| Global warming is the increase in the
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| | millennium even if greenhouse gas levels
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| average temperature of the Earth's
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| | are stabilized. This reflects the large
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| near-surface air and oceans in recent
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| | heat capacity of the oceans.
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| decades and its projected continuation.
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| | An increase in global temperatures can in
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| Global average air temperature near the
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| | turn cause other changes, including sea
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| Earth's surface rose 0.74 ± 0.18 °C
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| | level rise, and changes in the amount and
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| (1.3 ± 0.32 °F) during the past
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| | pattern of precipitation. There may also
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| century. The Intergovernmental Panel on
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| | be changes in the frequency and intensity
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| Climate Change (IPCC) concludes, "most of
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| | of extreme weather events, though it is
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| the observed increase in globally
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| | difficult to connect specific events to
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| averaged temperatures since the mid-20th
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| | global warming. Other effects may include
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| century is very likely due to the
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| | changes in agricultural yields, glacier
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| observed increase in anthropogenic
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| | retreat, reduced summer streamflows,
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| greenhouse gas concentrations," which
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| | species extinctions and increases in the
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| leads to warming of the surface and lower
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| | ranges of disease vectors.
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| atmosphere by increasing the greenhouse
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| | Remaining scientific uncertainties
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| effect. Natural phenomena such as solar
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| | include the exact degree of climate
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| variation combined with volcanoes have
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| | change expected in the future, and how
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| probably had a small warming effect from
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| | changes will vary from region to region
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| pre-industrial times to 1950, but a
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| | around the globe. There is ongoing
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| cooling effect since 1950. The basic
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| | political and public debate regarding
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| conclusions have been endorsed by at
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| | what, if any, action should be taken to
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| least 30 scientific societies and
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| | reduce or reverse future warming or to
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| academies of science, including all of
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| | adapt to its expected consequences. Most
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| the national academies of science of the
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| | national governments have signed and
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| major industrialized countries. The
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| | ratified the Kyoto Protocol aimed at
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| American Association of Petroleum
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| | combating greenhouse gas emissions.
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| Geologists is the only scientific society
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| | Terminology
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| that rejects these conclusions, and a few
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| | The term "global warming" is a specific
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| individual scientists also disagree with
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| | example of the broader term climate
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| parts of them.
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| | change, which can also refer to global
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| Climate models referenced by the IPCC
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| | cooling. In common usage the term refers
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| project that global surface temperatures
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| | to recent warming and implies a human
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| are likely to increase by 1.1 to 6.4 °C
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| | influence. The United Nations Framework
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| (2.0 to 11.5 °F) between 1990 and 2100.
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| | Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
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| The range of values reflects the use of
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| | uses the term "climate change" for
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| differing scenarios of future greenhouse
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| | human-caused change, and "climate
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| gas emissions and results of models with
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| | variability" for other changes. The term
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| differences in climate sensitivity.
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| | "anthropogenic climate change" is
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| Although most studies focus on the period
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| | sometimes used when focusing on
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| up to 2100, warming and sea level rise
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| | human-induced changes.
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| are expected to continue for more than a
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