Climate Change (aka Global Warming)

Climate change is happening now. Many people believe that the only effect is 'Global Warming' and some believe that this will be good for us (especially with our gray, cold winters). Perhaps we'll be growing our own bananas in Deer Harbor (often referred jokingly to as the 'banana belt'.) Some places will get warmer, some places will get colder. Glaciers all over the world are melting. Sea levels are, and will continue to rise. Several pacific atolls have had to be evacuated as they sank under water. Prevailing winds can change course based on fractions of a degree of temperature change. The jet stream for example has changed its course over the past few years and changed weather patterns in Europe very significantly, mostly for the worst, as unprecedented floods occurred all over Europe. Hurricanes that 'brew up' in mid-atlantic are becoming more frequent and more powerful. The monetary cost to us is huge when they reach our shores (think Katrina).

Climate change has become a political hot potato as many of the companies that contribute to the problem lobby hard (think throw money at politicians) to maintain the status quo. The coal burners, the gas guzzlers, to name but a few, pay massive stipends ($10,000) to any professor who will cast doubt on climate change, and hopefully confuse us enough that we'll sit still and do nothing. Business as usual. But this is not a partisan issue - as climate change becomes more severe not only will the poorer nations suffer drought, but we will too. There will be massive economic emigration from these regions to where food and water is more plentiful. This itself will fuel conflict. Even the pentagon is concerned about the threats to our national security from economic migration on a tremendous scale and the inevitable conflicts over scarer food supplies and water.

The overwhelming majority of reputable scientists around the world, and the organizations they work for, believe that we are closely approaching a crisis point. The few who don't are sometimes just skeptical (as is their right) but many work for energy company funded 'think tanks' and are just bankrolled to seed confusion.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) joined the growing clamour for political action in a public statement approved by its board. It is the first time that the AAAS, which represents 262 societies and scientific academies, has published a statement of consensus on climate change. It was issued on Sunday during a conference where a series of studies added weight to the body of evidence of human impact on the climate and environment.

In the statement the association said: “The scientific evidence is clear: global climate change caused by human activities is occurring now, and it is a growing threat to society. “Accumulating data from across the globe reveal a wide array of effects: rapidly melting glaciers, destabilisation of major ice sheets, increases in extreme weather, rising sea level, shifts in species ranges, and more.

“The pace of change and the evidence of harm have increased markedly over the last five years. The time to control greenhouse gas emissions is now. “The growing torrent of information presents a clear message: we are already experiencing global climate change. It is time to muster the political will for concerted action.” The statement reflects growing frustration among US scientists with the White House’s reluctance to tackle climate change.

In June 2005 the national academies of science for all the G8 countries and those of Brazil, India and China issued a joint statement demanding an end to political procrastination. Among the signatories was Bruce Alberts, president of the US National Academy of Sciences, but there has been little shift since then in President Bush’s position.
The AAAS said that concentrations of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, were higher than they had been for at least 650,000 years and that temperatures were heading to “levels not experienced for millions of years”.

Will the governments of the world act? Some will, most won't. And we can't afford to wait while they bicker. The best start you can do to make a change is to educate yourself, your family and friends, and then start changing your lifestyle.

The first step on the journey is to watch 'An inconvenient Truth' - whether you agree with Al Gore's politics or not, watch the movie. The read the book. Then start becoming part of the solution.

Events

Sunday, April 15 Global Warming Forum on San Juan Island

Global Warming: Its Environmental, Economic and Social Impact and What We Can Do About It, San Juan Community Theater, 12 Noon - 5 PM, sponsored by Spring Street International School, and co-sponsored and supported by Navigating Our Future. Pre-registration required (limited to 200). Pre-register at: www.navigatingourfuture.org or call 360.378.3123. Presentations by Dr. Richard Gammon, Professor, University of Washington (UW) School of Oceanography, and Senior Fellow, UW Joint Institute for the Study of Atmosphere and Oceans, and by Dr. Yoram Bauman, Professor, UW Program on the Environment, and Lead Economist for "The Impacts of Climate Change on Washington's Economy" Report.

Sunday, April 22nd (Earth Day) Lopez Forum on Global warming

5 pm to 8:45 pm at the Lopez Community Center. Community dinner (free but donations encouraged) and a screening of 'An Inconvenient Truth' plus presentations on the effects of climate change. More details.

Links

An Inconvenient Truth www.climatecrisis.net
Climate Solutions www.climatesolutions.org
Climate Trust www.climatetrust.org
Conservation International www.conservation.org/xp/CIWEB/programs/climatechange
David Suzuki Foundation www.davidsuzuki.org
Environmental Defense www.environmentaldefense.org
Environmental Protection Agency www.epa.gov/climatechange
Hadley Centre (U.K.) www.metoffice.com/research
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change www.ipcc.ch
International Institute for Sustainable Development www.iisd.org/climate
NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies www.giss.nasa.gov/research
National Center for Atmospheric Research, Climate & Global Dynamics Division www.cgd.ucar.edu
National Climatic Data Center at NOAA www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/about/ncdcwelcome
National Weather Service, Climate Prediction Center www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov
National Wildlife Federation www.nwf.org
Natural Resources Defense Council www.nrdc.org
Pew Center on Global Climate Change www.pewclimate.org
Real Climate www.realclimate.org
Portland Office of Sustainable Development www.portlandonline.com/osd
Seattle Climate Action www.seattle.gov/climate
Stop Global Warming www.stopglobalwarming.org
Union of Concerned Scientists www.ucsusa.org
UW Climate Impacts Group www.cses.washington.edu
WA Department of Ecology www.ecy.wa.gov/climatechange
World Meteorological Organization www.wmo.ch/web/gcos/gcoshome
World Resources Institute www.wri.org/climate
World Wildlife Fund www.panda.org

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

Working Group 1 - Summary for Policy Makers
Working Group 2 - Summary for Policy Makers
Working Group 3 - Summary for Policy Makers
Synthesis Report - Summary for Policy Makers

Other Reports

Agriculture & Climate Change: Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Opportunities & The 2007 Farm Bill (PDF 600 KB)

Agriculture & Climate Change: The Policy Context (PDF 700 KB)

ASES Climate Change (PDF 8.8 MB)

Climate Change 2007: Climate Change Impacts Adaptation & Vulnerability (PDF 550 KB)

Climate Change 2007: Mitigation of Climate Change (PDF 400 KB)

Climate Change in Puget Sound (PDF 4.8 MB)

Facing the Challenge of Climate Change (PDF 800 KB)

Impacts of Climate Change on Washington’s Economy (PDF 2.2 MB)

National Security & The Threat of Climate Change (PDF 1.1MB)

Stern Review: The Economics of Climate Change (PDF 312 KB)

Stern Review: Summary of Conclusions (PDF 176 KB)