Posted October 21, 2005

Geography Awareness Week Presentation: "Human-Induced Climate Change: Is It Real? Is It Important?"

Dr. Donald Wuebbles.Dr. Don Wuebbles, Department Head and Professor of the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign will present "Human-Induced Climate Change: Is It Real? Is It Important?" as part of the Department of Geography's Geography Awareness Week Activities. His presentation will be held Wednesday, November 16 at 7:30 pm in the Sandburg Theatre (University Union, Lower Level).

It’s in the news, but Americans remain unclear about what is happening to our climate, the “expected” weather and its variability, and the American public is largely unaware of the potential impacts of these changes on their lives and on future generations. Nonetheless, available evidence strongly indicates that human activities are playing a significant role in bringing about climate change, especially in the last few decades of the 20th Century. Significant changes in climate as a result of these human activities are projected for the 21st Century. Climate, the weather typically expected, is always changing to some degree. However, A number of different analyses strongly indicate that the globally-averaged temperature increase is resulting from rising levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, lending credence to concerns about much larger changes in climate being predicted for the coming decades. Computer-based models of the complex processes affecting the carbon cycle have implicated the burning of fossil fuels as a major factor in the past increase in concentrations of carbon dioxide. These models also suggest that, without major policy or technology changes, future concentrations of CO2 and several other greenhouse gases will continue to increase largely as a result of human activities. This presentation begins with a discussion of the current understanding of the concerns about climate change and the role being played by human activities, and then considers past and future changes in the Midwest/Great Lakes region.

The public is invited to attend. Admission is free.