Global surface temperature increased 0.74 ± 0.18 °C (1.33 ± 0.32 °F) during the 100 years ending in 2005. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concludes "most of the observed increase in globally averaged temperatures since the mid-twentieth century is very likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations" via an enhanced greenhouse effect. Natural phenomena such as solar variation combined with volcanoes probably had a small warming effect from pre-industrial times to 1950 and a small cooling effect from 1950 onward. These basic conclusions have been endorsed by at least 30 scientific societies and academies of science, including all of the national academies of science of the major industrialized countries. While individual scientists have voiced disagreement with these findings, the overwhelming majority of scientists working on climate change agree with the IPCC's main conclusions.

Climate model projections summarized by the IPCC indicate that average global surface temperature will likely rise a further 1.1 to 6.4 °C (2.0 to 11.5 °F) during the twenty-first century. This range of values results from the use of differing scenarios of future greenhouse gas emissions as well as models with differing climate sensitivity. Although most studies focus on the period up to 2100, warming and sea level rise are expected to continue for more than a thousand years even if greenhouse gas levels are stabilized. The delay in reaching equilibrium is a result of the large heat capacity of the oceans.

Increasing global temperature is expected to cause sea levels to rise, an increase in the intensity of extreme weather events, and significant changes to the amount and pattern of precipitation, likely including an expanse of the subtropical desert regions. Other expected effects of global warming include changes in agricultural yields, modifications of trade routes, glacier retreat, mass species extinctions and increases in the ranges of disease vectors.

Remaining scientific uncertainties include the amount of warming expected in the future, and how warming and related changes will vary from region to region around the globe. Most national governments have signed and ratified the Kyoto Protocol aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but there is ongoing political and public debate worldwide regarding what, if any, action should be taken to reduce or reverse future warming or to adapt to its expected consequences.

Greenhouse effect

The detailed causes of the recent warming remain an active field of research, but the scientific consensus is that the increase in atmospheric greenhouse gases due to human activity caused most of the warming observed since the start of the industrial era, and the observed warming cannot be satisfactorily explained by natural causes alone. This attribution is clearest for the most recent 50 years, for which the most detailed data are available.

The greenhouse effect was discovered by Joseph Fourier in 1824 and was first investigated quantitatively by Svante Arrhenius in 1896. It is the process by which absorption and emission of infrared radiation by atmospheric gases warm a planet's lower atmosphere and surface.

Recent increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂). The monthly CO₂ measurements display small seasonal oscillations in an overall yearly uptrend; each year's maximum is reached during the Northern Hemisphere's late spring, and declines during the Northern Hemisphere growing season as plants remove some CO₂ from the atmosphere.

Existence of the greenhouse effect as such is not disputed. Naturally occurring greenhouse gases have a mean warming effect of about 33 °C (59 °F), without which Earth would be uninhabitable. On Earth, the major greenhouse gases are water vapor, which causes about 36–70 percent of the greenhouse effect (not including clouds); carbon dioxide (CO₂), which causes 9–26 percent; methane (CH₄), which causes 4–9 percent; and ozone, which causes 3–7 percent. The issue is how the strength of the greenhouse effect changes when human activity increases the atmospheric concentrations of some greenhouse gases.

Human activity since the industrial revolution has increased the concentration of various greenhouse gases, leading to increased radiative forcing from CO₂, methane, tropospheric ozone, CFCs and nitrous oxide. Molecule for molecule, methane is a more effective greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, but its concentration is much smaller so that its total radiative forcing is only about a fourth of that from carbon dioxide. Some other naturally occurring gases contribute small fractions of the greenhouse effect; one of these, nitrous oxide (N₂O), is increasing in concentration owing to human activity such as agriculture. The atmospheric concentrations of CO₂ and CH₄ have increased by 31% and 149% respectively since the beginning of the industrial revolution in the mid-1700s. These levels are considerably higher than at any time during the last 650,000 years, the period for which reliable data has been extracted from ice cores. From less direct geological evidence it is believed that CO₂ values this high were last attained 20 million years ago. Fossil fuel burning has produced approximately three-quarters of the increase in CO₂ from human activity over the past 20 years. Most of the rest is due to land-use change, in particular deforestation.

