writeaboutwarming

December 16, 2013 – The end of the year is a time for taking stock, so that’s what we’ll do today.   To a large degree, I will simply be lifting information from an article that first appeared online in Climate Progress. There’s a lot to talk about, and really very little analysis warranted; the facts speak for themselves, and very loudly, too.   None of the news is good - we appear to have much in common with the proverbial deer caught in the headlights. CO2 levels hit 400 ppm – the highest level in recorded history.   This fact notwithstanding, Americans rejoice in being told that our country is once again energy independent, thanks to the fracking of oil and gas.   At the current pace of increase, there will be 450 ppm within three decades, which will drive catastrophic climate change. Hotter, faster – In its fifth assessment report, released this year, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) determines that the world as a whole ...

September 5, 2013 – Imagine you are a member of a group that consists of 1,300 people.   You have all been given an important task to complete.   In order to enhance the group’s functionality, you are divided up into smaller groups.   A work schedule has been laid out, with small groups reporting to the heads of each group, and small group heads reporting to the director of the entire project.   Because group members live in different countries, a great deal of communication is handled via email.   Because group members are not paid for their work, it must somehow be fit into already busy schedules.   This is my abbreviated, concocted idea of how the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) works.   Every six or seven years, the IPCC is mandated by the United Nations to issue a report defining global climate risks.   This year’s report is due out later this month in Stockholm.   Partly as a result of their expert analysis, clim...

May 9, 2011 – A very important report was issued by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) today. The 2200 member scientists of the U.N.-sponsored organization have found renewable energy sources to hold the key to the future. (We might actually have one if we use them!) The report targets 450 ppm of greenhouse gases as the upper limit, beyond which life as we know it would not be sustainable. This level of GHG concentration exceeds the more ideal level of 350 ppm considerably, perhaps a tacit admission on the part of the report’s authors that they no longer think the lower concentration is achievable. The IPCC believes that 80% of the world’s energy needs can be met by renewable energy sources, and that the financial investment required would amount to only 1% of GDP, or approximately five trillion dollars over the next decade. The very plain implication of such numbers is that failure to make the small investment needed would be nothing short of criminal. The lack of fo...