Climate Change Is Real
Namakin, Ben; Hezel, Francis X. (2007-12-01). Climate Change Is Real. Micronesian Counselor (Report). Kolonia, Pohnpei: Micronesian Seminar. pp. 1–10.
- Has attachment: File:B2236ESX.pdf
Abstract: In Central Africa, Lake Chad, once the sixth–largest lake in the world, has all but disappeared. In just 45 years it has shrunk to a fraction of its original size with only 10 percent remaining. The Amazon rainforest is the largest in the world and covers nearly 70 percent of Brazil. The rainforest produces about 20 percent of the Earth's oxygen and plays a big role in controlling the climate of the entire planet. The Amazon also is home to more species of plants and animals than any other ecosystem on Earth, 30 percent of the world's total. About one–fifth of the Amazon has disappeared in the past three decades.
Closer to home here in the South Pacific, the Carteret Islands of Papua New Guinea are fighting a losing battle against the ocean. It's estimated the six islands will disappear into the water by 2015. I am sure many of us have heard so much about climate change and global warming. We hear about it on television, in magazines, on the internet, from friends, and mostly from environmentalists. But have we really thought about what it means to us?
Climate change is driven by global temperature rises because of too many greenhouse gases (GHGs) being released into the atmosphere. GHGs, such as carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor and nitrous oxide, exist naturally in the atmosphere, creating a kind of blanket around the earth, which helps to keep temperatures warm enough to support life. Without these gases the earth would simply be too cold for any living thing to survive. However, over the last two centuries, human activities have resulted in more GHGs being released into the atmosphere, causing global temperatures to steadily increase. This process is often referred to as “global warming,” or the “enhanced greenhouse effect” (see figure below). Increasing global temperatures due to global warming have initiated a series of major changes in the world’s climate, which is where the term “climate change” comes from. The consequences of warmer temperatures include...
Extra details:
DOI: 10.36460/kavaka/53/2019/12-21 MAG: 2999530665 CorpusID: 214289577 OpenAlex: W2999530665
