Red, Green, and Blue

A new United States Geological Survey (USGS) report has found that climate change is occurring more rapidly than previous studies have found. Melting ice in the Arctic and longer droughts in the Southwest indicate earlier projections have underestimated the climatic shifts that will take place by the end of the century.

Over two years, 32 scientists completed a new climate change survey that was commissioned by the U.S. Climate Change Science Program.  Although the results predict an increase in many climate change effects, the scientists have found that the release of methane from seabeds and permafrost will not abruptly change by 2100, but once it begins, there is no return. 

However, the USGS report did find that increasing sea levels and prolonged droughts in the Southwest will occur by mid-century as a result of climate change.

In fact, global sea levels will rise as much as four feet by 2100 if the current rate of ice melting continues.

Tom Armstrong, senior adviser for global change programs at USGS, explains the report’s results :

…is one of those things that keeps people up at night, because it’s a low-probability but high-risk scenario. It’s unlikely to happen in our lifetimes, but if it were to occur, it would be life-changing…We need to be prepared to deal with it in terms of policymaking, keeping in mind it’s a low-probability, high-risk scenario. That said, there are really no policies in place to deal with abrupt climate change.

I, for one, am kept up at night worrying about what we have done to our earth, but I doubt outgoing President Bush does.  He only has 25 days left in office, so what does he care about predictions for the end of the century?  Will Obama step up to the plate on climate change policy as promised? Time is running out…

Tweet This Post

You might also like: