Climate Change!

As I bring this information, I know that those who deny climate
change, though just about ALL scientists agree it is a fact, will
still probably continue to deny it. Sometimes the human mind gets
stuck in a mind-set that will not move out no matter how much
evidence is given to it. We have over a Billion people who are
Roman Catholic on this earth, and no matter how much evidence is
given that that church is filled with the blood of the saints
over the centuries, and many false teachings and customs that are
anti-Bible, those people will not change their mind-view, and
will continue to live and die as Roman Catholic church members.
Keith Hunt
CLIMATE CHANGE FROM CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Website) 
Taken from their site January 2010
CBC News In Depth: Climate change
Public interest in global warming tends to rise during
unseasonably warm weather, or during flashpoint moments like
droughts or the collapse of a piece of Antarctic ice shelf in
2006. But the everyday reality of the trend is perhaps even more
startling: Eleven of the highest average global annual
temperatures recorded since 1861 have come in the past 12 years.
Few issues have galvanized the scientific community like climate
change has in the last decade. In 2007, scientists from the
United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, to
name two, have called on world leaders to take action to curb
global warming.
But before action can be taken, it helps to have some
understanding of the process itself and what part humans have had
in its recent development.
How it works
Global warming is the increase over time of the Earth's average
surface temperature. Although the warming may conjure up images
of coal-fired plants and yuppies in SUVs, the climate of the
Earth been in flux, including periods of sustained warming and
cooling.
In general, it works like this: 
The sun shines on the Earth. Most of those rays pass through the
Ear atmosphere, although some are reflected back into space. The
surface of the Earth absorbs the energy that heat energy is
re-emitted. The heat reflected from the surface travels back up
into the atmosphere.
While on its way back up, this heat can be absorbed by the gases
like carbon dioxide and methane, commonly known as greenhouse
gases. These are from naturally occurring gases as well as those
from burning fossil fuels; they trap the heat from the Earth's
surface even more. Without naturally reccurring greenhouse gases,
the Earth would be about 33 C colder than it is, a temperature
human life.
Over thousands of years, changes in atmospheric conditions, such
as gas concentrations, a singular events - volcanic eruptions,
for instance have caused climate change. Most of those changes
have taken hundreds or thousands of years to play out.
But climatologists now agree that the world appears to be in a
sustained, relatively rapid period of warming.
Scientists also suggest global warming will increase the severity
- though not the number - of extreme events such as El Nino and
hurricanes. Many researchers note the increase in temperature
coincide with the Industrial Revolution, and the resulting
increase of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere from the
burning of fossil fuels and the cutting of forests.
According to research cited by the IPCC in 2007, the Earth's
average surface temperature has gone up about 0.6 C since the
start of the 20th century. That may not sound like much, and many
climatologists will agree that it isn't. But some say it's a sign
of things to come.
The IPCC projects an average global temperature increase between
1.8 and 4 C in the next 100 years, with sea levels rising between
18 and 59 cm over the same period.
Warming the Earth doesn't necessarily sound like a bad thing, but
climate change, especially when it's more rapid than the Earth
normally experiences, could have significant effects on animal,
plant and human life.
Climate change will not happen uniformly. A global temperature
increase of 1 C could mean some areas will warm by half a degree,
some by three or four, and some may actually get cooler.
Scientists tend to point to the Arctic and the Antarctic climates
as the signs of things to come.
Climate change in those areas could rise as high as six degrees
in the winter months, according to some projections from the
IPCC. That could lead to glacier melts, rising sea levels and
endangered Arctic wildlife.
......
CBC
Quirks & Quarks: Cold climate? Don't be fooled.
Blog
Cold climate? Don't be fooled
Monday, February 11, 2008
By quirks
By Bob McDonald, host of the CBC science radio program Duirks and
Quarks.
Two major snowstorms in a week in central and eastern Canada,
record cold temperatures on the Prairies, winter tornadoes in the
US. Every year around this time, when weird weather happens
across the country, people ask what happened to global warming
and climate change?
Well, this is just a little reminder about the difference between
weather and climate. Weather is what you see out your window
every day; climate is the weather averaged over a period of time.
A common phrase is "Climate is what you expect, weather is what
you get." Climate can relate to a region or the whole planet, and
the time period is usually 30 years - although now, with data
from tree rings, ice cores and the fossil record, climate can be
measured over thousands or even millions of years.
So, while it might seem like the planet is freezing around your
home this year, the big picture is quite different.
