Causes of Climate Change The causes of climate change can be divided into two categories, human and natural

causes. It is now a global concern that the climatic changes occurring today have been speeded up because of man's activities. The natural variability and the climate fluctuations of the climate system have always been part of the Earths history however there have been changes in concentrat ions of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere growing at an unprecedented rate and magnitude. The United Nations, governments and many top scientists around the world believe that we must act now to stabilise and arrest further changes. To understand climate change fully, the causes of climate change must be first identified. Scientists divide the causes into two categories, natural and human causes. Natural Causes of Climate Change The earths climate is influenced and changed through natural causes like volcanic eruptions, ocean current, the earths orbi tal changes and solar variations. Volcanic eruptions - When a volcano erupts it throws out large volumes of sulphur dioxide (SO2), water vapour, dust, and ash into the atmosphere. Large volumes of gases and ash can influence climatic patterns for years by increasing planetary reflectivity causing atmospheric cooling. Tiny particles called aerosols are produced by volcanoes. Because they reflect solar energy back into space they have a cooling effect on the world. The greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide is also produced however the CO2 produced is insignificant when compared to emissions created by humans. (see also featured article - Do Volcanoes cause climate change) Ocean current - The oceans are a major component of the climate system. Ocean currents move vast amounts of heat across the planet. Winds push horizontally against the sea surface and drive ocean current patterns. Interactions between the ocean and atmosphere can also produce phenomena such as El Nio which occur every 2 to 6 years. Deep ocean circulation of cold water from the poles towards the equator and movement of warm water from the equator back towards the poles. Without this movement the poles would be colder and the equator warmer. The oceans play an important role in determining the atmospheric concentration of CO2. Changes in ocean circulation may affect the climate through the movement of CO2 into or out of the atmosphere. Earth orbital changes - The earth makes one full orbit around the sun each year. It is tilted at an angle of 23.5 to the perpendicular plane of its orbital path. Changes in the tilt of the earth can lead to small but climatically important changes in the strength of the seasons, more tilt means warmer summers and colder winters; less tilt means cooler summers and milder winters. Slow changes in the Earths orbit lead to small but climatically important changes in the strength of the seasons over tens of thousands of years . Climate feedbacks amplify these small changes, thereby producing ice ages. Solar variations - The Sun is the source of energy for the Earths climate system. Although the Suns energy output appears constant from an everyday point of view, small changes over an extended period of time can lead to climate changes. Some scientists suspect that a portion of the warming in the first half of the 20th century was due to an increase in the output of solar energy. As the sun is the fundamental source of energy that is instrumental in our climate system it would be reasonable to assume that changes in the sun's energy output would cause the climate to change. Scientific studies demonstrate that solar variations have performed a role in past climate changes. For instance a decrease in solar activity was thought to have triggered the Little Ice Age between approximately 1650 and 1850, when Greenland was largely cut off by ice from 1410 to the 1720s and glaciers advanced in the Alps. Current global warming however cannot be explained by solar variations. Some examples are evidenced such as since 1750, the average amount of energy coming from the Sun either remained constant or increased slightly. If global warming was caused by a more active sun, then scientists would expect to see warmer temperatures in all layers of the atmosphere. They have only observed a cooling in the upper atmosphere, a warming at the surface and in the lower parts of the atmosphere. This is due to greenhouse gasses capturing heat in the lower atmosphere. Also climate models that include solar irradiance changes cannot reproduce last century's observed temperature trend without including a rise in greenhouse gases. Human Causes of Climate Change "It has been demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt that the climate is changing due to man-made greenhouse gases. We are already committed to future substantial change over the next 30 years and change is likely to accelerate over the rest of the 21st century." The Met Office, Hadley Centre, UK "The Hadley Centre holds an unique position in the world of climate science. No other single body has a comparable breadth of climate change science and modelling, or has made the same contribution to global climate science and current knowledge." Independent Review 2007 "There is strong evidence that the warming of the Earth over the last half-century has been caused largely by human activity, such as the burning of fossil fuels and changes in land use, including agriculture and deforestation." The Royal Society 2010 The Industrial Revolution in the 19th century saw the large-scale use of fossil fuels for industrial activities. Fossil fuels such as oil, coal and natural gas supply most of the energy needed to run vehicles, generate electricity for industries and households. The energy sector is responsible for about of the carbon dioxide emissions, 1/5 of the methane emissions and a large quantity of nitrous oxide. Carbon dioxide is undoubtedly, the most important greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. Changes in land use pattern, deforestation, land clearing, agriculture, and other activities have all led to a rise in the emission of carbon dioxide. Methane is another important greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. It is released from animals such as dairy cows, goats, pigs, buffaloes, camels, horses and sheep Methane is also emitted during the process of oil drilling, coal mining, leaking gas pipelines, landfills and waste dumps. The certainty of global warming can be seen through some of the natural phenomenon like the effect on crops and extreme weather conditions around the world. It is especially clear in the dramatic change of the polar caps, i.e. the Arctic ice cap is shrinking and the Antarctica ice shelf is melting.

Effects of Climate Change Today Over 100 years ago, people worldwide began burning more coal and oil for homes, factories, and transportation. Burning these fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. These added greenhouses gases have caused Earth to warm more quickly than it has in the past. How much warming has happened? Scientists from around the world with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) tell us that during the past 100 years, the world's surface air temperature increased an average of 0.6 Celsius (1.1F). This may not sound like very much change, but even one degree can affect the Earth. Below are some effects of climate change that we see happening now.

