Climate Change

According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), climate change is defined as a series of variations within statistical distribution of the weather, monitored for different time periods, ranging from few years up to over one million years. Climate change is thought to be mostly related to activities of anthropological origin nowadays. Humankind has certainly made a significant impact, bringing ongoing changes above and beneath the Earth's surface. However, the weather variations we are witnessing these days might be a little more out of our reach. Mother Nature has proven through the past decades how sharp and how strong her impact can be. Processes that are happening within the atmospheric shell can indeed be of natural as much as anthropological origin.

Each day bigger holes in the ozone layer are causing increased melting of the ice cover at both Earth's poles, the Arctic and Antarctica. If more ice melted fast it will cause disasters for coastal towns worldwide, as the sea level would drastically rise.

Increased volcanic gas emissions is one of the most influential factors of climate change. Not so long ago in April 2010, volcanic ashes from an Icelandic volcano blocked all local, regional and continental flights over European continent. The eruption caused floods as the ice on Eyjafjalla glacier had started to melt. This was the second eruption in one month.

Scientists and tourists have recorded the melting of the ice at the peek of Africa's second largest mountain, the Kilimanjaro. And increased sun heating causes the melting of mountain glaciers world wide. Increased temperatures and a higher number of warm days in a year are rising at most countries all around the globe. Zimbabwe, in Africa, is experiencing the most drastic changes. The average annual temperature of 20°C measured in 1960s has increased to an average annual temperature of 30°C. The country is facing a terrible drought cycle due to a significantly lowered amount of annual precipitation.

We are witnessing one of the most intense hurricane periods in the past few decades. In the last ten years, more often than in a past, some areas of Northern America have being hit by hurricane impacts on a regular basis. The World meteorological organization reported this natural phenomenon as part of climate change taking place worldwide. The year of 2005 was noted as the most devastating hurricane season for these areas of Northern America.

Due to increased tectonic movements, the world was struck by two devastating tsunamis in the past decade. If we take a look at scientific statistics on tsunami appearances, we can see that the number of tsunamis within the last decade has doubled up. The average tsunami impact is considered to occur only once in a decade.

Not only humankind is suffering climate change, but each month we discover another endangered species. Polar bears are considered to be the most threatened. Their natural habitat is facing unseen catastrophe if ice continues to melt at the rate it does now. However, some scientists are supporting theory of global warming, while others are talking about a new ice age that is upon us. Increased storm blizzards and sudden fall of temperatures are supporting their theory. Nonetheless they all agree in one thing - we are facing drastic climate change that is about to change the way we live and behave towards Nature.

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