THE THREATS OF CLIMATE CHANGE

Much of what is written about climate change gives the impression that it will lead to a few more floods, droughts and hurricanes, that changes will be very slow and, for people living in cold climates, it could mean some nice warm weather. It is also often suggested that climate change will mainly affect poor people and this, regrettably, may lead some of the richer people to conclude that they need not worry.

Climate change appears to be much more serious than how it has often been reported. Now climate scientists and others are issuing much stronger warnings as described for example in:

• IPCC report: climate change felt 'on all continents and across the oceans' (The Guardian, 2014-03-28).
• Global warming caused record Australian heatwave, top scientists conclude (The Telegraph, 2014-03-27).
• Global warming to hit Asia hardest, warns new report on climate change (The Guardian, 2014-03-22).
• Arctic methane catastrophe scenario is based on new empirical observations (The Guardian, 2013-07-31).
• Climate study predicts a watery future for New York, Boston and Miami (The Guardian, 2013-07-30).
• Cost of Arctic methane release could be ‘size of global economy’ (Erasmus University Rotterdam, 2013-07-24).
• Rapid Arctic thawing could be economic timebomb, scientists say (The Guardian, 2013-07-25).
• Ice-free Arctic in two years heralds methane catastrophe – scientist (The Guardian, 2013-07-24).
• Arctic methane 'time bomb' could have huge economic costs (BBC News, 2013-07-24).
• Sea levels may rise 2.3 metres per degree of global warming, report says (The Guardian, 2013-07-15).
• James Hansen: fossil fuel addiction could trigger runaway global warming (The Guardian, 2013-07-10).
• Climate extremes are 'unprecedented' (BBC News, 2013-07-03).
• Climate change poses grave threat to security, says UK envoy (The Observer, 2013-06-30).
• Climate science debate has cost precious time, expert warns (The Guardian, 2013-06-17).
• Erratic US 'weather whiplash' accounts for billions of dollars in global losses (The Guardian, 2013-05-29).
• Climate changes could bring malaria to the UK (The Observer, 2013-05-04).
• Matt Ridley has joined the real climate debate (The Guardian, 2013-05-21).
• Climate change: human disaster looms, claims new research (The Guardian, 2013-05-19).
• World in 'new danger zone', UN's climate chief warns (The Telegraph, 2013-05-13).
• One-third of animal species will be hit by climate change, scientists warn (The Guardian, 2013-05-13).
• Climate change 'will make hundreds of millions homeless' (The Observer, 2013-05-12). See also Scientists call for action to tackle CO₂ levels (BBC News, 2013-05-11).
• Millions face starvation as world warms, say scientists (The Observer, 2013-04-14).
• Climate change making extreme events worse in Australia – report (The Guardian, 2013-04-02).
• Global warming predictions prove accurate (The Guardian, 2013-03-27).
• Environmental threats could push billions into extreme poverty, warns UN (The Guardian, 2013-03-14).
• Large rise in CO2 emissions sounds climate change alarm (The Guardian, 2013-03-08).
• Global warming and airflow changes 'caused US and EU heatwaves' (The Guardian, 2013-02-26).
• World could be 4 degrees hotter by end of this century (World Bank, video, 2013-02-25).
• 1.5C rise in temperature enough to start permafrost melt, scientists warn (The Guardian, 2013-02-21).
• 2012 among the 10 warmest years on record, figures show (The Guardian, 2013-01-16).
• US east-coast cities are 'sitting ducks' for storms, says top Obama scientist (The Guardian, 2013-01-15).
• US scientists in fresh alert over effects of global warming (The Guardian, 2013-01-12). See also Climate change set to make America hotter, drier and more disaster-prone (The Guardian, 2013-01-11).
• US coastal cities in danger as sea levels rise faster than expected, study warns (The Guardian, 2012-11-28).
• Fiddling while Rome burns – the £3trn cost of climate delay (The Independent, 2013-01-13).
• Fear of 'catastrophic' sea-level rise as ice sheets melt faster than predicted (The Independent, 2013-01-07).
• CO2 emissions rises mean dangerous climate change now almost certain (The Guardian, 2012-12-03).
• Carbon emissions are 'too high' to curb climate change (BBC News, 2012-12-02).
• Slow pace of carbon cuts brings catastrophic climate change closer: UN (The Guardian, 2012-11-21). See also Emissions cuts too slow to fight climate change, warns UN report (The Guardian, 2012-11-21); Global warming talks progress is 'slow but steady' – UN climate chief (The Guardian, 2012-11-21). UN's Christiana Figueres thinks the world community is slowly inching its way toward a climate change agreement.
• All nations will suffer effects of climate change, warns World Bank (The Guardian, 2012-11-19).
• World on track for 6C warming without carbon cuts, study shows (The Guardian, 2012-11-05).
• Where hurricanes happen more and more (The Guardian, letter from Professor Peter Gardiner, 2012-10-30).
• Extreme weather adds urgency for action on climate change – panel (The Guardian, 2012-10-12).
• Climate change is already damaging global economy, report finds (The Guardian, 2012-09-26).
• Report warns of global food insecurity as climate change destroys fisheries (The Guardian, 2012-09-24).
• Arctic sea ice shrinks to smallest extent ever recorded (The Guardian, 2012-09-14). See also Arctic expert predicts final collapse of sea ice within four years (The Guardian, 2012-09-17).
• Antarctic may host methane stores (BBC News, 2012-08-29).
