Upload
youth-can
View
317
Download
2
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
Courtesy to www.350.org
Citation preview
?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
52 5252
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