ABSTRACT
The climate has changed visibly, tangibly, measurably. An additional increase in average temperatures is not only possible, but very probable, while human intervention in the natural climate system plays an important, if not decisive role. Extreme weather events are part of climate. Their impact is reflected in the design of human settlements and activities so as to be able to survive floods, droughts, severe storms and other weather-related stresses or catastrophes. Climate change induced by human activity may occur due to changes in the composition of the Earth's atmosphere from waste gases due to industry, farm animals and land clearing, or changes in the land surface reflectivity caused by land clearing, cropping and irrigation. Delayed climate responses to greenhouse gas emissions require early action. Scientific research in the latter half of the twentieth century led many climate scientists to alert governments to the issue of climate change.
