| The phenomenon known as global warming is already | | | | an alarming rate, various species face extinction, and |
| here and affecting us even as we speak. But many | | | | disease vector ranges fluctuate. |
| people are still ignorant of what this phenomenon is | | | | Governments are expected to play a major role in |
| and how it affects even ordinary folk like you and me. | | | | helping their citizens reduce the total greenhouse |
| Global warming, strictly speaking, is the observed | | | | gases emitted by their country, particularly if these |
| increase of the average temperature of the ocean | | | | governments adhere to the Kyoto Protocol which |
| and the near-surface air of Mother Earth as recorded | | | | many government leaders throughout the world |
| for some decades now and is being felt at present. | | | | agreed to and signed to show their intent to participate. |
| According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate | | | | Global warming falls under the much more |
| Change (IPCC), much of the warming of the | | | | comprehensive term of climate change. Global |
| atmosphere and large bodies of water such as | | | | warming is the direct opposite of global cooling, which |
| oceans can probably be directly attributed to the | | | | also falls under climate change. Climate change, as |
| release of greenhouse gases starting predominantly | | | | used by the United Nations Framework Convention on |
| from the middle of the 20th century, which tend to | | | | Climate Change, is used to refer solely to climate |
| accumulate and produce the greenhouse effect. | | | | change caused by human activities. Climate changes |
| The IPCC predicts that worldwide surface | | | | due to other causes falls under the term climate |
| temperatures are estimated to increase further by 1.1 | | | | variability. Anthropogenic global warming is another |
| to 6.4 degrees Centigrade by year 2100. This estimate | | | | term used to describe change caused by human |
| can be affected by the ability and willingness of the | | | | activities. |
| present living generation of human beings to | | | | The human activity which has contributed the most to |
| significantly cut down on greenhouse gas emissions. | | | | the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere |
| The problem is, even if much of the present levels of | | | | would be burning of fossil fuels (a.k.a. oil and gas) for |
| greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced, global | | | | power within the last 20 years. Other human activities |
| warming is expected to still continue, perhaps even | | | | that have helped in the increase in warming of the |
| past year 2100, due to the capacity of oceans to | | | | global atmosphere could include deforestation, that falls |
| retain absorbed heat. | | | | under human land-use activities. If communities |
| Global temperatures are now causing a rise in the sea | | | | throughout the world persist in using fossil fuels as a |
| levels, more severe weather changes to be | | | | power source and cutting down forests at a rapid |
| experienced, and a corresponding negative affect on | | | | pace without replenishing forest stocks, then it is safe |
| precipitation amounts and behavior. As a result, human | | | | to assume that global warming will continue and may |
| agriculture activities may have to change to match the | | | | even escalate in the future. |
| changes in the weather, even as polar glaciers melt at | | | | |