Climate change is affecting every continent and we are not prepared.
That is essentially the one-sentence summary of a report released today by a working group of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The IPCC is the authoritative voice on climate change.
“We live in an era of man-made climate change,” Vicente Barros,co-chair of an IPCC working group, said in a press release. “In many cases, we are not prepared for the climate-related risks that we already face. Investments in better preparation can pay dividends both for the present and for the future.”
I haven’t read the full report, which is very detailed and very long, but there’s a distinction to be made between it and the report a different IPCC working group issued in September. That report made headlines because it stated directly that greenhouse gases from human activities are driving climate change. And it was accompanied by a stark admonition that sharp cuts in emissions are needed globally to, at the least, avoid the worst effects of climate change.
But much of the world has gotten very good at ignoring those warnings or responding with half-hearted efforts.
Today’s report is a companion piece to the September publication, and it doesn’t deal with invisible gases and temperature curves. It documents real things that are happening now, and projects how a changing climate will impact us, as a planet.
The report talks about harsher droughts in some places, heavier rains in others, impacts to agriculture that will harm poor countries the most, and damage to coral reefs. In a section on North America, the report says “over the past decades, economic damage from severe weather has increased dramatically.” (The New York Times has a good overview of the report available here, and the Guardian has one here.)
Today’s report will make people uncomfortable, and it should. But it should also encourage communities and government leaders to take a hard look at how prepared they are for the projected impacts of climate change. New York State actually has a few programs in place to encourage that sort of planning.
This article appears in Mar 26 – Apr 1, 2014.
“New York State actually has a few programs in place to encourage that [Climate Change] sort of planning.” And one of those programs is called Climate Smart Communities (CSC) and if you want meet and talk with Mark Lowery, manager of the DEC’s CSC program, consider coming to the Sierra Club’s 2014 Earth Day Forum “Climate Smart Communities: Let’s Get With the Program” on April 17th, 220 S. Winton Rd, in Brighton, NY. More http://newyork.sierraclub.org/rochester/Fo…
Climate Change isn’t about bumper sticker phrases, it’s complex, the state’s on it, and we need to talk about it. Got questions? Got thoughts on Climate Change in our area? We really want to hear your thoughts and we are ready want to listen. Without the public’s full understanding of what Climate Chang is and what measures will be needed to address an issue of this size and complexity, the public, everyone, must get engaged.
Millions of former residents eager for a change in climate already have fled New York State and the Great Lakes region. Nobody in their right mind should be trying to keep this dismal climate as it is.
A generation ago we let anti-nuke fanaticism carry the day. That turned out to be a disastrous blunder (one that, incidentally, further increased emissions). Let’s not relearn that lesson.
If you take the time to read some climate studies that pertain to our region, especially the ClimAID report, you find that our region, with its fresh water, temperate climate, excellent soil, will be one of those regions that may not get hit as hard with Climate Change as many others.
Folks in the South and West are experiencing severe flooding and droughts that, according to climate studies, will be long lasting. There is more than a good chance that this Rochester region will be a place many will want to come to grow food and get enough fresh clean water—as long as we don’t frack it up. We have excellent transportation infrastructures (which includes the canal that can move heavy equipment) and getting better as the City of Rochester ramps up alternative transportation (walking and bicycling).
One of the thing s to learn about how to adapt to Climate Change in our region is to adapt to more folks coming to this region, where our economy will grow. We must protect the environment we have and ready ourselves for many who will find our region a wonderful relief from wildfires, drought, massive flooding, sea rise, and much more.
Read the ClimAid report: http://www.nyserda.ny.gov/climaid
“The IPCC is the authoritative voice on climate change.” HA! Sez who?
Back in the 1970’s the conventional wisdom was that we were heading into another ice age because of global cooling. At some point that assertion was no longer operative; now they say we are experiencing global warming. Ten thousand years ago this area was covered with ice a mile thick. It came and went without the apparent intervention of humans, so it must have been caused by natural effects such as sun spots, solar flares, and the eccentricity, tilt and precession of the earth’s orbit. These are much larger effects than we humans have any ability to alter. We should continue to be more efficient with energy and other resources, but let’s not allow our judgment to be influenced by fear mongers.
@Leo, please provide links to peer-reviewed research that states the earth is not experiencing human-made global warming.
Troll Wisperer: Are you a denier of natural, cosmic and planetary causes climate change?
Correction of typo:
Troll Wisperer: Are you a denier of natural, cosmic and planetary causes of climate change?
@Doogie: your definitions are vague. Please provide links to your own assertions.