Staggering Global Warming Statistics Emerge As UN Meeting Looms
Posted on: Monday, 23 November 2009, 06:20 CST
Since the 1997 international agreement to address global warming, climate change has seen its ups and downs, including extremely bleak warnings.
So far, the world’s oceans have raised an inch and a half, serious droughts have plagued parts of the world, temperatures everywhere are warmer, and several endangered species continue to be threatened.
"The latest science is telling us we are in more trouble than we thought," said Janos Pasztor, climate adviser to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, to AP News.
It is suspected that since the original agreement signed in Kyoto, Japan, in December 1997, is that the amount of carbon dioxide in the air has grown 6.5%. Officials will meet in Copenhagen next month to seek create a new pact, which President Barack Obama says "has immediate operational effect ... an important step forward in the effort to rally the world around a solution."
From 1997 to 2008, world carbon dioxide has leapt up 31%. Emissions from China have doubled since 1997.
"Back in 1997, the impacts (of climate change) were underestimated; the rate of change has been faster," noted Virginia Burkett, leading scientist for global change research at the U.S. Geological Survey. This scares former Vice President Al Gore, who helped create a last-minute pact in Kyoto.
"By far the most serious differences that we've had is an acceleration of the crisis itself," Gore said to The Associated Press.
Since 1997, the issue of global warming has spread to all facets of business.
"We've come from a time in 1997 where this was some abstract problem working its way around scientific circles to now when the problem is in everyone's face," said Andrew Weaver, a University of Victoria climate scientist.
The issue that has scientists most afraid deals with the Arctic and melting summer sea ice. Back in 1997 "nobody in their wildest expectations," would have contemplated a loss of summer sea ice, Weaver said.
Globally, glaciers are disintegrating three times rapider than in the 1970s and the normal glacier has melted 25 feet since 1997, mentioned Michael Zemp, scientist at World Glacier Monitoring Service at the University of Zurich.
"Glaciers are a good climate indicator," Zemp said. "What we see is an accelerated loss of ice."
Oceans are also growing more acidic due to carbon dioxide in the air that is being drawn into the water. Acidic water is hazardous to coral, oysters and plankton and will harm the ocean food chain, biologists note.
"The message on the science is that we know a lot more than we did in 1997 and it's all negative," said Eileen Claussen, head of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change. "Things are much worse than the models predicted."
Source: RedOrbit Staff & Wire Reports
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User Comments (15)
| 15. |
Posted by Beenthere on 12/04/2009, 02:15 To those who say they've traveled the world and lived without seeing anyClimate Change Effects. Liars!! I was in Peru 8 years ago and the ice on the Andes in Cusco, which had been there since the last ice age, are nearly gone last year I visited there. ... nearly gone in 7 years! and easily visible by anyone who has 2 eyes. I'm told the same is happening in Siberia, Russia. If you want to see fast and unfortunately damaging effects of Climate Change all you have to do is look to the mountains. |
| 14. |
Posted by Climate skeptic on 12/03/2009, 00:43 The only thing staggering about climate "science" is the lengths that the alarmists will go to frighten the ignorant. Polar Bears drowning. Oh my! Glaciers vanishing. Oh my. Starving African children. Oh my. |
| 13. |
Posted by Paul Clark on 11/29/2009, 23:36 From the article: "So far, the world’s oceans have raised an inch and a half" The oceans have been rising for 12,000 years as a result of coming out of the last ice age. This rise has not accelerated in fact it's declined. See here: http://wattsupwiththat.com/2009/04/06/sea-level-graphs-from-uc-and-some-perspectives/ "Globally, glaciers are disintegrating three times rapider than in the 1970s and the normal glacier has melted 25 feet since 1997, mentioned Michael Zemp, scientist at World Glacier Monitoring Service at the University of Zurich." That's a lie see here: http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/sci-tech/16-the-glacier-controversy-hs-09 and here: http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25348657-401,00.html "Oceans are also growing more acidic due to carbon dioxide in the air that is being drawn into the water." That's a total lie. See here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1231673/Global-warming-Dont-wait-The-Earth-tricks-carbon-count-control.html |
| 12. |
Posted by JJ on 11/28/2009, 19:01 Funny how the warnings are bleak, but the temperatures keep dropping. |
| 11. |
