318
S
ince the Industrial
Revolution, humans have
been altering Earth’s natural
environment through increased
carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions.
Societies have become more
technologically advanced, but this
technology—from coal-powered
trains, ships, and factories, to oil-
fueled cars and planes—has had
an adverse impact on the natural
world and the species inhabiting
it. As scientists have become more
aware of the human causes of
climate change, global research
groups have been formed to study
the phenomenon and suggest ways
in which humanity can halt, if not
reverse, the damage.
The effects of climate change
are varied. As more CO 2 in the
atmosphere creates global warming,
this causes the polar ice caps to
melt, the oceans to warm and rise,
and species that are unsuited to
warmer oceans to die out. Global
weather patterns are also changing:
hurricanes in the North Atlantic
region have increased in intensity,
leaving devastation and death in
their wake. Fires and droughts have
become more frequent in dry areas;
winters are more severe in colder
climates. Areas of the world already
susceptible to extreme weather-related catastrophes, such as those
impacted by tropical monsoons,
are seeing the most severe
repercussions, especially
in terms of loss of life and habitat.Global cooperation
Scientists have been aware
that human actions contribute
to climate change since 1896, when
Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius
suggested that people burningHALTING CLIMATE CHANGE
IN CONTEXT
KEY FIGURES
Bert Bolin (1925 –2007),
Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change (1988–)BEFORE
1955 American scientist
Gilbert Plass concludes that
higher concentrations of
carbon dioxide (CO^2 ) will lead
to higher temperatures.1957 American scientist Roger
Revelle and Austrian physical
chemist Hans Suess jointly
publish a report proving that
the oceans will not absorb the
excess CO 2 in the atmosphere.1968 British glaciologist
John H. Mercer theorizes a
catastrophic rise in sea levels
in the next 40 years due to the
collapse of Antarctic ice sheets.AFTER
2020 Plans created by the
Paris Agreement to combat
climate change are due to
be implemented.Firefighters battle flames from the
“Holy Fire” that ravaged Orange
County, California, in 2018. Higher
temperatures led to an extended and
difficult forest fire season.Natural causes:- Volcanic eruptions
- Shifting plate tectonics
- Ocean currents
Human causes:- Deforestation
- Farming practices
- Fossil fuel burning
- Industrial emissions
... lead to increased amounts of
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere,
causing climate change.US_316-321_Halting_Climate_Change.indd 318 12/11/18 6:26 PM