Climate Change Fact Sheet

The document summarizes key scientific literature on climate change, including the role of CO2 in temperature variation, ocean warming, sea level rise, and ecological impacts. It highlights foundational research from Svante Arrhenius and Charles Keeling, as well as reports from the IPCC and the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment. Key findings include the detection of human-induced ocean heat increases, the potential for significant sea level rise from ice sheet melt, and the correlation between rising tropical sea surface temperatures and increased hurricane destructiveness.

• Early scientific calculations by Svante Arrhenius in 1896 predicted that doubling atmospheric CO2 would lead to an annual average warming of 5°C at the equator and 6°C at the poles, which aligns with modern estimates.
• Atmospheric CO2 concentrations recorded at Mauna Loa, Hawaii, showed a consistent upward trend from 315 parts per million (ppm) in 1958 to 381 ppm in 2005.
• Earth is currently absorbing more energy from the Sun than it emits, with an imbalance of 0.85 Watts per square meter (W/m2), which is expected to cause an additional 0.6 °C (1.1°F) of warming even without further changes in atmospheric composition.
• Human-induced increases in ocean heat content have been detected over the last 45 years, with one study finding a mean temperature increase of 0.037°C between 1955 and 1998.
• The complete melting of Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets could raise sea levels by approximately 70 meters. Current greenhouse gases already commit the Earth to at least an 11 cm rise in global sea level by 2100 from seawater expansion alone, with additional melt contributing at least another 11 cm.
• Increased atmospheric CO2 leads to ocean acidification by forming carbonic acid and lowering pH, which hinders the ability of coral and marine life to build calcium carbonate shells.
• There is a correlation between rising tropical sea surface temperatures and the increasing destructiveness of hurricanes since the 1970s, with a noted increase in the proportion of category 4 and 5 hurricanes over the last 35 years.
• Anthropogenic climate change is linked to biological shifts, including 130 species responding to earlier spring temperatures since 1970 and widespread extinctions of tropical amphibian species.

APA

Environmental and Energy Study Institute (2007). Climate Change Fact Sheet. https://www.eesi.org/files/Annot_Climate_Bib_3-21-07.pdf

Chicago

Environmental and Energy Study Institute. Climate Change Fact Sheet. 2007. https://www.eesi.org/files/Annot_Climate_Bib_3-21-07.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |title=Climate Change Fact Sheet |date=21 May 2007 |url=https://www.eesi.org/files/Annot_Climate_Bib_3-21-07.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{environmentalandenergystudyinstitute2007climate, author = {{Environmental and Energy Study Institute}}, title = {{Climate Change Fact Sheet}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2007}, month = may, url = {https://www.eesi.org/files/Annot_Climate_Bib_3-21-07.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }