Nicholas Stern: ‘I Got It Wrong On Climate Change–It’s Far, Far Worse,’ An ‘Existential’ Threat...

[ProSense]

Nicholas Stern: ‘I Got It Wrong On Climate Change–It’s Far, Far Worse,’ An ‘Existential’ Threat For Many

By Joe Romm

Another day, another climate expert explains the deadly combination of inaction and faster-than-expected impacts.

This time the man ringing the bell is Lord Nicholas Stern, the author of the famous Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change. The UK Guardian reports:

Stern … said: “Looking back, I underestimated the risks. The planet and the atmosphere seem to be absorbing less carbon than we expected, and emissions are rising pretty strongly. Some of the effects are coming through more quickly than we thought then.”

The Stern review, published in 2006, pointed to a 75% chance that global temperatures would rise by between two and three degrees above the long-term average; he now believes we are “on track for something like four “. Had he known the way the situation would evolve, he says, “I think I would have been a bit more blunt. I would have been much more strong about the risks of a four- or five-degree rise.”

That would be 4° to 5°C aka 7° to 9°F aka the end of civilization as we know it (see World Bank Climate Report: ‘A 4°C [7°F] World Can, And Must, Be Avoided’ To Avert ‘Devastating’ Impacts). Stern continues:

“This is potentially so dangerous that we have to act strongly. Do we want to play Russian roulette with two bullets or one? These risks for many people are existential.”

- more -

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/01/28/1507651/nicholas-stern-i-got-it-wrong-on-climate-change-its-far-far-worse/

World Bank President On Climate Crisis: ‘If There Is No Action Soon, The Future Will Become Bleak’

By Joe Romm

Jim Yong Kim Promises To Factor In Global Warming “With Every Investment We Make And Every Action We Take.”

You may recall the shocking World Bank Climate Report from November that concluded: “A 4°C (7°F) world can, and must, be avoided” to avert “devastating” impacts.

What impacts? The must-read report warns that “we’re on track for a 4°C warmer world marked by extreme heat-waves, declining global food stocks, loss of ecosystems and biodiversity, and life-threatening sea level rise.”

Now World Bank President Jim Yong Kim has a strong WashPost op-ed that warns “we need to get serious fast” to avoid the looming “climate catastrophe.” He explains:

The signs of global warming are becoming more obvious and more frequent. A glut of extreme weather conditions is appearing globally. And the average temperature in the United States last year was the highest ever recorded….

If there is no action soon, the future will become bleak. The World Bank Group released a reportin November that concluded that the world could warm by 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius) by the end of this century if concerted action is not taken now.

A world that warm means seas would rise 1.5 to 3 feet, putting at risk hundreds of millions of city dwellers globally. It would mean that storms once dubbed “once in a century” would become common, perhaps occurring every year. And it would mean that much of the United States, from Los Angeles to Kansas to the nation’s capital, would feel like an unbearable oven in the summer.

- more -

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/01/25/1497031/world-bank-president-on-climate-crisis-if-there-is-no-action-soon-the-future-will-become-bleak/

[Pachamama]

1. Oops.....my bad....

Seems to be the reaction we should be expecting soon from all the climate change deniers...

[marions ghost]

2. All the horrors that result

will be blamed on the deniers and obstructors.

But by then it will be too late.

[KG]

3. nobody who matters cares.

[ananda]

4. I caught Al Gore on the Today show this morning.

He really spoke to serious issues even though Lauer was clearly uncomfortable with it.

He addressed warming and climate change; gene manipulation and how we are now controlling evolution; robotics and tech that is helping decimate the middle class; and the need for public conversation on serious subjects instead of a media bent on creating a new presidential campaign for the next four years. He was good.

[indepat]

5. Instead of dealing with a clear and present risk to the planet, and hence mankind, we feverishly

frack so we can export more natural gas and eagerly harvest the last barrel of oil in the most environmentally sensitive areas. Sheer madness. Sheer stupidity. Mindless capitalism run amok.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

6. this.