Introduction

Climate change, also called "global warming" or more rarely "climate

disruption", is the rapid increase in the average temperature of the earth's surface
occurring in the 20th and 21st centuries as well as, more generally, the
modification of weather patterns in resulting large scale. Both are attributed to
greenhouse gas emissions of human origin: although there have previously been
periods of climate variability, the one underway since the mid-20th century and
caused by Human activities have unprecedented consequences on the Earth's
climate system. What are the impacts of global warming? To answer this
question we will present on global warming.
I- Scientific definition of- global warming
More precisely, when we talk about global warming, we are talking about the
increase in temperatures linked to industrial activity and in particular to the
greenhouse effect: we therefore sometimes talk about global warming called "of
anthropogenic origin » (of human origin). It is therefore a form whose causes are
not natural but economic and industrial.
Many scientists study this phenomenon and try to understand how the activities
of human societies cause this warming. These scientists are grouped within the
IPCC (International Group of Experts on Climate), and they regularly publish
reports studying the evolution of global warming (see below).
II- History of climate science
First discoveries of the greenhouse effect and definition of global
warming
See also: The history of climate science: how did we get here?
The first assumptions about the greenhouse effect were made by the scientist
Jacques Fourier in 1824. Several scientists after him studied and attempted to
quantify the phenomenon, such as Claude Pouillet and John Tyndall. But the
first experiment to validate and precisely quantify the greenhouse effect was
carried out by the scientist Svante Arrhenius at the end of the 19th century. In
the 1890s, he discovered that air rich in carbon dioxide retains more heat from
solar radiation, which leads to an increase in air temperature. He concludes that
if we release large quantities of carbon into the atmosphere (because of
industrial activities based on the combustion of coal), the air will become loaded
with CO2 and retain more heat. The first estimates of the increase in
temperatures made by Arrhenius or other scientists of the time such as the
geologist Thomas Chamberlin were as follows: if we double the quantity of
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the temperature average will increase by 5
degrees. In 1901, Gustaf Ekholm used the term “greenhouse effect” for the first
time to describe the phenomenon. For several decades these discoveries were
not taken seriously in the scientific community. At the time, many specialists
believed that nature could regulate itself and that man's impact was minimal.
Notably, many scientists thought that the excess CO2 would be absorbed by the
ocean anyway, which is true, but not completely. However, the thesis of the
possibility of global warming linked to greenhouse gases (including carbon
dioxide) ended up being validated in the 1940s by Gilbert Plass. Using modern
technologies, he definitively proves that the concentration of greenhouse gases
in the atmosphere affects the air's ability to retain infrared rays and heat. These
are the first definitions of global warming.
III- Awareness
In the 1960s, several scientists showed that the presumptions about the
greenhouse effect were in fact real. Charles David Keeling proves, for example,
that the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere is gradually increasing thanks
to his measurements near Hawaii. Roger Revelle proved that the carbon released
by the combustion of fossil fuels was not immediately absorbed by the ocean.
Scientists are starting to become more and more concerned about global
warming, and as a result, political society will begin to take this problem into
account.
In 1971, the first Earth Summit discussed for the first time in a major
international conference the definition of global warming and its consequences.
In 1972, John Sawyer published a scientific report highlighting increasingly
clearly the links between global warming and the greenhouse effect. For more
than a decade, evidence accumulated in the scientific community to the point
that in the mid-1980s, the seven largest economic powers in the world (the G7)
asked the UN to create a group of experts responsible for studying the issue.
This is the first time that there has been real consideration and a real definition
of global warming as a public problem by international institutions.

1- The first IPCC reports

The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) was created in 1988
with the aim of studying the evolution of the phenomenon of global warming
and its consequences. It brings together hundreds of scientists, climatologists,
geologists, oceanographers, biologists, but also economists, sociologists,
engineers and other specialists from various fields in order to have a global
vision of this phenomenon.
The IPCC is structured into three working groups:
The first in order to study climate change as a phenomenon: the process, its
scale;
the second specialized on the consequences of global warming, the vulnerability
of ecosystems and societies and adaptation to global warming; finally the last
group is responsible for studying the question of the fight against global
warming.
The IPCC issued its first report in 1990, then several others periodically until its
last report in 2014. In these reports, the IPCC scientific community analyzes the
causes of global warming, and its impact on the ecosystem and on society, by
developing predictive models. Based on these models and forecasts, public
authorities and businesses can implement strategies to combat global warming
or to better adapt to it.
IV- THE CAUSES
The IPCC models have made it possible to establish the causes of global
warming, that is to say, to know where this global warming comes from and
what causes it. Thanks to scientists, we know that it is mainly greenhouse gas
emissions of human origin that influence the climate. But where do these
emissions come from?
Mainly, it is the production of energy (electricity, heating) and in particular
fossil fuels and fuels for transport (mainly cars, but also partly aviation or
maritime transport) which cause global warming. Then comes land management
and in particular deforestation, agriculture but also livestock. To find out more,
see: The causes of global warming.

