Climate Change Could Be Faster, Bigger
Most climate change scientists believe that the earth must avoid raising its average temperature by about 2 degrees Celsius if we are to avoid the catastrophic effects of global warming. That target may be too high. NASA’s James E. Hansen…
Most climate change scientists believe that the earth must avoid raising its average temperature by about 2 degrees Celsius if we are to avoid the catastrophic effects of global warming. That target may be too high.
NASA’s James E. Hansen has an even grimmer warning:
The Earth’s average global surface temperature has already risen by 0.8 degrees Celsius since 1880, … and is now increasing by more than 0.1 degree Celsius every decade. At the current rate of fossil fuel burning, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will have doubled from pre-industrial times by the middle of this century, causing an eventual warming of several degrees.
If warming continues to that degree, sea levels could rise by as much as 6 meters from today’s levels.
Hansen also says,
We don’t have a substantial cushion between today’s climate and dangerous warming. Earth is poised to experience strong amplifying feedbacks in response to moderate additional global warming. Humans have overwhelmed the natural, slow changes that occur on geologic timescales.
Grim indeed.
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Paul Ausick has been writing for 247Wallst.com for more than a decade. He has written extensively on investing in the energy, defense, and technology sectors. In a previous life, he wrote technical documentation and managed a marketing communications group in Silicon Valley.
He has a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Chicago and now lives in Montana, where he fishes for trout in the summer and stays inside during the winter.
