The Earth is warming up. The on-going pollution of our atmosphere with an invisible odourless gas called carbon dioxide, is trapping heat at the Earth’s surface and causing temperatures to rise on land and in the ocean. The polar regions are warming fastest of all as reflective snow and ice is replaced by more heat-absorbing land and sea. The melting ice sheets are causing sea levels to rise around the globe. In this talk I will review the evidence for climate change, natural and anthropogenic, and explore how ice sheets and sea level changed in the past. How fast climate changes in the future will depend on our collective actions as individuals, families, communities, and governments.
Maureen E. Raymo is a renowned scientist who has been a pioneer in the study of ice ages and sea level in Earth’s history. Her work has shaped our understanding of Earth’s natural climate variability and her landmark papers have influenced a generation of scientists. In 2014, Professor Raymo, a fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, The Explorers Club, and the American Geophysical Union, became the first woman to be awarded the Wollaston Medal, the Geological Society of London’s most senior medal and highest accolade.