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INTRODUCTION
- The issue of global climate change is upon us.
The change has been recognized and is now being carefully monitored (IPCC, 1996a).
Initial steps are being taken in the global political and diplomatic arenas
to cope with global climate change (United Nations, 1994).
The issue has significant implications affecting nearly every facet of
human activity, from climatology and hydrology, to economics and politics.
- Despite the clear signs that a global climate change is upon us,
the issue remains controversial.
- Many people are skeptical that a problem exists, or if it does,
that an anthropogenic cause is at the root of it.
- The problem can be best viewed using a systemic approach.
- The Earth's atmosphere is a reservoir containing several gases,
some of which affect the global climate.
- Like any other reservoir, the atmosphere is subject to inputs, outputs,
and storage.
- The examination of these inputs and outputs, their rates and amounts,
and of the historical storage
levels can lead to a better understanding of global climate change.
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