ICY SCIENCE MAGAZINE WINTER 2014 Vol 2 | Page 62

62 Climate Change - A Global Catastrophe or a Figment of our Imagination? Climate change is a natural phenomena. Like many processes on Earth it is cyclical. It has been occurring for millions of years and will continue to do so for millions more. Hurrah I hear the skeptics cry out. Finally a scientific piece supporting our position publicly. But hold on, Donald Trump shouldn’t crack open his champagne just yet. The debates surrounding climate change are based around whether or not we are having an impact on the climate and whether or not we should act. Most skeptics agree that climate change is happening, however they argue that it is purely natural and our lifestyles have had no impact on global warming or our climate whatsoever. Supporters however, argue that, although a naturally occurring process, our CO2 emissions are dramatically increasing the rate at which global warming is occurring. They point to rising ocean temperatures, melting ice caps, and increasingly irratic weather patterns as evidence - all ICY SCIENCE | QTR 1 2014