Climate change is already serious and the situation is deteriorating

Climate change in already a serious problem and there are concerns that the situation is so bad that the world is heading for a complete catastrophe and the breakdown of civilisation.

Due to climate change, we already have

lethal heatwaves and wildfires (as in California)
lethal storms: hurricanes, typhoons, floods and mudslides
civil unrest: e.g. the conflict in Syria came about because long term droughts forced famers off their land and into the cities
millions of climate refugees
loss of species.

This is from 1 degree of global warming - and without effective action, we are heading for 6 degrees of global warming by 2100.

The concerns are

Global temperatures are increasing at a rate of 1/4 degree per decade.
For children born today, this means a temperature increase of 2 degrees by the time they are 80 at the end of the century.
As temperatures have already increased by 1 degree, this would mean a 3 degree increase by 2100.
But global greenhouse gas emissions are still rising, meaning that warming will be more severe than this.
There are also several positive feedback loops e. g. loss of polar ice (which currently reflects solar radiation back into space) meaning that warming will be even faster.
So, as things stand, temperature rises of 6 degrees or more by 2100 are likely.
Such a change in temperature, with all the associated changes in sea level and climate would not be compatible with western civilisation continuing.
This bleak outlook is exacerbated with the failure of the world's politicians to agree on effective measures and the failure to implement those measures that have been agreed.

Last updated: 7 Apr 2019