As Canadians dig out from under snow, the southwestern United
States is still in a state of multi-year drought, and Australia
is rationing water to its farmers. The sands of the Sahara Desert
are creeping across northern Africa and ice is disappearing from
both poles. And don't forget the sweltering summers and record
number of smog days we've had recently. The planet is still
warming up.
To quote the   most recent reports from the UN Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change: "Eleven of the last 12 years (1995-2006)
rank among the 12 warmest years in the instrumental record of
global surface temperature (since 1850) ... The temperature
increase is widespread over the globe and is greater at higher
northern latitudes."
The report goes on to describe changes in sea level, increasing
drought conditions, warming ocean currents, etc. - all pointing
to a warmer world.
So why all the white stuff, if the planet is supposed to be
warming?
One reason is the effect higher temperatures have on evaporation.
More water vapour is going into the air, producing more
precipitation. That could be more snow in winter or heavier
rainstorms in summer.
The pattern is not simple. In fact, you don't hear the term
"global warming" much any more. Scientists prefer to use "climate
change". Because the Earth's atmosphere is so complex, change can
involve cold as well as warm. That means cold days or even cold
years. But when viewed over the long term, the trend in the
Earth's average temperature is still up.
Mistaking weather for climate is a common tactic used by those
who deny climate change, who say: "I don't see any global
warming." What this really shows is narrow-minded, shortsighted
thinking. Humans are pretty good at that. We like to believe what
we can see with our own eyes. But our eyes only see weather.
That's why we need scientific eyes to keep things in perspective.
Another tactic is to point to specific climate records that show
cooling trends and say. "See, the climate is cooling, not
warming." Two of the most popular examples are "The Little Ice
Age" and the "Younger Dryas."
In the 1600s, unnaturally cold temperatures swept across Europe.
freezing the River Thames among other things. The Younger Dryas
threw the Earth back into a real Ice Age 11,000 years ago, during
a time when the glaciers were supposed to be retreating. Both
these cooling periods were anomalies in overall larger trends.
The Little Ice Age is thought to be related to a period of
decreased solar activity and increased volcanic eruptions that
threw dust into the air, cooling the northern hemisphere. The
Younger Dryas might have been triggered by the breakup of arctic
ice or the flooding of Lake Aggasis, which used to cover southern
Manitoba, into the North Atlantic. The influx of fresh water
could have disrupted ocean currents, such as the Gulf Stream,
that bring warm water up from the tropics.
There have also been warm periods in the past as well. In fact,
the Little Ice Age was preceded by the Medieval Warm Period.
The point is, the climate goes up and down in predictable cycles,
but to understand them, you have to take the very long view, not
the short term one. And the long-term view shows that, after a
series of ups and downs spanning millions of years, we are
currently in a sharp upswing that tops them all, an upswing that
began with the industrial revolution.
So yes, it's been a weird winter in Canada so far; but this one
season doesn't disprove the menace of climate change.
Enjoy the snow.
- Bob McDonald
......
CBC News In Depth: Kyoto and beyond     
UK report on climate change: What about Canada?
A British report on climate change, released in October 2006,
warns that the world faces economic environmental risks if it
doesn't tackle the problem.
In particular, the study cautions people about the global
ramifications of temperature change.
For example, in developed countries located in the northern part
of the world, including Canada, they noted that there could be
some "positive effects" up to 2050, but in the latter half of the
century, a temperatures rise, there could be considerable risks.
The report says Canada would initially see positive effects if
the temperature rises between 2 and 3 including:
* A higher agricultural output as a result of a longer growing
season.
* During the cold months, there would be a lower winter mortality
rate. Also, there would be lower heating costs in the winter
because of the warmer temperatures, but hotter summers would kill
those savings.
* Higher temperatures would also be seen as a potential boost to
tourism.
* Shorter winters and a smaller amount of "sea-ice" would
increase summer Arctic transportation would allow access to
natural resources.
On the negative end, the report notes:
* North America may experience the "most rapid rates of warming
with serious consequences from biodiversity and local
livelihoods."
* The cost of extreme weather events - storms, floods, droughts,
heat waves - could cost up to one percent of world GDP by 2050.
* Melting permafrost raises the cost of protecting infrastructure
and oil and gas installations from summer subsidence."
* Warmer weather would threaten polar bears and other Arctic
mammals and the people who rely on them.
* Canada would have a longer growing season, but thinner snow
cover "risks making winter wheat crops vulnerable."
......
