Environment & Energy
Related: About this forumClimate Change Worse Than We Thought, Likely To Be 'Catastrophic Rather Than Simply Dangerous'
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/31/climate-change-worse_n_4523828.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopularClimate change may be far worse than scientists thought, causing global temperatures to rise by at least 4 degrees Celsius by 2100, or about 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit, according to a new study.
The study, published in the journal Nature, takes a fresh look at clouds' effect on the planet, according to a report by The Guardian. The research found that as the planet heats, fewer sunlight-reflecting clouds form, causing temperatures to rise further in an upward spiral.
That number is double what many governments agree is the threshold for dangerous warming. Aside from dramatic environmental shifts like melting sea ice, many of the ills of the modern world -- starvation, poverty, war and disease -- are likely to get worse as the planet warms.
"4C would likely be catastrophic rather than simply dangerous," lead researcher Steven Sherwood told the Guardian. "For example, it would make life difficult, if not impossible, in much of the tropics, and would guarantee the eventual melting of the Greenland ice sheet and some of the Antarctic ice sheet."
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pscot
(21,024 posts)It can't be be said often enough.
mindwalker_i
(4,407 posts)Something is bound to fuck everything up until population goes down dramatically.
Delphinus
(11,831 posts)read about humanity's inhumanity to each other, the more I think *we* should be the ones going extinct.
mindwalker_i
(4,407 posts)Evolution shaped us, just as it shaped every other critter on this planet. However, our brains give us an enormous amount of power, and I would really like to see us use more of our brains to keep from going extinct. That means not fouling our nest to the extent that we are doing so.
What will likely happen is that global climate change will, through many different avenues, make it impossible for the planet to sustain this population. Some will survive, but I'm not sure whether we'll be able to save our knowledge.
OnlinePoker
(5,721 posts)...I think, when the inevitable collapse happens, a lot of information will disappear. It will be the Library of Alexandria on a global scale.
mindwalker_i
(4,407 posts)Well, maybe we need something of a fresh start.