[Vision2020] "Scientific American:" CO2 Emissions into High-Risk Zone: 4 C. Increase Predicted: "Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research"

[Ted Moffett]

New developments in the scientific study of anthropogenic climate change
presented below my comments...

In a discussion of anthropogenic climate change recently, someone made the
statement that "not enough progress is being made to address climate
change."  This utterance was from a progressive environmentally focused
well educated individual, who fully acknowledges that human behavior is
profoundly altering Earth's climate.  I was dismayed at this comment, and
responded "Progress? We are going backwards, with no progress being made at
all!"

The following article from "Scientific American" from just the past few
days factually supports my dismay.

Talk of progress being made to address climate change, and the reassuring
speculation that adaptation to extreme climate change is a reasonable
feasible option, is voiced by many progressive environmentally oriented
individuals, who it appears are simply not facing the full implications of
credible science indicating that adaptation to extreme climate change
should only be viewed as a last resort response to emergency conditions,
and that mitigation should be the primary focus.  Of course, adaptation
will be necessary, and should be planned.  But it's dangerous to discuss
adaption as though it is an excuse to not make radical and rapid changes to
mitigate climate change:
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[image: Science News] <http://www.scientificamerican.com/>Global CO2
Emissions from Fossil-Fuel Burning Rise into High-Risk Zone

Record emissions of carbon dioxide mean atmospheric concentrations have
reached levels that lead to the highest temperature increases

 By Lauren Morello <http://www.scientificamerican.com/author.cfm?id=2047>and
ClimateWire <http://www.scientificamerican.com/author.cfm?id=2308>

The world's carbon dioxide output hit a new record high last year and is
poised to break that record in 2012, according to a new study.

Global CO2 emissions grew 3 percent last year, and scientists with the
Global Carbon Project estimate they will grow another 2.6 percent this
year, to an estimated 35.6 billion metric tons. They expect the amount of
CO2 emitted this year by burning fossil
fuels<http://www.scientificamerican.com/topic.cfm?id=fossil-fuels>to
grow to 58 percent above the 1990 emissions level.
-----------------------------

Discussion on today's "Democracy Now" regarding new World Bank sponsored
report on the impacts of anthropogenic climate change.  The discussion
included emphasis on the threat of extreme heat waves, such as the US
suffered last summer, becoming much more common over large areas:

http://www.democracynow.org/2012/12/4/world_bank_study_warns_of_devastating

A shocking new report commissioned by the World Bank is warning
temperatures could rise by 4 degrees Celsius (7.2 degrees Fahrenheit) by
the end of the century, causing devastating food shortages, rising sea
levels, cyclones and drought — even if countries meet their current pledges
to reduce emissions. If these promises are not met, the increase could
happen even sooner. Meanwhile, scientists say it is still not too late to
minimize the devastating impact of climate change. A separate report by the
Climate Action Tracker says global warming could be kept below 2 degrees.
"This is an imminent risk that will affect every living person on the
planet if we push the ecosystems of the world into a major extinction
crisis," says Bill Hare, a leading physicist and environmental scientist
who helped produce both of these latest reports. Hare is CEO and managing
director of Climate Analytics and the lead author for the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change’s 2007 reports, "Mitigation of Climate Change" and
"The Synthesis Report." Hare calls for a carbon tax — putting a small price
on emissions — to reduce the benefit of burning fossil fuels and enable
funding of new technologies to reduce the disastrous release of greenhouse
gases. [includes rush transcript]

-----------------------------

Execuitive summary of the World Bank sponsored report is at website below:

Turn Down the Heat

November 2012
Executive Summary

A Report for the World Bank
by the Potsdam Institute for
Climate Impact Research and
Climate Analytics

http://climatechange.worldbank.org/sites/default/files/Turn_Down_the_Heat_Executive_Summary_English.pdf
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Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett
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