Hot air, Pg10

Key Highlights:

• President Trump addressed the UNGA, dismissing climate change as a "con job".
• He criticized Europe's carbon footprint reduction as causing factory closures and job losses.
• Trump claimed scientists shifted from global cooling to global warming and then to climate change due to failed predictions.
• He views the adoption of solar and wind energy as leading countries to "destruction".

Detailed Insights:

• The average global temperature dip of 0.1°C (from 1945-70) was due to increased sulphur emissions from burning coal.
• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has provided a forum for scientists to distinguish between natural climate variations and human-caused ones since the 1990s.
• Climate change refers to a larger disruption in ocean currents, leading to increasingly erratic weather, not just hotter temperatures.
• Trump's concern is linked to the impact of climate action on the fossil fuel industry.
• The complexity of weather changes can be perplexing, but the scientific process is working towards a post-fossil-fuel future.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Climate Change: Long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns, primarily caused by human activities.
• Anthropogenic Warming: Warming of the climate caused by human activities, such as burning fossil fuels.
• Fossil Fuels: Combustible geologic deposits of organic matter, such as coal, oil, and natural gas, used for energy.