Causes.com
| 5.20.22
Climate Change Indicators Broke Records in 2021, Report Says
Are you taking action to combat climate change?
What’s the story?
- The United Nations’ World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released its “State of the Climate” report this week, highlighting how extensively human activities influence climate change. The major indicators that the report emphasizes are rising temperatures, greenhouse gas concentrations, and ocean heat.
- The release of the report has prompted renewed calls by activists’ for policymakers and business leaders to take responsibility for and action against climate change.
Rising temperatures
- The WMO report shows the past seven years were the warmest period on record. 2021 was a cooler year, only around 1.11 degrees C warmer than pre-industrial levels, due to the La Niña event in the Pacific Ocean.
- New records are expected to be set once the La Niña event ends and the next El Niño cycle sets in.
Greenhouse gas concentrations
- Greenhouse gas concentrations reached a new high, hitting 420.23 parts per million (ppm) in April 2022.
- Climate scientists have warned that passing carbon dioxide levels of 400 ppm would push the world into the danger zone of climate change. The 400 ppm threshold was first exceeded in 2015.
- Temperatures will continue to increase as emission levels rise.
Ocean heat, acidification, and sea-level rise
- The ocean is where the planet absorbs most of its heat, and ocean heat levels hit record highs at multiple depth ranges in 2021.
- This is dangerous for marine species and coastal cities. Oceans are acidifying, forcing species to move to safer parts of the world, and massive amounts of sea ice are melting, leading to sea-level rise and dangerous flooding events.
- The global mean sea level reached a new record in 2021, rising by an average of 4.5mm per year over the 2013-2021 period.
- Arctic sea ice extent decreased rapidly in June and July, reaching a record low for the time of year. Sea ice melt slowed in August and September due to a rapid shift in conditions, representing the 12th lowest level in the 43-year record of satellite imaging. Antarctic sea ice reached its 22nd largest extent, nearing the average magnitude.
Is action being taken?
- In response to the report, the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, announced a five-point plan to jumpstart the transition to renewable energy. Guterres said at a press conference:
“Today’s State of the Climate report is a dismal litany of humanity's failure to tackle climate disruption…We must end fossil fuel pollution and accelerate the renewable energy transition, before we incinerate our only home.”
- Guterres called upon the management and shareholders of multilateral development banks and financial institutions to take responsibility, align themselves with the Paris Agreement by 2024, and put an end to nonrenewable energy sources and pollution. The five critical actions to jumpstart the energy transition are as follows.
- Treating renewable energy technologies as essential global public goods
- Secure, scale-up and diversity the supply components and raw materials for renewable energy technologies
- Build frameworks and reform fossil fuel bureaucracies
- Shift subsidies away from fossil fuels
- Triple private and public investments in renewable energy
- Guterres ended the report by saying:
“Every country, city and citizen, every financial institution, company and civil society organization has a role to play. But most of all, it’s time for our leaders–public and private alike–to stop talking about renewables as a distant project of the future. Because without renewables, there can be no future.”
Are you taking action to combat climate change?
-Jamie Epstein
(Photo credit: iStock/FatCamera)
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Safety & Security
Yes, drive a hybrid car (can't afford all electric, yet), installed 12 kW solar panel system, replaced most lighting with LED equivalents, T5 flourescents and CFL equivalents, looking into improved insulation and window seals, and am really missing the former amount of meat in my diet - but that too will pass.
I live 800 ft above sea level on a slight hill in an area that is getting a lot more rain due to climate change and I have already sited the location for a new boathouse.
Also, I have been looking into bidding on some really nice future beach front property just north of Fairbanks.
Before someone who can't handle satire reacts - i am only really doing the stuff in the first paragraph.
Made the change to mass transit and veganism in 2021.
Moved from standalone housing 5 years ago to high rise so I don't need to use heating and cooling but I do take advantage of those around me so still indirectly using it.
Still fighting the plastics battle as so many products are package in plastic and am very aware of the amount as I separate plastics, metals, paper from the rest of the trash for disposal.
Had I not movd would have gotten a hybrid during the transition to EV, and gone Solar like many of my neighbors.
Climate change? Nothing will get better when China and India are the number 1 and 2 polluters. They should be held accountable not us. We already have strict guidelines.
We're all doing our part, let mother nature do hers
In reference to Robert J’s comment, just for a moment look at the areas being being blighted by drought because of climate change. This will become a major world problem in the future. The southwestern drought and depletion of reservoirs is a clear and pressing problem with no clear solution without an act of god. I do not think that sea water can currently be processed fast enough to meet the needs of coastal cities.. But there is more.
I would also be concerned about the deep drilled fossil water that supports Tucson. The Saudi’s had developed deep water drilling by adopting deep oil drilling techniques. They were a net exporter of wheat for a while using deep water drilling into a deep fossil water aquifer - until they completely emptied it. There is no good way to know the capacity of these deep water researves which cannot be replenished from surface water sources. Once they are emptied they are gone. The Saudi's moved at least some of their deep water drilled irrigation to lands repurposed for agriculture outside of Tucson. Since, as I understand it, in Arizona water sources reachable under someone's land is theirs alone and there is no way to keep these deep water drilled irrigation sources from fully depleting the fossil water reserves that supports the local populations.
Changing watersheds and depleted water sources will become a bigger problem nationally and a huge geo-political disruption as large populated regions loose access to potable water.
Almost all of India's large population depends on melt water from mountain glaciers - and they are melting away. What will India do when their population looses access to water? What will this huge population do to stay alive? What can and should the world do to prevent a mass humanitarian catastrophe?
