RISK MANAGEMENT
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What is your counter-argument when debating with a climate
change denialist who argues that climate change is part of
a natural cycle and that the human contribution to climate
change is minimal?
(AM): There have been natural periods of global warming and
cooling over the earth’s history, taking place over thousands
of years. The rapid warming which the world is experiencing
now, however, is not in line with these natural cycles. Rather,
this has occurred over a course of decades, driven largely
by increased greenhouse gas emissions largely due to our
reliance on fossil fuels.
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however both have risen quickly, now reaching their highest
levels recorded. Since the late 1800s, the earth’s average surface
temperature has risen about 0.9 degrees Celsius. The oceans
absorb a great deal of this increased heat, and records since
1969 indicate that the heat energy stored in the top 700m of
ocean have increased, leading to thermal expansion.
Melting of land ice (ice sheets and glaciers), combined with the
thermal expansion of seawater as the oceans warm, is causing
sea levels to rise with evidence showing the rise to be about
eight inches in the last century.
Satellite observations reveal that the amount of spring snow
cover in the northern hemisphere has decreased over the past
five decades and that the snow is melting earlier in the season.
Data from Antarctic ice cores show that temperature and
carbon dioxide levels have been in sync throughout history,
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Extreme events like heatwaves and intense cold spells will continue to have an impact on the way countries develop in the future.
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African Mining February 2020
www. africanmining.co.za