The most terrifying graph you will see all year. Or century, for that matter.
See that 5 degrees Celsius we're projected to hit by 2050? That's 9 degrees Fahrenheit. That means the end of human civilization, and possibly of the human race itself. Within our lifetimes.
by Tafline Laylin, 02/22/13
Read more: A 1.5C Temperature Rise Would Set Off Siberia's Permafrost Carbon Bomb, Scientists Warn | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building
http://inhabitat.com/a-1-5c-temperature-rise-would-set-off-siberias-permafrost-carbon-bomb/
More plus important links:
http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-most-terrifying-graph-youll-see-all.html
Your brain will fight it, even with the numbers on the page staring back at you, because the collapse of civilization is simply beyond human comprehension. To really internalize this information means you would need to accept things like:
- You are among the last people that will ever walk the Earth
- Your children won’t survive to middle age
- All of the beauty, culture, and scientific discoveries we’ve unlocked will return to the ether from whence they came.
Forgive my French, but that is some heavy shit. Yet our ability to understand and feel threatened by this information is hindered by the fact that things don’t seem that bad right now. Sure things feel a little “off”, but how can we be so close to oblivion when life is (generally speaking) so good, modern and happy?
The answer is exponentials. Climate change does not follow a linear path (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc…), it follow an exponential path (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, etc…). Global temperature is increasing exponentially, fueled by humanity’s exponential rise in energy use, population, and economic growth. As you can see from the chart, exponential functions look like a hockey stick: they stay low for a long time, and then rise very suddenly and rapidly once they turn the corner. Everyone has some experience with exponential growth in their daily lives…any bank account with compounded interest will follow this curve, and exponentials are the reason that sickness spreads so rapidly through your child’s school.
http://science-pope.com/2013/02/i-bet-you-didnt-know/
= new reply since forum marked as read
Yes, it can be said with certainly that climate change has indeed presented us with many challenges, some potentially serious, unfortunately, and that we do need to ramp up the action on combatting climate change ASAP.....however, though, it also seems there's been a huge explosion in extreme, implausible predictions, and hardcore pessimism ("we can't stop it!" "It's too late!"
, and dare I say, even a little bit of fearmongering(If you've been around long enough, you may remember a piece by the "Arctic Methane Emergency Group" written by one Malcolm Light who insisted that humanity would be extinct by mid-century. Do realize, by the way, that no climate scientist worth his salt, with only a very select few exceptions, has ever made this kind of claim.). As I and others have said many times before, this kind of thing simply is NOT constructive and in fact, is turning people off.
Again, thanks.
TBH, this idea of a possible Ice Age coming after AGW doesn't seem all that likely to me at this moment, TBH.....but, and this is a big BUT.....I don't think it can be really ruled out, either. We don't know for sure how else the atmosphere may react in the future, particularly once the ice caps start disappearing, with possibly the only really obvious exception being that we're not going to see "runaway" warming as some have erroneously claimed in the past.
Thanks for posting this video, btw, and in fact, I may even repost it to the V & M section of the site.
but it will be another great extinction. Theres nothing we as just average citizens can do.... 
