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Not even close to stopping climate change.

 

We are still burning too much fossil fuels and the atmosphere CO2 levels are increasing at an alarming rate, we will have a 4 to 6 degree celcius temperature increase by the end of the century (if we continue the way we are going).

 

4 degrees doesn't sound like much, but to put it in perspective the average temperature during the last ice age was 4.5 to 7 degrees celcius cooler and much of central europe and the northern United States were covered with kilometers of ice. 

 

A 4 degrees increase means:

 

  • More severe droughts,

 

  • Unpresedented heatwaves,

 

  • Death of coral reefs,

 

  • Sea level rise,

 

  • Mass migrations,

 

  • Wars and conflicts,

 

  • Increased risk of runaway climate change,

 

  • More severe and frequent Tropical Cyclones and Hurricanes.

 

 

Climate Code Red web site, http://www.climatecodered.org/2010/09/what-would-3-degrees-mean.html

 

"Why a 4 C warmer world must be avoided".   Article (14MB pdf).

 

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

 

Why are  we letting this happen? Because the fossil fuel companies among others decided that their profits and agendas are more important than 9 billion other people's well being and lives. More important than billions of other life forms on the planet. More important than our financial affairs.

 

 

 

Standard tactics

 

The same tactics employed by anti Climate Change campaigners were used by Tobacco companies, Chemical companies with regards to Ozone depletion, Acid Rain, Asbestos etc etc

 

As they know they can't refute the scientific evidence (because they know it's correct), instead they create doubt in the public's mind. This has the effect of delaying action. It is a deliberate strategy.

 

Some reading............

 

Merchants of Doubt. Web site.

 

The American Denial of global Warming. Youtube video.

 

The Guardian article

 

 

 

 

Australia has nearly blown it's Carbon budget already. - WWF

 

http://www.wwf.org.au/?8180/Australia-has-nearly-blown-its-carbon-budget-already

 

 

Global Carbon Budget

 

Depending on how much risk you want to take;

 

 For a 66% chance of not exceeding 2°C, as we've put in the atmosphere about 530 GtC (Carbon) already, the budget remaining is now 270 GtC. Link... 

(Probably use this up by 2030).

 

If you to want virtually have no chance of going over 2°C, then it's probably too late.

 

 

 

A6 doubt
A7 danger of 4 deg

Relates to:

A  30 to 50 year delay....

POINTS:

 

The oceans absorb about 500 times more heat than the atmosphere (generally).

 

The temperature rises we see today, in 2015, are due to CO2 and other gases emitted between 1965 to 1985. (its an approximation so lets just say about 1975).

 

The top layer(s) mix quicker than the bottom and top layers. Adds to the complexity of the whole issue.

 

The atmosphere doesn't hold much heat compared to the oceans. About the top 3.5 metres of ocean holds the same amount of heat as the entire atmosphere.

 

Sea level rising is being caused by the water expanding as well as melting land ice.

 

 

 

For an explaination go to this article...

http://www.skepticalscience.com/Climate-Change-The-40-Year-Delay-Between-Cause-and-Effect.html

 

This article points out the importance of oceans circulating heat and a lack of information on this. It is a comment on how its hard to say what the temperature will be in one hundred years from now, or one thousnd years from now. (It is not saying global warming isn't happening, its saying in one hundred years from now the temperature might be lower or higher than predicted.

 

http://oceans.mit.edu/featured-stories/case-ocean-enlightened-climate-modeling

 

A really good, technical article on the importance of the oceans. If you have a spare 20 minutes and are a bit technically minded, read this. http://www.oco.noaa.gov/roleofOcean.html.

 

 

 

 

Diagram below shows after we stop emitting CO2, we still get sea level rising for hundreds of years.

A9 Aust blown CO2 budget
Anchor 10
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