Climate change tipping points are upon us, draft U.N. report warns: 'The worst is yet to come'

[NickB79]

Source: Yahoo News

A draft report by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns that unless drastic and immediate action is taken to limit greenhouse gas emissions and keep global temperatures from rising further, life on earth is poised for a catastrophic reckoning.

The 4,000-page draft, a copy of which was obtained by Agence France-Presse, states that mankind may have already missed its opportunity to keep the climate from passing a series of thresholds that will further spur the warming of the planet.

Read more: https://news.yahoo.com/climate-change-tipping-points-are-upon-us-draft-un-report-warns-the-worst-is-yet-to-come-185803244.html

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Limiting warming to 1.5C is out the window. Life at 2C looks pretty bleak.

[MLAA]

1. There are things we could all do, but I think it is likely too late.

Eliminating or at least reducing eating animal products (big ag factory farms) is an individual contribution we could make. I also think water supply will hurt us soon with droughts and and the amount of water required for factory farms. Of course, I hope I’m wrong but I do a lot of reading and most of what I read is not optimistic.

[dixiegrrrrl]

15. the methane produced from animal farms,esp. beef, is a big problem

according to what I have been reading, but there were warnings about methane release on a bigger scale if the frozen tundra were to melt.
It's melting fast....

Most of the warnings I read back in the 70's are of have been coming true, and the more recent studies/warnings are even worse.

given certain unchangeable factors in my life, I doubt I will see 2031.
But I am very glad my 2 highly intelligent sons decided ages ago to not procreate, cause as they foresaw, we would all be worried about our grandchildren living in
the world now being created by too many self centered greedy humans, the likes of which been too obvious since the Reagan era.

[MLAA]

16. I agree with you...it's all coming home to roost so to speak.

I decided to pass on having children, I felt like I must have been a prairie woman with 10 kids in a previous life because I just didn’t have a burning desire to procreate. You have smart and empathetic sons.

I’m trying to enjoy everyday in some simple way because I agree I do t think we have too long left. 💖.

[dixiegrrrrl]

24. I am still in mourning.

Born and raised in Wash. state, had open access to the most gorgeous scenery, from mountain tops to the Grand Coulee damn, and lived mostly very rural, for 40 years.
Memories can be haunting.

can't watch Attenborough type shows now, all I can think of is those poor animals and birds in the coming catastrophe.
Life will go on, in some form, in some way, but as George Carlin kept pointing out, Mother earth is gonna shake US off like a bad case of fleas.

[MLAA]

33. I hear you and feel like that also 💕

[-misanthroptimist]

2. As I recall, IPCC reports are consensus

That usually means that they are more conservative than what will actually happen. So, I fully expect things will get worse more quickly than the Report.

[CousinIT]

4. I know some scientists who contributed to IPCC in the past. They don't want to sound like

chicken littles. They are conservative in their estimations.

Likely we passed the threshold a while ago.

And really? It's too late. That's just MY .02 (not a climate scientist myself)

[Mickju]

6. I agree that it's too late.

Humans have been very stupid for a very long time.

[-misanthroptimist]

11. It's almost certainly too late

From the article: "Since preindustrial times, the earth has warmed by 1.1 degrees Celsius."

Over the past three decades or so, warming has progressed by ~0.2C/decade. That gives us two decades before we surpass 1.5C over preindustrial temperatures. If we stopped using fossil fuels today, that rate wouldn't change much due to lag times between CO2 emission and the warming it causes.

That doesn't mean we shouldn't try to address Climate Change. If anything, it means we should be willing to address it aggressively, even though it will probably fail. But probably isn't definitely, and there may be some mechanism we trigger that will spare us the worst effects. Sure, it's a long shot, but long shots are pretty much all we have left at this point.

Incidentally, that 1.1C increase since the preindustrial probably is a bit conservative itself. So, we probably have a bit less time than the Report indicates. Not a lot of difference, just a few years, but I expect the unraveling of our civilization to begin in the 2035-2045 time-frame.

[roamer65]

3. The thresholds are passed.

Nearly halfway to Late Cretaceous GHG levels now.

That’s too late.

I’m glad I only have 20 or so good years left. If I were offered a ride off this planet, I would take it in a heartbeat.

The population won’t be 8 billion in the next 50 years. It will be a LOT less.

[Random Boomer]

9. Yes, the train has already left the station

While we're still on the platform listening to people argue whether or not trains exist.

I probably only have 15 or so years left (and that's being generous), which means I'm seeing the beginning of the End Times but won't have to live through them for very long.

[dixiegrrrrl]

26. It god demonstavetly bad in just the last few years.

The usual thought about the problem was that it would continue to creep up on us little by little, giving us time to adjust, to prepare.

Now people are having to adjust to a 12 month fire season, rapidly rising temperatures, decreasing water sources, and yet the golf courses in Cal. are still green, and too few global leaders care enough to do more than to plant trees.
THAT is the tragedy.

Like you, like a lot of us boomers, we are seeing our end of life approach soon, and I never thought I would be so at peace about it for such a regretful reason.

