It is less alarming that, while climate change has concerned the scientific community for more than a century, the headlines «saw» the problem is only in recent years. Today, 185 years since the French mathematician Jean-Baptiste Fourier first argued that the Earth's temperature may rise because certain gases in the atmosphere, the proportion of the greenhouse effect is more timely than ever.
The eight warmest years than when measurements began around-1850 - registered since 1998, while reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) indicate that the planet is still hot, almost certainly as a result of human activities. Last summer, the total volume of ice in the Arctic reached the lower levels, at least the last seventy years and probably the last eight millennia. The NASA and the National Data Center of Polo America has an alarm signal, as the latest measurements show that parts of the ice melt is not restored during the winter months. In addition, the concentration of old ice has decreased significantly, while in summer of 2007 «lost» a cold area the size of Alaska. A recent study, researchers at the University of Colorado, by 2037 the Arctic ice will melt completely during the summer.
In the late 19th century, scientists have begun to suspect that the coal may contribute to increased air temperature, but should be several decades until they realize that the process had already begun. The systematic measurement of atmospheric CO2 levels started in 1957 by oceanographer David Keeling, who soon noticed a growing trend. The future of humanity and the whole world could be very different if the reaction to this observation is not enough to twenty-two years late. The first global conference on climate change, during which the governments of the world were encouraged to take preventive measures against anthropogenic climate change, organized in 1979. The prevailing mentality has changed little since 1985, when the international conference on global warming ended with the conclusion that «in the first half of the 21st century greenhouse gases will cause a greater temperature increase in the annals of mankind».
What ultimately prompted the UN to establish the IPCC was the unprecedented drought that terrorized the U.S. in 1989. The maiden report of the Commission revealed that the planet has warmed by five points in the last century. In 1992 in Brazil, the 154 Member Governments agreed-unofficially-that by 2000 the developed countries would reduce carbon dioxide emissions at 1990 levels. However, the largest producer of global CO2-the U.S. has agreed to four years later, when it was clear that most countries would not achieve the objectives of the Treaty. Negotiations led to the Kyoto Protocol in 1997 and the commitment that by 2012 the emissions of developed countries is 5% lower than 1990. Once again, the U.S. refused to sign. Despite repeated warnings from scientists, the protocol was only implemented in 2005. Meanwhile, various parts of the world affected by severe flooding and Europe had experienced the hottest summer for at least the last hundred years.
In October 2006, the study by the economist Sir Nicholas Stern has attracted the spotlight, counting the possible consequences of climate change in the global economy.
This was followed by several efforts to negotiate with the participation of scientists, political leaders and executives of multinational companies, but to take a decision about the future of the planet.
Emissions of carbon dioxide continue to rise rapidly, while the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere is higher than the last 420 millennia. Furthermore, WWF estimates that if the needs of humanity continue to grow with these rates, by 2050 we need natural resources but not a two planets like Earth. The shortcomings of the great projects promoted by governments of the world against climate change is often concealed by even the scientists themselves, who fear that the pessimistic forecasts would definitely discourage those who have the willingness to adopt environmentally friendly behaviors. The distrust of the scientific community in policy statements came to light during a recent survey by British newspaper «Guardian». As demonstrated by the responses of participants in the climate conference held in March in Copenhagen, the vast majority of experts did not believe that mankind will be able to limit the temperature increase to two degrees Celsius by the levels of the Industrial Revolution.
Indeed, although more than half of respondents answered that the targeting of two points can still be achieved, only 14% think it is unlikely in practice. Indeed, several scientists, who are the world «elite» special on climate change, said that only a series of extreme weather events would force politicians to take action. The planet is already about 0.8 degrees warmer than what the 19th century and further growth is inevitable because of the huge amounts of CO2 released into the atmosphere in recent decades. The rise of four degrees, provided in accordance with the predominant scenario would result in rising sea levels, desertification of large areas and the destruction of thousands of species of life
