Global Warming Has Been Underestimated
Posted on: Sunday, 15 February 2009, 07:45 CST
According to a top climate scientist, warnings about global warming have not been severe enough.
Just over a year ago, the Nobel-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued a report warning of expanding deserts, intense storms, rising sea levels, and an extinction of up to 30 percent of animals and plants due to global warming.
A recent study suggests that the report underestimated the severity of climate change over the next century, says a senior member of the IPCC.
"We now have data showing that from 2000 to 2007, greenhouse gas emissions increased far more rapidly than we expected," Chris Field, who was lead author of the IPCC report, told the AFP.
According to Field, this is because “developing countries like China and India saw a huge upsurge in electric power generation, almost all of it based on coal."
If global warming is not slowed, higher temperatures could thaw the Arctic tundra and ignite tropical forests, thus releasing billions of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
If that happens, temperature could rise more rapidly and create a cycle that could quickly spin out of control.
"We don't want to cross a critical threshold where this massive release of carbon starts to run on autopilot," said Field, who is also a professor of biology at Stanford University.
An estimated 350 billion tons of carbon dioxide have been released into the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution. Researchers estimate that nearly 1,000 tons of carbon dioxide could be released from permafrost soils in the Arctic, an area warming faster than any other on the planet.
In addition, deforestation could increase the concentration of carbon dioxide in the air by 10 to 100 parts per million over the next 100 years.
Currently, carbon dioxide levels are near the 380 parts per million level.
"Tropical forests are essentially inflammable," Field said. "You couldn't get a fire to burn there if you tried. But if they dry out just a little bit, the result can be very large and destructive wildfires."
According to other studies, global warming could also be reducing the ocean’s ability to store carbon by altering wind patterns in the Southern Ocean.
"As the Earth warms, it generates faster winds over the oceans surrounding Antarctica," said Field.
"These winds essentially blow the surface water out of the way, allowing water with higher concentrations of CO2 to rise to the surface. This higher-CO2 water is closer to CO2-saturated, so it takes up less carbon dioxide from the atmosphere."
Field helps lead the group that will assess the impact of climate change on natural, economic, and social systems for the IPCC’s fifth assessment of global warming in 2014.
According to Field, the fourth assessment, released in 2007, was “very conservative.”
The next report will "include futures with a lot more warming," Field said.
"We now know that, without effective action, climate change is going to be larger and more difficult to deal with than we thought."
---
On the Net:
Source: redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports
Related Articles
- Failure To Tackle Climate Change Spells Global Health Catastrophe
- Super-size Deposits of Frozen Carbon Threat To Climate Change
- Climate Change Estimated To Cost California Tens Of Billions
- International, National, Local Experts Gather at Chicago Botanic Garden for International Climate Change Forum
- Most Would Pay Higher Energy Bills to Address Climate Change Says Global Poll
- Republicans Warm to Climate Change
- Studies of Climate Change May Not Be Keeping Up With the Pace of Reality
- U.S. Evangelicals Warm to Climate Change
- Statement of Philip E. Clapp, President of the National Environmental Trust on Today's Global Warming Report Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, Released By the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in Brussels, Belgium
- Scientists Confirm Historic Massive Flood in Climate Change
 |
 |
User Comments (15)
| 15. |
Posted by Chris on 02/16/2009, 08:30 When God created the earth, I think He knew what He was doing. Who are we to question His creation? And there's nothing, NOTHING that mankind can do to destroy it. Why is the earth nearly 3/4 salty ocean water? I think God designed it that way as a natural cleanser for the other 1/4 of the earth. Man can destroy each other but not the earth. |
| 14. |
Posted by Climax on 02/16/2009, 05:52 Reading the posting above I now understand why America is bankrupt. |
| 13. |
Posted by Norm Smith on 02/16/2009, 00:47 SURE ! More fearmongering = more research money to make bogus computer models. I'm getting sick of these preachy Green blowhards. Read Nasa's Press release "Solar Wind Loses Power-Hits 50 year Low". The solar output is "13% cooler". Thats hard science - not bogus computer models It's getting Colder, not warmer. Look outside please. DId you know that the University of Illinois' Arctic Climate Research Center, just reported that global sea ice levels are at a record high. "Fastest growth ever." Of course you don't know that. The mainstream media only reports fearmonger blowhards like Gore Visit the Ice Age Now website to get the facts. And they have a hilarious cartoon of Hansen on the home page. Cheers. |
