Climate change: A guide for the perplexed

Our planet's climate is anything but simple. All kinds of factors influence it, from massive events on the Sun to the growth of microscopic creatures in the oceans, and there are subtle interactions between many of these factors.

Yet despite all the complexities, a firm and ever-growing body of evidence points to a clear picture: the world is warming, this warming is due to human activity increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and if emissions continue unabated the warming will too, with increasingly serious consequences.

Yes, there are still big uncertainties in some predictions, but these swing both ways. For example, the response of clouds could slow the warming or speed it up.

With so much at stake, it is right that climate science is subjected to the most intense scrutiny. What does not help is for the real issues to be muddied by discredited arguments or wild theories.

So for those who are not sure what to believe, here is our round-up of the most common climate myths and misconceptions.

There is also a guide to assessing the evidence, as well as a blog looking at the history of climate science. In the articles we've included lots of links to primary research and major reports for those who want to follow through to the original sources.

More info can be found in the attached link:

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn11462-climate-change-a-guide-for-the-perplexed.html

Top 20 General Science Questions & Answers

01 The theory of relativity was propounded by Albert Einstein
02 The principal metal used in manufacturing steel is Iron
03 An altimeter is used for measuring Altitude
04 Oology is the study of Birds eggs
05 Radioactivity was discovered by Henry Bacquerel
06 The metal used in storage batteries is Lead
07 The instrument used to measure the relative humidity of air is Hygrometer
08 Barometer was invented by Torricelli
09 The unit of power is Watt
10 Radium was discovered by Marie and Pierrie Curie
11 The existence of isotopes was discovered by Frederick Soddy
12 Dynamo was invented by Michael Faraday
13 The nuclear reactor was invented by Enrico Ferni
14 The law of gravitation was propounded by Sir Isaac Newton
15 Crescograph was invented by J.C.Bose
16 Crescograph is used to measure the Rate of growth of a plant
17 Galileo's first scientific discovery was Pendulum
18 Microscope was invented by Aaton Van Leewen Hock
19 The scientist who is known as father of modern biology is Aristotle
20 The first person to see a cell under microscope was Robert Hooke

Mankind must abandon earth or face extinction: Hawking

 Mankind's only chance of long-term survival lies in colonising space, as humans drain Earth of resources and face a terrifying array of new threats, warned British scientist Stephen Hawking on Monday.
"The human race shouldn't have all its eggs in one basket, or on one planet," the renowned astrophysicist told the website Big Think, a forum which airs ideas on many subjects from experts.

"Our only chance of long-term survival is not to remain inward looking on planet Earth, but to spread out into space," he added.

He warned that the human race was likely to face an increased number of events that threaten its very existence, as the Cuban missile crisis did in 1962.

The Cold War showdown saw the United States and Soviet Union in a confrontation over Soviet missiles deployed in Cuba, near US shores, and brought the world to the brink of nuclear war.

"We are entering an increasingly dangerous period of our history," said Hawking.

"Our population and our use of the finite resources of planet Earth are growing exponentially, along with our technical ability to change the environment for good or ill."

If we want to survive beyond the next century, "our future is in space," added the scientist.

"That is why I'm in favour of manned, or should I say 'personed', space flight."

His comments came after he warned in a recent television series that mankind should avoid contact with aliens at all costs, as the consequences could be devastating.

(c) 2010 AFP

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