CLIMATE OF THE 21 st CENTURY: Changes and Risks

The climate of the 21 st century will be-substantially influenced by humankind. In this book,-the reader will find information about future trends in air temperature, precipitation, sea level, mountain glaciers, large ice sheets, sea ice cover, permafrost, desertification and related variables that will influence plants and animals, agriculture, forestry, the availablility of water, public health, and the urban climate. In addition, an overview is provided of the history of climate and of factors that cause it to change. Since the beginning of the industrial age, man has increasingly influenced the climate of the Earth, especially through the growing use of fossil fuels and the continued destruction of forests. The atmospheric content of carbon dioxide has already risen by 30% and threatens to double by the year 2035, if effective measures to reduce emissions are not taken. Further increasing the amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide could cause temperatures to rise even more rapidly to values, that have never existed in man's history.