ABSTRACT
The global warming is discussed starting from the definition of climate, the background of climate change, its causes and its variability. Then the role of the natural events on Earth, such as plate tectonics, cryosphere, lithosphere, volcanic eruptions, ocean circulation, and the biosphere, on global warming is examined. The contribution to global warming of human activities, like CO2 emissions, the O3 layer depletion, and the relevant Montreal Protocol, as well as the enhancement of the greenhouse effect is explored. In the following, the emergence of the modern environmental movement is presented mainly in terms of acid rain, the Cold War cooperation between East and West, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Finally, sustainability is discussed primarily in relation to our way of life, the end of fossil fuels and other minerals, sustainable energy without hot air, population and the collapse of former civilisations, as well as current environmental threats.