[Canoe52]

5. No shit Sherlock...

[merrifield]

7. Umm, it's so much worse than we're being told.

http://arctic-news.blogspot.com/2021/06/could-temperatures-keep-rising.html

[Hugh_Lebowski]

10. Umm ... don't believe everything you read on the internet ...

The IPCC represents 1000's of experts.

Who is Sam Cabrana?

https://fractalplanet.wordpress.com/category/science-doing-it-wrong/

[progressoid]

8. The deniers will just say that these claims have been made before

and everything is still fine.

[milestogo]

12. It would seem like a good idea to stop having children

Because they are inheriting such a mess.

[MLAA]

17. +1000

[marie999]

13. We have 13 great-grandchildren 14 years old and younger

who are going to have lousy lives in about 30 years unless our family does something about it. We are making plans to buy land in a rural area inland high enough to get away but low enough to raise our own food.

[MLAA]

18. Good for you. I find doing some planning for the worst brings me some comfort now even

if my actions aren’t enough for what comes. Better than doing nothing 🙂

[Kaleva]

20. I spemd anywhere from a few minutes to many hours most every day...

planning, researching and working on adapting.

[MLAA]

21. Maybe we could exchange ideas through direct messages 🙂

[Kaleva]

22. Sure!

I post in the gardening and Frugal & Energy Efficient Living groups about what I have been doing or plan to do. I haven't in awhile and need to update. Particularly my efforts on my 3-C garden and orchard (Climate Change, Covid-19 and CW II. I don't believe there will be a another civil war but I threw it in there).

An example:

"Goals this year to prepare for possible frugal times"

https://democraticunderground.com/11284578

[Kaleva]

19. My goal of turning the entire backyard into a vegetable garden and orchard is nearing completion

The predicated effects of climate change for the area I live in isn't that bad but I suspect that goods and services we now take for granted will be in short supply or even unavailable at times as climate change becomes worse.

[Retired Engineer Bob]

23. No disrespect intended

But I am afraid if we get to the point of needing to grow our own food, society will have collapsed. Millions will be displaced, many of them desperately trying to save themselves and their families. Most will be armed.

Any plans for dealing with that?

[Random Boomer]

27. I've opted out

My wife and I have given up anything but the most basic emergency supplies. We're too old and in poor health to maintain a self-sufficient lifestyle. We can deal with intermittent outages and food distribution delays, but if the whole system falls apart we're not going to shoot people in order to survive. We have no place in a Mad Max world, we would be a burden not an asset, so that's our exit point.

[Kaleva]

28. There will be shortages and disruptions of supply

Those who are prepared may well be able to ride those out while the nation adjusts to the farm belt moving North into the Upper Midwest and Canada.

The effects of Climate Change will not be uniform throughout the world. Some areas will be devastated, others will note little difference and some areas will become more hospitable for human habitation.

Your comment:

"Millions will be displaced, many of them desperately trying to save themselves and their families. Most will be armed."

In rural areas, inhabitants of communities will likely band together for security and mutual support.

[Retired Engineer Bob]

29. More power to you

Global warming will displace 50 to 100 million Americans alone. They will be hungry and desperate. Perhaps a well armed compound with a couple of hundred defenders could survive. Perhaps President Gaetz will organize an effective response.

I’m too old to consider living in a dystopian society. Without HIV meds I’ll be dead in 2 - 3 years. Sometimes I’m grateful I’m 57 and childless.

Reminds me of a dream I once had. I was working downtown when the nuclear attack sirens went off (I admit it was a stupid dream, I can’t control that). My fellow coworkers quickly discussed what provisions to take to the basement. I told everyone I was heading to the 6th floor (top, open air) of the parking structure. Sure beats having 20 floors of an office building crashing down on your head, or if you survive, being drowned in the basement by broken water mains, or burning due to broken gas mains. Even if you manage to get out, now what?

Holy crap, that was depressing, sorry.

[Kaleva]

30. Here is what one study says about displacement

"Better-resourced countries in places like North America and Europe will be more able to manage the effects of these disasters -- but they'll likely face huge flows of climate refugees, the report warned.
"This will have huge social and political impacts, not just in the developing world, but also in the developed, as mass displacement will lead to larger refugee flows to the most developed countries," said IEP founder Steve Killelea in a news release, adding that ecological change was "the next big global threat to our planet.""

https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/10/world/climate-global-displacement-report-intl-hnk-scli-scn/index.html

I haven't found any reputable sources that predict 1st world nations will certainly collapse. The same cannot be said of 3rd World nations severely affected by climate change.

Odds are good that you'll continue to be able to get your meds but if possible, I'd try and stock up a reserve for when there may be shortages. With quality planning, I'd say you have decades left to live, even with climate change.

[peoli]

14. Democrats have done nothing to stop this. How sad that we've been so weak for so long

[dalton99a]

25. Human survival may have to depend on nuclear power and desalination

for those who can't move to temperate regions

[Maxheader]

31. culling homosapiens it appears..

If the corona don't get ya, high tide will..

[Uncle Joe]

32. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread Nick.