The world is close to reaching tipping points that will make it irreversibly hotter, making this decade critical in efforts to contain global warming, scientists warned on Monday.
Scientific estimates differ but the world’s temperature looks set to rise by six degrees Celsius by 2100 if greenhouse gas emissions are allowed to rise uncontrollably.
As emissions grow, scientists say the world is close to reaching thresholds beyond which the effects on the global climate will be irreversible, such as the melting of polar ice sheets and loss of rainforests.
“This is the critical decade. If we don’t get the curves turned around this decade we will cross those lines,” said Will Steffen, executive director of the Australian National University’s climate change institute, speaking at a conference in London.
Despite this sense of urgency, a new global climate treaty forcing the world’s biggest polluters, such as the United States and China, to curb emissions will only be agreed on by 2015 – to enter into force in 2020.
“We are on the cusp of some big changes,” said Steffen. “We can … cap temperature rise at two degrees, or cross the threshold beyond which the system shifts to a much hotter state.”
TIPPING POINTS
For ice sheets – huge refrigerators that slow down the warming of the planet – the tipping point has probably already been passed, Steffen said. The West Antarctic ice sheet has shrunk over the last decade and the Greenland ice sheet has lost around 200 cubic km (48 cubic miles) a year since the 1990s.
Most climate estimates agree the Amazon rainforest will get drier as the planet warms. Mass tree deaths caused by drought have raised fears it is on the verge of a tipping point, when it will stop absorbing emissions and add to them instead.
Around 1.6 billion tonnes of carbon were lost in 2005 from the rainforest and 2.2 billion tonnes in 2010, which has undone about 10 years of carbon sink activity, Steffen said.
One of the most worrying and unknown thresholds is the Siberian permafrost, which stores frozen carbon in the soil away from the atmosphere.
“There is about 1,600 billion tonnes of carbon there – about twice the amount in the atmosphere today – and the northern high latitudes are experiencing the most severe temperature change of any part of the planet,” he said.
Lies, nothing but lies. They present no proof which will stand up to peer review.
@Zelsdorf Ragshaft III:
You are correct…
CO2 is heavier than air…it does not go up into the atmosphere and trap heat.
is that why some people become mad in airplane? because of the air
might contain some, WHAT I DUNNO YET, BUT IT’S MY EXPLANATION OF WHAT WE ARE EXPERIENCING LATELY,
OTHER PASS OUT IN A CLOSE PLACE WHEN OBAMA ENTER FOR HIS SPEECH.
some other have disappear from this EARTH NEVER TO BE FOUND maybe have lost mind direction memory
other who work in highrise building get sick by breeding the recycle air,
crime from human going bazurk, any where, even maybe PTSD FROM MILITARY
ON WARZONE BREEDING CORRUPT POISONOUS AIR, or could it be coming from invisible gas from the earth deb, THE STUF THE AFGHANS USE TO MAKE THEIR EIDS ARE THE SAME STUFF THEY PLANT THEIR VEGETABLE FARM WITH, THEY JUST HAVE TO ADD POWDER EXPLOSIVES , AND CHECK
THEIR MAD MOB’S EYES, EVEN THE SOLDIER AFGHANS ARE TURNING MAD FROM MENTAL MADNESS AND SHOOT THE
THE AMERICANS TEACHING THEM TO DEFEND THEMSELVES AND THEIR COUNTRY, IF THIS IS NOT MADNESS, WHAT IS
IS THAT ALL RELATED? NO ONE CAN TELL YES OR ; EVEN GOING FURTHER, IS THERE A POSSIBLE
REALITY THAT SOMEONE COULD BE INJECTING POISONOUS AIR IN ANY BUILDING, PLANE OR PUBLIC INDOOR PLACES WHERE THERE IS RECYCLE AIR to Injure the BRAIN IN SOME WAY
LIKE BRAIN WAVE DISRUPTION, which would affect people each at different level of strength,
a spray to break molecules of the air , rendering it dangerous to breed
just thinking cynical is in it, but possible for terrorist to mess up with the air we breed
sounds crazy, but how about the air quality being check every time the PLANE get a check up by different many employees nobody knows their allegeance, right after they are done and before the people enter,
silly me? oh oh let me get some air
Keyser Soze
OH MY, I just turn the channel TV on DOOMSDAY, SCARY AND FROM THE MAYANS END OF THE WORLD,
DOESN’T FIT PERFECTLY WITH THE POST.
