Yet again, we are discovering that the ill effects of climate change are increasing nearly daily, and that even the aggressive estimates made at the beginning of 2016 are far off from our new reality.
Meanwhile, ever since Bernie left the race, neither Clinton nor Trump have uttered the words “climate,” or “global warming.” Guess they aren’t too concerned about it either?
It’s becoming increasingly difficult to add an optimistic spin to issues of climate change as again and again, we see world leaders and citizens doing the bare minimum – or nothing at all – to try and control our ill effects on the planet.
Already, the planet is flirting with record high temperatures that world leaders agreed to stay below. If we fail to stay below these targeted ranges, we will find our planet forever altered – and in some ways, uninhabitable. Already this year, we have hit the lower range of these limits, raising fears.
According to Salon:
“The 2°C goal represents a temperature increase from a pre-industrial baseline that scientists believe will maintain the relatively stable climate conditions that humans and other species have adapted to over the previous 12,000 years. It will also minimize some of the worst impacts of climate change: drought, heat waves, heavy rain and flooding, and sea level rise. Limiting the global surface temperature increase to 1.5°C would lessen these impacts even further.”
Considering how much we have already failed to follow these conservative guidelines – and considering that some people still think all of this is a bunch of baloney – it’s hard to pretend that things will somehow be ok.
We have to act, and act fast. With the leaders we have now, that possibility is slipping away.
You can read more about the climate threshold at Salon.
