What’s the difference between weather and climate?
Climate is a statistical concept that describes average weather conditions and the intensity of fluctuations in the long term. Weather concerns the transient state of the atmosphere, whose changes are registered in hours, days, and weeks. Climate change causes changes in weather conditions, for instance in terms of rainfall and dry spells. In Finland too annual rainfall will increase in the future due to the impact of climate change.
How the Earth’s temperature changes
The earth’s temperature has been measured since 1880. Since 2001, temperatures have increased annually. (Al Gore: Truth to power, 2017.) The rise in temperatures is already 1,1° Celsius and 1,3°Celsius, if we count the Polar Regions. (http://newsroom.unfccc.int) Between 1901 and 2010 sea levels rose by an average of 19 centimetres. This is due to global warming and ice melting.
Is science unanimous about climate change?
There is a clear scientific consensus on climate change and the human impact on it. Over 97 per cent of climate change researchers believe that human beings are responsible for global warming. This view is based on peer-reviewed scientific studies and scientific organisations worldwide that have presented a common standpoint. NASA has listed some 200 scientific organisations according to which climate change is human-induced. http://www.opr.ca.gov/facts/list-of-scientific-organizations.html
What is the evidence of the human impact on climate change?
Studies show that human activity has produced extra greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. Industrial emissions have radically increased the earth’s temperature over the last 50 years. Worldwide carbon dioxide emissions have risen by 50 per cent since 1990. Natural fluctuations in carbon dioxide levels are nowhere near as rapid as the change brought about by human activity. This rapid change in the earth’s temperature cannot be explained by anything other than human-induced greenhouse gasses.
Why do some groups deny the human impact on climate change?
So-called climate change denial is usually influenced by ideological factors. There are vast financial flows associated with fossil fuels and the players in the industry try to retain their position in the corporate context. Climate change denial usually concerns an underestimation of scientific processes
and outright rejection of scientific evidence. The most famous denialist is US President Donald Trump, who said that climate change is a trick and a Chinese conspiracy against US industry.
How bad is the mess we’re in?
According to researchers, the climate will heat up over the next 20 – 30 years and abnormal weather conditions will increase. Coral reefs and other delicate natural environments have already started to perish. Scientists have estimated that in the future plant and animal extinction, environmental refugees, and the flooding of coastal cities caused by the melting of the icecaps and rise in sea level will be a reality.
Are there realistic solutions to climate change?
Climate change is already so far advanced that it is no longer possible to repair the damage caused by human beings. It likely, though, that some of the destruction we will face can still be avoided or that its impacts can be mitigated. The most important thing is to cut greenhouse emissions. This requires political solutions and a common resolve both nationally and internationally. The actions of consumers are also of decisive importance.
Are exceptional weather events linked to climate change?
Evidence for a link between hurricanes and other exceptional weather events and climate change is still unclear and deficient. But, heatwaves, drought, and rainfall are intensifying and becoming prolonged in some places and as the climate warms. Floods get more severe with the rise in sea level and as heavy rainfall becomes more common.
What is the Paris climate agreement?
Every country in the world is party to the Paris climate accord with the exception of Nicaragua, Syria, and the United States. As its name indicates, it was agreed in Paris in 2015, and it complements the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The aim of the agreement is to maintain the earth’s average temperature increase below 2° Celsius compared to the pre-industrial period. The states belonging to the agreement also commit themselves to providing financial support for action by developing countries to reduce emissions. The objective of transparency by countries towards one another and their citizens is also written into the agreement. The agreement is reviewed every five years.
What is the UN climate convention?
The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change was negotiated in 1992 at a summit in Rio de Janeiro, and it came into force in 1994. The main objective of the convention is to reduce greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. The framework convention shows the division of the world’s countries, as particular responsibilities are placed on industrialised countries, not developing countries, to reduce emissions. Under the Paris climate agreement, a couple of decades later, the distribution was eased and altered. Some states previously counted as developing countries were among the world’s richest group of countries by 2015.
Why should be care about what happens to developing countries?
Climate change is an issue that concerns the whole world, which is why the problems it causes developing countries are collective concerns. Climate change affects poor countries worst of all, and women and children the most as well as the poorest and most vulnerable. International action, such as the Paris agreement, aims to help developing countries.
Sources
NASA. 2017. NASA Global Climate Change and Global Warming: Vital Signs of the Planet. Jet Propulsion Laboratory / National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Ilmasto-opas.fi. 2017. Ilmatieteen laitos. https://ilmasto-opas.fi/fi/
New York Times. 2017. Climate change is complex. We’ve got answers to your questions.
Ministry of environment. Paris agreement.