A primer on climate change

doi:10.1017/CBO9780511718786.003

1 - A primer on climate change

from Part 1 - Energy and the environment: the global landscape

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012

Melinda Marquis and

Pieter Tans

Edited by

David S. Ginley and

David Cahen

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Pieter Tans: Affiliation:
NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory, Boulder, CO, USA
David S. Ginley: Affiliation:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Colorado
David Cahen: Affiliation:
Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel

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Summary

Focus

Despite the Kyoto Protocol and a wealth of good intentions, emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) – the primary cause of climate change – have continued to increase, not decrease, in recent years.

We face a global environmental crisis that is expected to include increased temperatures over land and in oceans, rising sea levels, more acidification of the oceans, increased flooding as well as drought, and extinction of many species as a result. The climate–energy crisis could cause major disruptions to ecosystems, the availability of fresh water, farming, economic activity, and global political stability on many levels.

Information

Type: Chapter
Information: Fundamentals of Materials for Energy and Environmental Sustainability , pp. 2 - 25

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511718786.003 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2011

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