Читать книгу Climate Change For Dummies - Elizabeth May - Страница 64

IN THIS CHAPTER

Looking into what else contributes to climate change

Linking carbon dioxide to temperature trends

Understanding what happens when the temperature becomes too hot to handle

Limiting greenhouse gas emissions

Elizabeth and Zöe Caron wrote Global Warming For Dummies in 2009. Back then, the consensus of the world’s scientists was that

 Climate change was caused by rising carbon and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) emitted to the atmosphere ss a result of human activity.

 Climate change could become irreversible and catastrophic if emissions kept increasing.

 The use of fossil fuels had to be reduced drastically.

The solid worldwide scientific consensus has only been reinforced since then. And now the consensus isn’t just among scientists — it has become common understanding. Humans are having real-time experiences of floods, fires, droughts, heatwaves, and other disasters. The worst-case projections for the speed and magnitude have turned out to be not worse enough.

Still, even though the science is settled, scientists still say global warming is a theory. A scientific theory is based on a set of principles that describe a particular phenomenon — Newton’s so-called “law of gravity” is properly called his “theory of gravity.” Theories aren’t technically facts, but sometimes theories become so strong that people accept them as facts.

But how do you know this theory of GHG emissions causing climate change is correct? Can you really trust all those bigwig scientists? And if it’s correct, what does this theory suggest is going to happen next? We answer those questions in this chapter.