Human-induced Climate Change

Since the Industrial Revolution from the mid-18th to the mid-19th centuries, the greenhouse effect has intensified as human activities have increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by 30 percent, nitrous oxide by 15 percent, and methane by 100 percent. These increases have had a direct impact on climate, and average global temperatures have risen significantly. In fact, temperatures have increased by 0.74 C in the last 100 years, mostly because of the intensification of human activities like urbanization, combustion of fossil fuels and use of cars.

If this tendency continues, scientists believe that by 2100, average global temperatures could rise by 1.8 to 4 C. The increase will be smallest at the equator and progressively greater toward the poles. In some parts of Canada in the next century, temperatures could rise as much as 5 to 10 C . While that might not seem like much of a leap, we might remember that the average temperature during the cool glacial period of the last ice age was only five degrees cooler than it is today. Scientists fear that the Earth could become too warm, resulting in numerous negative impacts on humans, other species and natural spaces that could affect essential habitat for wildlife and expose us to extreme weather events like floods, droughts or extremely high temperatures.