(Continued from parts I and II.)
Last but not least (actually, what quite literally hits closest to home!):
North America
- Moderate climate change in the early decades of the century is projected to increase aggregate yields of rain-fed agriculture by 5-20 percent, but with important variability among regions.
- Warming in Western mountains is projected to cause decreased snowpack, more winter flooding, and reduced summer flows, exacerbating competition for over-allocated water resources.
- Disturbances from pests, diseases, and fire are projected to have increasing impacts on forests, with an extended period of high fire risk and large increases in area burned.
- Cities that currently experience heat waves are expected to be further challenged by an increased number, intensity, and duration of heat waves during the course of the century.
- Current adaptation [to stress posed toward coastal communities] is uneven and readiness for increased exposure is low.
In the United States, we have the most to lose from changing climate. And yet so many of our citizens are not worried. According to a recent Gallup pole, that attitude isn't going over well globally. Historically and today, we are responsible for a disproportionate percentage of the emissions and have yet to take responsibility or action.
That attitude needs to change because of the consequences to nature, the globe, and -- we can't forget -- ourselves.
‘Copenhagen Diagnosis’ offers a grim update to the IPCC’s climate science
Obama administration may (finally) offer greenhouse-gas targets
Climate talks timeline: From 350 to Kyoto to Copenhagen and beyond
Comments
View as Flat
Gar Lipow Posted 11:34 am
11 Apr 2007
That is if total warming is kept to 2 or 3 degree centigrade. Above above 3 degrees that turns into a decrease in production. And I think that with feedbacks the odds are there is no such thing as a 3 degree warming: a 3 degree warming (unless it is very short term) would tend to promote feedbacks that would stabilize at well above 3 degrees.
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Delay And Deny Posted 11:45 am
11 Apr 2007
I can't wait! This is going to be great. The only people who fear global warming are the Crypto-Malthusians:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crypto-malthusian
The Texeme Construct offers international text memetics construction and textcasting services. http://www.you-read-it-here-first.com
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Gar Lipow Posted 1:28 pm
11 Apr 2007
In other words, we need to keep the increase less than 3 Degrees. And the indications seem to be that there is no such thing as 3 degrees. Which means we really need to keep to not much over 2 degrees.
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jaybor Posted 4:49 pm
11 Apr 2007
The only people who don't worry about global warming are crypto-republicans? Or crypto-nazis?
Silly, pejorative labeling. And a silly wikipedia entry. Try urban-dictionary.com the next time.
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Delay And Deny Posted 5:43 pm
11 Apr 2007
"Forcing" is not needed to explain or understand the increase by 2-3 degrees.
The Texeme Construct offers international text memetics construction and textcasting services. http://www.you-read-it-here-first.com
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Delay And Deny Posted 5:44 pm
11 Apr 2007
Not at all...I would say the Crypto-Malthusians are a very small minority with a very large lever to promote their views.
Time has always shown the Crypto-Malthusians to be wrong. Man has always survived and prospered through growth.
The Texeme Construct offers international text memetics construction and textcasting services. http://www.you-read-it-here-first.com
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GreyFlcn Posted 6:05 pm
11 Apr 2007
Historically, Crypto-Malthusians have always been proven wrong.
Lol
Oil will never run out. Ever.
Coal will never run out. Ever.
Smoke/Dust can never block sunlight. Ever.
Dioxin has never caused any problems. Ever.
Humans have never altered the atmosphere. Ever.
In short, those "crazy" people who are swayed by mere scienctific facts.
"Well, I for one don't appreciate facts."
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Lisa Deeley Smith Posted 9:03 pm
11 Apr 2007
The president of Uganda is proposing to give away a third of the Mabira forest, a national preserve for decades, to a sugarcane company. A planned peaceful demonstration turned violent as the demonstrators went onto a closed road and the police, breaking their promise, fired tear gas and bullets.
The sugarcane comany is owned by the Mehta Group, based in India, so some rioters branched off into ethnic violence, targeting Indian and Chinese businesses.
I am alarmed that I have seen nothing about this in the the mainstream environmental media. I expect Grist readers to be on this case.
On a personal note, my foster son got out of downtown Kampala safely, in a taxi that had stones thrown at it.
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Ron Steenblik Posted 9:31 pm
11 Apr 2007
Here's another link.
Do you know whether the company want to expand sugar production for food, or for turning into ethanol?
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Zarkov Posted 9:49 pm
11 Apr 2007
LOL, I will believe this when I actually see it
What a white wash...... drought is all you will get once your ice sources are gone under the sea's oil layer.....
I understand now why not one of y'all are really serious about global climate change.
What ever happened to "Global Warming" ( why is what is unfolding now called GCC ????, crazy, because GW is JUST not happening, so what is all this talk of greenhouse gases still going on )
LOL, y'all hoodwinked again.....
This is serious guys... leading y'all to the brink
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GreyFlcn Posted 1:28 am
12 Apr 2007
Due to the weirdly dry and warm winter California had, we're fubared on snow pack.
Which may sound silly, as if it would only affect skiiers.
Catch is 2/3rds of California's water comes from snowpack, and we only have half the usual snowpack.
Sure sounds like a drought in the making.
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