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We should treat climate change as a threat as serious to nation's future as terrorism By Asheville Citizen-Times June 17, 2004 6:26 a.m.
"Climate change is the most severe problem that we are facing today - more serious even than the threat of terrorism." This startling pronouncement by Sir David King, the chief science adviser to the British government, appeared in the prestigious American journal "Science" on Jan. 9. Although most Americans didn't read this article, with the opening of the movie "The Day After Tomorrow" the public finds the issue of global climate change a hot topic. Director Roland Emmerich portrays a world in the throes of abrupt climate change, where a sudden change in ocean currents leads to rapid cooling of northern Europe. Numerous worldwide weather disasters ensue, such as tornadoes smashing Los Angeles, a sheet of ice smothering Great Britain and a monstrous wall of water inundating New York City. Hollywood hype or a coming attraction to your own back yard? Climate change is already here. Global temperatures have increased by 1 degree F in the past 100 years, and climate scientists predict an additional increase of 2-10 degrees F by 2100 (Arctic permafrost is melting, undermining the supports for the oil pipeline in Alaska and threatening the habitat of polar bears in the Hudson Bay. The snows of Kilimanjaro are melting. More heat waves, such as the scorcher in Europe last summer which contributed to the deaths of 19,000 people, are likely. The ocean temperatures are warming and sea level is increasing. Most climate scientists agree that the earth is warming, the warming is caused primarily by an increase in greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, and that warming will increase if we don't reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. Although the idea of abrupt climate change is more controversial, even the Pentagon is concerned about it. A recent report commissioned by the Pentagon, and available through the authors, concludes that although the risk of abrupt climate change is small, its consequences would be so dire that the U.S. should tackle the problem as a matter of national security. So, what is the difference between climate change and abrupt climate change? When scientists discuss abrupt climate change, they are still referring to events which could take place over decades, rather than the compressed time frame shown in "The Day After Tomorrow." But could ocean currents change so drastically, even over decades? Again, as reported to the Pentagon, it is possible. At present, the Gulf Stream carries warmth from the tropics into the North Atlantic region. As the warm ocean waters cool in the North Atlantic, the cooled waters sink and slowly return south to the tropics, where they pick up heat and circulate back to the North Atlantic. If the Gulf Stream circulation is diluted by fresh water from melting glaciers and the polar ice cap, it could collapse - leading to much colder temperatures in northern Europe. A more likely scenario, especially if we don't curb greenhouse gas emissions, is a gradual warming across much of the earth over 100 years or more, with some cooling in parts of North America and northern Europe. Island nations, such as Tuvalu, and coastal areas of Louisiana, India and Bangladesh, will experience increased flooding. More severe storms, more severe droughts, and the loss of some animal and plant species are also likely. What can we do to slow global climate change? We can decrease our use of fossil fuels, like gasoline and coal. Hang your laundry out to dry, recycle paper products and walk, bike or use the bus whenever possible. Refrain from cutting down trees (which store carbon dioxide) and plant more trees. Above all, we should educate ourselves on the issue of global climate change and vote for policy makers who understand the issue of climate change and who take a long-term view of our planet's future. For further information, visit www.pewclimate.org. Other sources include www.nasa.gov and www.ncar.ucar.edu. Dr. Barbara Reynolds is an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Studies at UNC Asheville, teaching air pollution and ecology courses and humanities. Her Ph.D. is in ecology from the University of Georgia. She has a son who will be a senior at Asheville High.
See also: Global Warming Fact Sheet (Including a map of North Carolina’s disappearing coast) Six Easy Ways to Cut Emissions Fact Sheet on Compact Fluorescents Inspiring Stories of Success in Power Reduction
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