| 2000 Climatologists label the 1990s the hottest decade on record. |
| 2001 The IPPC’s third report states that the evidence for anthropogenic global warming is incontrovertible, but that its effects on climate are still difficult to pin down. The United States Global Change Research Program releases the findings of the National Assessment of the Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change. The assessment finds that temperatures in the United States will rise by 5 to 9°F (3–5°C) over the next century and predicts increases in both very wet (flooding) and very dry (drought) conditions. |
| 2002 Second hottest year on record. Heavy rains cause disastrous flooding in Central Europe leading to more than 100 deaths and more than $30 billion in damage. Extreme drought in many parts of the world (Africa, India, Australia, and the United States) results in thousands of deaths and significant crop damage. |
| 2003 U.S. senators John McCain and Joseph Lieberman introduce a bipartisan bill to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases nationwide via a greenhouse gas emission cap and trade program. Scientific observations raise concern that the collapse of ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland can raise sea levels faster than previously thought. International Energy Agency (IEA) identifies China as the world’s second largest carbon emitter because of their increased use of fossil fuels. The level of CO2 in the atmosphere reaches 382 ppm. |
| 2005 Kyoto Protocol takes effect on February 16. In addition, global warming is a topic at the G8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, where country leaders in attendance recognize climate change as a serious, long-term challenge. Hurricane Katrina forces the U.S. public to face the issue of global warming. |
| 2006 Former U.S. vice president Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” draws attention to global warming in the United States. Sir Nicholas Stern, former World Bank economist, reports that global warming will cost up to 20 percent of worldwide gross domestic product if nothing is done about it now. |
| 2007 IPCC’s fourth assessment report says glacial shrinkage, ice loss, and permafrost retreat are all signs that climate change is underway now. They predict a higher risk of drought, floods, and more powerful storms during the next 100 years. As a result, hunger, homelessness, and disease will increase. The atmosphere may warm 1.8 to 4.0˚C and sea levels may rise 7 to 23 inches (18 to 59 cm) by the year 2100. |
| 2008 The price of oil reached and surpassed $100 per barrel, leaving some countries paying more than $10 per gallon. |
| 2009 President Obama takes office and vows to address the issue of global warming and climate change by allowing individual states to move forward in controlling greenhouse gas emissions. |
Labels: Environmental History