CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate Change

Climate Change

Introduction

Climate is the average of the weather conditions described through variability in temperature, precipitation, and wind over a period of time. This may range from months to millions of years. The climate system is a complex interactive, system consisting of the atmosphere, land surface, snow and ice, oceans and other bodies of water, and living things. The term 'climate change' is used to describe changes in the average weather, such as temperature, wind pattern or precipitation, that any region experiences. It is an issue that connects subjective lifestyles with the physical condition of the entire planet, with often difficult implications for natural ecosystems. Global environmental issues, particularly climate change, have been a source of insecurity and anxiety, bringing the globosity of the human condition to the fore. Worries about ecological despoliation have been at the heart of the notion of the 'risk society' coined by German sociologist Ulrich Beck (William, 10, 05).

Changes in climate have occurred in Earth's history in the past, but the rate of change in the past 30-40 years has snowballed into a major global debate and concern. The past 10,000 years in Earth's history has been a period of unusual stability that favored human civilization, but anthropogenic activities, particularly after the industrial revolution in the 1970s, have lead to a warming of Earth's atmosphere by 0.75 degrees Celsius compared with the preindustrial level. The rise in Earth's temperature by 2050-70 projected by different models to range between 1.5 and 4.5 degrees C. This will have a grave effect on the ecology and socioeconomic of nations. The effect, however, will not be equal but will be greater on the poorer and marginal sections of human society—they will find it rather more difficult to adapt to the changed climate scenario. Through a comprehensive convention, the Kyoto Protocol, many nations of the world have come together and acted to limit the levels of the greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere—major causes of global warming—and to build resilience through appropriate strategies. Climate is a construct that represents the statistical ensemble of factual or possible meteorological situations on Earth. It aggregates local weather conditions on different temporal and spatial scales up to the global dimension. The shift of the statistical distribution of meteorological characteristics referred to climate change, which might be triggered, for example, by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases besides natural factors. Climate change is a global problem and therefore, a challenge to international climate politics: Climate protection will only be effective and reasonable if all or at least the primary greenhouse gas emitting countries commit themselves to regulation. A preliminary step taken by international ratification of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which went into force in 1994, obligating parties to the prevention of dangerous interference of the climate system. However, this binding goal is still unspecific, leaving room for differing interpretations, for instance on the notion of dangerous climate change (Fussel, 2001, 80).

Climate Change Bangladesh

Bangladesh could be ground zero for the geo-strategic ...