English Reflective Journal Week 2

27 February 2009
4.47PM


The next article I read in a magazine issued two years aao, was mainly about the scientific meaning to global warming, the effects of global warming and how it is going to affect the earth in the future.

Global warming is the increase in the average temperature of the Earth's near-surface air and the oceans since the mid-twentieth century and its projected continuation. Global surface temperature increased during the 100 years ending in 2005. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concludes that anthropogenic greenhouse gases are responsible for most of the observed temperature increase since the middle of the twentieth century, and natural phenomena such as solar variation and volcanoes probably had a small warming effect from pre-industrial times to 1950 and a small cooling effect from 1950 onwards. I think, as we learn more detailed news about the global warming, we actually realise that small things such as volcanoes had small warming effect in the early century.

The expected long range effects of recent climate change may already be observed. Rising sea levels, glacier retreat, Arctic shrinkage, and altered patterns of agriculture are cited as direct consequences of human activities. Predictions for secondary and regional effects include extreme weather events, an expansion of tropical diseases, changes in the timing of seasonal patterns in ecosystems, and drastic economic impact.

As I was reading this article, I was a bit shocked at certain points. It was a bit threatening, especially when I was reading about the information about the effects of global warming.

(taken from times magazine 2007)