The present atmospheric concentration of CO₂ is about 385 parts per million (ppm) by volume. Human activities have caused the atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and methane to be higher today than at any point during the last 650,000 years. Future CO₂ levels are expected to rise due to ongoing burning of fossil fuels and land-use change. The rate of rise will depend on uncertain economic, sociological, technological, and natural developments, but may be ultimately limited by the availability of fossil fuels. The IPCC Special Report on Emissions Scenarios gives a wide range of future CO₂ scenarios, ranging from 541 to 970 ppm by the year 2100. Fossil fuel reserves are sufficient to reach this level and continue emissions past 2100, if coal, tar sands or methane clathrates are extensively used.

Inasmuch as the greenhouse effect is due to human activity, it is a forcing effect that is separate from forcing due to climate variability.

Stored methane releases

Thawing permafrost

Recent research carried out in 2008 in the Siberian Arctic has shown millions of tons of the greenhouse gas methane being released, apparently through perforations in the Arctic Ocean's seabed permafrost, with concentrations in some regions reaching up to 100 times above normal. Current methane release has previously been estimated at 0.5 megatonnes (Mt) per year. Shakhova et al (2008) estimate that not less than 1,400 gigatonnes (Gt) of Carbon is presently locked up as methane and methane hydrates under the Arctic submarine permafrost, and 5-10% of that area is subject to puncturing by open taliks. They conclude that "release of up to 50 gigatonnes (Gt) of predicted amount of hydrate storage [is] highly possible for abrupt release at any time". That would increase the methane content of the planet's atmosphere by a factor of twelve, equivalent in greenhouse effect to a doubling in the current level of CO₂. Land-based permafrost in the Siberian Arctic was also recently observed to be releasing large amounts of methane, estimated at over 4 million tons.

Clathrate gun hypothesis

Methane clathrate, also known as methane hydrate, was once believed to only exist in space, as extremes of cold are required for its formation. Around 6.4 trillion tonnes (6.4 teratonnes/Tt) of methane is trapped in deposits of methane clathrate on the deep ocean floor. The Clathrate gun hypothesis states that warmer deep ocean temperatures can release the methane (CH₄) from the deep ocean deposits of methane clathrate. It is theorized that this was responsible for two extinction events in earth's history; the Permian-Triassic extinction event and the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum. A concentration of 5-15% methane in the atmosphere, which would occur at and around the area of a CH₄ release, is explosive; the products of such an explosion would be 2 parts H₂O to one of CO₂. CH₄ dissipates faster than carbon dioxide (CO₂), but even after 20 years has a 62 times greater Global warming potential index.

Solar variation

Solar variation over the last thirty years.

Some other hypotheses departing from the consensus view have been suggested to explain most of the temperature increase. One such hypothesis proposes that warming may be the result of variations in solar activity.

A paper by Peter Stott and other researchers suggests that climate models overestimate the relative effect of greenhouse gases compared to solar forcing; they also suggest that the cooling effects of volcanic dust and sulfate aerosols have been underestimated. They nevertheless conclude that even with an enhanced climate sensitivity to solar forcing, most of the warming since the mid-20th century is likely attributable to the increases in greenhouse gases.

Two researchers at Duke University, Bruce West and Nicola Scafetta, have estimated that the Sun may have contributed about 45–50 percent of the increase in the average global surface temperature over the period 1900–2000, and about 25–35 percent between 1980 and 2000.

A different hypothesis is that variations in solar output, possibly amplified by cloud seeding via galactic cosmic rays, may have contributed to recent warming. It suggests magnetic activity of the sun is a crucial factor which deflects cosmic rays that may influence the generation of cloud condensation nuclei and thereby affect the climate.

