Contents Notes |
1. The Climate System: an Overview -- 2. Radiative Forcing of Climate Change -- 3. Observed Climate Variability and Change -- 4. Climate Processes -- 5. Climate Models -- Evaluation -- 6. Climate Models -Projections of Future Climate -- 7. Changes in Sea Level -- 8. Detection of Climate Change and Attribution of Causes -- 9. Terrestrial Biotic Responses to Environmental Change and Feedbacks to Climate -- 10. Marine Biotic Responses to Environmental Change and Feedbacks to Climate -- 11. Advancing our Understanding -- Appendix 1 Organisation of IPCC -- Appendix 2 List of Major IPCC Reports -- Appendix 3 Contributors to Climate Change 1995 -- The Science of Climate Change -- Appendix 4 Reviewers of Climate Change 1995 -- The Science of Climate Change -- Appendix 5 Acronyms -- Appendix 6 Units -- Appendix 7 Some Chemical Symbols. Climate Change 1995 - The Science of Climate Change is the most comprehensive and up-to-date assessment available of current scientific understanding of human influences on past, present and future climate. The IPCC prepared its first comprehensive assessment report in 1990, with subsequent supplementary reports in 1992 and 1994. Climate Change 1995 is the first full sequel to the original assessment. The report includes an overview of the factors governing climate and climate change; quantification of the sources of the globally important greenhouse gasses and other pollutants arising from human activities, and a review of the chemical and biological processes governing their removal from the atmosphere; analyses of data on climates of the distant past, and an assessment of recent trends in climate during the industrial era, which has witnessed the ever-growing impact of human activities on the global environment; assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the various mathematical models of climate used by today's researchers for understanding past and present climate, and for calculating possible future climates; discussion of recent research aimed at the detection of a human influence on the climate of the last century; projections of possible future changes in global climate and sea-level, based on a range of scenarios of future emissions of pollutants from human activity; and a list of research and observational priorities needed to further improve scientific understanding in key areas. The IPCC reports represent the primary source of scientific and technical advice for the implementation of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. This assessment therefore forms the standard scientific reference for all those concerned with climate change and its consequences, including policy makers in governments and industry worldwide, and researchers and senior-level students in environmental science, meteorology, climatology, biology, ecology and atmospheric chemistry. |