Intact Climate

Introduction

Undeniable evidences throughout the globe indicate that global climate has changed compared to the pre-industrial era and is expected to continue the trend through 21st century and beyond. The Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)1 documented that global mean temperature has increased approximately 0.76°C between 1850-1899 and 2001-2005 and it has concluded that most of the observed changes in global average temperatures since the mid-20th century is ‘very likely’ the result of human activities that are increasing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere.

As a consequence, we observe various manifestations of climate change including ocean warming, continental-average temperatures, temperature extremes and wind patterns. Widespread decreases in glaciers and ice caps Read the rest of this entry »

Weather is the state of the atmosphere at a given moment in relation to wind, temperature, precipitation, and cloudiness. Observing the weather changes during a prolonged period of time yields mean values, permitting the classification of different climate zones. The regions of similar climate zones may be separated by great spatial distances.

Classification into individual climate zones helps describe and compare different ecosystems and landscapes. The climate depends first of all on the angle at which the earth is heated by the sun. For example, we know that around the equator the temperatures are high, whereas at the poles the temperatures are low. However, this does not mean that regions situated at the same latitude belong to the same climate zone. Although the angle of the sunlight may be the same, there are other important factors that have an impact on the climate.

In the interior, spring means fast warming and autumn a quick cooling. In contrast, the weather in coastal regions behaves differently. As a result of the higher rate of evaporation, it rains more often in the coastal regions than in Read the rest of this entry »

One aspect of being a green business is being aware how much carbon and other greenhouse gases the business emits into the atmosphere. We have all heard the terms global warming, climate change and greenhouse gas but as they are often used interchangeably, it can be difficult to understand exactly what these terms mean. However understanding these terms is important before taking action to reduce emissions from the business. Here is a brief guide to the most common terms:

Global Warming: The phrase global warming refers to an overall warming of the planet based on the average temperature over the entire surface. Global warming has both natural and manmade causes with the main manmade cause being increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. These gases spread around the earth forming a cover trapping solar energy that would normally be radiated into space resulting in increased temperatures.

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