Global Climate

There is broad scientific consensus that the introduction of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and certain hydrocarbons, into the atmosphere leads to global warming and associated climate change. The regional effects are uncertain, but it is generally agreed that this also leads to regional changes in the weather. In addition to global warming, there could well be temporary cooling in northern Europe, for example due to a weakening of the Gulf Stream or cold snaps caused by shifts in the polar jetstream.

The current global warming is a largely unintended and undesirable side effect, especially of the use of fossil fuels. The term geoengineering, on the other hand, is used to discuss approaches of intentional artificial climate influence.