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talk.politics.misc, 15:47:46 12/17/03 Wed
From: pope_about_town at Xyahoo.com Subject: Human Impacts on Climate - American Geophysical Union (AGU)
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Date: 2003-12-17 04:25:50 PST
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
2000 Florida Avenue N.W.
Washington, DC 20009-1277 USA
www.agu.org/
Human Impacts on Climate
Adopted by Council December, 2003
Human activities are increasingly altering the Earth's climate. These
effects add to natural influences that have been present over Earth's
history. Scientific evidence strongly indicates that natural
influences cannot explain the rapid increase in global near-surface
temperatures observed during the second half of the 20th century.
Human impacts on the climate system include increasing concentrations
of atmospheric greenhouse gases (e.g., carbon dioxide,
chlorofluorocarbons and their substitutes, methane, nitrous oxide,
etc.), air pollution, increasing concentrations of airborne particles,
and land alteration. A particular concern is that atmospheric levels
of carbon dioxide may be rising faster than at any time in Earth's
history, except possibly following rare events like impacts from large
extraterrestrial objects.
Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations have increased since the
mid-1700s through fossil fuel burning and changes in land use, with
more than 80% of this increase occurring since 1900. Moreover,
research indicates that increased levels of carbon dioxide will remain
in the atmosphere for hundreds to thousands of years. It is virtually
certain that increasing atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide
and other greenhouse gases will cause global surface climate to be
warmer.
The complexity of the climate system makes it difficult to predict
some aspects of human-induced climate change: exactly how fast it will
occur, exactly how much it will change, and exactly where those
changes will take place. In contrast, scientists are confident in
other predictions. Mid-continent warming will be greater than over the
oceans, and there will be greater warming at higher latitudes. Some
polar and glacial ice will melt, and the oceans will warm; both
effects will contribute to higher sea levels. The hydrologic cycle
will change and intensify, leading to changes in water supply as well
as flood and drought patterns. There will be considerable regional
variations in the resulting impacts.
Scientists' understanding of the fundamental processes responsible for
global climate change has greatly improved during the last decade,
including better representation of carbon, water, and other
biogeochemical cycles in climate models. Yet, model projections of
future global warming vary, because of differing estimates of
population growth, economic activity, greenhouse gas emission rates,
changes in atmospheric particulate concentrations and their effects,
and also because of uncertainties in climate models. Actions that
decrease emissions of some air pollutants will reduce their climate
effects in the short term. Even so, the impacts of increasing
greenhouse gas concentrations would remain.
The 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change states
as an objective the "...stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations
in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous
anthropogenic interference with the climate system." AGU believes that
no single threshold level of greenhouse gas concentrations in the
atmosphere exists at which the beginning of dangerous anthropogenic
interference with the climate system can be defined. Some impacts have
already occurred, and for increasing concentrations there will be
increasing impacts. The unprecedented increases in greenhouse gas
concentrations, together with other human influences on climate over
the past century and those anticipated for the future, constitute a
real basis for concern.
Enhanced national and international research and other efforts are
needed to support climate related policy decisions. These include
fundamental climate research, improved observations and modeling,
increased computational capability, and very importantly, education of
the next generation of climate scientists. AGU encourages scientists
worldwide to participate in climate research, education, scientific
assessments, and policy discussions. AGU also urges that the
scientific basis for policy discussions and decision-making be based
upon objective assessment of peer-reviewed research results.
Science provides society with information useful in dealing with
natural hazards such as earthquakes, hurricanes, and drought, which
improves our ability to predict and prepare for their adverse effects.
While human-induced climate change is unique in its global scale and
long lifetime, AGU believes that science should play the same role in
dealing with climate change. AGU is committed to improving the
communication of scientific information to governments and private
organizations so that their decisions on climate issues will be based
on the best science.
The global climate is changing and human activities are contributing
to that change. Scientific research is required to improve our ability
to predict climate change and its impacts on countries and regions
around the globe. Scientific research provides a basis for mitigating
the harmful effects of global climate change through decreased human
influences (e.g., slowing greenhouse gas emissions, improving land
management practices), technological advancement (e.g., removing
carbon from the atmosphere), and finding ways for communities to adapt
and become resilient to extreme events.
