Climate Change Occuring Faster Than Expected
posted by: GinaMarie Cheeseman 64 days ago
Climate change is moving faster than previously expected, according to a recently release update by the U.N. Environmental Program (UNEP). The UNEP looked at 400 peer-reviewed papers published over the last three years. Robert Corell, a climate scientist who helped oversee the update, said, climate change “is accelerating in ways that we are not anticipating.”
The update titled, “Climate Change Science Compendium 2009” looked at five areas: earth systems, ice, oceans, ecosystems, and management.
Earth systems
People in developing and least developed countries account for 80 percent of the world’s population, and those countries accounted for 73 percent of the global growth of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2004. However, they only contributed 41 percent of the total emissions, and only 23 percent of cumulative emissions since 1750.
The growth of the global economy in the early 2000s combined with an increase in carbon intensity and a decrease in the capacity of ecosystems on land and the oceans to act as carbon sinks led to a faster increase in carbon concentrations in the atmosphere.
Ice
Mountain glaciers are melting at an accelerated rate, which threatens the livelihoods of one-fifth of the population who depend on glacier ice and seasonal snow for water. The mean rate of loss since 2000 for 30 glaciers in mountain ranges tracked by the World Glacier Monitoring Service has “roughly doubled since the rate during the previous two decades.” Most of the glaciers in the Pyrenees will disappear by 2050, and from the mountains of tropical Africa by 2030, according to current trends.
Oceans
The average sea-level rise by 2100 is estimated to be between 0.8 and 2.0 meters above 1990 level. The last IPCC report projected a rise between 18 and 59 centimeters.
Oceans are becoming more acidic faster than expected, which harms the ability of shellfish and corals to form their external skeletons.
Ecosystems
The Arctic and Southern Oceans are predicted to experience “severe species invasions.” Marine ecosystems may see a species turnover of up to 60 percent.
Between 12 and 39 percent of the earth’s land surface could experience unknown climate conditions by 2100, and between 10 and 48 percent of the land surface will see existing climates disappear.
Management
Eco-agriculture “may need to replace the current segregation of land use between conservation and production.”
The update titled, “Climate Change Science Compendium 2009” looked at five areas: earth systems, ice, oceans, ecosystems, and management.
Earth systems
People in developing and least developed countries account for 80 percent of the world’s population, and those countries accounted for 73 percent of the global growth of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2004. However, they only contributed 41 percent of the total emissions, and only 23 percent of cumulative emissions since 1750.
The growth of the global economy in the early 2000s combined with an increase in carbon intensity and a decrease in the capacity of ecosystems on land and the oceans to act as carbon sinks led to a faster increase in carbon concentrations in the atmosphere.
Ice
Mountain glaciers are melting at an accelerated rate, which threatens the livelihoods of one-fifth of the population who depend on glacier ice and seasonal snow for water. The mean rate of loss since 2000 for 30 glaciers in mountain ranges tracked by the World Glacier Monitoring Service has “roughly doubled since the rate during the previous two decades.” Most of the glaciers in the Pyrenees will disappear by 2050, and from the mountains of tropical Africa by 2030, according to current trends.
Oceans
The average sea-level rise by 2100 is estimated to be between 0.8 and 2.0 meters above 1990 level. The last IPCC report projected a rise between 18 and 59 centimeters.
Oceans are becoming more acidic faster than expected, which harms the ability of shellfish and corals to form their external skeletons.
Ecosystems
The Arctic and Southern Oceans are predicted to experience “severe species invasions.” Marine ecosystems may see a species turnover of up to 60 percent.
Between 12 and 39 percent of the earth’s land surface could experience unknown climate conditions by 2100, and between 10 and 48 percent of the land surface will see existing climates disappear.
Management
Eco-agriculture “may need to replace the current segregation of land use between conservation and production.”
Protecting tropical forests is a cost –effective way to cut global GHG emissions.
Not the worst case scenario
Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director, said, “The Compendium can never replace the painstaking rigor of an IPCC process as a shining example of how the United Nations can provide a path to consensus among the sometimes differing views of more than 190 nations.”
“Many governments have asked to be kept abreast of the latest findings. I am sure that this report fulfils that request and will inform ministers' decisions when they meet in the Danish capital in only a few weeks time,” said Steiner.
UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, said the update “is a wake-up call. The time for hesitation is over.” He added, “We need the world to realize, once and for all, that the time to act is now and we must work together to address this monumental challenge. This is the moral challenge of our generation.”
Despite the dire nature of the update, Rep. Edward Markey said, “it is not the worst case scenario.” Markey continued, “That would be if the world does nothing and allows heat-trapping pollution to continue to spew unchecked into the atmosphere.”
Read more: global warming
comments
Ginamarie:
The earth goes thru phases of global warming. All the hysteria that people like you put out isn't going to do anything to change global warming. The medieval ages had more warming than now. Venus and Mars has had GW too but we can't blame that on our meat consumption and SUV's.