One predicted effect of an increase in solar activity would be a warming of most of the stratosphere, whereas an increase in greenhouse gases should produce cooling there. The observed trend since at least 1960 has been a cooling of the lower stratosphere. Reduction of stratospheric ozone also has a cooling influence, but substantial ozone depletion did not occur until the late 1970s. Solar variation combined with changes in volcanic activity probably did have a warming effect from pre-industrial times to 1950, but a cooling effect since. In 2006, Peter Foukal and colleagues found no net increase of solar brightness over the last 1,000 years. Solar cycles led to a small increase of 0.07 percent in brightness over the last 30 years. This effect is too small to contribute significantly to global warming. One paper by Mike Lockwood and Claus Fröhlich found no relation between global warming and solar radiation since 1985, whether through variations in solar output or variations in cosmic rays. Henrik Svensmark and Eigil Friis-Christensen, the main proponents of cloud seeding by galactic cosmic rays, disputed this criticism of their hypothesis. A 2007 paper found that in the last 20 years there has been no significant link between changes in cosmic rays coming to Earth and cloudiness and temperature.

Cerita

Kungfu Komang adalah manhwa yang mengisahkan tentang kehidupan perguruan kecil yang dipimpin oleh Mulbuldosa, seorang pertapa sakti yang diturunkan dari langit. Murid pertamanya adalah Komang, yang menjadi tokoh utama manhwa ini. Sedangkan murid keduanya adalah Ninjaring, yang kemudian pada akhirnya perguruan ini memiliki murid-murid lainnya. Perguruan ini sangatlah kecil dan tidak mempunyai nama yang jelas, karena kecilnya itu bahkan dapat dikatakan sebagai keluarga. Mereka seringkali mengikuti turnamen bela diri maupun ujian masuk sebagai pegawai kerajaan. Namun usaha mereka agar menjadi sukses selalu diselipi oleh berbagai macam hal yang konyol, yang pada akhirnya seringkali membawa mereka ke kegagalan.

Kungfu Komang mempunyai unsur komedi yang komikal, dimana seringkali unsur-unsur umum yang ada dalam komik seperti balon teks dijadikan bahan humor.

Tokoh

Mulbuldosa

Mulbuldosa, akrab dipanggil Mulbul atau Guru oleh murid-muridnya. Dia adalah seorang pertapa sakti yang diturunkan dari langit. Dia mempunyai sifat mata keranjang dan gas buangannya sangatlah bau, bahkan menjadi salah satu ilmu kungfu andalannya. Kadang-kadang dia terlihat bodoh, namun dibalik itu, dia menyimpan berbagai kekuatan yang hebat. Sejak dari Kungfu Komang volume 20, Mulbul seringkali muncul sebagai dewa pemberi kapak di kolam-kolam.

Komang

Komang adalah murid pertama Mulbul yang sudah belajar darinya sejak lama. Komang merupakan murid Mulbul yang paling banyak menguasai ilmu kungfu darinya. Dia sering menganggap dirinya paling tampan dari yang lain.

Ninjaring

Ninjaring merupakan seorang ninja yang memakai pakaian hitam dan membawa dua bilah pedang di punggungnya. Awalnya dia adalah seorang pengantar pizza di sebuah toko bernama Pizza-Nin. Namun ketika mengantarkan pizza ke rumah Komang, dia gagal mengantarkannya dalam 30 menit yang mengakibatkan dia dipecat. Akhirnya dia tinggal bersama Komang dan Mulbuldosa dan menjadi murid kedua Mulbul. Ninjaring sering terlihat seperti orang yang bodoh dan melakukan tindakan-tindakan yang konyol. Dia selalu memakai tudung ninjanya apapun aktivitasnya, untuk menutupi kepalanya yang botak dan kanji Hantu di belakang kepalanya.

Mekanin

Mekanin adalah robot yang merupakan teman lama Ninjaring. Ketika awal kemunculannya, dia memiliki tanda huruf V di badannya. Entah kenapa, di Kungfu Komang yang selanjutnya, huruf V itu berubah menjadi N. Tangan Mekanin seringkali lepas, alasannya karena lem di tangannya kurang kuat. Selain itu tanda kura-kura di dahinya juga berubah seiring dengan emosinya saat itu. Selain Ninjaring, Mekanin sering dijadikan bulan-bulanan dan sifatnya pun mirip dengan Ninjaring. Dia adalah murid ketiga Mulbul.

