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seldom_seen wrote:

I will not change the way I live." — K.L. (Manchester, MD)

Atmospheric carbon levels are higher now than in the last 650,000 years.

Carbon dioxide levels are substantially higher now than at any time in the last 800,000 years, the latest study of ice drilled out of Antarctica confirms.

The in-depth analysis of air bubbles trapped in a 3.2km-long core of frozen snow shows current greenhouse gas concentrations are unprecedented.

The East Antarctic core is the longest, deepest ice column yet extracted.

Project scientists say its contents indicate humans could be bringing about dangerous climate changes.

"My point would be that there's nothing in the ice core that gives us any cause for comfort," said Dr Eric Wolff from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS).

The Bush administration quickly made it clear that it would not be stampeded by the report into taking part in the U.N.'s Kyoto Protocol, which seeks to limit emissions of carbon dioxide. The U.S. withdrew from the protocol in 2001, saying it was too expensive and did not impose enough controls on developing nations. "Each nation sort of defines their regulatory objectives in different ways to achieve the greenhouse reduction outcome that they seek," said Jim Connaughton, chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, during a teleconference Friday from Brussels.

Sharon Hays, associate director of the White House Office of Science and Technology, noted in the same teleconference that "not all projected impacts are negative." Other governments, such as China, Russia and Saudi Arabia, had already expressed their displeasure with parts of the report by demanding changes — some of them seemingly minor in the grand scheme of climate change.

Panel member Yohe said that China and Saudi Arabia, for example, objected to a sentence that stated "very high confidence" that many natural systems were already being affected by regional climate changes, arguing that "very" should be removed.

They basically say that it is already too late to avoid lots of really bad climate change, given the amount of CO2 already in the air, and given its persistence (centuries), and given various feedback loops (i.e. uncontrolable vicious cycles already visily and measurably set in motion).

savethehumans wrote:Everyone should do what we should do even if times were not so threatening: value every day you've got, love those who you love (or even those you hate!), appreciate what is taken for granted and is of TRUE worth. You never know how long you'll have 'em!

Heck, ten years from now, what'll be left? Twenty years on, WHO will be left? Cherish today! Even the worse todays will be better than the best tomorrows!

At US insistence, summary drafters dumped a paragraph that said North America was "expected to experience severe local economic damage and substantial ecosystem, social and cultural disruption," delegates in Brussels said.

savethehumans wrote:At this point, I just wish there'd be a government, corporation, or some mover-and-shaker who'd just be honest with us. Respect, SELF-respect, honesty, compassion and dignity are the qualities worth going down with. What good is wealth and high standing gonna do anyone when TSHTF, anyway?

The United Nations Security Council prepared to hold its first discussion of global warming Tuesday in New York.

A 23-page summary of the full 1,000-plus-page report on the worldwide impact of global warming by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was released in Brussels, Belgium, on April 6. Detailed chapters devoted to specific regions of the world are being published separately.

The North American section, Chapter 14, describes what's happening now and what the authors think will occur as the world heats up. Here are some of the developments it forecasts as "likely" or "very likely":

-By 2039, average temperatures across North America will rise by 1.8 to 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit. By 2100, the warming will be 3.6 to 5.4 degrees in the west, south and east, but more than 9 degrees in the far north.

-Less rain will fall in the Southwest, but more will fall in the rest of the continent. The chances of extreme precipitation and flooding will increase.

-Trends in hurricane frequency and intensity are uncertain, but there will be more intense mid-latitude storms and extreme wave heights.

-Shrinking western mountain snowpacks will melt earlier, causing spring floods and drier summers. The Columbia and Colorado rivers will be especially vulnerable. Southwestern states will battle for water.

-Water levels in the Great Lakes will drop, affecting ship navigation and fishing, and exposing buried pollutants.

-Warmer lake and river water will threaten fish and spread pollution. Surface temperatures in Midwestern lakes could reach 86 degrees.

-Growing seasons will lengthen for most of the 21st century. Forests will increase by 10 percent to 20 percent. As much as one-third of plant and animal species may be doomed to extinction.

-Sea levels will rise 9 to 18 inches by 2100 along U.S. coasts, higher in Canada and Alaska. Up to 21 percent of coastal wetlands in the mid-Atlantic region will be lost. Higher seas and accompanying storm surges will harm transportation along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts.

-Severe heat waves and more pollution will threaten human health. Chicago can expect 25 percent more heat waves annually. Los Angeles will experience four to eight times as many heat-wave days. Severe hay fever, asthma and other lung diseases will mount.