| 12. |
Posted by scammaster on 02/15/2009, 11:20 So-called “global warming” has shrunk from problem to punch line. And now, Leftists are laughing, too. It’s hard not to chuckle at the idea of Earth boiling in a carbon cauldron when the news won’t cooperate: Nearly four inches of snow blanketed the United Arab Emirates’ Jebel Jais region for just the second time in recorded history on Jan. 24. Citizens were speechless. The local dialect has no word for snowfall. Dutchmen on ice skates sped past windmills as canals in Holland froze in mid-January for the first time since 1997. Defense Minister Eimert van Middelkoop, who inhabits a renovated 17th Century windmill, stumbled on the ice and fractured his wrist. January saw northern Minnesota’s temperatures plunge to 38 below zero, forcing ski-resort closures. A Frazee, Minnesota dog-sled race was cancelled, due to excessive snow. Snow whitened Surf City, North Carolina’s beaches. Days ago, ice glazed Florida’s citrus groves. |
| 11. |
Posted by Chuck Cardiff on 02/15/2009, 10:38 The Emperor has no clothes. In the past few years temperatures have reverted to 20th century means or below. The only question is, how long will global cooling need to continue to disabuse these drooling dufuses of their anti-factual beliefs? Who knows. But it will happen sooner or later. |
| 10. |
Posted by Michael S. on 02/15/2009, 10:34 Man-made Global Warming is one of the largest hoaxes perpetrated on man. Warming and cooling trends are a part of earth's history and has absolutely nothing to do with man. Indeed, we're in a cooling trend now and if anything, it looks like that will continue. |
| 9. |
Posted by bill on 02/15/2009, 10:33 A recent series of reports from the Science and Public Policy Institute spotlights problems with the peer review process of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and efforts to create the illusion of scientific consensus on global warming. |
| 8. |
Posted by John Degennaro on 02/15/2009, 10:14 The Goracle has spoken. Al the Goracle gore sees the future and its not good for mankind. You must believe for he is the Goracle. John |
| 7. |
Posted by Regulas on 02/15/2009, 09:18 The global warming hoax is all based on flawed computer models. The same models that predicted a serious hurricane season the other year and there were none, oops. According to some real science of core samples we are due for the next ice age. But power, money and control of your lives keeps people like Al Gore and socialists/liberals wanting the global warming hoax to stay alive. There are literally hundreds and hundreds of real scientists that say Al Gore and his cult of so called scientists of lies are idiots. |
| 6. |
Posted by Carpe on 02/15/2009, 09:14 Its too bad that there is no scientifically documented correlation between carbon dioxide and global warming. Dang, theres the breaks. Fact is research SUGGESTS, and a real scientist knows that that is all research does, that the extremely slight increase in average temperatures in the last 10 years or so has been caused by the sun releasing more heat. Also, there has been no detrimental effect from this. Plants, animals, and even people die its a fact of life. The history of environmental conservation is a history of self righteous fools making mistake after mistake after mistake. 50 years ago they were saying we were going into an ice age due to global cooling. Has anyone considered it MIGHT just be a natural earth cycle? Anyway, still good to reduce CO2, but stop the fear mongering. |
| 5. |
Posted by Carl on 02/15/2009, 09:13 This is all bunk they have yet to even prove that the gases cause global warming. Also anyone receiving a Nobel price is autamicaly questioned because they only give that award to pro global warming nuts. |
| 4. |
Posted by dan on 02/15/2009, 09:12 The goals of the World's Superpowers should be simple: Reduce greenhouse gasses produced from: Airplanes, Semi Trucks, Commercial Buildings, Coal Burning Power plants, as well as Automobiles and reduce any deforestation an acceptable level give them time to regenerate. No exceptions! |
| 3. |
Posted by Howard Weiss on 02/15/2009, 09:08 I suspect that "global warming" cannot be slowed but not stopped despite the efforts of governments and environmental groups. In my opinion, research efforts should be focused on how to take advantage of global warming and put it to human benefit rather than spending trillions in trying to stop the unstopable. |
| 2. |
Posted by Martin on 02/15/2009, 09:00 Robin: You mean, "carbon footprint tax free jet!" don't you Batman? |
| 1. |
Posted by Martin on 02/15/2009, 08:57 "Holy heat wave Batman it's Globa..I mean climate ch..I mean Holy human caused bad weather, it must be the Joker, no look up in the sky Batman, sky writing.. it says, "Tonight hell freezes over" It must be Mr Freeze!, Come on to the Bat Cave! There's not a moment to lose and we have to pick up Al Gore on the way!" Batman:"Never mind Robin he will get there first in his carbon footfrint tax free jet!" |
RSS Feeds