CLIMATE CHANGE term papers and essays

Though the term climate change has been misconstrued as of late to be synonymous with global warming, the proper denotation for climate change is a significant, lasting change in the overall weather conditions of a region or of the earth as a whole. For example, the Ice Age, wherein the entire earth was thought to be much colder than it is now for hundreds of thousands or even millions of years would constitute climate change, whereas the effects of El Nino which only last for several-year stretches would not be considered climate change. At the very minimum, significant change in climate must at least be noted over a period of decades. Climate change can be caused by numerous naturally occurring factors, such as the amount of solar radiation that enters the earth's atmosphere, deviations in the earth's orbit, continental drift and greenhouse gases. In today's ecological arena, many feel that the earth is experiencing global warming - and they view that as climate change - because a slight elevation has been noticed in the earth's overall temperatures. It is difficult to attribute these changes in temperature to any significant climate change, however, because measurements have only been recorded since the mid to late 1800's. Since 150 years is a relatively miniscule time period in the history of the earth, it is difficult for scientists to know whether these changes could be devastating or whether they are simply part of the normal, natural fluctuations of the earth's atmosphere

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