Paleoclimate Changes and Significance of Present Global Warming

Earth’s climate has been changing since the conceivable beginning of the geological history of Earth. This is reflected by paleoclimate occurrences of ice ages, followed by consequent warmer interglacial episodes. The most recent ice age has been tentatively traced back to some three million years ago. However, the onslaught of industrial revolution has greatly affected the framework of climate change. Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are now 40 % higher than before the industrial revolution. This, in turn, has given rise to increase in temperature during the past couple of centuries. Glaciers have recently started melting, and the global average sea level has risen by more than 25 cm. Study of core records from Antarctica and Greenland disclose that paleoclimate ice cores dating back to 800,000 years revealed that the current concentrations of greenhouse gases exceeded the concentration of these gases, preserved in those ice cores. Currently, global warming has emerged as the most serious environmental threat to mankind, and unless a drastic cut is made in the emission of greenhouse gases, the world would be heading toward an unretractable disaster. Consequently, this requires a global approach for development to combat the situation. To start with, there has to be awareness and preparedness, followed by capacity building through community education and training, as well as enforcement of regulations. This approach supports strategy of adaptation to vulnerability reduction and readiness to policy-supporting development, as the future course of action.