• Defra scientist's grim warning on climate change (Channel 4 News, 2012-08-24).
• Nasa scientist's study quantifies climate change link to extreme weather (The Guardian, 2012-08-07).
• Greenland ice sheet melted at unprecedented rate during July (The Guardian, 2012-07-24).
• Climate science: the gathering storm (The Guardian, 2012-07-22).
• The climate of the climate change debate is changing (The Guardian, Myles Allen, 2012-07-11).
• Flood protection to cost UK at least £860m by 2015, ministers warned (The Guardian, 2012-07-11).
• Scientists attribute extreme weather to man-made climate change (The Guardian, 2012-07-10).
• As the climate changes, extreme weather isn't that extreme any more (The Guardian, 2012-07-04).
• Is it now possible to blame extreme weather on global warming? (The Guardian, 2012-07-03). See also Scientists say ongoing weather extremes offer proof of climate change (The Guardian, 2012-07-03).
• US wildfires are what global warming really looks like, scientists warn (The Guardian, 2012-06-29).
• Scientists warn US east coast over accelerated sea level rise (The Observer, 2012-06-24).
• Apocalypse soon: has cvilization passed the environmental point of no return? (Scientific American, 2012-05-23).
• World needs to stabilise population and cut consumption, says Royal Society (The Guardian, 2012-04-26).
• Governments failing to avert catastrophic climate change, IEA warns (The Guardian, 2012-04-25). See also We can have safe, sustainable energy (The Guardian, Maria van der Hoeven, IEA, 2012-04-24).
• Climate change panel warns of severe storms, heatwaves and floods (The Guardian, 2012-03-28).
• Climate change will shake the Earth (The Guardian, Bill McGuire, 2012-02-26).
• UK Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) (DEFRA, 2012-01-25).
• Cost of natural disasters spiralled in 2011 (New Scientist, 2012-01-11). (click on image to enlarge it).
• Extreme weather will strike as climate change takes hold, IPCC warns (The Guardian, 2011-11-18).
• Major storms could submerge New York City in next decade (The Guardian, 2011-11-16).
• Global warming: two centuries in two minutes (The Guardian, 2011-11-15).
• Al Gore: clear proof that climate change causes extreme weather (The Guardian, 2011-09-28).
• Climate change: an eye on the storms (The Guardian, Andrew Simms, 2011-09-01).
• Models guiding climate policy are 'dangerously optimistic' (The Guardian, 2011-02-24).
• Melting of the Arctic 'will accelerate climate change within 20 years' (The Independent, 2011-05-30).
• Australia Climate Commission says warming risk is real (BBC News, 2011-05-23).
• US military goes to war with climate sceptics (The Guardian, 2011-05-20).
• Beyond ‘dangerous’ climate change: emission scenarios for a new world (Kevin Anderson and Alice Bows, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A, 369 (1934), 20-44, 2011; doi: 10.1098/rsta.2010.0290). "The analysis suggests that despite high-level statements to the contrary, there is now little to no chance of maintaining the global mean surface temperature at or below 2°C. Moreover, the impacts associated with 2°C have been revised upwards, sufficiently so that 2°C now more appropriately represents the threshold between ‘dangerous’ and ‘extremely dangerous’ climate change."
• Thermogeddon: when the Earth gets too hot for humans (New Scientist, 2010-10-26).
• Greenland ice sheet faces 'tipping point in 10 years' (The Guardian, 2010-08-10). Loss of ice sheet would mean a rise in global sea levels of 7 metres.
• Climate change report sets out an apocalyptic vision of Britain (The Times, 2010-02-26).
• The Copenhagen Diagnosis (report from the Climate Change Research Centre at the University of New South Wales, Australia, November 2009).
• Global temperatures could rise 6C by end of century, say scientists (The Guardian, 2009-11-17).
• Fair carbon means no carbon for rich countries (New Scientist, 2009-09-21).
• UK climate change policies 'dangerously optimistic', MPs warned (The Guardian, 2009-06-23).
• Climate impact report says 800,000 homes will be at risk of flooding (The Times, 2009-06-18).
• Global warming must stay below 2C or world faces ruin, scientists declare (The Times, 2009-05-28).
• Climate change odds much worse than thought (MIT News, 2009-05-19).
• Arctic meltdown is a threat to humanity (New Scientist, 2009-03-28).
• Plan B: scientists get radical in bid to halt global warming ‘catastrophe’ (The Sunday Times, 2009-03-15).
• Stern attacks politicians over climate 'devastation' (The Guardian, 2009-03-13. See also The Times, The Independent, and the Daily Telegraph).
• Carbon cuts 'only give 50/50 chance of saving planet' (The Independent, 2009-03-09).
• Scientists to issue stark warning over dramatic new sea level figures (The Observer, 2009-03-08).
• How to survive the coming century (New Scientist, 2009-02-25). See also The time has come to re-engineer the planet (New Scientist, 2009-02-25).

See also: A scientist replies to Christopher Monckton, Abraham v Monckton. An effective rebuttal of inaccurate information spread by a leading climate sceptic.

The Royal Society has published a Guide to facts and fictions about climate change (275 Kb PDF, 2005-03-09), correcting disinformation about climate change that has been energetically spread about by lobby groups funded by ExxonMobile and other purveyors of fossil fuels.

The World Resources Institute has reviewed discoveries about the world's climate in scientific papers published in 2005. "Taken collectively, they suggest that the world may well have moved past a key physical tipping point."