1- the impact of human activities

What really is the impact of human activities on global warming?
We don't really know how the climate and therefore global warming work.
Other climate skeptics argue that climate science being very complex and made
up of many factors, it is difficult or even impossible to predict the consequences
of an event such as the increase in the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere.
These criticisms therefore call into question the reliability of the IPCC models
and therefore their predictions, to varying degrees. Although it is true that
climatology is a complex science, the predictions made so far on the increase in
temperatures and the meteorological consequences of global warming have
proven to be rather close to reality.

V- THE CONSEQUENCES
Thanks to the work of the IPCC and other scientists working on the definition of
global warming, we now better understand the consequences of this
phenomenon on our lives. In the minds of many, global warming is a relatively
distant problem that simply implies that it will get hotter. But in fact, the
consequences are much deeper.

1- Consequences on the ecosystem and the planet

First, an increase in temperatures due to global warming affects the entire global
ecosystem and not just the heat felt. The weather is disrupted, with an increase
in extreme weather phenomena and changes to usual weather patterns. That
means more storms, more floods, more cyclones and droughts.
2- THE ECOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES OF GLOBAL WARMING ON
THE PLANET, ECOSYSTEMS AND THE WEATHER?
The consequences of global warming on the planet and the weather
The human origin of global warming: greenhouse gases
Some scientists also question the human origin of global warming, explaining
that the CO2 released into the atmosphere by human activities does not really
affect the climate and the ecosystem. They argue that these gases are either
regulated by ecosystems, or that it is not released in sufficient quantities to have
an impact, or that other gases (such as water vapor) have a greater impact on
global warming than industrial CO2. Although all of these positions are partly
true, they do not call into question the human origin of global warming. Thus,
CO2 is partly absorbed by the ocean and by plants, but not quickly enough to be
regulated, for example.
3- FLOODS AND GLOBAL WARMING: WHAT LINKS?
The regulatory capacity of the oceans is also affected by an increase in
temperatures. If global temperatures increase very significantly, there will be an
increase in ocean levels, but also an acidification and deoxygenation of ocean
areas. In addition, excessive ocean acidification could limit the capacity of the
planet's seas to produce oxygen and store CO2, and therefore further increase
global warming. But it can also affect areas of forests and fragile ecosystems
(coral reef, Amazon forest) as well as biodiversity (corals, certain insects and
even mammals may not survive).
4- Consequences on society and the economy
On society and the economy, global warming can potentially have several
consequences: the capacity of societies to adapt to a new climate, to adapt their
infrastructures, particularly medical, but also their buildings. Global warming
will also have consequences on public health and the food capacity of countries.
5- Consequences on businesses
Finally, businesses also risk being affected by change and global warming.
Indeed, in a context where the climate is changing, it is more difficult to adapt
your activities.

VI- SOLUTIONS
1- How to fight global warming: the solutions
To fight global warming, we must above all reduce our greenhouse gas
emissions. To do this, the first way is to turn to renewable energies and avoid
fossil fuels. But we must also reduce our energy consumption, avoid food waste,
eat better by avoiding products that have too large a carbon footprint, optimize
the use of resources... In summary, we must adapt our lifestyle to the notion of
resilience and sustainable development. We must also transform our societies to
move towards industrialization and globalization that takes ecology into
account.
 Conclusion
At the end of our analysis we can say that man is the main enemy of our planet
because in fact, it is mainly human activity which causes an increase in
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and therefore contributes to the global
warming. If this continues, there is a risk of an early onset of the next ice age.
Man must therefore act quickly to avoid an irreversible situation and thus avoid
the catastrophic scenario of the film “Times are a Changing” which represents
the planet in 2075 if we do nothing against global warming.
Introduction

I- Scientific definition of- global warming

II- History of climate science

First discoveries of the greenhouse effect and definition of global

warming

III- Awareness

1- The first IPCC reports

IV- THE CAUSES

1- the impact of human activities

V- THE CONSEQUENCES

1- Consequences on the ecosystem and the planet

2- THE ECOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES OF GLOBAL WARMING ON

THE PLANET, ECOSYSTEMS AND THE WEATHER?

The consequences of global warming on the planet and the weather

3- FLOODS AND GLOBAL WARMING: WHAT LINKS?

4- Consequences on society and the economy

5- Consequences on businesses

VI- SOLUTIONS

Conclusion