“Despite this sense of urgency, a new global climate treaty forcing the world’s biggest polluters, such as the United States and China…”
I work with a girl from India. When chatting with her one day, we got into differences in her country and the United States….one of the things she pointed out was the ‘Air’…I pressed her…’what do you mean the Air?’ She said it smells clean and is so much cleaner….very dirty air in India, pollution – smells bad…. I am not sure exactly what part of India she is from.
FAITH
HI,
IT’S THEM ALL who come here and pollute AMERICA, THEY CAME IN IN A CLEAN COUNTRY,
THEY CAME IN IN A FREE COUNTRY, THEY CAME IN IN A UNITE COUNTRY,
LOOK WHERE WE ARE NOW, THE COUNTRY IS DIRTY,AND DIVIDE, AND EMPOWER BY GOVERNMENT OF FOREIGHN INFLUENCE AND LEANING
AMERICA SHOULD CLOSE THE BORDERS, DEPORT ALL OF THEM BACK TO THEIR COUNTRY, AND CLOSE AMERICA, UNTIL WE GET BACK WITH MORE OF OUR OWN ROOTS TO SECURE OUR SURVIVAL OF THE ALL AMERICA OF THE NEW WORLD, AND GET BACK OUR ECONOMY WE HAD BEFORE THERE WAS ALL THOSE AGENCIES, AND GET RID OF THOSE ALL AT ONCE,
LET THE PEOPLE TAKE CARE OF IT’S OWN DECISIONS TO CREATE JOBS, TO USE OUR OWN OIL, TO TAKE CARE OF OUR OWN POOR LIKE THE PREVIOUS GENERATIONS DID BETTER THAN TODAY WITH LESS CORRUPTION, RELOCATE WHERE THE POWER SHOULD BE, THAT IS; WITH THE PEOPLE
OF AMERICA, AND REGAIN THE NUCLEAR POWER TO TELL OTHER, DON’T MESS WITH US,
OR WE WILL MESS WITH YOU, IS IN IT FAIR ENOUGH?
BYE
@FAITH7: #5
Every developing country goes through this. They don’t worry about pollution until it starts making people sick, and the public complains enough. The USA did the same. The common saying was, “The solution to pollution is dilution.” As long as you had enough air and water to dilute the stuff, it wasn’t a problem.
Our northeastern factories were killing the German’s forests because the factory exhausts made it over there. I remember when the Inuit women in Alaska were having miscarriages. An investigation found it was from too much mercury in there bodies. The mercury came from us and other countries dumping it into the oceans, the fish absorbing it, the seals eating the fish, then the Inuits eating the seals.
New Your City used to haul flat barges of their garbage out to sea and dump them in the ocean. There are parts of the oceans where NOTHING lives because of the stuff we and other countries have done to them.
You would think that the United Nations would get involved in the polluting of the world, but you don’t hear much from them about it, do you?
The climate change brought about by the global warming myth. Otherwise it is a moot point.
Smorgasbord
hi
don’t you think the UN have enough intrusion in AMERICA
don’t you think we have enough intelligence to fix the whatever problem individual without being force into stupid over done regulation? which paralyze the progress of businesses and make unemployement grow at an historic size, and chase out the money maker abroad, crippling the economy,
that is the worse way to bring a NATION TO SUCSESSFULY INGENEER NEW TECHNOLOGY.
