Hypothesis-Global warming may cause the destruction of the human race and/or the world as we know it.
We have been hearing so much lately regarding climate change and the passing of a clean energy bill by our current government. Despite the statistics, many people choose to believe that there is no issue with the environment. Never underestimate the power of denial. Nobody wants to think that the way they live their life is harmful to themselves, others, and the planet. That is a difficult idea to swallow and it is much easier to live in ignorance. Even worse, many people that I have talked to about this subject matter tell me outright that they just don't care. This is because they believe it will not effect them in their lifetimes. In my opinion, that is the ultimate in selfishness. Let's talk statistics.
"Globally, it is ‘very likely' that the 1990s was the warmest decade and 1998 the warmest year in the instrumental record, since 1861. Eleven of the past 12 years are among the dozen warmest since 1850.[2]"
"Average temperatures have climbed 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit (0.8 degree Celsius) around the world since 1880, much of this in recent decades, according to NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies."
"The rate of warming is increasing. The 20th century's last two decades were the hottest in 400 years and possibly the warmest for several millennia, according to a number of climate studies. And the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports that 11 of the past 12 years are among the dozen warmest since 1850."
"The Arctic is feeling the effects the most. Average temperatures in Alaska, western Canada, and eastern Russia have risen at twice the global average, according to the multinational Arctic Climate Impact Assessment report compiled between 2000 and 2004."
"Arctic ice is rapidly disappearing, and the region may have its first completely ice-free summer by 2040 or earlier. Polar bears and indigenous cultures are already suffering from the sea-ice loss."
"Glaciers and mountain snows are rapidly melting—for example, Montana's Glacier National Park now has only 27 glaciers, versus 150 in 1910. In the Northern Hemisphere, thaws also come a week earlier in spring and freezes begin a week later."
"Coral reefs, which are highly sensitive to small changes in water temperature, suffered the worst bleaching—or die-off in response to stress—ever recorded in 1998, with some areas seeing bleach rates of 70 percent. Experts expect these sorts of events to increase in frequency and intensity in the next 50 years as sea temperatures rise."
"An upsurge in the amount of extreme weather events, such as wildfires, heat waves, and strong tropical storms, is also attributed in part to climate change by some experts."
"The world has less than a decade to change course. No issue merits more urgent attention-or more immediate action." (HDR 2007)[1]
"The consensus of scientific opinion is that global temperatures must be stopped from rising to more than two degrees above pre-industrial levels, which means more than 1.4 degrees above the current point. Even a one degree rise in temperature, however, could result in further serious droughts, water stress, increased hunger and species extinctions.[7]"
"According to calculations extracted from Met office figures by the environmentalist George Monbiot, rich countries need to cut emissions by an average of 90 percent by 2030 to prevent a two degrees rise in global temperatures."
From all of the statistics available, the big picture truly falls into place. The funky weather patterns we have been experiencing for the last 10 years, as well as all the catastrophic storms in recent years is high cause for concern. During my own short lifetime I have noticed changes in our environment. Not to mention the glaciers are quite obviously melting at a rapid pace. There is so much evidence for global warming, it is difficult to ignore! What if we, as a race, did not decrease emissions at all? We can predict that there will be more frequent and violent storms, hurricanes, floods, typhoons, tsunamis, tornados, etc. Due to the ice caps melting, water levels would quickly rise, destroying coastal cities all over the world. Some entire areas may even disappear forever. This would also effect our fresh water supply as salt water would mix into our fresh water. Wind patterns and ocean currents would alter, and many animals that could not survive these extreme and quick changes would become extinct.
These are horrible predictions of doom that no one wants to face. It is also so much work to make the changes necessary to prevent or delay these possibilities. Let us ensure the survival of our race. If we don't do it, who will?
Sources:
http://www.stwr.org/climate-change-environment/key-facts.html
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/02/070202-global-warming.html
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