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It's the final call, say scientists, the most extensive warning yet on the risks of rising global temperatures.
Their dramatic report on keeping that rise under 1.5 degrees C says the world is now completely off track, heading instead towards 3C.
Keeping to the preferred target of 1.5C above pre-industrial levels will mean "rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society".
[...] After three years of research and a week of haggling between scientists and government officials at a meeting in South Korea, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has issued a special report on the impact of global warming of 1.5C.
The critical 33-page Summary for Policymakers certainly bears the hallmarks of difficult negotiations between climate researchers determined to stick to what their studies have shown and political representatives more concerned with economies and living standards.
Despite the inevitable compromises, there are some key messages that come through loud and clear.
"The first is that limiting warming to 1.5C brings a lot of benefits compared with limiting it to two degrees. It really reduces the impacts of climate change in very important ways," said Prof Jim Skea, who co-chairs the IPCC.
"The second is the unprecedented nature of the changes that are required if we are to limit warming to 1.5C - changes to energy systems, changes to the way we manage land, changes to the way we move around with transportation."
"Scientists might want to write in capital letters, 'ACT NOW, IDIOTS,' but they need to say that with facts and numbers," said Kaisa Kosonen, of Greenpeace, who was an observer at the negotiations. "And they have."
The researchers have used these facts and numbers to paint a picture of the world with a dangerous fever, caused by humans. We used to think if we could keep warming below two degrees this century, then the changes we would experience would be manageable.
Not any more. This new study says that going past 1.5C is dicing with the planet's liveability. And the 1.5C temperature "guard rail" could be exceeded in just 12 years, in 2030.
We can stay below it - but it will require urgent, large-scale changes from governments and individuals and we will have to invest a massive pile of cash every year, about 2.5% of global gross domestic product (GDP), the value of all goods and services produced, for two decades.
-- submitted from IRC
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Tuesday October 09 2018, @08:11PM (5 children)
I'm conflicted as to who to actually believe with regards to the "Global Warming" / Climate Change problem. I'm not conflicted when it comes to the environment. What if, the whole business of Global Warming amounts to not a big deal? All you're pushing for is people believe that the world is going to burn, sooner, if nothing changes? What happens, if / when you are proven absolutely wrong? Should people not care about the environment then? Because, we can live the way we want and it's not a big deal? How about instead of trying to convince me that your possibly shoddy data is the Gospel of John, you convince me that we should make real change? How about we push for fixing things like the Lead Pipes in Flint? How about we push for no littering? How about we push for a societal mental change from, the world owes me, to I really want to help? How about instead of picking this one talking point to die on, you work with people to come up with ways to help the environment, and everyone else? I like breathing clean air and drinking pure water. Try focusing on those aspects and push the researched, provable facts. While, proving over a hundred years or thousand years, that you were right, may be possible. That certainly won't help anyone, now.
Also, you want to get to the heart of the Christians, point to the fact that humans were put on this Earth, to care for the garden and it's animals. Sure, we were created out of love, etc, but we were also given a purpose beyond being fruitful and multiplying. That purpose was to take care of the Earth. While it's somewhat less clear in the New Testament, there's a passage that directly shows that God cares for people and animals. "29Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. 30But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows." -- Matthew 10:29-31 KJV Should we not also, care about the earth and it's animals? Given that being a Christian means, that one is striving to be like Christ, one should want the same things as Christ.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 09 2018, @09:26PM (4 children)
Ugh, you're spewing right-wing propaganda points.
So basically stop trying to make a positive change for humanity because there may be a 5% chance that human society won't collapse under the current weight? Let's see, what would happen you want to know?
Well for starters we would stop pumping poisonous directly into every community, we would create a more sustainable and distributed infrastructure, we would create new technologies, we would improve cities with better public transit, communities would have less auditory noise once people switch to electric vehicles, foreign policy could become a lot simpler.
Oh, but some midwest coal miners and pipeline workers might be put out of a job. Guess we'd better ignore all the good things and focus on the status quo because you're just Not Sure. You have a promising future as Secretary of the Interior.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 10 2018, @12:19AM
Ugh, yikes!
(Score: 2, Interesting) by khallow on Wednesday October 10 2018, @04:39AM (2 children)
It's more like 100%. After all, we'd have already collapsed, if that were a thing.
And a few billion more people throughout the world might be starving. If we're going to have to pay lip service to your bogeymen, we'll pay lip service to mine.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 10 2018, @04:31PM (1 child)
Societies have collapsed many times but yes the species has continued. Is that really your argument for not doing anything to prevent the collapse of the current civilization? You in a rush to go all Mad Max and cannibalize people?
No one will die from starvation because qe start switxhing off oil, gas, and coal.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday October 11 2018, @01:31AM
My point is that the collapse is not happening. What we're doing right now is quite adequate.