The Crisis From A Different Angle

Climate scientist: We must change the way we approach the climate crisis

Wolfgang Knorr, October 22, 2019 (The Conversation via PhysOrg)

“…[As the emergency becomes ever more acute, scientists] need to alter the way we approach it—or face being part of the problem…[Work to date has been good but has] not had any impact on the carbon course of humanity…[Despite the best work of science,] CO₂ emissions from human activities have been growing exponentially, on average by 1.65% per year since 1850…If we continue this exponential rise for just five more years, we will have already exhausted the carbon allowance that gives us a two-thirds chance of limiting warming to 1.5°C…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’…

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…[W]e should focus on vulnerability in the here and now…[C]ompared to the vast amount of research focused on the uncertain impacts of global heating on humanity by 2050 and 2100, we know worryingly little about just how fragile our supply chains—or other parts of our highly efficient clockwork global economy—are in the near-term. Refocusing resources on such dramatically under-researched short-term vulnerabilities is vital, not least because it will make the climate and ecological crisis feel more close to home than abstract carbon budgets and temperature rises…By reframing our research and changing accepted levels of risk and uncertainty, perhaps climate scientists can finally help humanity change its carbon course.” click here for more

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