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Climate Change Report: We're in a World of Trouble
Temperatures Will Rise for Centuries: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its authoritative report today and it's not a pretty picture. The panel said it is "very likely," with 90 percent certainty, that human activity is causing global warming. That's up from their 2001 report, which said it was "likely" -- 66 percent probability -- that humans caused global warming.
So the experts are more certain. And many experts participated in the report; the IPCC Web site says:
"The report was produced by some 600 authors from 40 countries. Over 620 expert reviewers and a large number of government reviewers also participated. Representatives from 113 governments reviewed and revised the Summary line-by-line during the course of this week before adopting it and accepting the underlying report."
The key elements of the report, as conveyed by the Associated Press, are:
"The panel predicted temperature rises of 2-11.5 degrees Fahrenheit by the year 2100. It said its best estimate was for temperature rises of 3.2-7.1 degrees.
On sea levels, the report projects rises of 7-23 inches by the end of the century. An additional 3.9-7.8 inches are possible if recent, surprising melting of polar ice sheets continues."
And this tidbit, which shows that we're really in for it: "The study said no matter how much civilization slows or reduces its greenhouse gas emissions, global warming and sea-level rise will continue for centuries."
Temperatures in the United States could rise 10 degrees by 2100! Imagine your summers with every day 10 degrees warmer. What do you think of that possibility?
The United States is the largest greenhouse-gas polluter in the world, creating about 25 percent of the world's carbon dioxide emissions that are causing this warming. The report urged Bush to reduce the U.S. share of emissions; other nations are calling for the United States and Australia to join the Kyoto Protocol on reducing emissions.
U.S. government's response? To defend Bush's record, not mention the report in the White House daily briefing and to worry about job losses if the U.S. tries to put caps on carbon dioxide emissions. (See the International Herald Tribune story.) Job losses? If the oceans rise 7-23 inches, parts of Florida and the Gulf States are going to be submerged. The Herald-Tribune reports that 2,000 of Indonesia's 18,000 islands would be under water. The Maldives, an island nation, would disappear. So might Tuvalu. And we're worried about jobs? If we pump up the renewable clean energy industry to help combat global warming, we'll create jobs.
(More on the Bush guys here from Reuters, saying the U.S. is a small contributor of greenhouse gas emissions. Denial ain't just a river in Egypt ... )
We'll have to see what the Bush administration does in coming weeks, but in light of this report, doing nothing is irresponsible. What do you think?
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On AOL we have a few resources to help readers understand the issue, calculate their impact and find out what they can do to help slow down global warming. Enjoy.
- Top Tips to Stop Global Warming
- Global Warming Statistics and Graphs
- Photos of Global Warming Impacts
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happy to see that there are still some people who are not fooled by the hype being put out by those who have more of an axe to grind than sheer fright .
there is a great amount of hubris involved when this topic is discussed.man, thinking that he can affect nature,is kidding himself. as another pointed out - mt. pinatubo (and st. helen) caused more "pollution" than man with all his industry. the earth has undergone change since time immemorial and it will continue and repeat. wait until we have another natural cataclysm and the tree-huggers and other one-worlders will blame it on man. when california breaks apart and slips into the pacific or when yellostone blows it's top, we will be in for a new round of hysteria -
THERE IS A SOLUTION- AND IT WILL BE COMING AS SOON AS I HAVE SCIENTIFIC PROOF THROUGH A MAJOR MIDWERTERN UNIVERSITY. I'LL BE GLAD TO EMAIL ANYONE IF THEY ARE INTERESTED IN HOW TO LOWER EMISSIONS AND I HAVE SOME OF THE PROOF IN HAND. BOBMUELLER1@AOL.COM
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ok calculate this ,,, when 9-11 hit , all airports stopped flying for 3 days did you know the overall global temp dropped 7 degrees from this event makes you think a little there doesnt it yes we the people are to blame . so lets all get together and figure out ways to stop this global warming impact if we can make cars electric why cant we make planes the same way .. we need to quit robbing our climate of so many natural resources . this is critical . can you imagine the impact if we stopped all this unnecessary waste of our natural resources and all the greedy people that come with it . its all about making money and this why they dont care about our environment. we all will pay in the end so when that day comes dont blame anyone but yourself, you can blame our government but untill we take action against our administration and solve this problem we will all be held responsible ...
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This is just another scare tactic, but this one is for political purposes and big money. How come so many scientists dispute these findings, but none are included in this report? There are a lot of reasons. First, consider the source; this document comes from the United Nations, which is, itself, an outdated, self serving, corrput, organization. How can anyone take a report from the U.N. at face value? Also, why have I only seen the scientists that dispute these findings on conservative t.v. and radio? Becuase the mainstrream media is as liberal as the Hollywood elitists and no longer prints news. They now make the news. So, it follows that anyhting that makes humanity(and Americans escpecially) look bad, is going to get print, but not any opposing fews.This is also why you have heard NOTHING about how America has, voluntarily(without Kyoto), reduced emissions approximatley 15% lower than any other major country. And ours was already lower than China, Russia, U.K., etc. How many people know that? I only wish everyone would spend some time watching/listening to conservative t.v. and radio. Katie, nor Matt, will ever tell you any of the good news.
Lastly, some of the more prominent scientists you don't hear from, believe that the waring trend is a natural phase that has happened many times over just the last couple of hundred years. And, even though they admit that some emissions caused by modern living are probably not good for the earth, they are not nearly enough to cause global warming, which is only a pattern of weather changes that will correct itself.
Bill at barnold333@aol.com
2/17/07 9:59 AM