Tag: climate change

UN issues more warnings on climate change…will the US listen?

The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued a new report concluding that climate change is already having a big impact on agriculture, human health, and water supplies, and are warning that these effects will get more severe over time.  The IPCC warns that governments and businesses need to take action immediately against these growing risks, though I fear that even the business-friendly GOP will be more focused on short term profits and gains than long term sustainability.

This is a follow-up to a report last year saying humans are to blame for global warming.  You can read more at the New York Times.

Climate Change is not Debatable

There was a nice segment on CNN recently about how the media presents climate change as an issue that can be debated, and gives equal airtime to opposing views on an issue which is really about as settled as you can get in science.  Check it out below.

Leaked UN report warns of climate change consequences

A leaked UN report paints a grim picture for the future of our species on this planet.  It warns that climate change may be nearly impossible to solve if we don’t act soon.  Dealing with the result of our current course of inaction will require technology that doesn’t exist currently, and may not even be feasible.  The report acknowledges the economic damage that stopping climate change quickly will cause…but this pales in comparison to the damage that inaction will bring.  I’m not convinced that yet another report like this will actually drive change…not when there are so many special interests focused more on their own short term profit rather than ensuring a stable planet for future generations to enjoy.  Sad.

Read more in the New York Times.

Atmospheric CO2 reaches 400ppm

The levels of CO2 in our atmosphere has reached 400 parts per million, a slightly arbitrary red flag point.  Scientists have been warning that anything about 350ppm will lead to dangerous global warming, so this is pretty bleak news though not surprising.  When this planet last experienced conditions like this, temperatures were 3-4 degrees Celsius higher, and sea levels were between 16 and 131 feet higher than today.  Perhaps the worst news, though, is that the rate of increase in atmospheric CO2 has been increasing slightly, so we’re not even on the right path to fix this problem.  (link)

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