Leading experts say results of global warming could be devastating

A study by the world's leading experts says global warming will happen faster and be more devastating than previously estimated.

In an article in The Observer on January 21, Science Editor Robin McKie presents the findings of the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The report, which will be released in its final version on Feb. 2, predicts that severe weather will continue to increase and sea levels will rise over the century by about half a meter. The report also notes “snow will disappear from all but the highest mountains; deserts will spread; oceans become acidic, leading to the destruction of coral reefs and atolls; and deadly heat waves will become more prevalent.”

Here are a few of the report’s other findings:

· cold days, nights and frost have become rarer, while hot days, hot nights and heat waves have become more frequent.

. It is more than 90 percent likely that global warming since 1950 has been driven mainly by the buildup of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases.

In other words, global warming will have a catastrophic impact on millions of people forcing many to move, which will also put a huge strain on certain local economies, particularly in affluent countries.

What is especially frightening about the report is that it was put together by several thousand climate experts from around the world. While there were different views on the affect of greenhouse gases and they argued over just about every part of the report, they finally agreed on the outcome. And since the panel works under the auspices of the United Nations, dozens of government officials around the globe have critiqued the drafts.

These experts also say that the cause of global warming is clear: “It is very likely that [man-made] greenhouse gas increases caused most of the average temperature increases since the mid-20th century.”

They also say to skeptics who argue the Sun is the culprit, that “mankind’s industrial emissions have had five times more effect on the climate than any fluctuations in solar radiation.” Even American climatologists are arguing about this. In another article by David Usborne in New York, he notes that one weather forecaster has gone so far as saying that climatologists, who question the fact that global warming is a manmade phenomenon should be stripped of their professional certification by the American Meteorological Society (AMS).

 Heidi Cullen, host of a weekly global warming program on cable called The Climate Code, said, “It’s like allowing a meteorologist to go on-air and say that hurricanes rotate clockwise and tsunamis are caused by the weather. It’s not a political statement; it’s just an incorrect statement.” 

The subject of global warming is a hot topic that will not be going away anytime soon. In Canada, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has decided to commit a significant amount of money toward renewable energy sources. (See my previous article) And in the United States, Pres. George W. Bush will make the issue part of his upcoming State of the Union address.

COLD

 * In California, a state used to mild winter weather, residents of Malibu Beach and West LA woke up to a light dusting of snow on Wednesday. Farmers say the unusually cold temperatures have devastated the state's orange and lemon crop.

* Texas, meanwhile, has seen a vicious ice storm descend across much of the state, causing blanket power cuts and traffic chaos. At least 10 people have been killed in the state since the weekend, thanks to the abnormally cold weather.

* Sixty winter-related deaths have been recorded across nine states in total as moist air coming from the Gulf of Mexico has met head-on with icy Arctic air from Canada, spreading snow storms as far afield as California and Missouri. 

WARM

* The ski industry in America and Canada has been hard hit by the lack of snow. Although a recent drop in temperatures has finally brought snowfall, ski resorts across the continent have had to make do with artificial snow for much of the season so far.

While the experts who wrote the IPCC say governments must do more to combat global warming, they add that there is some good news. They believe the Gulf Stream will go on bathing Britain with its warm waters for the next 100 years. Some researchers previously said it could be disrupted by cold waters pouring off Greenland's melting ice sheets, plunging western Europe into a mini Ice Age, as depicted in the disaster film The Day After Tomorrow.

Exxon

And on a related note, in The Wall Street Journal, Jeffry Ball reports that even Exxon Mobil, the world’s largest publicly traded oil company by market value, is beginning to soften its stance against climate change. Previously, the company’s top executives questioned the scientific validity of claims that fossil-fuel emissions are warming the planet. It even went so far as funding outside groups to challenge those claims.

Now, however, Exxon has cut off funding to some of those groups and says “climate-science models that link greenhouse gas concentrations to global warming are getting more reliable.” The company will meet with officials of other large corporations in Washington to discuss the possible structure of U.S. carbon regulations.

On the downside, Exxon still expresses skepticism about the causes of global warming and has cut off funding to the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a Washington-based think tank that ran television ads last year about carbon dioxide and greenhouse gasses.  And it still opposes the Kyoto Protocol, the international global-warming treaty that limits emissions from industrialized countries that have ratified it. The company also stresses that any future carbon policy should include developing countries, where emissions are rising the fastest.

The Stern Review

In the United Kingdom, the big talk now is about the Stern Review on the Economics of Climate change. In a story by Jonas Hagen, he notes that the review, which was commissioned by the government, brings dire warnings about the future if action is not taken soon and that any costs associated with bringing about that change will be well worth it.

Compiled by Sir Nicholas Stern and released on Oct. 30, 2006, it is one of the first major government-sponsored reports on global warming conducted by an economist rather than an atmospheric scientist.

"Hundreds of millions of people could suffer from hunger, water shortages and coastal flooding as the world warms", the report states, explaining that inaction on climate change could lead to a loss equivalent to between 5 and 20 per cent of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP), versus a 1 per cent of global GDP cost to take actions that mitigate the worst impacts of climate change.

The report argues that reducing emissions "can be done in a way that does not cap the aspirations for growth of rich or poor countries" and presents significant business opportunities for "low-carbon" technologies, goods and services. The report also advocate implementation of renewable energy sources, the transfer of environmentally-friendly technologies to developing countries and initiatives to reduce deforestation, which contributes more to global emissions each year than the transport sector.

Alaska Forum

Next month, global warming will be the topic of discussion at the 2007 Alaska Forum on the Environment. In an article by Margaret Bauman in the Alaska Journal of Commerce, she notes that about 1,200 Alaskans are expected to meet from Feb. 12 to 16 in Anchorage, along with 20 nationally recognized experts on global warming. The gathering will also include scientists, tribal leaders, government representatives, native and environmental organizations and industry members.

To learn more about this event, go to: http://www.akforum.com

Alaska is already experiencing significant adverse impacts from global warming, from melting permafrost and coastal erosion to increased fires and changes in migration patterns of terrestrial and marine life. Some regions of the state are experiencing thinning or the absence of ice, dramatic vegetation changes, drying lakes and ponds, bird deaths, infrastructure damage and more.

Friday, January 26, 2007

The X-Zone Radio Show will present a special two-hour open mic session on Global Warming on Friday, Jan. 26, 2007. You can call in to express your views on the subject by calling in at: 1-877-528-8255.

To listen to the show, go to: http://www.xzone-radio.com