school energy&environment
Climate change
The weather has a permanent influence on our lives. The sky is often the first thing we look when we wake up in the morning. Pressure and humidity affect our body and mood; who has never said “today I am depressed: I should probably blame it on the rain?”. At least once a day most of us want to see or hear a weather forecast and ever since we were born we are used to season cycles that regulate the biologic cycles of all living beings. Popular sayings have been invented about the weather that often sound silly; but the sentence “seasons no longer are the way they used to be”, no matter how old a complaint, because Virgil said it 2000 years ago, has never seemed so a propos as in the past years. In the last years, in fact, we have had springs that seemed like summers, winters that seemed like autumns and meanwhile the media keep telling us about greenhouse gasses and global warming, environmentalists give catastrophic forecasts for the future, while scientists and politicians are obviously trying to calm the alarmism. In all this great confusion it is always us “normal people”, to be left without any clear ideas and so it is our duty to at least try to understand a little bit better the way how things actually stand.
subjects dealt with in Climate change
Climate
The word climate derives from the Greek word κλιμα, or inclination. Climate, in fact, is partly determined by the inclination…
Greenhouse effect
As already mentioned in the previous paragraphs, the greenhouse effect is a natural phenomenon, provoked by a mixture of gases…
Climate through the ages
Since the Earth’s origin, about 5 billion years ago, there have been alternating cold periods which culminated in numerous glacial…
Studying the climate
Core boring is a sampling technique used to research mineral resources in the subsoil by boring wells in order to…
Future scenarios
In the past 20 years scientists have researched calculation models which try to foresee climate variations. These models are known…
Some clarifications about the climate
The example of Greenland is often mentioned, to show the climate changes caused by man. About one thousand years ago…
special reports
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29 April 2014 / Air
What will the climate be like?
Fiction vs reality In a famous scene of The day after tomorrow1, the paleoclimatologist Jack Hall presents the results of…
30 May 2014 / Air
Latest news regarding the climate
Polar temperatures in the USA, days in March that are almost like summer, extremely violent typhoons ... global climate seems…
23 October 2013 / Air
Carbon Footprint
CO2 emissions and lifestyles If your parents decide to buy a new car, they might be attracted by a car…
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27 March 2012 / Air
Rio and the Conventions
The history of climate negotiations In the past years we have heard and read a lot about climate change. The…
10 February 2014 / Ecosystems
Coral turns pale!
The delicate balance of the coral reef “When looking at a coral reef, we are fascinated by the enormous variety…
13 May 2013 / Earth
Small steps, great footprints
Which one takes up more space, an apple or a steak? Have you ever wondered how much space is taken…
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20 January 2012 / Air
From Rio to Rio+20
20 years after Rio In June this year, in Rio de Janeiro, the world conference on sustainable development will be…
29 January 2013 / Air
Rio+20: The future we want?
Rio+20: expectations and disappointment The appointment that we were so looking forward to, of the international conference on sustainable development,…
5 May 2012 / Air
Rio and the battle against desertification
The Rio Conventions: focus on UNCCD In Rio, two other great challenges for sustainable development, which are closely connected with…
-
29 April 2014 / Air
What will the climate be like?
Fiction vs reality In a famous scene of The day after tomorrow1, the paleoclimatologist Jack Hall presents the results of…
30 May 2014 / Air
Latest news regarding the climate
Polar temperatures in the USA, days in March that are almost like summer, extremely violent typhoons ... global climate seems…
-
23 October 2013 / Air
Carbon Footprint
CO2 emissions and lifestyles If your parents decide to buy a new car, they might be attracted by a car…
27 March 2012 / Air
Rio and the Conventions
The history of climate negotiations In the past years we have heard and read a lot about climate change. The…
-
10 February 2014 / Ecosystems
Coral turns pale!
The delicate balance of the coral reef “When looking at a coral reef, we are fascinated by the enormous variety…
13 May 2013 / Earth
Small steps, great footprints
Which one takes up more space, an apple or a steak? Have you ever wondered how much space is taken…
-
20 January 2012 / Air
From Rio to Rio+20
20 years after Rio In June this year, in Rio de Janeiro, the world conference on sustainable development will be…
29 January 2013 / Air
Rio+20: The future we want?
Rio+20: expectations and disappointment The appointment that we were so looking forward to, of the international conference on sustainable development,…
-
5 May 2012 / Air
Rio and the battle against desertification
The Rio Conventions: focus on UNCCD In Rio, two other great challenges for sustainable development, which are closely connected with…
-
29 April 2014 / Air
What will the climate be like?
Fiction vs reality In a famous scene of The day after tomorrow1, the paleoclimatologist Jack Hall presents the results of…
-
30 May 2014 / Air
Latest news regarding the climate
Polar temperatures in the USA, days in March that are almost like summer, extremely violent typhoons ... global climate seems…
-
23 October 2013 / Air
Carbon Footprint
CO2 emissions and lifestyles If your parents decide to buy a new car, they might be attracted by a car…
-
27 March 2012 / Air
Rio and the Conventions
The history of climate negotiations In the past years we have heard and read a lot about climate change. The…
-
10 February 2014 / Ecosystems
Coral turns pale!
The delicate balance of the coral reef “When looking at a coral reef, we are fascinated by the enormous variety…
-
13 May 2013 / Earth
Small steps, great footprints
Which one takes up more space, an apple or a steak? Have you ever wondered how much space is taken…
-
20 January 2012 / Air
From Rio to Rio+20
20 years after Rio In June this year, in Rio de Janeiro, the world conference on sustainable development will be…
-
29 January 2013 / Air
Rio+20: The future we want?
Rio+20: expectations and disappointment The appointment that we were so looking forward to, of the international conference on sustainable development,…
-
5 May 2012 / Air
Rio and the battle against desertification
The Rio Conventions: focus on UNCCD In Rio, two other great challenges for sustainable development, which are closely connected with…
from the Multimedia section
curiosities
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What about the permafrost?
In Sub Arctic Swedish regions, some scientists studied the changes of permafrost...
CO2 “eating” trees
If a tree “eats” CO2 and produces oxygen it is easy to understand the importance it has in reducing the…
-
What about the permafrost?
In Sub Arctic Swedish regions, some scientists studied the changes of permafrost...
CO2 “eating” trees
If a tree “eats” CO2 and produces oxygen it is easy to understand the importance it has in reducing the…
-
What about the permafrost?
In Sub Arctic Swedish regions, some scientists studied the changes of permafrost...
-
CO2 “eating” trees
If a tree “eats” CO2 and produces oxygen it is easy to understand the importance it has in reducing the…