Climate change refers to changes in the earth climate or weather patterns.  This includes temperature, rainfall, wind, and evaporation.  Scientists have tracked changes in many of these climatic variables over time.

Our climate can change for a variety of reasons, including: changes in the intensity of sunlight, plate tectonics, greenhouse gas concentrations, variations in the Earth's orbit, large-scale volcanic eruptions, and changes in ocean currents.   

Scientists are concerned about the phenomenon of global warming, which is the scientific observation of air and ocean temperatures increasing.  The National Academy of Science has observed more than a one degree increase over the 20th century.  This temperature increase is thought to be a result of the increase in the amount of greenhouse gases (including carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide) that are present in the Earth’s atmosphere.  They are called greenhouse gases because they let sunlight pass through but reflect heat like the glass in green houses.  This traps some of the heat that would have been radiated out at night to the dark of space and makes Earth warmer. Much of the discussion surrounding climate change currently centers on the increasing amounts of greenhouse gases accumulating in the atmosphere.  

The change of our climate will increasingly impact many aspects of life and business in Florida and across the world. Our intent with these workshops is to better understand the science and create solutions to mitigate the negative impacts and maximize the positive impacts for the long-term success of our state

You can learn more about climate change at the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s web site: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/index.html.