Global Warming Close to Becoming Irreversible

[xchrom]

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=global-warming-close-to-becoming-ir

LONDON (Reuters) - The world is close to reaching tipping points that will make it irreversibly hotter, making this decade critical in efforts to contain global warming, scientists warned on Monday.

Scientific estimates differ but the world's temperature looks set to rise by six degrees Celsius by 2100 if greenhouse gas emissions are allowed to rise uncontrollably.

As emissions grow, scientists say the world is close to reaching thresholds beyond which the effects on the global climate will be irreversible, such as the melting of polar ice sheets and loss of rainforests.

"This is the critical decade. If we don't get the curves turned around this decade we will cross those lines," said Will Steffen, executive director of the Australian National University's climate change institute, speaking at a conference in London.

[Cirque du So-What]

1. Well, it's been good knowin' ya!

This is one area where my sunny optimism fails me, as I believe corporate-controlled governments will fail in any effort to turn this train around.

[izquierdista]

2. "Irreversible"? I don't think that word means what you think it means

The polar ice sheets have melted completely and reformed several times in earth's geologic history, hence they have done so 'reversibly'.

Now whether these completely reversible physical changes in the Earth will have an irreversible effect on its human population, that is indeed possible.

[dixiegrrrrl]

3. But..but...we have to get that last..drop..of....oil...first!

THEN we can think of a way to profit from the end of the world.

Had no idea man, as a species, had a self extinction gene. Amazing.

[kestrel91316]

4. Acting in unity to achieve a common benefit would be communism to

the RW, so I don't expect squat to be done.

We are toast. Quite literally.