Climate Change

Climate change is currently one of the major and most frequently discussed global environmental issues. It is most probably caused by the amplified greenhouse effect of the planet’s atmosphere. The term greenhouse effect is used to mean two things in everyday speech: the natural greenhouse effect, which is a naturally occurring phenomenon on Earth, without which the average temperature of the planet’s surface would drop to –18°C; and the added (anthropogenic) greenhouse effect, which is caused by human activity and which probably drives climate change. The degree of importance of the latter effect is the subject of disagreement.

Current scientific findings prove that human activity (production of greenhouse gases) affects the Earth’s climate system. Climate change poses a threat to the functioning of all landscape components, including human society. It is quite difficult to understand and forecast its development and impacts due to the complicated feedback processes within the climate system. Complex climate forecasting models are developed for this purpose, focusing on forecasting possible climate changes.