From: pope_about_town at Xyahoo.com Subject: Human Impacts on Climate - American Geophysical Union (AGU)
This is the only article in this thread
View: Original Format
Newsgroups: alt.current-events.wtc.bush-knew, alt.impeach.bush, alt.politics, alt.politics.bush, alt.politics.liberalism, alt.society.liberalism, talk.politics.misc, alt.fan.rush-limbaugh
Date: 2003-12-17 04:25:50 PST
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
2000 Florida Avenue N.W.
Washington, DC 20009-1277 USA
www.agu.org/
Human Impacts on Climate
Adopted by Council December, 2003
Human activities are increasingly altering the Earth's climate. These
effects add to natural influences that have been present over Earth's
history. Scientific evidence strongly indicates that natural
influences cannot explain the rapid increase in global near-surface
temperatures observed during the second half of the 20th century.
Human impacts on the climate system include increasing concentrations
of atmospheric greenhouse gases (e.g., carbon dioxide,
chlorofluorocarbons and their substitutes, methane, nitrous oxide,
etc.), air pollution, increasing concentrations of airborne particles,
and land alteration. A particular concern is that atmospheric levels
of carbon dioxide may be rising faster than at any time in Earth's
history, except possibly following rare events like impacts from large
extraterrestrial objects.
Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations have increased since the
mid-1700s through fossil fuel burning and changes in land use, with
more than 80% of this increase occurring since 1900. Moreover,
research indicates that increased levels of carbon dioxide will remain
in the atmosphere for hundreds to thousands of years. It is virtually
certain that increasing atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide
and other greenhouse gases will cause global surface climate to be
warmer.
The complexity of the climate system makes it difficult to predict
some aspects of human-induced climate change: exactly how fast it will
occur, exactly how much it will change, and exactly where those
changes will take place. In contrast, scientists are confident in
other predictions. Mid-continent warming will be greater than over the
oceans, and there will be greater warming at higher latitudes. Some
polar and glacial ice will melt, and the oceans will warm; both
effects will contribute to higher sea levels. The hydrologic cycle
will change and intensify, leading to changes in water supply as well
as flood and drought patterns. There will be considerable regional
variations in the resulting impacts.
Scientists' understanding of the fundamental processes responsible for
global climate change has greatly improved during the last decade,
including better representation of carbon, water, and other
biogeochemical cycles in climate models. Yet, model projections of
future global warming vary, because of differing estimates of
population growth, economic activity, greenhouse gas emission rates,
changes in atmospheric particulate concentrations and their effects,
and also because of uncertainties in climate models. Actions that
decrease emissions of some air pollutants will reduce their climate
effects in the short term. Even so, the impacts of increasing
greenhouse gas concentrations would remain.
The 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change states
as an objective the "...stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations
in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous
anthropogenic interference with the climate system." AGU believes that
no single threshold level of greenhouse gas concentrations in the
atmosphere exists at which the beginning of dangerous anthropogenic
interference with the climate system can be defined. Some impacts have
already occurred, and for increasing concentrations there will be
increasing impacts. The unprecedented increases in greenhouse gas
concentrations, together with other human influences on climate over
the past century and those anticipated for the future, constitute a
real basis for concern.
Enhanced national and international research and other efforts are
needed to support climate related policy decisions. These include
fundamental climate research, improved observations and modeling,
increased computational capability, and very importantly, education of
the next generation of climate scientists. AGU encourages scientists
worldwide to participate in climate research, education, scientific
assessments, and policy discussions. AGU also urges that the
scientific basis for policy discussions and decision-making be based
upon objective assessment of peer-reviewed research results.
Science provides society with information useful in dealing with
natural hazards such as earthquakes, hurricanes, and drought, which
improves our ability to predict and prepare for their adverse effects.
While human-induced climate change is unique in its global scale and
long lifetime, AGU believes that science should play the same role in
dealing with climate change. AGU is committed to improving the
communication of scientific information to governments and private
organizations so that their decisions on climate issues will be based
on the best science.
The global climate is changing and human activities are contributing
to that change. Scientific research is required to improve our ability
to predict climate change and its impacts on countries and regions
around the globe. Scientific research provides a basis for mitigating
the harmful effects of global climate change through decreased human
influences (e.g., slowing greenhouse gas emissions, improving land
management practices), technological advancement (e.g., removing
carbon from the atmosphere), and finding ways for communities to adapt
and become resilient to extreme events.