The Grey Truth
The worls is in our hands
The debate has finally ended. Scientist around the world now agree, we are now living in a world which is on the brink of being almost 1° Celsius warmer, which is hotter than it has been in almost a thousand years.
A temperature rise between 1° and 6° Celsius is possible within the next century. Each rise in a degree means a radically different future. Current data shows that the temperature has already risen 0.8° Celsius.
- In four decades the glaciers in the Himalayas, the source of water for millions, could be gone.
- Within 50 years the melting of Greenland’s ice would be unstoppable.
- By the end of this century the Amazon rainforest, home to half the worlds bio-diversity, could whither into an arid savannah.
- In some places of the world global warming can come with powerful vengeance.
For instance, let’s take Australia. Bushfires are a part of the natural eco-system there. In the winter of 2001 more than 900 fires encircled Sydney. But the climate change can make the conditions from bad to worse. Experts say that only less than 1 degree Celsius is all that was experienced to transform Australia into a land which has lost so much of its water that it is now experiencing one of the worst droughts in history. This drought has now brought the fires from the bushes to the front lawns of thousands of houses.
Europe summer 2003
- In this year a severe heat wave struck Europe, killing around 30,000 people!
- Photosynthesis broke down in Europe causing some of the plants to retaining oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide instead! Hence an increase in carbon dioxide was detected during this year in Europe!
Amazon summer 2005
In this year the Amazon experienced extreme heat with the driest conditions ever leading to a perfect drought! This was the first time that the tributaries of this great river dried up!
The earliest of changes would start high above the earth. In the atmosphere, our buffer zone between the planet and the outer space, a small percentage of it is made up of the greenhouse gas which is a mixture of water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone. They are like a dome over the planet retaining just enough of the sun’s energy to maintain temperature to support life. As the amount of these gases increase, they trap more heat and can radically affect the climate all over the planet.
For the last 250 years greenhouse gases have soared as we have found more and more ways to use more and more energy!
Carbon dioxide is the hidden price we pay. There are now 383 molecules of carbon dioxide in every million. Seems minuscule? Well guess what, the dangerous level of carbon dioxide is about 400 molecules. That is the point where dangerous climate change will start to occur.
Let's now consider a few possibilities and see what are the consequences predicted by experts.
If temperature increases by 1° Celsius:
- The Arctic is ice free for half the year, opening the legendary passage for ships.
- Thousand of tones of homes in the Bay of Bengal will flood.
- Hurricanes will start hitting the south Atlantic.
- Severe droughts in Western America can cause shortages in global grain and meat market.
- While the Western America will be dry and thirsty, Britain will have an agricultural makeover.
If temperature increases by 2° Celsius
- Some changes to the bio-sphere will no longer be gradual.
- Greenland’s glaciers start disappearing (polar bears will struggle to survive.)
- Insects migrate in strange new directions.
- New forests will take root in Canada’s melting tundra(once covered in ice)
- Pacific islands of Touduo will be submerged in rising waters of global warming.
- Global warming accelerates the loss of polar ice and the loss of ice accelerates warming.
- More water from melting ice observes more of the suns heat, melting the ice sheet and heating the planet even faster. Hence, the warmer it gets the fast it’ll get warmer! That’s when Global warming becomes a chain reaction!
If temperature increases by 3° Celsius
- The Arctic will become ice-free.
- The Amazon rain forests are drying out.
- Snow caps on the Alps all but disappear.
- El Niño as oceans start getting hotter a new global climate pattern emerges which leads to this weather anomaly El Niño. This could lead to super storms, droughts, more energy in oceans to cause hurricanes. One example is the Katrina hurricane that hit New Orleans.
- The Mediterranean and parts of Europe will wither in searing summer heat. Central Europe will start experiencing temperature of the Middle East and Africa.
- The planets basic life support system could begin to break down.
- This was followed by forest fire in the aftermath. Trees help generate 50% of water for rainfall in the Amazon and the fire diminished the very source of rainfall!
- Hence the increase of temperature by 3 degrees can cause the release of hundreds of tons of stored carbon from the Amazon. Perhaps intensifying Global warming by another degree!
If temperature increases by 4° Celsius
- Oceans rise over taking heavily populated Deltas - home to a billion people. Bangladesh, Egypt, Venice, etc.!
- Glaciers disappear, shutting off clean water to millions. Northern Canada becomes one of the planets most agricultural zones.
- West Antarctic ice sheets could collapse, sending the sea levels to rise even further. The sea level could be rising by 1 meter, great coastal cities confront catastrophe.
- One of the world’s largest rivers, River Ganges, could dry out.
If temperature increases by 5° Celsius
- If the world warms by 5°, two massive uninhabitable zones spread into the once temperate regions of the northern and southern hemispheres.
- Snow packs and acquirers that feed the world’s great cities (Los Angeles, Cairo, Lima, and Bombay) start drying out.
- Hundreds and millions of climate refugees will be numbered.
If temperature increases by 6° Celsius
- From distance the oceans may appear bright blue, but they will be marine wastelands.
- Deserts will march across continents like conquering armies!
- Natural disasters become common events!
- Some of the world’s great cities are flooded and abandoned!
All of these are just the prediction by the experts of what they are sure of what will happen, there are things we don’t know about and they make us even more afraid. Let’s all face it folks, things aren’t looking really pretty. 6°celsius colder is the temperature difference between now and the ice age. Imagine it 6° hotter! 6° Celsius the warming has been called the “Doomsday Scenario”. But not all is gloom and doom. Many experts believe that we still can save this from happening. Switching to florescent bulbs, planting trees and every thing to avoid the needless emission of carbon will truly help us. It’s in our hands, what we want or not.
Sources: Six degrees can change the world; national geographic documentary.
Internet sources and surfing.