Gwedopang

Gwedopang adalah seorang pencuri yang terkenal, yang dikenal dengan ciri khasnya sebelum melakukan aksinya dia selalu memberitahu melalui kertas yang ditempel pisau bahwa dia akan mencuri barang tersebut. Suatu hari Gwedopang ingin mencuri papan catur milik Mulbul. Dia mencoba berbagai cara, namun akhirnya gagal mencuri. Setelah gagal mencuri, dia menawarkan diri untuk bergabung dengan Mulbul. Gwedopang sering dicurigai jika ada barang yang hilang, dikarenakan reputasinya terdahulu. Walaupun begitu, dia selalu mengelak bahwa dia tidak mencuri lagi, walau hal itu sebenarnya masih sering dilakukannya.

Kulpang

Kulpang adalah seekor babi yang dipelihara oleh Mulbul sejak awal. Dia memakai baju dan kacamata hitam, dan menggunakan papan bicara sebagai media komunikasinya dengan orang lain. Sifatnya seringkali menyebalkan dan suka dengan uang. Kulpang sering dijadikan bulan-bulanan oleh anggota keluarga lainnya atau diancam akan dijadikan makanan jika keadaan terdesak.

Kepala Besar

Kepala besar merupakan seorang anak yang memiliki kepala yang sangat besar dan berbentuk seperti buah kenari, tidak diimbangi dengan badannya yang normal. Kepala besar bertemu pertama kali dengan Mulbul di sebuah bioskop dimana Mulbul ingin menonton film horror. Namun kepalanya mengganggu Mulbul dalam menonton film, dan hasilnya dia dimarahi. Maka sejak saat itu Kepala besar menganggap Mulbul dan lainnya sebagai musuh. Sifatnya sombong dan kadang tidak tahu diri.

Kongja

Kongja adalah seorang anak perempuan yang agak gemuk dan pemarah. Kekuatannya melebihi semua orang di perguruan itu, termasuk Mulbul. Awalnya Kongja diutus oleh ayahnya yang merupakan teman Mulbul di langit untuk membawa kembali Mulbul dari dunia manusia. Namun usaha Kongja gagal, dan dia pun ikut menetap bersama Mulbul. Walaupun begitu dia tidak menjadi murid Mulbul. Kongja sering terlihat egois, rakus, dan pelit. Jika ada yang tidak mengikuti keinginannya atau ada yang membuatnya kesal, dia akan marah dan membanting orang tersebut.

Wang Mi In

Wang Mi In, atau biasanya dipanggil Wangmi atau Wangminyo merupakan seorang wanita yang hidup di seberang rumah Mulbul sebagai penemu. Dia sering menemukan barang-barang yang aneh dan kadang tidak berguna. Mirip dengan Komang, dia kadang menganggap dirinya cantik dan kadang tidak mau kalah.

Hantu Rambut

Ketika Komang memenangkan salah satu pertandingan kungfu yang terkemuka, ratusan orang datang ke rumahnya untuk berguru kepada Mulbuldosa. Kongja memanfaatkan kesempatan ini untuk menghasilkan uang dengan mengadakan tes seleksi. Dan diantara banyaknya peserta yang ikut, yang lulus hanyalah satu orang, yaitu Hantu Rambut. Hantu Rambut, sesuai namanya, dapat mengubah rambutnya menjadi wujud apa pun, dan sesuatu yang dibentuknya itu juga memiliki sifat yang sama dengan benda aslinya. Hantu Rambut merupakan murid Mulbul yang kelima, walaupun begitu sejak volume 25 dia tidak pernah muncul lagi.

Sang Choi

Sang Choi merupakan wujud karikatur dari pengarang manhwa ini sendiri dengan nama yang sama. Dia sangat sering muncul sebagai cameo di Kungfu Komang, entah sebagai juri, tentara, orang lewat, ataupun gembel yang tidur dimana-mana. Karakter Sang Choi ini kelihatannya mewakili dirinya yang sebenarnya di dunia nyata.