Only lazy is not talking about climate change now. Unusually hot and dry summers, frosty winters with minimal snow … In short, the average temperature of the planet has definitely changed. But how has it changed, and what can it turn into in a not so distant future?
Scientists say that over the past century, temperature has risen by about 3 degrees. It seems to be a trifle, however, such a meager change in temperature led to a significant change in climatic conditions. The ice of Greenland and the Arctic is melting, biologists gloomily predict the imminent extinction of polar bears, and ornithologists write dissertations on the topic of a significant change in the flight routes of birds. In particular, many cranes are now stopping for wintering in regions much closer to their habitats than just half a century ago.
In general, there is sufficient reason to argue that the average temperature on Earth has risen significantly. But is a person involved in this phenomenon? Here the opinions of scientists differ radically. Proponents of anthropomorphic climate change tend to blame man for everything, and their opponents argue that humanity has contributed little to warming.
The arguments of the latter are the simplest mathematical calculations. They show that the average temperature will grow much stronger than the average volcano eruption. All the plants of the world in a few years emit less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than a volcano alone in a couple of days of eruption! If we talk about powerful eruptions, like that which destroyed Cretan civilization, then the comparison resembles a wood-beetle beetle and a woodworking plant.
Thus, the question of why the average temperature of the Earth has risen remains open to this day. However, what will further warming lead to?
In principle, the consequences can be observed today: the area of deserts is expanding, soil is gradually degrading, and the level of the World Ocean is rising. But it is not all that bad.
Environmentalists say that if the average temperature continues to rise, then in most of our country this will have a positive effect. The vegetative period of plants will increase sharply, the climate will become warmer and milder. However, most coastal lands will be flooded, and crowds of refugees will flood into safe places, which obviously will not help stabilize the political and economic situation in the country.
But there is another danger. And her name is the greenhouse effect. With an increase in the surface temperature of the planet, the atmospheric carbon dioxide content sharply increases. Initially, this is precisely what causes warming, which over time is replaced by a sharp cooling. That’s how all the ice ages on our planet began.
So what awaits us? To answer this question is definitely quite difficult: not enough statistics. However, with a fair amount of certainty, we can say that the average temperature in the coming decades will still increase. Undoubtedly, humanity should play less big politics and think more about its own future.