The Climate Crisis will bring a wide range of complex geo-political issues and we will need intelligent comprehensive plans in-place to deal with them, especially those that that are fairly obvious.
The point is that the Climate Crisis will bring many complex geo-political problems which the world of nations needs to start planning for now. Renewable non-fossil fuel energy is an important means to mitigate or delay the impact but resolving issues which we know will develop will also require timely, innovative and equitable solutions.
The ticking sound from doomsday countdown clock is getting louder and louder.
Listen, react!
Thank God I was raised by those who lived through the "Great Depression". I was taught to waste not, want not", how to "can" fruits, vegetables, and meats, recycle clothing into cleanning rags, quilts, curtains, and other types of clothing. I use old worn sheets for night gowns, extra pillow cases, and even go so far as to cut into strips for braided rugs or crochet projects. Avoid plastics as much as possible and prefer to purchase foods packed in glass so I can store a multitude of other things. When I purchase a Coca-Cola for myself, I purchase glass bottles with the product "made in Mexico" for several reasons the first is taste, the second is the fact they use cane sugar and not the artificial sweeteners which are chemical induced. Don't be fooled by stevia and other so-called plant sweeteners. I recycle as much as I can where I live. Twice a month I drive 15 miles, round trip, to take care of banking and major shopping. Once every three monts I have to make a 120 mile round trip to see my ENT for voice prosthesis change and travel the same distance every 6 months to see my cardiologist and my oncologist. I drive a 1991 Olds Cutlass Calaigh that gets me 32 miles to the gallon of gas. I do my weekly grocery shopping locally, once a week but because the prices are so high, that is limited to only what I need and what is on sale. Needless to say, there is one thing I have no control over and that is the damage done to our atmosphere by the continuous onslaught of war with the bombs bursting, tanks mobilizing, aircraft buzzing overhead, gunfire, and so on. Did I mention all the underground damage being done with neucular testing by almost every country on the planet, fracking, and drilling. along with other underground activity? The over abundance of greed and vanity is slowly destroying humankind. Until we bring our various governments under our control, we are all doomed. The planet is doomed. Proof that the "Let George do it" attitude has once again raised it's ugly head. Only when everyone of us put our foot down, will we see progress.
Climate change IS the history of the earth.
Lies
Mqan Made Climate Change is a Scam, designed to turn Us into a Communist cesspool. Earth's climate has never been stable. Man is far too feeble to cause, change, or do anything other than adapt to th3 climate change.
Test
But more needs to be done. 2022 is going through be worse than 2021.
We need to tax and start eliminating big oil and coal
The one thing you need to remember about the climate crisis indicators is the scientists who claim its a crisis are funded by the same businesses that fund the politicians.
Lol.
Not going to help a dam thing.I don't drink the climate change Kool aid.It all a hoax to gain more control and power.Hey let's ruin the greatest country in the world in the name of climate change its happening rite before your eyes.Its time we the people put are foot down enough is enough with this bs.
Students say restrictive new education laws are scary and frustrating
Climate change, guns, redistricting, voter restrictions, abortion and personal issues, school curriculums etc are all being decimated by the American Taliban
They are quick to lambaste afghan taliban on restrictions on women & girls but practice the same here with total impunity
the youth & women need to start voting out these goons who have usurped the agenda
removing statues are not going to help either! they are a part of history whether you like it or not. sure don't glorify them but let them be a prominent testament to the wrongs - just change the plaque to state facts and people can discern
if you are going to empower people like desantis, abbot, cruz, mitch, kevin, and such jerks especially dumbkopf then you deserve what you are getting
holding vigils, walkouts, protests, sit-ins do not work any more - only 2 things do MONEY & VOTES / hit their pockets & vote them out of office
yes America is also run by oligarchs. Larry Ellison, Peter Theil, Elon Musk, Koch, oil giants, etc that feed these goons are culpable for propagating this trash so why are you rewarding them?
Drive 2 electric cars. Use an electric company that pledges to use mostly green energy. Turn off or unplug everything in the house when not in use. Installed double paned windows in my 100 year old house. Smart thermostat. All reusable food and drink containers. Can my own foods. Grow my own veggies.
Tried to install solar but installers in Texas gouge the crap out of you - quoted $77,000 for a 4kW system.
It's mid-May and in Las Vegas we've already had several days of triple digit heat. Even more distressing are the winds with gusts of up to 70 miles/hour.
I have a pool solar cover in my yard today. I don't own a solar cover & I have 6 ft. block walls all around my yard. My couch was flipped off my patio & took out one of the landscaping lights.
I've lived in Vegas over 30 years. I have never seen sustained winds like this ever. 100 degree temperatures were only for a few days in July & August...those days are long gone. Now we have triple digits beginning in May all the way through September!
Combine the heat, with high winds, a low water levels and fire danger is the big risk in the west
I do what I can I want to do more I want world governments to do more
https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/weather/las-vegas-records-6th-hottest-year-ever-in-2021-2507833/
Without green, reliable energy sources, we have no future!
Invest in clean energy.
Stop oil subsidies.
Transition our "dirty" energy workforce to clean energy workforce.
We NEED action NOW!!!
I would be glad to help but they tell me my idea to help is illegal.
NOPE! NADA! ZIP! ZERO!
Everyone should be. This may be the only issue that will matter in 100 years.
I question the indicators we follow considering they have been repeating the same thing for the last 100 years and the coasts are still not underwater. Not to say we shouldn't do more to protect the environment, but the way in which we think we are hurting the planet appears to not be the case or at the very least is not properly understood.