which AMERICA WAS SO STRONG BEFORE IN INNOVATION AND CREATIVITY TO IMPROVE BY
THE SHEAR WAY OF DESIRE TO FIX PROBLEMS IN THIS COUNTRY BY USING THE BRAIN POWER AS OPPOSE TO ENTITLEMENTS AND REGULATION AS WE ARE AWARE OF NOW UNDER THE STRONG ARM OF COMMUNIST IMPOSITION HIDDEN WITH LOTS OF BIG TALKERS HIRED AND PAID ONLY FOR SELLING IT TO THE LESS GIFTED CITIZENS WHICH ARE ALLOWED IN THE COUNTRY WITH THE ONLY AGENDA TO FOLLOW AND VOTE FOR AN INCOMPETENT LEADER SOLD TO COMMUNIST AND LEAD BY COMMUNIST POWER ABROAD WHICH STILL IS DESTRUCTING THEIR OWN PEOPLE BRAINS,
It seems to me that if the Earth was so sensitive to these mann-made climate changes as the Gaia-cultists would have you believe, it would have burned up eons ago. After all, a single volcano can spew out as much CO2 as the entire human race…. so why hasn’t that caused run-away “global warming”?
Jim S
wow this is a good argument,
you’re why I love my FLOPPING ACES BLOG
that is hard to debate,
bye
Faith7…
The United Nations is a globally ineffective criminal organization.
They are only proficient at overseeing mass slaughter of innocent people in areas where they have interestals.
Or laundering box cars full of stolen cash and food aid into Cayman bank accounts.
Interests … what the hell is an interestsls, and who put it in spell ckeck…?
Rush Limbaugh started the Gore Bull Doomsday Clock in 2006. The window is 10 years, the time frame for the co2 apocalypse. 4 years to go. Maybe the Mayan calendar will get us first( alignment of the planets). I need a BS sifter to eliminate false projections.
oil guy from Alberta
hi,
yes for sure, but the one mentioned what the VOLCANO COULD SPIT IN CO2,
that will shrink the years left, unless, unless, like the movie bring,
they let the WOMAN have their babies, INSTEAD OF IMPOSING THE ABORTION IN ALL KIND OF WAYS TO MAKE IT RIGHT,
BYE
MMERCIER
DON’T THINK IT’S ME,
I do slip words like that sometimes, but never on a different comment than mine,
beside what’s wrong with the word; INTERESTLS,; COULD IT MEAN A LOT OF INTEREST,
BYE
@ilovebeeswarzone: #9
I was only referring to the fact that the UN is not going after the countries that are doing the worst polluting. We used to be the world’s worst polluters, but we have learned our lesson and have cleaner air and water than we did years ago.
Why isn’t the UN demanding ALL countries have the same standards as the major countries who used to pollute heavily but are much cleaner than the other developed countries? Simple. The UN has become a “Hate the USA and other free countries” organization, and their sole purpose is to bring free countries down.
Smorgasbord
yes I believe it too, their agenda is not what they say it is,
look at their behavior on the revolutions since the beginning of the ARAB SPRING,
it seems like they where the maker of it along with some leader we suspect you know,
orchestrate perfectly,
and now afterward, nothing better is happening, and so many people die to get what freedom.
and beside the subject, why does OBAMA told RUSSIA to wait for his reelection for what,
it look like a secret we must not know until he get elected, sinister is in it, same as the multi pages bill they had to pass it before we know, and all the other bills pass before the people know,and what is brewing now between their group
to overcome the wish of the people in spite of it,
bye
@ilovebeeswarzone: #18
The UN has already invading the USA. We have an agreement with them to manage federal land together. Our Yellowstone National Park is one of them that they have part control over. Then, we have some politicians and Supreme Court members who want to use other country’s laws and the UN to decide OUR issues.
Smorgasbord
I hope they will be back down by the next PRESIDENT, AND MAYBE THAT IS THE REASON THAT THE KEYSTONE IS DELAYED, HOW ABOUT LANDS HAVING BEEN PURCHASE SECRETLY UNDER THE NOSE OF AMERICANS BY THOSE IN THE UN, WHICH MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE DEMOCRATS TO ADMIT.
SECRET DEAL TO SELL AMERICA’S TREASURES
@ilovebeeswarzone: #20
It’s not just the democrats. The republicans have had the congress and the white hose different times and could have fixed a lot of stuff, but chose not to. We don’t have two political parties any more. Just one with two branches.
