Greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, which is formed when fossil fuels are burned, trap heat in the atmosphere and raise overall global temperatures. Carbon dioxide lasts for over a hundred years in the atmosphere, and is removed by plants in their photosynthesis process. By now there is little argument about the theory of global climate change, first proposed by the Swedish scientist Arrhenius more than a hundred years ago. Much information on climate change is available on the web. Climate Change's Effects Will Be Widespread Overall, the Earth's atmosphere is predicted to become warmer, and extremes of temperature, precipitation and wind are expected to become more frequent.
Recent evidence suggests that such extremes are already occurring.
Moreover, it appears unlikely that carbon dioxide emission growth can be reversed within the next several decades so that these effects will grow worse before they can be arrested. Global climate change is expected to decrease agricultural productivity in some regions, increase it in others, raise sea levels, expand geographical ranges for diseases , degrade health, increase migration and the rate of species loss, and cause more storm damage. A recent Red Cross publication notes that climate-related disasters are affecting more people throughout the world. International security may be threatened as well. Determining the effects and costs of these anticipated disruptions has just begun, but initial analysis and common sense suggest that they will be high.