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Climate Change
Last updated: 07/02/2009
Introduction
Overview
Climate change is the variation in the Earth's global climate or in regional climates over time. It describes changes in the variability or average state of the atmosphere over time scales ranging from decades to millions of years. These changes can be caused by processes internal to the Earth, external forces, such as variations in sunlight intensity, or human activities.
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Climate change affects people, plants, and animals. There is not yet a clear, definitive understanding of how future climate change will affect these groups. However, current research suggests that trees will bloom earlier, the growing seasons will lengthen, ice on lakes, rivers, and seas will freeze later and thaw earlier, and glaciers will shrink. The impacts on human health can be felt in part through extreme periods of heat and cold, impacts on food supply and freshwater resources, and increased frequency of severe storms and tropical cyclones, climate-sensitive diseases such as malaria, and smog episodes.
Credit: Environmental Protection Agency
The primary source of the increased atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide since the pre-industrial period is fossil fuel consumption, with land use change providing another significant but smaller contribution (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). Humans are clearly a major contributor to carbon emissions, which are a major cause of climate change. More information on carbon emissions and what you and your community can do to cut emissions can be found further down on this page.
Management Questions
- What mitigation or adaptation strategies can I introduce for my community?
- What resources are available to help me determine if my community is at risk?
- What can I expect the impacts to be in my community?
Examples of Studies or Initiatives
- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - Fourth Assessment Report
- Working Group 1: The Physical Science Basis
- Working Group 2: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability
- Working Group 3: Mitigation of Climate Change
- Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments
- Pew Center
Organizations, Programs and Conferences
- Climate Program Office
- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Program Office (CPO), created in October 2005, integrates the Office of Global Programs, the Arctic Research Office, and the Climate Observations and Services Program and coordinates climate activities across all NOAA. The new CPO focuses on developing a broader user community for climate products and services, provides NOAA with a focal point for climate activities, leads NOAA climate education and outreach activities, and coordinates international climate activities.
- Climate Science and Services Workshop
- The purpose of this workshop was to explore and foster the use of the Sea Grant extension, communications, and education networks as a facilitator of climate science and services in coastal decision making at the local level. The workshop facilitated a dialogue among representatives of the Sea Grant extension network and the climate research and services communities. An opportunity was provided for Sea Grant extension specialists to develop a better understanding of some of the current and future impacts of climate in coastal regions and the range of existing and emerging decision-support resources available for coping with these impacts. In addition, the workshop was intended to generate insight into the climate information needs of the Sea Grant extension network, as well as to foster collaboration among climate research and service providers, and the Sea Grant community.
- National Center for Atmospheric Research
- The National Center for Atmospheric Research, operated by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, is part of a collaborative community dedicated to understanding the changing Earth system, supporting a global community of researchers, and benefiting society through science, technology and education. This multimedia gallery on understanding climate change includes web casts on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, climate change simulations such as global surface warming and sea ice variability, and images to explain computer modeling of our climate.
- NOAA Integrated Data and Environmental Applications Center (NOAA IDEA Center)
- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Integrated Data and Environmental Applications (NOAA IDEA) Center will advance NOAA's mission objectives to help meet critical regional needs for ocean, climate, and ecosystem information to protect lives and property, support economic development, and enhance the resilience of Pacific Island communities in the face of changing environmental conditions.
Related Topics
Carbon Emissions
Humans are exerting a major and growing influence on some of the key factors that govern climate by changing the composition of the atmosphere and by modifying the land surface. Carbon emissions are increasing from the burning of coal, oil, and natural gas, and the destruction of forests around the world to provide space for agriculture and other human activities (Climate Change Impacts on the United States). If these emissions continue to go unabated, humans will continue to witness such impacts as poorer air quality, warmer temperatures, sea level rise, and fewer native species of plants, flowers, and insects.
- Cities for Climate Protection
- The Cities for Climate Protection (CCP) Campaign assists cities in adopting policies and implementing quantifiable measures to reduce local greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, and enhance urban livability and sustainability.
- www.iclei.org/co2
- Princeton Stabilization Wedges - Carbon Emission Solutions
- To avoid a doubling of CO2 and dramatic climate change, low-carbon energy technologies and natural carbon sinks can be explored as potential solutions. The "Princeton Stabilization Wedges" illustrate the impact of such solutions on the scale of emissions cuts that would be needed. Each "wedge," or solution, provides a common unit for comparing the carbon mitigating capacities of various energy and storage technologies.
- www.princeton.edu/~cmi/resources/stabwedge.htm
- The Carbon Calculator
- Provided by The Nature Conservancy, the climate change calculator takes into account the activities we do at home, including what type of car(s) we drive and what type of food we eat, to estimate a household's contribution to the global greenhouse gas emissions.
- www.nature.org/initiatives/climatechange/calculator/
Water Resources
Water is a central resource supporting human activities and ecosystems. The water cycle, a fundamental component of climate, is likely to be altered in important ways by climate change. Reasons for the concerns about water include increased threats to personal safety, further reduction in potable water supplies, more frequent disruptions to transportation, greater damage to infrastructure, further degradation of animal habitat, and increased competition for agricultural processes . (Climate Change Impacts on the United States)
- Water Planning
- Arizona Drought Preparedness Plan identifies the impacts of drought on the various sectors of water users, defines sources of drought vulnerability, outlines monitoring programs, and prepares response options and mitigation strategies to reduce drought impacts.
- www.water.az.gov/dwr/drought/ADPPlan.html
- Drought
- The "Drought Monitor" is provided by the National Drought Mitigation Center.
- www.drought.unl.edu
- National integrated Drought Information System
- A dynamic and accessible drought information system that provides users with the ability to determine the potential impacts of drought, the associated risks they bring, and the decision-support tools needed to better prepare for and mitigate the effects of drought.
- http://www.usgeo.gov/docs/nto/NIDIS_NTO_2006-0925.pdf