Smorgasbord
hi,
I was thinking, who are the worse polluters? I found them, just by thinking what is going on in the world,
how about the many thousands possibly millions of HUMANS KILLED BY WAY OF ARAB SPRING
TAKE OVER,
where are the DEAD BODY?, inside their EARTH, FOR SURE, they would not be allowed to put them in another of the ISLAMIST COUNTRIES AROUND THEM, which also have their own DEAD BURRIED IN THEIR OWN EARTH, AND let’s calculate how many countries went through the revolt,
quite a lot is in it, so that leave all those dead in their earth under a very short time, all together at once polluting their EARTH MASSIVELY MAKING THEM THE WORSE POLLUTERS OF THE GLOBE WITHIN THE SHORTER TIME FRAME OF ALL THE COUNTRIES ON THIS EARTH.
CAN WE PROJECT THE CO2 RISING AND STAYING ON THE BREEDING LOW ATMOSPHERE SPACE OF AIR OF THE HUMANS LEFT ALIVE IN THOSE COUNTRIES,
BYE
Smorgasbord
if it is, they are now on the move, and they had the message to leave out the tolerance and stand their grounds from now on, and the other are going bazurk because of the turn about to face them instead of being the good guys, they have some conservatives teaching them to stand tall along the teaparty elected who are watching and blocking any stupid move by the other, so the next election should bring a new crop of the SMART CONSERVATIVES IN THERE WHICH WOULD MAKE MORE ACTIONS THAN THE DEMOCRATS HAVE EVER SEEN, IF SOME OF THEM ARE LEFT ELECTED FOR THE NEXT FOUR YEARS, THEY MIGHT ALL DISAPEAR WITH THE NEXT ELECTION TAKING OBAMA WITH THEM.
AND I’m sure the PEOPLE WILL SEE HOW SHOULD THE WHITE HOUSE AND OTHER ELECTED SHOULD BE RUN FOR THE PEOPLE BY REAL GIFTED PEOPLE. THE AWAKENING OF AMERICA WILL BRING A JOYFUL PARTY SO BIG AND SO BEAUTIFUL THAT THE WHOLE FREE WORLD WILL ENJOY,
FOR AMERICA ALIVE AGAIN. UNITED AGAIN, POSITIVE AGAIN FOR
THE COMING BRIGHT FUTURE.
BYE
@ilovebeeswarzone: #22
Believe it or not, bodies in the ground actually benefit the ground. Our Native American Indians found that by putting a fish with each hill of corn they planted, the plants did much better. A decaying body puts nourishment back into the ground.
@ilovebeeswarzone: #23
I hope you are right, but the politicians still have to get money from someone else to run for office. The way a company or a rich person gets what they want is to donate to both parties. The politicians have to do what the donor wants or they won’t get the money again.
Obama will open up his donation web page again so he can accept any amount of money from any person and country, just like he did the last election.
Smorgasbord
hi,
on your 24, no wonder they are all nuts in there, too much body in their food,
yack yack
that’s why I don’t care for foreign food, if it’s not body it part of body waste,
bye
Smorgasbord
did you read of THE BUSH ELDER ENDORSE ROMNEY AND RUBIO ALSO,
I have a feeling that NEWT WILL GO ANY TIME, UNLESS HE WANT TO WAIT AFTER TEXAS,
BYE
anticsrocks
hi,
I was thinking about HUCKABEE,, SINCE NOBODY IS PERFECT, HE COULD TAKE THE OBAMA,
AND WE COULD CONVINCE HIM TO FAVOR THE YOUNG MILD ERROR FELONS INSTEAD OF THE JAILED PRISONERS, if it’s only that flaw he has,
bye
edit;
I had problem to come here at FA, JUST NOW, DID YOU?
@ilovebeeswarzone: #27
I heard about that, but I record the news and usually fast forward through the campaigning stuff since I can’t vote for any of them until they pick their candidate.