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Climate change: scientists warn it may be too late to save the ice caps
David Adam, Guardian
A critical meltdown of ice sheets and severe sea level rise could be inevitable because of global warming, the world’s scientists are preparing to warn their governments. New studies of Greenland and Antarctica have forced a UN expert panel to conclude there is a 50% chance that widespread ice sheet loss “may no longer be avoided” because of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Such melting would raise sea levels by four to six metres, the scientists say. It would cause “major changes in coastline and inundation of low-lying areas” and require “costly and challenging” efforts to move millions of people and infrastructure from vulnerable areas. The previous official line, issued in 2001, was that the chance of such an event was “not well known, but probably very low”.
(19 Feb 2007)
Also at Common Dreams.
Bangladesh: At the mercy of climate change
Justin Huggler, UK Independent
It is more exposed than any other country to global warming. And a series of unusual events – from dying trees to freak weather – suggest its impact is already being felt. —-
…Bangladesh is particularly vulnerable to climate change. The entire country is basically one vast river delta, and that has always left it at the mercy of weather extremes. The villages of the south-east may often lack electricity or clean water, but a cyclone shelter is never far away. In Dhaka, the rent for a typical first-floor apartment is £52 a month. On the ground floor of the same building, it is just £37 – because the ground floor gets flooded almost every year.
But the country’s climate experts say the weather is growing more extreme – and becoming unpredictable. And this is in the most densely populated country in the world, if you don’t count city-states or small islands, home to 147 million people. That leaves a worrying question: what happens to those 147 million people if parts of this already overcrowded country become uninhabitable due to rising sea levels.
The problem is, nobody really knows just how much effect climate change will have on Bangladesh. “We still don’t have a proper study of the impact of global warming here,” says Mr Karmaker. “Up till now, no one has done one.” The classic scenario of climate change disaster in Bangladesh is of rising sea levels flooding most of the country, forcing as many as 40 million people to flee. Scientists have measured small rises in the sea level at various points around the coast, and almost all of Bangladesh lies less than 10m (30ft) above sea level.
But what is less well known is that Bangladesh has a defence against that scenario: a huge series of dykes made of boulders that stretch along the entire coast – a literal fortification in the battle to survive climate change. The dykes were put up to protect against the storm surges Bangladesh periodically suffers from, but should be high enough to withstand the predicted rise in sea levels.
But that doesn’t mean Bangladesh is safe from climate change, says Dr Nishat. “The dykes create their own problems,” he says. “By trapping rainfall on the inside, they could end up causing flooding. And they do nothing to stop salinity spreading through our water.”
(19 Feb 2007)
Americans Believe Global Warming Is Real, Want Action, But Not As A Priority
University of Oregon via ScienceDaily
Most Americans believe global warming is real but a moderate and distant risk. While they strongly support policies like investing in renewable energy, higher fuel economy standards and international treaties, they strongly oppose carbon taxes on energy sources that put carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
These results were reported by Anthony Leiserowitz, a courtesy professor of environmental studies at the University of Oregon, in a talk during the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in San Francisco. His conclusions, based on a national survey conducted in 2003 are detailed in a new book, “Creating a Climate for Change: Communicating Climate Change — Facilitating Social Change,”…
(18 Feb 2007)
Interesting results, but I wonder if the figures are out-of-date? There seems to have been a big shift in public opinion since 2003. -BA
The Week in Carbon
Gil Friend, WorldChanging
It was a week of many meetings dealing with carbon emissions and climate change: The American Association for the Advancement of Science held its annual meeting in San Francisco last week. Pacific Gas and Electric hosted a distinguished panel exploring solar policy futures. The SF Bay Area regional government organizations help the first of series of public forums to discuss what in the world to do. And a wave of climate teach-ins is simmering on the back burner.
(The Bay Area isn’t the only region moving into high gear on these issues, of course. It happens to be where I’m physically located, and offered plenty to keep up with this week.)
(18 Feb 2007)
