July 8, 2009—The most up-to-date report available on climate science notes that global temperatures, sea levels, and frequency of extreme weather events are all increasing beyond the patterns of natural variability within which our contemporary society and economy have developed, according to an analysis by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
That doesn’t bode well for the future of global economies and of civilization itself, nor on the ecosystems that our civilization depends on, unless global societies rise to meet the challenge of climate change, says the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, producers of the report.
The synthesis report, “Climate Change: Global Risks, Challenges & Decisions,” based on a scientific congress held in Copenhagen in March, is an attempt to update the 2007 synthesis report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which the EERE says has already become outdated. For instance, the IPCC report provides updates on our understanding of ocean surface temperatures and heat content, indicating that ocean warming is about 50 percent greater than the IPCC had reported.
The new report also points out the rapid reduction in Arctic sea ice in the summer, and notes that a decreasing amount of carbon dioxide emissions are removed by natural “carbon sinks” on land and in the ocean, thereby amplifying the effect of future carbon dioxide emissions.
To help mitigate these disruptions, the report says the world must limit its greenhouse gas emissions through such measures as heavily promoting energy efficiency while shifting to low-carbon energy sources, such as renewable energy. The report also identifies the eastern half of the United States as one of two critical agriculture centers for the future of the world. Given the availability of a wide range of tools and approaches to deal with climate change, the report concludes that “inaction is inexcusable.”
The report is available for download as a pdf file.
