Game Over for the Climate

[kpete]

Game Over for the Climate
By JAMES HANSEN
Published: May 9, 2012

If Canada proceeds, and we do nothing, it will be game over for the climate.

Canada’s tar sands, deposits of sand saturated with bitumen, contain twice the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by global oil use in our entire history. If we were to fully exploit this new oil source, and continue to burn our conventional oil, gas and coal supplies, concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere eventually would reach levels higher than in the Pliocene era, more than 2.5 million years ago, when sea level was at least 50 feet higher than it is now. That level of heat-trapping gases would assure that the disintegration of the ice sheets would accelerate out of control. Sea levels would rise and destroy coastal cities. Global temperatures would become intolerable. Twenty to 50 percent of the planet’s species would be driven to extinction. Civilization would be at risk.

That is the long-term outlook. But near-term, things will be bad enough. Over the next several decades, the Western United States and the semi-arid region from North Dakota to Texas will develop semi-permanent drought, with rain, when it does come, occurring in extreme events with heavy flooding. Economic losses would be incalculable. More and more of the Midwest would be a dust bowl. California’s Central Valley could no longer be irrigated. Food prices would rise to unprecedented levels.

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The science of the situation is clear — it’s time for the politics to follow. This is a plan that can unify conservatives and liberals, environmentalists and business. Every major national science academy in the world has reported that global warming is real, caused mostly by humans, and requires urgent action. The cost of acting goes far higher the longer we wait — we can’t wait any longer to avoid the worst and be judged immoral by coming generations.

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the rest:http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/10/opinion/game-over-for-the-climate.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20120510

[xchrom]

1. we only seem to operate out of crisis. does the crisis seem bad enough yet

for political leadership to do what it ought?

i'm not hopeful after katrina and bp.

things take real planning -- and a determination to be successful. rather than slap dash and 'failing upwards'.

[Lawlbringer]

2. I really can't think of any time where government ever

had a situation related to science or technology that wasn't already too late to do anything about.

[n2doc]

3. It's been over for a while

If not Canada, then China.If not China, then India. If not India, then USA. Too many greedy, shortsighted people in power across the world to make the kinds of drastic changes needed to prevent catastrophe. And probably too little vision and leadership needed to mitigate catastrophe.

[guardian]

5. Luckily

there is a guide to face the impending DOOM:

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/doomsday-preppers/

[airplaneman]

4. James Lovelock recently recanted.

Not helping this cause at all James Lovelock recently said his dire predictions don't look to be so dire after all and that gaia is fighting back. This is fuel for the right wing elements that have a pervasive belief that they do not have to listen to any authority like scientists or environmentalists anyhow. I am surrounded by a huge number of people in my life that think global warming is a hoax. The Republican party unanimously supports this belief. There is reality denial going on a major scale on this planet and it fuels precedence to be a misanthrope. I seriously question if things have to get beyond the point of no return before we really wake up and have some political will. We must keep fighting and not give up though.
-Airplane

[Canuckistanian]

7. With all due respect to Lovelock, he's not a climate scientist

I've read his theories and listened to him speak, but I don't think he has a firm grasp of the ACTUAL science involved.

It seems like he tried to fit climate change into his own model and overreacted on his own terms.

Lovelock has yet to prove his OWN hypothesis beyond a doubt before making pronouncements on global climate.

Until then, I put my trust in real climatologists working with real data.

[earthside]

6. On Common Dreams

Here is Hansen's article on Common Dreams for those who don't like to go to the New York Times:

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/05/10-2

[Canuckistanian]

8. To the rest of the world: Yes, please, stop Canada

Lord knows we've tried to stop the Harper government from promoting this insane tarsands project.

And in return, we've been called "extremists" or "alarmists", bent on destroying capitalism.

In the meantime, scientists have been gagged, environmental review studies eliminated and climate research funds slashed in the recent budget.

This is NOT what the people of Canada want, but we're powerless to stop this. Maybe international pressure could have an effect.