Climate Panel Issues Urgent Warning to Curb Gases

It is truly sad to read the heartrending urgency of the message in this report, and to know that the world is incapable of responding to it effectively.  I've come to believe that mild climate change and dramatic environmental change will happen in my lifetime.  I think that these issues will dominate the globe's attention for the next century:

The report released here represented the fourth assessment since 1990 by the group, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change of the United Nations, of the causes and consequences of climate change. But for the first time the group asserted with near certainty — more than 90 percent confidence — that carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping greenhouse gases from human activities were the main drivers of warming since 1950.

If carbon dioxide concentrations reach twice their pre-industrial levels, the report said, the climate will likely warm some 3.5 to 8 degrees. But there would be more than a one in 10 chance of much greater warming, a situation many earth scientists say poses an unacceptable risk.

Even an increased level of warming that falls in the middle of the group’s range of projections would likely cause significant stress to ecosystems and alter longstanding climate patterns that shape water supplies and agricultural production, according to many climate experts and biologists.

There was a report on NPR this morning that inadvertantly highlighted the incredible cluelessness of most of the US population about these issues.  The report was about a "biodiesel road trip" taken by a reporter and a biodiesel enthusiastic.  During the trip, the travelers stopped at a truck stop to get some thoughts about biodiesel from the truckers.  As expected, opinions differed, which is entirely justified in the case of biodiesel (I'm not a fan, myself).  But one of the truckers, after giving his opinion, went on to say (in paraphrase): "Anything to do with the environmentalists, I'm against it.  It's all a scam."  How can we expect people with these views--and there are a lot of them--to get behind the incredible sacrifices that would be required to have a perceptible impact on global warming?  Maybe we should tackle the US education system as well as the global environment.

Within the next week, I am planning to go carbon neutral.  I embarrassed not to have done so already.  Those of you who have already done this: please share your experiences.  Those of you who haven't: please educate yourselves.  Personally, after reading the linked report, I'm considering the Climate Trust.  I will write up a post about my experience getting this done on my blog.

Link: Climate Panel Issues Urgent Warning to Curb Gases - New York Times.