CBC Photo Gallery   
The Ayles Ice Shelf on the northern edge of Canada's Ellesmere
Island, 800 kilometres south of the North Pole, was 4,500 years
old. This satellite image shows open water on the northern shore
along the Arctic Ocean where normally the sea ice presses up
against the ice shelf. In August 2005, there were record high
temperatures.(MODIS Rapid Response Proiect/NASA's Earth
Observatory)
http://www.cbc.ca/photogallery/technology/228/    
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......
Environment - Climate Change  
Europa - European Commission - Environment - Climate change
Climate Change
Climate change is already happening and represents one of the
greatest environmental, social and economic threats facing the
planet. The European Union is committed to working constructively
for a global agreement to control climate change, and is leading
the way by taking ambitious action of its own.
The warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now
evident from observations of increases in global average air and
ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and
rising global mean sea level. The Earth's average surface
temperature has risen by 0.76 C since 1850. Most of the warming
that has occurred over the last 50 years is very likely to have
been caused by human activities.
In its Fourth Assessment Report (AR4), published in 2007, the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) projects that,
without further action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the
global average surface temperature is likely to rise by a further
1.8-4.0 C this century, and by up to 6.4 C in the worst case
scenario. Even the lower end of this range would take the
temperature increase since pre-industrial times above 2 C - the
threshold beyond which irreversible and possibly catastrophic
changes become far more likely.
Projected global warming this century is likely to trigger
serious consequences for mankind and other life forms, including
a rise in sea levels of between 18 and 59 cm which will endanger
coastal areas and small islands, and a greater frequency and
severity of extreme weather events.
Human activities that contribute to climate change include in
particular the burning of fossil fuels, agriculture and land-use
changes like deforestation. These cause emissions of carbon
dioxide (C02), the main gas responsible for climate change, as
well as of other 'greenhouse' gases. To bring climate change to a
halt, global greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced
significantly.
The European Union has long been at the forefront of
international efforts to combat climate change and has played a
key role in the development of the two major treaties addressing
the issue, the 1992 "United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Kyoto Protocol, agreed in 1997.
The EU has been taking serious steps to address its own
greenhouse gas emissions since the early 1990s. In 2000 the
Commission launched the European Climate Change Programme (ECCP).
The ECCP has led to the adoption of a wide range of new policies
and measures. These include the pioneering EU Emmissions Trading
System, which has become the cornerstone of EU efforts to reduce
emissions cost-effectively, and legislation to tackle emissions
of fluorinated greenhouse gases.
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/climate/home_en.htm
Environment - Climate Change
Monitoring data and projections indicate that the 15 countries
that were EU members at the time of the EU's ratification of the
Kyoto Protocol in 2002 will reach their Kyoto Protocol target for
cutting greenhouse gas emissions. This requires emissions in
2008-2012 to be 8% below 1990 levels.
However, Kyoto is only a first step and its targets expire in
2012. International negotiations are now taking place under the
UNFCCC with the goal of reaching a global agreement governing
action to address climate change after 2012.
In January 2007, as part of an integrated climate change and
energy policy, the European Commission set out proposals and
options for an ambitious global agreement in its Communication
"Limiting Global Climate Change to 2 degrees Celsius: The way
ahead for 2020 and beyond."
EU leaders endorsed this vision in March 2007. They committed the
EU to cutting its greenhouse gas emissions by 30% of 1990 levels
by 2020 provided other developed countries commit to making
comparable reductions under a global agreement. And to start
transforming Europe into a highly energy-efficient, low-carbon
economy, they committed to cutting emissions by at least 20%
independently of what other countries decide to do.
To underpin these commitments, EU leaders set three key targets
to be met by 2020: a 20% reduction in energy consumption compared
with projected trends; an increase to 20% in renewable energies
share of total energy consumption; and an increase to 10% in the
share of petrol and diesel consumption from sustainaby-produced
biofuels.
In January 2008 the Commission proposed a major package of
climate and energy-related legislative proposals to implement
these commitments and targets. These are now being discussed by
the European Parliament and the Council of the EU, and EU leaders
have expressed their wish for agreement to be reached on the
package before the end of 2008.
......
Note:
The above Websites give MANY links to related matters concerning
"Climate Change."
It is more than interesting that the Europe Union is a leading
advocate in fighting climate change.  Could this be one of the
future reasons why the "Babylon Beast" of the book of Revelation,
will have to decide to rule the Western world, to bring its
political and religious views to final power over the earth.
First the Western world and then the Eastern world. The basic
plan will be as in the Second World War, but it will all start
from a much DIFFERENT perspective and background. Europe with its
religious church of centuries old will believe it is doing the
will of God, to bring upon the earth it political views and
religious faith.
Keith Hunt
To be continued