When even the dimmest and most ideologically bent among us realize they backed the wrong pony when they ignored the warnings about climate change, and when it is far too late to do anything about it (as it almost is now), who will they blame? Will it be their political 'leaders', the corporate obstructionists, or themselves for being so wedded to unsustainable lifestyles?
I fear we will have the answer sooner rather than later:
This report on air turbulence is not unrelated to climate change:
Finally, consider the full implications of this:
All of the above, of course, is centered around North America. Imagine the plight of developing countries, where shade and air-conditioning are often non-existent.
This is a war we've already lost. We didn't even show up for the fight. The latest research from the University of Hawaii's Dr. Mora and his team finds that a third of mankind is already experiencing deadly heatwave events for 20 or more days a year.
ReplyDeleteThis seems to bear out Mora's earlier research that showed the advent of "climate departure" in which areas will enter a new climate paradigm in which every year, post-departure, will be hotter than the hottest year pre-departure. In other words,there'll be no cool years only hot and hotter years.
News reports tend to focus on heatwaves in the context of heat stroke and death yet the impacts are much broader. What we now call "flash droughts" can, in a matter of days, wipe out crop production. Months-long droughts are no longer required.
Then there's the problem of power demand spikes during these heatwaves. The heat even degrades essential infrastructure.
All of these consequences combine to reduce habitability and when that happens, year after year, every year, people will have to relocate - climate change refugees, internally-displaced populations.
What a mess. And I whine about the cold and damp.
Our self-created mess is certainly catching up with us, Mound. The only reason I hesitate to say that we have already lost the battle is that it will further embolden the facilitators of earth's plunge into hell. Too many will say, "Since it is too late for abatement measures to work, I might as well enjoy the party until it ends."
DeleteFor most people the damage is still in the future, Lorne. It will be only when the cities start disappearing under the water that they'll take the problem seriously and act urgently.
ReplyDeleteOur collective folly appears to be sealing our fate, Owen.
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