Climate scientist: We must change the way we approach the climate crisis
OCTOBER 22, 2019
Climate scientist: We must change the way we approach the climate crisis
by Wolfgang Knorr, The Conversation
As a climate scientist of more than 25 years, I'm proud of the work my profession has done in recent decades to alert humanity to the unfolding climate crisis. But as the emergency becomes ever more acute, we scientists need to alter the way we approach it—or face being part of the problem....
Scientists are by nature conservative. This tendency is intimately linked to the way science operates: before a new theory is accepted it needs to be repeatedly scrutinized to make sure we are absolutely sure it holds up. Usually, this is good practice. But it has caused climate scientists to consistently underestimate both the speed at which the climate is destabilizing, and the severity of the threat it poses.
...Leaders are well aware that the three to four degrees warming we're headed for may be beyond civilization's ability to adapt, and yet are still to make any serious headway in phasing out global fossil fuel subsidies that total at least USD$100 billion a year.
In the face of a genuine existential threat to our civilization, we scientists need to shift our focus from long-term models that give a false sense of control over the climate crisis and paint drastic emissions cuts as easily achievable. Instead, we should focus on vulnerability in the here and now. For example, our global food system is already vulnerable to extreme weather events. If drought strikes in several countries at the same time, there are no guarantees that our food supply chains – in which deliveries arrive "just-in-time" to minimize costs—will not experience collapses in the next decade or two.
https://phys.org/news/2019-10-climate-scientist-approach-crisis.html
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