The Climate Risk

What is Global Warming?

Global warming is a result of climate change and refers to the overall increase in temperatures (land, sea and atmosphere) worldwide. Every degree Celsius increase result in a rise of about seven per cent in cloud evaporation in the atmosphere. This increase in greenhouse gas emissions is causing a strong deviation from the expected weather patterns. It has been calculated that since the industrial revolution the overall amount of water vapor in the air has risen by around ten percent. This upsurge has caused major intensification of the weather systems, especially in the intensity of storms and cyclones. Conversely, in areas prone to desertification, warmer temperatures have dried out soils further due to rainfall deficiency. 

The most important greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide (CO2). 

Fossil fuels like coal and oil are mainly made up of carbon. The carbon that they contain has been produced by plants over millions of years through photosynthesis (the process by which they transform light into energy). When fossil fuels are burned- for instance in the internal combustion of motor vehicles- they release heat but also several gases in the process. The carbon base fuels react with oxygen and release heat (energy) and gases, mainly CO2. 

Another greenhouse gas, Methane (CH4) is also released but the main sources of this gas are to be found in agriculture and the thawing of the permafrost. Methane or natural gas is 80 times more powerful than CO2 in trapping heat in the upper atmosphere. The expected permafrost melt in the Arctic regions will contribute to a massive release of methane. 

These two gases -carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) are invisible. 

In view of their density, they rise in the air and find their way into the upper atmosphere where they aggregate. Due to their molecular structure, they trap some of the reflected terrestrial heat generated by the sun which would normally bounce back into space. These green gases act as a blanket and contribute to global warming. 

CO2 remains in the upper atmosphere for hundreds of years. 

The measurement of carbon dioxide (CO2) is calculated in parts per million or ppm. Samples of air are collected at high altitude like at the Mona Laua Observatory in Hawaii where their composition is analyzed. 

The presence of Carbon dioxide is now 50 percent higher than it was before the industrial revolution (280 ppm). The current reading is 420 ppm and rising.

“The Climate Risk” is an exciting Science Fiction novel about Climate Change.