The news is not good:
- Fossil fuel usage will increase over the coming decades with a concomitant increase in the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere
- This despite Kyoto related measures such as carbon markets and all the talk of sequestration which, it can be argued, are measures to allow developed nations to avoid making emissions reductions
- Humankind is in a state of "avoidance, denial and reproach" and is ill equipped to deal with long range events of this nature (as is evidenced by the current global HIV/AIDS crisis)
- Behavioural change of the magnitude required to at least minimise the effects of climate change is unlikely
- And, more frighteningly, even if this turned out not to be the case, it is probably already too late to avoid some of the nasty surprises which we, and most certainly our children and grandchildren, will have to face
The paper provides an holistic, high level overview of the climate change situation and affords some discussion of the possible consequences by sketching low, middle and high impact scenarios. It also cites the prevailing empirical data on the issue.
The paper can be downloaded here
