Climate change in the Asia/Pacific region: a consultancy report prepared for the climate change and development roundtable

Abstract

The Earth currently finds itself in the midst of what some have termed the "Anthropocene Era" - a period during which human activities have become a dominate force affecting not only the planet's landscape, but also its atmosphere. Since the dawn of the industrial evolution of the mid-18th century, humans have contributed to substantial increases in the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide has increased by 36%, methane by 17%, and nitrous oxide by 151%. These changes in the global atmosphere are directly linked to over two centuries of growth in the burning of fossil fuels by humans. The increase of these gases is warming the world. Temperatures have increased by approximately 0.8°C since 1880, the global sea-level is rising, and Earth is already committed to additional global warming and climate change in the years ahead.