Posted by washington on 11/28/2009, 14:30 Here's a simple test. Can anybody here see evidence of global warming? I'm over 40yrs old and I travel around the world regularly over the last 20 yrs. I can't say I see any significant changes in the climate. Can anybody else? The beaches look the same. There's still plenty of snow, in fact I've been skiing a month already this season. Perhaps the IPCC and the CRU have interesting numbers to talk about, but the proof is seeing. Nope, nothing to see where I live. |
| 10. |
Posted by Balsam on 11/28/2009, 12:14 These people will become more shrill and panicked as they see the public wise up. Every day they will say "it's worse than ever", but now we know it is all a fraud. Hopefully the politicians will wise up quickly; if not we need to boot them out ASAP. |
| 9. |
Posted by kingpablo on 11/23/2009, 13:41 I bet when greenland was still green, viking scientists became alarmed and set up commitees to figure out that the planet was cooling and it was likely caused by a lack of CO2. They then burned every village they could to create a greenhouse effect and keep greenland green. Historically there were shipping lanes in the arctic. There have been ice ages in the past and heating periods. Global warming isn\'t about science, its modern day phrenology. |
| 8. |
Posted by kingpablo on 11/23/2009, 13:40 I bet when greenland was still green, viking scientists became alarmed and set up commitees to figure out that the planet was cooling and it was likely caused by a lack of CO2. They then burned every village they could to create a greenhouse effect and keep greenland green. Historically there were shipping lanes in the arctic. There have been ice ages in the past and heating periods. Global warming isn\'t about science, its modern day phrenology. |
| 7. |
Posted by TP on 11/23/2009, 11:32 You can't possible be expected to be taken seriously when you publish a crap article like this. Given the recent exposure of the level of 5 year-old style behavior at one of the 4 primary feeders of climate data to "the movement" and also the apparent manipulation of data and deliberate avoidance of the FOI laws in the UK, there is a huge question mark next to the AGM crowd. Stack this on top of the major data quality issues at NASA and you have all the elements of hysteria and pop-science coming together to fear-monger people into irrational decisions. When the AGM crowd releases their raw data willingly, subjects themselves to real peer review and answers clearly and succinctly those of their peers who do not agree with their findings, then I might listen. Until that time this is just about as credible as Al Gore winning the Nobel Peace prize, and just about as much of a farce. |
| 6. |
Posted by Crock on 11/23/2009, 10:41 What a crock of ****. Global warming, yet another atempt to gain control of the masses. Sean, you love to say, "Scientists" this and "Scientists" that, well how 'bout this, not all "Scientists" believe in global warming. Also, what makes you think Scientists can be trusted? These are the same people who cried "Ice AGE! Freak'n ICE AGE!!!" in the '70s, and of course there where ignorant basterds like you who believed them back then to... |
| 5. |
Posted by a dood on 11/23/2009, 09:36 It's a pretty ingenious scam, though, you have to admit. |
| 4. |
Posted by boss on 11/23/2009, 09:18 never a lack of ignorant $#$@ on the net (Ilpalazzo). Thank you for reminding us that you exist. |
| 3. |
Posted by Sean on 11/23/2009, 09:10 Ilpalazzo, scientists do not ignore the current low in solar activity. Scientists try to account for every factor. They also look at long-term trends, not just the past 10 years. Short-term ups and downs are to be expected due to natural variability. The long-term data shows clear warming. Anyone who looks into the real science for themselves will see the mountain of evidence that confirms and reinforces the consensus that humans are responsible for the current climate shift. It\'s not just one line of evidence, the science is very thorough and has been rigorously challenged from all angles. Those who desperately want to believe it\'s all a hoax will undoubtably find ways to support their belief. |
| 2. |
Posted by island on 11/23/2009, 09:08 Yeah, and "the runaway greenhouse effect" never gets used anymore because they know that we'd be able to nail them to a testable prediction that would prove that they don't have a freaking clue what they are lying about. But the hype is because of Copenhagen, and not because "it's a little warmer". |
| 1. |
Posted by Ilpalazzo on 11/23/2009, 07:50 More BS propaganda. Notice how once again Global Warming is being used. It was 'Climate Change' because it wasn't warming enough for the past couple of years. Now it's a little warmer again, and BAM! Global Warming! Forget the lack of actiivity on the sun, forget the other planets having hotter temperatures. This is all BS Propaganda. |
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