Climate Change -- What Does the Research Mean?

There is little doubt that climate change has generated considerable scientific inquiry. Many have discussed whether global warming is occurring, and whether observed climate changes are natural variations or caused by human activities -- often with considerable acrimony. And because of the socio-po...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Chemical engineering progress 2009-06, Vol.105 (6), p.20-25
Main Authors: Economides, MJ, Xie, X
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Arrays
Chemical engineering
Climate change
Domestic
Environmental impact
Environmental regulations
Focusing
Global warming
Greenhouse effect
Hurricanes
Ice
Ice caps
Ice sheets
Sea level
Storms
Temperature
Trends
Wind shear
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Summary:There is little doubt that climate change has generated considerable scientific inquiry. Many have discussed whether global warming is occurring, and whether observed climate changes are natural variations or caused by human activities -- often with considerable acrimony. And because of the socio-political implications, both domestic and international, this high-stakes debate will certainly intensify as it moves beyond rhetoric and becomes associated with a price tag that accompanies legislation. This article presents a brief review of recent scientific literature on some of the postulated impending effects of global warming, focusing on works dealing with global warming as the cause of stronger or weaker hurricanes, sea levels receding or advancing, and ice caps thinning or thickening. It does not verify the authenticity of any of the conclusions summarized here. Rather, by highlighting the wide array of contradictory claims, it seeks to demonstrate the difficulty that even scientists have in interpreting the available evidence and the need for further investigation.
ISSN:0360-7275
1945-0710