Friday, July 22, 2016

Peak Oil Now or Else! Says the Earth.

From Flassbeck Economics on the ability of the IPCC, governments and scientists' worst case scenarios to keep up with what's actually happening:
The reality of Anthropogenic Climate Disruption (ACD) continues to outstrip our ability to model worst-case scenarios, as it is happening so much faster than ever anticipated.Sixty-three percent of all human-generated carbon emissions have been produced in the last 25 years and science shows that there is a 40-year time lag between global emissions and climate impacts. This means that we have not even started to experience the consequences of our growing emissions (see here). In the meantime, nothing substantial, nothing efficient is happening to curb CO2 emissions.
For example:
  • Late 2007:The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) announcesthat the planet will see a one degree Celsius temperature increase due to climate change by 2100.
  • Late 2008: The Hadley Centre for Meteorological Research predicts a 2C increase by 2100.
We've already blown through the 1.0 degree Celsius (1.8 Fahrenheit) increase from 1880s levels, we'll see a 2 degree Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) increase before too long. 2025?

The further predictions are dire and portrays scenarios which are extremely bad.

To avoid them we have to get off of fossil fuels as soon as possible and start sequestering carbon as soon as possible too. But that essentially requires a change in the corporate-driven capitalist system and a change of heart in humanity in general, in the American people in particular. Will the latter occur as it needs to? Morris Berman says it ain't gonna happen.

No comments: