Global Warming
Global Warming
The planet is getting hotter because we are burning fossil fuels and adding other green house gases to the atmosphere.
Outgoing radiation is decreasing owing to increasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere known as the Earth's energy imbalance. This means that more of the sun's radiated heat is being trapped rather than radiated away so the planet gets warmer and warmer.
Warmer air holds more water hence heavier rainfall, more storms and more flooding.
Warmer air makes the oceans warmer and glaciers melt at the poles and high mountains so sea level rise.
Warmer air dries out the land so forest fire are more likely and more damaging and more land is turned into deserts.
Warmer air changes agriculture dries out the land so forest fire are more likely and more damaging.
The climate is changing and people, wildlife and plants suffer and die.
The evidence
More and more fossil fuel CO2
Australian Institute: The Northern Territory is the world leader for per-capita emissions (7/8/2023)
National Geographic :The Keeling Curve
Gregory Andrews: 2023: The year we blew 1.5°C (12/2023)
Changing climate, records broken in global and local temperatures
ABC: Earth's hottest year was 2023. Here it is in graphs and photos (10/1/2024)
Guardian: 2023 smashes record for world’s hottest year by huge margin (9/1/2024)
Guardian: Australia records warmest winter caused by global heating and sunny conditions (1/9/2023)
Vox: Yes, the climate has always changed. This comic shows why that’s no comfort. (13/1/2017)
Guardian: Hailstorm frequency has increased by 40% around Sydney and Perth since 1979 (13/10/2023)
Guardian: New Zealand records hottest September on record (4/10/2023)
UN: It’s official: July 2023 was the warmest month ever recorded (8/8/2023)
More flooding, More bush fires
Guardian: Australia records driest September as fires rage in NSW, Victoria and Tasmania (2/10/2023)
Guardian: Climate crisis costing $16m an hour in extreme weather damage, study estimates(9/10/2023)
Guardian: US sets new record for billion-dollar climate disasters in single year(12/9/2023)
Axios:Studies show climate change is increasingly driving extreme weather risks(19/5/2022)
Human Health
Scientists
Guardian: Dramatic climate action needed to curtail ‘crazy’ extreme weather (29/8/2023)
Guardian: ‘Where did I go wrong?’ The scientist who tried to raise the climate alarm (21/11/2023)
Ignore it and make it worse
Guardian: China continues coal spree despite climate goals (29/8/2023)