Sea level is rising. During the 20th century, sea level rose about 15 cm (6 inches) due to melting glacier ice and expansion of warmer seawater. Models predict that sea level may rise as much as 59 cm (23 inches) during the 21st Century, threatening coastal communities, wetlands, and coral reefs. Arctic sea ice is melting. The summer thickness of sea ice is about half of what it was in 1950. Melting ice may lead to changes in ocean circulation. Plus melting sea ice is speeding up warming in the Arctic. Glaciers and permafrost are melting. Over the past 100 years, mountain glaciers in all areas of the world have decreased in size and so has the amount of permafrost in the Arctic. Greenland's ice sheet is melting faster too. Sea-surface temperatures are warming. Warmer waters in the shallow oceans have contributed to the death of about a quarter of the world's coral reefs in the last few decades. Many of the coral animals died after weakened by bleaching, a process tied to warmed waters. The temperatures of large lakes are warming. The temperatures of large lakes world-wide have risen dramatically. Temperature rises have increased algal blooms in lakes, favor invasive species, increase stratification in lakes and lower lake levels. Heavier rainfall cause flooding in many regions. Warmer temperatures have led to more intense rainfall events in some areas. This can cause flooding. Extreme drought is increasing. Higher temperatures cause a higher rate of evaporation and more drought in some areas of the world. Crops are withering. Increased temperatures and extreme drought are causing a decline in crop productivity around the world. Decreased crop productivity can mean food shortages which have many social implications. Ecosystems are changing. As temperatures warm, species may either move to a cooler habitat or die. Species that are particularly vulnerable include endangered species, coral reefs, and polar animals. Warming has also caused changes in the timing of spring events and the length of the growing season. Hurricanes have changed in frequency and strength. There is evidence that the number of intense hurricanes has increased in the Atlantic since 1970. Scientists continue to study whether climate is the cause. More frequent heat waves. It is likely that heat waves have become more common in more areas of the world. Warmer temperatures affect human health. There have been more deaths due to heat waves and more allergy attacks as the pollen season grows longer. There have also been some changes in the ranges of animals that carry disease like mosquitoes. Seawater is becoming more acidic. Carbon dioxide dissolving into the oceans, is making seawater more acidic. There could be impacts on coral reefs and other marine life.

Practical Ways to Care for God's Creation

Protect the environment, promote sustainable communities and preserve the sanctity of creation with a ministry of:

Reflection Education Action

Open our hearts through scripture, prayer, theology and liturgy. Open our minds to learn and teach the issues before us. Open our hands to implement projects.

Source of Light & Breath - promote green renewable energy, energy conservation, energy efficiency and clean air. Buy compact fluorescent light bulbs and energy efficient or Star Energy Appliances. House of the Lord - Buy green products like INTERFACE FLOORING or any products that are environmental-friendly. Gift of Water - protect and enhance our watersheds, restore water quality. Support the Cumberland River Compact . When and where possible, install water saving devices such as low-flow commodes and aspirators on sink faucets to conserve water. Replant parish campuses and home gardens with native plants and trees that are drought-tolerant and have low requirements for water. Devise drainage systems that allow rainwater to flow from gutters and drainpipes to spread onto lawn and landscaped areas of parish campus and in home gardens, thereby reducing water lost to sewer systems. Learn how some churches and their members are using rain barrels. Pave new or repave existing parking lots with materials that are pervious so that water penetrates and is sequestered in soil beneath parking area reducing automotive oil and other automotive fluids in our local streams. God's Covenant with Noah - preserve biodiversity, native habitats and wilderness areas. Learn how to make a Backyard Wildlife Habitat in your yard and at your parish. Participate in an intergenerational Fall HoneysucklePull, where members from the Episcopal Youth Fellowship and an adult ecology group work together to eliminate invasive plants that destroy native plants. The non-native, Japanese honeysuckle vines are turned into circle wreaths, used for the base of Advent wreaths. This eliminates styrofoam Advent wreath bases and minimizes man-made decorations on the wreaths that cannot break down in landfills. We use and reuse pine cones, dried berries. A variety of greens from church members' yards are used to decorate the wreaths. After Christmas the greens can be composted. This whole project promotes the reduce, reuse, recycle slogan. Trees of Life encourage sustainable forest management and endorse road-less forests in our state. Use less paper, buy 100% recycled or tree free paper when possible. Recycle your home and parish paper. Many office supply stores have recycled paper and all cotton paper. Call 800.641.1117 or contact GreenLine Paper for information on good green products. Support the Religious Campaign for Forest Conservation (RCFC), a coalition of churches, synagogues and para-religious organizations that are joined by a common concern for forest conservation and wilderness as religious issues. The RCFC website includes information about Opening the Book of Nature (OBN), and reflects the views of religious organizations which are active on issues of forests and wilderness. [From May 21- 23, 2004, an OBN retreat will be held at St. Mary's Retreat Center in Sewanee, Tennessee. Robin Gottfried, a member of the Eco-Economics Faculty at the University of the South, will lead this retreat.] From the earliest days of Christianity to the present, saints and teachers, such as Irenaeus, Basil, Bonaventure, Luther, and Calvin, urge us to read "the book of nature" that we might experience God and gain insights into the spiritual life. Explore what reading the book of nature means through spending our time outside in periods of quiet and reflection, followed by discussion. St. Basil wrote that the works of creation begin one's story. Garden of God implement healthy gardening practices. Choose foods less dependent on use of pesticides in farming. Choose alternatives to chemical pesticides for lawn care and mow your lawns less. Use earth-friendly lawn mowers. Support Community Based Gardens (CBGs), local gleaning projects, and annual CROP walks.