“The good news is
that, unlike with most of the disasters here, we have a chance to do something
about climate change now”.
That is the observation about climate change from a story
published today in the Melbourne Age.
The story, taken from The
Telegraph in London and headed: “Top seven ways the world will end”
discusses seven possible catastrophes that could make life n earth rather
difficult, or even end civilization.
The seventh point “Climate catastrophe” says:
“Almost no serious scientist now
doubts that human carbon emissions are having an effect on the planet's
climate. The latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
suggested that containing temperature rises to below 2 degrees Celsius above
the pre-industrial average is now unlikely, and that we face a future three or
four degrees warmer than today.
This will not literally be the end
of the world – but humanity will need all the resources at its disposal to cope
with such a dramatic shift. Unfortunately, the effects of climate change will
really start to kick in just at the point when the human population is expected
to peak – at about nine billion by the middle of this century. Millions of
people, mostly poor, face losing their homes to sea-level rises (by up to a
metre or more by 2100) and shifting weather patterns may disrupt agriculture
dramatically.
Probability: It is now almost certain that CO2 levels will keep rising to 600
parts per billion and beyond. It is equally certain that the climate will
respond accordingly.
Result: Catastrophic in some places, less so in others (including northern
Europe, where temperature rises will be moderated by the Atlantic). The good
news is that, unlike with most of the disasters here, we have a chance to do
something about climate change now”.
No comments:
Post a Comment