The Greenhouse Effect and Climate Change

The threat of global climate change promises to be the single most pressing environmental issue as the world enters the 21st Century. Increasingly, it becomes incumbent upon decision-makers from a wide array of backgrounds to gain a sound understanding of the fundamentals of the climate change issue and how it relates to their areas of responsibility. The purpose of this chapter is to review the main elements of the climate change problem and the implications for Bangladesh in order to highlight the key scientific and policy issues involved. This is accomplished by addressing seven main questions: How has climate changed and why? How is the composition of the atmosphere changing? What are the effects on the Earth’s radiation budget? Have variations in greenhouse gases caused climate to change? How might the global climate change in the future? How might the climate of Bangladesh change? What are the implications for policy? The chapter concludes with reflections on the next steps for action and research.

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