Here is a little food for thought for you. The last global warming was caused by an average global temperature increase of 5 degrees Centigrade (about 0.0005 degrees per year). That increase in global temperature occurred over about 10,000 years and resulted in the dramatic changes you have just been studying.

Experts on modern atmospheric conditions have indicated that at the present rate that we are dumping carbonaceous gasses and particulate matter into the atmosphere, we may expect a global temperature increase of about 2 degrees Centigrade - in the next 100 years! That comes out to about 0.02 degrees per year or 40 times the rate that brought the Ice Age to an end. Think about where sea level will be in the year 2090.

Think about the fact that you will probably live to see most of the next century...

	1. Contents 2. Introduction 3. Global Trends 4. Physical Phenomena 5. Environmental Changes 6. Environmental Summary 7. Global Warming 8. Conclusion Courseware Page
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