The evidence for this statement is from many areas. Some of the areas showing change are shown below.

-Multiple ecosystems, in multiple locations, now show the effects of global warming. Examples include the timing of plant flowering, animal breeding, and lake thawing.

-Warmer ocean surface temperatures in Pacific & Atlantic hurricane-formation zones leading to stronger storms are significantly linked to human-induced warming.

-Ocean acidification is happening rapidly, as a result of CO2 in large amounts being dissolved in sea water. This will have massive changes on marine ecosystems and also food security for many nations.

-Calculated sea level rise this century will be greater than that calculated just 2 years earlier. It is expected to rise at least a meter, according to new scientific evidence.

-The increased melting of the Greenland ice sheet which began in the summer of 2004 has been definitely related to global warming.

-The West Antarctic Ice Shelf has undergone rapid melting over the last 10 years and has suffered 10 major ice shelf collapses over that time.

-Northern polar sea-ice is melting much quicker than previously estimated, and it is likely that the Arctic will be free of ice in summer within a few decades.

-Permafrost in the Arctic Circle is thawing much quicker than recently thought, and is releasing larger amounts of greenhouse gases than predicted.

The climate change that we are now witnessing is expected to continue for millennia, even after all anthropogenic carbon dioxide production stops. This is because of the major lags present in the climate system, and the slow removal of CO2 from the atmosphere.

Read more at the world’s funkiest climate change blog, or learn more about accelerated sea level rise.

Hybrid cars are on everyone’s lips. Twenty, forty, or fifty dollars for a full tank of petrol? Who in their right mind wants to pay that sort of money? However, frustrated, the petrol consumer sighs, but pays up. However, hybrid vehicles are applauded for the small amount of gas they need to operate, and they are being driven off the lots of car dealerships each and everyday in increasing numbers.

So, what about a plug-in hybrid? Most users have heard that these vehicles are great as well. So, someone might be asking him or herself, what exactly a plug-in hybrid is? How they work, and what the difference between a plug-in hybrid and a regular hybrid is?

Plug-in hybrids are able to run just on batteries, but they use gas also. These types of hybrid cars have some of the characteristics of hybrid vehicles. They are also are very similar to electric vehicles.

Plug-in hybrid vehicles need to be charged externally by plugging them into an electrical power source. The combustion engine of plug-in hybrid vehicles is used only as a back up. These cars can run only on batteries if desired, but it is expected that these kinds of hybrid cars are recharged every day.

Hybrid cars can go just as many miles as a conventional car. Designed to go the extra mile where gas-mileage is concerned, hybrids can be driven on the highway, in cities, or wherever else a person needs to travel.

On the other hand, plug-in hybrids are designed to be driven commuter-type distances, meaning about twenty to sixty miles between destinations. This way, the plug-in hybrid does not have to use its back up combustion engine, but plug-in hybrids can go further using fuel too.

Hybrids help to minimize pollution, but they still pollute the air. Compared with plug-in hybrids, hybrid cars still have a long way to go as far as pollution is concerned. Since plug-in hybrid cars can run solely on their battery power, they don’t have to emit waste gases at all.

Plug-in hybrids actually do combat greenhouse gas emissions and plug-in hybrids use virtually no oil, imported or not. Studies have shown that electric hybrids emit at least 67% less greenhouse gases compared with gasoline cars. Since the electric used to power plug-in hybrids is completely renewable, the difference in greenhouse gas emissions may be even greater than the study indicated.

So there you have it – those are the main differences between plug-in hybrids and regular hybrid cars. It could make a big difference, but you would be surprised at how little it actually matters at the moment, but tht’s only because plug-in hybrids are not being marketed to consumers yet! But this article should make you excited about the fantastic plug-in hybrid car, coming soon to a dealership near you.

And it’s going to be a great debut too – people already like regular hybrid cars, but they haven’t seen anything until they see the new plug-in hybrid cars. However, for now, maybe we should just be satisfied with what we already have, because who knows? Before plug-in hybrid cars come out onto the forecourts, something even better might be introduced onto the market.