Climate change

ISSUES

Climate change

The greenhouse effect is a well-known mechanism. It was discovered in the 19th Century : Joseph Fourier described it as early as 1824. Briefly: the gases in the atmosphere absorb some of the energy of sunlight and, in doing so, heat the planet. The more gases there are, the more they heat the planet. There are many gases: water vapour, CO2, methane, nitrous oxide, etc. Thanks to these gases, the Earth's average temperature is compatible with our existence. Without them, it would go down to -18°C.
In 1896, the Swedish researcher Arrhenius calculated that if the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere doubled, the average temperature would go up by 4°C.
A historical modification
Human activity has considerably increased certain greenhouse gases. For CO2, the world atmospheric concentration went from about 280 ppm (parts per million) in 1750 to 380 ppm in 2005. This increase is mainly due to the use of fossil fuels (transport...

NEWS

Climate scientists say warming could exceed 3.5 C

China hits back at claims it is blocking climate talks

EU warns climate talks at risk of floundering

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DEBATES

Mountain forests under threat

FAO

The integrity and resilience of mountain forests is under threat from increasing temperatures and wildfires, population growth...

Fossil fuel or modern slavery ?

Slavery is often approached with a similar outlook, based...

Climate change measures must be made corruption proof

As governments prepare to spend up to US$100 billion...

FOCUS

Drunk on carbon

While forests, which store large quantities of carbon dioxide, are an important ally in the fight against climate change, they have already begun to be affected by it. Some of the effects are positive: with shorter winters, trees grow for longer periods, and with more...

VIDEOS

17/04/2012	A new bill (SB 893) was approved in March 2012 by the Tennessee Senate...	05/04/2012	The feature documentary SHATTERED SKY premieres at the DC Environmental...
13/02/2012	The global average surface temperature in 2011 was the ninth warmest since...	22/12/2010	At the 2010 American Geophysical Union (AGU) conference in San Francisco,...

GREEN TIPS

In Albi, light is cheap

The town of Albi has installed which are more eco-friendly. These produce good quality white light which...

INDICATORS

Carbon dioxide emissions
Total Primary Energy Supply
Ecological footprint

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