Encyclopedia of Science and Religion | Global Warming

Three important indicators suggest that the Earth's climate is going through a period of global warming: (1) an increase in atmospheric temperatures near the Earth's surface; (2) an increase in the surface temperature of the Earth's oceans; and (3) an increase in sea levels. Since global weather patterns are extraordinarily complex, with different systems influencing one another, the effects of global warming will vary from region to region. For instance, as global warming continues, some regions should have dramatic increases in annual precipitation levels, whereas other regions should have dramatic decreases—even desertification. Within the science and religion literature, discussions of global warming occur most frequently within ecological ethics. Ethicists draw from the climatology sciences to inform their reflection and analysis.

See also ECOLOGY; ECOLOGY, ETHICS OF; ECOLOGY, RELIGIOUS AND PHILOSOPHICAL ASPECTS; ECOLOGY, SCIENCE OF

RICHARD O. RANDOLPH