As the Earth moved out of ice ages over the past million years, the global temperature rose a total of 4 to 7 degrees Celsius over about 5,000 years. In the past century alone, the temperature has climbed 0.7 degrees Celsius, roughly ten times faster than the average rate of ice-age-recovery warming.
Overall, the global annual temperature has increased at an average rate of 0.07°C (0.13°F) per decade since 1880 and at an average rate of 0.17°C (0.31°F) per decade since 1970.
In 2016 the rate at which sea levels are rising was estimated to be 3.4 millimeters per year, and it is expected to jump higher by the end of the century. Scientists with the Intergovernmental Project on Climate Change predict that global sea level will rise between 0.3 and 1 meter by 2100.
Some research seems to indicate that the warming of the planet is a natural cycle that the climate goes through and there is nothing unusual in this.
An interesting article on this entitled “Global Temperature Trends From 2500 B.C. To 2040 A.D.” by Meteorologist Randy Mann can be found here
and the interesting chart below is from his article.
Other research seems to indicate the our planet is now much cooler than it was 50 million or even 500 million years ago.
The populations that currently live closer to the poles might actually welcome a slightly warmer climate.
However, the rise in the levels of CO2 could be of great concern and our industrial output etc. is likely to increase significantly over the coming years, so this does seem to warrant serious investigation.
Al Gore was a great proponent of protecting our planet from climate change and his documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, was watched by millions of people. He was subsequently involved in establishing the carbon credits market, which is now estimated to be worth around USD 300 billion. Should this bring into question the legitimacy of his original data or has he just been smart about developing solutions that provide a financial reward ?
Either way, the carbon credit model, which I understand takes funds from those producing CO2 and gives them to those reducing CO2 through methods such as planting more trees and protecting forests, etc. seems to be a worthwhile initiative.
Elon Musk is also funding a USD 100m X-Prize through Peter Diamandis’s organization for the groups that can come up with the best solutions to removing CO2 from our atmosphere.
Going vegan and not using paper, wood, or trees, or at least in a sustainable manner also seems to help to make a significant difference.
The documentary Cowspiracy indicated that animal agriculture is the most destructive industry facing the planet today. They further recommended that a person who follows a vegan diet produces 50% less CO2, and uses 1/11th Oil, 1/13th Water and 1/18th of the land compared to a meat eater.
Switching away from the use of fossil fuels and using more renewable energy sources for our homes, transport and commercial enterprises will also assist.
Living in more sustainable homes is also growing in popularity. A property portal in Singapore, PropertyGuru, have launched a Green Score on their property portal. This offers a sustainability rating attributed to properties listed for sale or rent so property seekers can understand how eco-friendly a property is.
Many companies, including I believe Google, are buying carbon credits to ensure that they operate in a “carbon neutral” manner.
All this seems to be moving in the right direction and would welcome more details.