• Kale
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    1 year ago

    It’s not nearly as common today, but occasionally someone will still make a comment about global warming and scientists being wrong. And I’ll get to say, “yes, they were wrong. Average temperature is increasing faster than the initial forecasts.” IPCC 2018 report didn’t look the greatest, and it included effects of a carbon sequestering process that hasn’t been invented yet.

    At this point, we know the world will look different in 50 years (where water is, where crops are grown, where floodplains are). Avoiding major changes is now impossible. BUT, it’s a continuum. We still have control over it being a new struggle to overcome vs a major catastrophe.

    I was reading lots of buzz about the IPCC report and had an opportunity to visit a glacier in Alberta. On the hike to the glacier, they had signs showing where the glacier was over the years. At first, there would be a sign saying “1890” and 100 meters farther, a sign reading “1920”. Then it was “1940” and a hundred meters away “1960”. Then it became “2004” and 100 meters away “2008”. I forget the exact spacing, but it was very obvious that the glacier is melting at an accelerating rate. That plus the IPCC report was my realization that climate change is happening, and we’ve passed the period where it’s only observable on instruments. Most people are entering into the phase where it has real effects on our daily lives.