The country Greenland was named that because it use to be green and farming was done there in the past but not no more cause it got frozen again. At one time the Greenland ice sheet completely melted.
Science & Public Policy Institute is a site you should research. What our main concerns should be is population reduction,pollution, and resisting Monsanto's takeover of agriculture with Roundup,gMO Foods,which is contaminating our earth. Global Warming we can't control,pollution we can. you should spend your time on the important issues at hand.
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I do hope you are immune to the negative, rude comments you have recieved. The ignoramouses who post them are just bitter know it alls who actually know nothing except their own opinions. They exist on all social forums unfortunately.
I personally love it when I find links like this to good info. It gives me plenty to consider and helps me keep track of current opinons.
Thankyou for your efforts and such an informative post.
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What a load of crap...
Deal with real pollution, CO2 is not pollution.
Drugs in our drinking water is one REAL issue, address real issues instead of making Gore and Company filthy rich, he is getting close to a billionaire, his product, fear mongering.
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http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/27/785796/-Dispelling-Climate-Research-Myths:-The-1970s-global-cooling-consensus
This link is a compilation of information that dispels the deliberate misinformation and myths concerning climate change. Energy companies have a disinformation strategy, and it works on the weak minded. Humans are changing our climate. This is not a new battle against real science. It's been going on for decades. It's time to shout down these global climate change deniers and put a dunce hat on them and stand them in the corner. The debate on whether it exists has long been over. The debate on what proactive things to do about it should be happening, but Republicans are the party of NO! and are stalling anything and everything, preventing the world's greatest nation from saving the planet from destruction with some small changes in what energy we create and how we create it and use it. Why didn't large energy companies come up with carbon sequestration years ago? It could have made the US a world leader. Why didn't Republicans promote companies to make wind turbines or solar panels? We could have been world leaders there. I guess they just don't like leading. No wonder everyone has lost faith in them. They hate America, wanting it to wither rather than prosper, allowing other countries to take what could have been ours.
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I would have liked to have jotted down a comment here as conservation is of utmost importance to me, but my remarks would have been repetitive. KLP so eloquently above wrote script that simply put, sums it all to the nth degree.
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Oh I don't want to read this post!!! How can we stop the global warming???? It is to late, we need help from the governments of all the countries!!! We need REAL help!!!!!! Are we humans so stupid that we're going to let our own home disappear??? People, we MUST do something!!!!!!!! NOW!!!!!
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¡Ay, no quiero leer este post!! ¿Cómo vamos a hacer para detener el calentamiento global???? Es tarde, ¡necesitamos la ayuda de los gobiernos de todos los países! Necesitamos ayuda REAL!!!!!! ¿Somos tan estúpidos los seres humanos que vamos a dejar desaparecer nuestra propia casa??? ¡TENEMOS que hacer algo!!!!!!!! YA!!!!!!!!!!!!
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There has come a time for people and goberments to stop just talking and start working. We must all do whatever we can with our means to try to stop the problem.
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RESULTS OF LACK OF CONSERVATION
1. Rampant streams destroy land and fail to recharge underground water sources. 2. Bad forestry leaves timber fire-prone and causes soil erosion and flooding. 3. Poor farming methods drain soil fertility and hasten erosion by wind and water. 4. Sprawling, monotonous suburbs blight good land and foster obsolescence. 5. Rural industrial parks create pollution that can affect downstream communities. 6. Abandoned mining operations poison streams and permanently scar the landscape. 7. Haphazard placement of industry leads to the pollution of water and air in cities. 8. Failure to treat garbage and sewage adequately contaminates the surroundings. 9. Bad industrial zoning downgrades nearby property and produces urban eyesores. 10. Polluted rivers cannot sustain fish life and need costly purification for drinking. 11. Poorly managed traffic facilities snarl urban travel and aggravate air pollution. 12. Densely grouped high-rise apartment buildings wall out air and sunlight.
"The earth has been going thru warming cycles for ions". Wake up. The current warming cycly is man made!
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We need to end corporate personhood and create a clean election system OR Demand our current president find the same character to lead as president as he had during the campaign. Letting Van Jones get eaten up by FOX news trivia - now that's impotent. What about those special powers gotten by 'the decider' - how do those play out here - he's obviously not giving them back - how will they get used ??
No the real reason is Obama/Lieberman/Clinton leadership is as tied into corporate America as Bush was. Just like typical democrats - they put up a good show - like guy next door who drives the prius, has the solar panels up ,brings the bags to store but all his investments in shell, Merck, Chevron ect it's the same thing and we fall for it over and over.
Don't forget Obama and CLEAN COAL - hmm think he didn't know about mountain top removal way back then - really ? his campaign run on the people's money really ? Then why was there a long list of lawyer donors who represent all the big corporations - one step removed - just drives the prius instead. . . .
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