We're near 'point of no return' on climate change

[PunkTheFunk 125,733]

Climate change: 'Hothouse Earth' risks even if CO2 emissions slashed

It may sound like the title of a low budget sci-fi movie, but for planetary scientists, "Hothouse Earth" is a deadly serious concept. Researchers believe we could soon cross a threshold leading to boiling hot temperatures and towering seas in the centuries to come. Even if countries succeed in meeting their CO2 targets, we could still lurch on to this "irreversible pathway".

Each year the Earth's forests, oceans and land soak up about 4.5 billion tonnes of carbon that would otherwise end up in our atmosphere adding to temperatures.

Their study shows it could happen if global temperatures rise by 2C.

An international team of climate researchers, writing in the journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, says the warming expected in the next few decades could turn some of the Earth's natural forces - that currently protect us - into our enemies. But as the world experiences warming, these carbon sinks could become sources of carbon and make the problems of climate change significantly worse.

So whether it is the permafrost in northern latitudes that now holds millions of tonnes of warming gases, or the Amazon rainforest, the fear is that the closer we get to 2 degrees of warming above pre-industrial levels, the greater the chances that these natural allies will spew out more carbon than they currently now take in.

Back in 2015, governments of the world committed themselves to keeping temperature rises well below 2 degrees, and to strive to keep them under 1.5. According to the authors, the current plans to cut carbon may not be enough if their analysis is correct.

"What we are saying is that when we reach 2 degrees of warming, we may be at a point where we hand over the control mechanism to Planet Earth herself," co-author Prof Johan Rockström, from the Stockholm Resilience Centre, told BBC News.

"We are the ones in control right now, but once we go past 2 degrees, we see that the Earth system tips over from being a friend to a foe. We totally hand over our fate to an Earth system that starts rolling out of equilibrium."

What exactly is a Hothouse Earth scenario?

In short, it's not good.

According to the research paper, crossing into a Hothouse Earth period would see a higher global temperature than at any time in the past 1.2 million years.

The climate might stabilise with 4-5 degrees C of warming above the pre-industrial age. Thanks to the melting of ice sheets, the seas could be 10-60 metres higher than now.

Essentially, this would mean that some parts of the Earth would become uninhabitable.

The impacts would be "massive, sometimes abrupt and undoubtedly disruptive," say the authors.

The only upside, if you can call it that, is that the worst impacts may not be felt for a century or two. The downside is that we wouldn't really be able to do anything about it, once it starts.

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-45084144

------

Great-great-grandchildren cancelled

[ryanripley 86,575]

thanos had the right idea

[TropicOfCANCER 6,292]

i'm pretty sure scientists announced 2-3 years ago we had already reached that point. 

[PunkTheFunk 125,733]

1 minute ago, TropicOfCANCER said:

i'm pretty sure scientists announced 2-3 years ago we had already reached that point. 

There doesn't seem to be a consensus among scientists about whether we've reached that point or not. If you read the rest of the article in the link, some say these researchers are overreacting, while others think their conclusions make sense. I think we're going to pass it soon in any case 

[Gov Hooka 8,008]

excellent. Humanity deserves to be expunged. Can't wait for mass death-at least it means that i don't have to worry about building a career for the time being. 

[Noctelus 2,930]

slave 4 u teas

[PunkTheFunk 125,733]

2 minutes ago, Gov Hooka said:

excellent. Humanity deserves to be expunged. Can't wait for mass death-at least it means that i don't have to worry about building a career for the time being. 

It's going to take at least 100-200 years for things to get really bad. You might want to focus on that career in the meantime 

[Gov Hooka 8,008]

Just now, PunkTheFunk said:

It's going to take at least 100-200 years for things to get really bad. You might want to focus on that career in the meantime 

sisss i was just going to use my savings and fortunately my inheritance to just travel for the rest of my life. **** kids. I love my kids so much I won't bring them into the world.

[JLoveLamar 379]

5 minutes ago, PunkTheFunk said:

It's going to take at least 100-200 years for things to get really bad. You might want to focus on that career in the meantime 

LMAO! You bitch! I am HOLLERING in the breakroom at that last sentence!!!

[Pacify Him 9,073]

An apocalypse

Too bad I won’t live long enough to see it

[lairofhk 936]

Translation: we are already past the point of no return. And you sure as hell know the Trump Administration doesn’t give a rats ass. They’re just killing any remote chance we had of actually trying to do something.

[PunkTheFunk 125,733]

30 minutes ago, lairofhk said:

Translation: we are already past the point of no return. And you sure as hell know the Trump Administration doesn’t give a rats ass. They’re just killing any remote chance we had of actually trying to do something.

[River 128,509]

God will save us all

[PunkTheFunk 125,733]

8 minutes ago, River said:

God will save us all

Gaga can't even promote a single. How will she stop global warming?

[rumours 45,521]

10 minutes ago, PunkTheFunk said:

Gaga can't even promote a single. How will she stop global warming?

What if it’s a REALLY good radio interview?

That could be TheCure.mp3 for global warming.