Global Climate Change Overview

GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE

• Altered global weather patterns.
• Increase in temperature, driven by atmospheric CO2 levels, accelerated by human activity.

SCIENTIST CONSENSUS

• 97% of scientists agree that human activities cause global warming.

PUBLIC OPINION

• 54% of Americans view climate change as a major threat.
• Significant partisan divide in perception of climate change as a threat.

CLIMATE VS. WEATHER

• Climate: Long-term atmospheric conditions.
• Weather: Short-term atmospheric conditions.
• Specific weather events do not demonstrate climate change.

ATMOSPHERE

• Composed of gas and suspended solids, held by Earth's gravity.

EVIDENCE FOR CLIMATE CHANGE

• Ice cores reveal historical CO2 levels.
• CO2 monitoring and glacial retreat as evidence.

ICE CORES

• Contain air bubbles and biological samples from historical atmospheres.
• Deeper samples correspond to earlier periods in time.

ATMOSPHERIC CO2

• CO2 levels have risen since industrialization.

TEMPERATURE MONITORING

• Ice cores provide data on Earth's historical temperature changes.

NATURAL PHENOMENA AND CLIMATE

• Climate events can occur due to solar patterns and volcanic activity.
• Extinction events caused by rapid climate changes and environmental shifts.

CARBON DIOXIDE LEVELS

• Current CO2 levels exceed historical norms since industrial era.
• Comparison of ice core data and modern measurements shows significant increase in CO2.

GLACIER MELTING

• Ongoing glacial melting contributes to sea level rise and changes in ecosystems.