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Action KeyWarming is anthropogenic—the potential impacts of warming warrant an action even if science is not certain.Pethica et al 10—Professor John Pethica is the chair of the physical secretary of Royal Society. Ms Fiona Fox Director, Science Media Centre, UK Sir Brian Hoskins FRS Director Grantham Institute for Climate Change, Imperial College, UK Professor Michael Kelly FRS Professor of Technology, University of Cambridge, UK Professor John Mitchell FRS Director of Climate Science, Met Office, UK Professor Susan Owens Professor of Environment and Policy, University of Cambridge, UK Professor Tim Palmer FRS Royal Society Research Professor, University of Oxford, UK Professor John Shepherd FRS Professorial Research Fellow in Earth System Science, University of Southampton, UK Professor Keith Shine FRS Professor of Physical Meteorology, University of Reading, UK Professor David Spiegelhalter FRS Professor of the Public Understanding of Risk, University of Cambridge, UK, “Climate change: a summary of the science” Sept. 2010 http://royalsociety.org/uploadedFiles/Royal_Society_Content/policy/publications/2010/4294972962.pdf accessed date: 7-15-12 y2k There is strong evidencethat changesingreenhouse gas concentrations due tohuman activityare the dominant cause of the global warming that has taken place over the last half century. This warming trend is expected to continue as are changes in precipitation over the long term in many regions. Further and more rapid increases in sea level are likely which will haveprofound implications for coastal communities and ecosystems. It is not possible to determine exactly how much the Earth will warm or exactly how the climate will change in the future, but careful estimatesof potentialchanges and associated uncertainties have been made. Scientists continue to work to narrow these areas of uncertainty. Uncertainty can work both ways, since the changes and their impacts may be either smaller or larger than those projected. Like many important decisions, policy choices about climate change have to be made inthe absence of perfect knowledge.Even if the remaining uncertainties were substantially resolved, the wide variety of interests, cultures and beliefs in society would make consensus about such choices difficult to achieve. However, the potential impacts of climate change are sufficiently seriousthat important decisions will need to be made. Climate science – including the substantial body of knowledge that is already well established, and the results of future research – is the essential basis for future climate projections and planning, and must be a vital component of public reasoning in this complex and challenging area Warming Impact EXTNWarming causes extinctionSify 2010 [Sydney newspaper citing Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, professor at University of Queensland and Director of the Global Change Institute, and John Bruno, associate professor of Marine Science at UNC; Sify News, “Could unbridled climate changes lead to human extinction?”, http://www.sify.com/news/could-unbridled-climate-changes-lead-to-human-extinction-news-international-kgtrOhdaahc.html] The findings of the comprehensive report: 'The impact of climate change on the world's marine ecosystems' emerged from a synthesis of recent research on the world's oceans, carried out by two of the world's leading marine scientists. One of the authors of the report is Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, professor at The University of Queensland and the director of its Global Change Institute (GCI). 'We may see sudden, unexpected changes that have serious ramifications for the overall well-being of humans, including the capacity of the planet to support people. This is further evidence that we are well on the way to the next great extinction event,' says Hoegh-Guldberg. 'The findings have enormous implications for mankind, particularly if the trend continues. The earth's ocean, which produces half of the oxygen we breathe and absorbs 30 per cent of human-generated carbon dioxide, is equivalent to its heart and lungs. This study shows worrying signs of ill-health. It's as if the earth has been smoking two packs of cigarettes a day!,' he added. 'We are entering a period in which the ocean services upon which humanity depends are undergoing massive change and in some cases beginning to fail', he added. The 'fundamental and comprehensive' changes to marine life identified in the report include rapidly warming and acidifying oceans, changes in water circulation and expansion of dead zones within the ocean depths. These are driving major changes in marine ecosystems: less abundant coral reefs, sea grasses and mangroves (important fish nurseries); fewer, smaller fish; a breakdown in food chains; changes in the distribution of marine life; and more frequent diseases and pests among marine organisms. Study co-author John F Bruno, associate professor in marine science at The University of North Carolina, says greenhouse gas emissions are modifying many physical and geochemical aspects of the planet's oceans, in ways 'unprecedented in nearly a million years'. 'This is causing fundamental and comprehensive changes to the way marine ecosystems function,' Bruno warned, according to a GCI release. These findings were published in Science. Econ ImpactWarming collapses economy—even a small event could have significant impacts.UNEP FI 1—the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative, “Climate Change and the Financial Services Industry” http://www.dlc.org/documents/UN_Climate-Change_Study.pdf Accessed date: 8-7-12 y2k Climate change poses a major risk to the global economy. The increasingfrequency of severeclimatic events,coupled withsocial trends, has the potential to stress insurers, reinsurers and banks to the point ofimpaired viability or even insolvency. Worldwide economic lossesdue to natural disasters appear to bedoubling every 10 years and, on current trends, annual losses will reach almost $150 billion in the next decade. The greenhouse gases (GHGs) which create this problem are longlived so action is urgently needed. A long-term international political framework for climate stability is essential. The Kyoto Protocol, under which many industrialised nations have pledged to curb their emissions of GHGs by 2012, is an important step but does not go nearly far enough. To ensure future economic development is sustainable, it must be based on the principles of precaution and equity. This will be achieved more quickly, and with less economic dislocation, by harnessing market mechanisms with a skilful blend of policies and measures. The financial sector therefore has a key role to play in delivering market solutions to climate change. Examples include GHG emissions trading markets and finance for clean energy technologies. By some estimates, the former could be a $2 trillion/year market by 2012 while the latter could be worth $1.9 trillion by 2020. Recently issued scientific reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, among others, have affirmed that most global warming over the past 50 years is attributable to human activities. They have also concluded that: • the climate may warm faster than previously thought; • developing countries are most at risk; and • at some point, sudden and irreversible shifts in global climate patterns may occur.The greenhouse gases (GHGs) which create the problem – of which carbon dioxide is the best known – persist for many decades. To stabilise atmospheric concentrations at just twice the preindustrial level would require current emission levels to be cut by 60%. There is, therefore, a growing sense of urgency to act in a meaningful fashion. Worldwide economic losses due to natural disasters appear to be doubling every ten years and, if current trends persist, annual losses will come close to $150 billion in the next decade. A significant portion of this will be insured. The experience of the insurance industry shows that even small changes (< 10%) in event severity can generatemultiple increases in damage. A pro-active stance by financial institutions will help to reduce the threats they face from climate change while also providing opportunities (see Table 1). Directory: file -> fetch fetch -> 11 th Lit Semester 1 Final Study Guide!!! fetch -> Industrial Revolution Inventors fetch -> Analysis for Galveston Hurricane of 1900 fetch -> The Illuminators (Team 2) 1900 Galveston Hurricane Cycle a team Assignment fetch -> Team csi-utb ruth Reyes Jose Ferrer fetch -> Galveston Hurricane of 1900 Cycle a-teacher as a Problem Solver fetch -> Is Climate Change Starting a New Dust Bowl? Cycle A fetch -> What makes a storm a hurricane fetch -> The 1950s were the "Happy Days" because it was a time of economic prosperity, technology development, new entertainment, new fashion and family growth. The 1950s was a great time fetch -> Sputnik and The Dawn of the Space Age Download 1.05 Mb. Share with your friends:
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