climate change effects

?WHAT IS

it’s MORE than a NUMBER...

SCIENCE

it’s about…

it’s a clear limit

CLIMATE

THAT TELLS US WHAT’S SAFE FOR OUR

What do we know about climate change?

THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT

1. CO2 and other greenhouse gases trap heat from the sun in our atmosphere.

Before the Industrial Revolution, for

thousands of years, the amount of carbon in the

atmosphere was at 287ppm

Now, after three centuries of burning coal, oil, and gas, we're at 390ppm – that’s above any levels we’ve seen in recorded history.

2. We also know that CO2 influences global temperature

CO2 in PPM

GLOBAL TEMPERATURE

Years ago

Part

s p

er

Million

C

O2

TODAY: 390ppm

550ppm? More?

EARLY 1900S

LAST ICE AGE

Where we’ll be mid-century if we keep this up

look how the temperature line follows CO2 look how the temperature line follows CO2 concentrations throughout historyconcentrations throughout history

3. And now we’re seeing the results - we can see that measurable, recorded impacts are happening now all around us.

Chapare, Bolivia

GLACIERS ARE MELTING

MUIR & RIGGS GLACIER 1941

MUIR & RIGGS GLACIER 2004

PEDERSEN GLACIER, AK 1920

PEDERSEN GLACIER, AK 2005

SEA LEVELS ARE RISING

Three Year Average

Satellite Altimetry

Year

Sea L

evel C

han

ge (c

m)

OCEANS ARE ACIDIFYING

Coral reefs are bleaching

WEATHER IS BECOMING MORE EXTREME

Australia suffers worst drought in

1,000 years “ ”

- Guardian UK, Nov 7, 2008

U.S. dealing

with Katrina’s wrath as death toll soars.

“ ”- International Herald Tribune,

August 31, 2005

MAJOR FLOODS PER DECADE

num

ber o

f majo

r floods p

er d

eca

de

num

ber o

f majo

r floods p

er d

eca

de

Small islands are sinking or eroding

“Rapid Warming’ Spreads Havoc in Canada’s Forests.“ ”

- Washington Post, March 1, 2006

Australia fires spark calls for CLIMATE

ACTION“ ”- Washington Post, March 1, 2006

The most startling evidence yet…

is the MELTING OF THE ARCTIC.

New predictions

Satellite observationsMean IPCC predictionMost likely change

(melt)IPCC range

Actual observed melting

it has melted nearly 80 YEARS ahead of when

scientists predicted

YEAR

% c

han

ge in

ice

cover

CO2 IN THE ATMOSPHERE

WE’RE HERE: 390

WE NEED TO BE HERE: 350

PA

RTS

PER

MIL

LIO

N C

O2

YEAR

How do we know all this?

The largest research project in history: In 1988, the IPCC was

created to “provide the decision-makers and others interested in climate change with an objective source of information

about climate change”

NEW REPORTS EVERY 4 YEARS

SCIENTISTS

WON THE NOBEL PRIZE IN 2007 WITH AL GORE

We’ve warmed our planet more than 1 degree F/ .07 degrees C and

are already observing major impacts and changes in our climate.

Do we really want to see what Do we really want to see what happens if we keep going? We will happens if we keep going? We will face increasingly severe impacts face increasingly severe impacts

like…like…

the disappearance of

SMALL ISLANDS

severely impacted

LOCAL ECONOMIES

The most comprehensive review ever carried out on the economics of climate change warns that global warming could inflict worldwide disruption as great as that caused by the two World Wars and the Great Depression.

“ ”- Environmental News

Service

STERN REVIEW, 2006

The world has never faced such a predictably massive threat to

food production as that posed by the melting mountain glaciers of

Asia

“ ”- Lester Brown, Earth Policy

Institute, Author of Plan B

THE DISRUPTION OF FOOD PRODUCTION

Climate change could force

1 BILLION from their homes by 2050.

“ ”- April 30, 2008, The

Independent.

A HUMAN RIGHTS CRISIS AND INSTABILITY

THAT’S WHY WE HAVE TO ACT NOW.

“If humanity wishes to preserve a planet similar to that on which civilization developed and to which life on Earth is adapted, paleoclimate evidence and ongoing climate change suggest that CO2 will need to be reduced from its current 387ppm to at most 350ppm.”

- NASA climatologist Dr. James E. Hansen,

2008

so how do we get back to 350ppm and avoid climate catastrophe?

IT’S DIFFICULT

BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE

IF WE START NOW.

IT MEANS PUTTING UP WIND TURBINESINSTEAD OF COAL PLANTS

IT MEANS PLANTING TREESINSTEAD OF CLEAR-CUTTING

RAINFORESTS

AND IMPLEMENTING

A THOUSAND

DIFFERENT SOLUTIONS

that can create new

jobs

And make our communities HEALTHIER

PA

RTS

PER

MIL

LIO

N C

O2

YEAR

Phaseout of coal by 2030

Improved forestry and soil

Reduced oil/gas use

GETTING TO 350

According to Jim Hansen and other scientists the main things we need to do right away are:

Stop coal use by 2030

Improve agricultural and forestry practices Dramatically reduce the use of all other fossil fuels

If we manage to accomplish these things, we could get back to 350ppm by mid-century

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BY TAKING ACTION, WE CAN CALL ON BY TAKING ACTION, WE CAN CALL ON OUR LEADERS TO MAKE THESE OUR LEADERS TO MAKE THESE

CHANGESCHANGES

AND PROVIDE AN EXAMPLE OF HOW OUR COMMUNITIES COULD BE IN A WORLD AT

350PPM