-compound gas emissions are accelerating global warming, causing climate change, rapidly melting glaciers, and raising ocean levels worldwide (see www.ucsusa.org). Since the industrial revolution began, humans have increased atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration by 35% through burning of fossil fuels, deforesting land, and grazing livestock. Sea level is currently rising by 1.3 inches (3.2 centimeters) per decade. Since the industrial revolution began, excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has acidified the oceans by almost 30%, with possibly drastic affects on shellfish and fisheries. Climate change may be most dire for subsistence farming societies in Africa and Asia. Humans have forced a grand warming experiment affecting all life on earth, with unknown consequences. The majority of glaciers are melting fast wherever I visit around the world, from Switzerland to Glacier National Park (Montana) to Antarctica.