Global warming

Global warming is the mainly human-caused rise of the average temperature of the Earth‘s climate system and has been demonstrated by direct temperature measurements and by measurements of various effects of the warming.[1] It is a major aspect of climate change which, in addition to rising global surface temperatures,[2] also includes its effects, such as changes in precipitation.[3]While there have been prehistoric periods of global warming,[4] observed changes since the mid-20th century have been unprecedented in rate and scale.[5]

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concluded that, “human influence on climate has been the dominant cause of observed warming since the mid-20th century”.[9] These findings have been recognized by the national science academies of major nations and are not disputed by any scientific body of national or international standing.[10] The largest human influence has been the emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. Fossil fuel burning is the principal source of these gases, with agriculturalemissions and deforestation also playing significant roles.[11]

The effects of global warming include rising sea levels, regional changes in precipitation, more frequent extreme weather events such as heat waves, and expansion of deserts.[13]Surface temperature increases are greatest in the Arctic, which have contributed to the retreat of glaciers, permafrost, and sea ice. Overall, higher temperatures bring more rain and snowfall, but for some regions droughtsand wildfires increase instead.[14] Climate change threatens to diminish crop yields, harming food security, and rising sea levels may flood coastal infrastructure.[15]Environmental impacts include the extinctionor relocation of many species as their ecosystems change, most immediately in coral reefs, mountains, and the Arctic.[16]Some impacts, such as loss of snow cover, increased water vapour, and melting permafrost, cause feedback effects that further increase the rate of global warming.[17]Ocean acidification caused by increased CO
2levels is commonly grouped with these effects even though it is not driven by temperature.

Crime

In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority.[1]The term crime does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,[2] though statutory definitions have been provided for certain purposes.[3] The most popular view is that crime is a categorycreated by law; in other words, something is a crime if declared as such by the relevant and applicable law.[2] One proposed definition is that a crime or offence (or criminal offence) is an act harmful not only to some individual but also to a community, society, or the state (“a public wrong“). Such acts are forbidden and punishable by law.[1][4]

The notion that acts such as murder, rape, and theft are to be prohibited exists worldwide.[5] What precisely is a criminal offence is defined by criminal law of each country. While many have a catalogue of crimes called the criminal code, in some common law countries no such comprehensive statute exists.

The state (government) has the power to severely restrict one’s liberty for committing a crime. In modern societies, there are procedures to which investigations and trialsmust adhere. If found guilty, an offender may be sentenced to a form of reparation such as a community sentence, or, depending on the nature of their offence, to undergo imprisonment, life imprisonment or, in some jurisdictions, execution.

Usually, to be classified as a crime, the “act of doing something criminal” (actus reus) must – with certain exceptions – be accompanied by the “intention to do something criminal” (mens rea).[4

Prejudice

Prejudice[1] is an affective feeling towards a person based on their perceived group membership. The word is often used to refer to a preconceived, usually unfavourable, evaluation of another person based on that person’s political affiliation, sex, gender, beliefs, values, social class, age, disability, religion, sexuality, race/ethnicity, language, nationality, beauty, occupation, education, criminality, sport team affiliation or other personal characteristics.[2]

Prejudice can also refer to unfounded or pigeonholed beliefs[3][4] and it may include “any unreasonable attitude that is unusually resistant to rational influence”.[5] Gordon Allport defined prejudice as a “feeling, favorable or unfavorable, toward a person or thing, prior to, or not based on, actual experience”.[6] Auestad (2015) defines prejudice as characterized by ‘symbolic transfer’, transfer of a value-laden meaning content onto a socially formed category and then on to individuals who are taken to belong to that category, resistance to change, and overgeneralization.[7]