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22/02/2007
Climate Change - The Test of a Generation
In January, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its fourth report on the affects of human actions on the earth’s climate. It makes for highly disturbing reading, and the language used by the scientists is stronger than ever.
“Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising global mean sea level”
Take a step back from the sensationalist media on both sides of the argument and think about it. Of course we’re having an impact. The earth has amassed fossil fuel deposits over millions of years, trapping tonnes of CO2 and other greenhouse gases, and in less than 2 centuries we have released almost all of it back into the atmosphere.
“Eleven of the last twelve years (1995 -2006) rank among the 12 warmest years in the instrumental record of global surface temperature.”
These gases retain heat, and we have increased their prevalence in the atmosphere. It is beyond doubt that we have thusly affected the climate of our planet. What is really concerning (though in retrospect not surprising) is the rate at which that change is happening, and how it is set to continue and increase.
“Paleoclimate information supports the interpretation that the warmth of the last half century is unusual in at least the previous 1300 years. The last time the polar regions were significantly warmer than present for an extended period (about 125,000 years ago), reductions in polar ice volume led to 4 to 6 metres of sea level rise.”
Why people choose to argue against developing eco-friendly energy sources, reducing energy expenditure, and taking other steps towards a sustainable lifestyle is beyond me. What are they trying to gain? Notoriety? What possible benefit, except to the shareholders of blind and uninventive oil firms, exists in arguing against the further pollution of our planet?
“Most of the observed increase in globally averaged temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations.”
Yes, global warming, and cooling, are natural phenomena, but they happen over thousands and millions of years. What we are seeing now, in our lifetime, is unprecedented.
“The observed widespread warming of the atmosphere and ocean, together with ice mass loss, support the conclusion that it is extremely unlikely that global climate change of the past fifty years can be explained without external forcing, and very likely that it is not due to known natural causes alone.”
And yes, the planet will survive. The planet also survived the meteor that killed off the dinosaurs and left the distant cousin of the common shrew as the highest form of life – but what the hell kind of argument is that?
“Continued greenhouse gas emissions at or above current rates would cause further warming and induce many changes in the global climate system during the 21st century that would very likely be larger than those observed during the 20th century”
Even if human behaviour weren’t causing climate change, why would anybody want to oppose changes which would clean up the air of our cities, and prevent further despoliation of our landscapes?
Come on, people! It’s common sense! Get behind the argument for responsible, holistic human behaviour! Don’t be the puppet of self-interested money-makers! They’ll all be dead in 20 years anyway! And if they had any sense they’d be investing all the cash that’s sitting in their bank accounts achieving nothing into new energy technology so as to be the leaders in what is obviously going to be the greatest energy revolution since that of the Industrial!
Be a Leader! When you’re telling your grandkids fantastic stories about the now extinct polar bears, lions and tigers, tell them also what you were doing to try to change things for the better.
Write letters. Use your vote. Argue with your friends and family. Learn the facts and arm yourself with the science. Don’t allow the idiots to persuade other people with pseudo-science. Hell! Carry a copy of this report around with you and reference from it whenever you can!
We do not need hysteria. Forget calls to “Save the planet!” Just accept the obvious truth and encourage others to do the same, and then buy local produce, holiday in the UK, get yourself a ‘green’ car, egg your politician’s car until he does the same, say yes to wind farms, reduce your energy costs and live like your actions have consequences. Because they do.
Here is the report itself, as a downloadable PDF. Please read it, and be sure to make it to the last few pages where the graphs visualise the extent of the human impact on the planet. climate_change.pdf
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Comments
I'm studying to be an oil geologists...Hun? Weird.
Posted by: William Bartow | 30/10/2007