As Australian bushfires persist, the reality of climate change as
manifested by extreme weather events is hitting, like a blast out of a furnace.
Consistent with laws of physic established for over a century [1],
atmospheric temperatures are largely regulated by greenhouse gases (GHG)
(Figure 1). The same applies to the connection between rising temperature and
the spate of extreme weather events around the globe. This includes increased
climate variability shifting toward the warm end of the scale, heat waves,
fires, cold fronts consequent on increased evaporation in ice-free polar zones,
intensification of the hydrological cycle and consequent rise in floods and
hurricanes [2]. experienced in
The failure to negotiate agreements for mitigation of GHG, through
Where does responsibility belong?
Since 1990 the UN International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) [5]
has issued detailed peer review science-based climate change reports,
documenting past and current climate parameters and projecting trends to the
end of the century. However, the linear nature of the projected trends has
lulled the public into false sense of security, assuming sufficient time
remains to gradually mitigate carbon emissions. Further, IPCC reports tended to
underestimate climate change rates [6], providing limited information regarding
the stability of ice sheets, the magnitude of amplifying feedback effects and
methane release.
Since UN climate efforts depend entirely on decisions by its members,
the first port of call has to be with governments which, elected or otherwise,
ought to be committed to protect people's lives, present and future.
Figure 2. UN
global efforts vs global CO2 rise. http://www.vancouverobserver.com/blogs/climatesnapshot/climate-failure-kyoto-doha-one-simple-chart
In this regard, James Hansen, NASA's chief climate scientist states:
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