GLOBAL WARMING

GLOBAL WARMING

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HOW MUCH IS THE EARTH HEATING UP - As of early 2017, the Earth had warmed by roughly 2 degrees Fahrenheit (more than 1 degree Celsius) since 1880, when records began at a global scale. The number may sound low, but as an average over the surface of an entire planet, it is actually high, which explains why much of the world’s land ice is starting to melt and the oceans are rising at an accelerating pace. If greenhouse gas emissions continue unchecked, scientists say, the global warming could ultimately exceed 8 degrees Fahrenheit, which would undermine the planet’s capacity to support a large human population.

Global warming is a long-term rise in the average temperature of the Earth's climate system, an aspect of climate change shown by temperature measurements and by multiple effects of the warming. The term commonly refers to the mainly human-caused observed warming since pre-industrial times and its projected continuation, though there were also much earlier periods of global warming.

In the modern context the terms global warming and climate change are commonly used interchangeably, but climate change includes both global warming and its effects, such as changes to precipitation and impacts that differ by region.

COAL POWERED PROPERTY BOOM - Having raised the price of building materials around the world, the Chinese property giant Evergrande is suffering under an enormous pile of debt, reportedly worth US$305 billion (£220 billion). There have been angry protests at its headquarters, shares have tumbled, and the eyes of the financial world remain anxiously focused on its future. Put simply, the situation at Evergrande is dire. They do not build affordable, sustainable homes.

The immediate impact of Evergrande’s troubles will be on China’s once booming property market. The sector represents 7.3% of the country’s GDP compared to 4.1% in 2000. It is a market which been over-expanding for many years, with the debt level of other big development firms already very high. If Evergrande were to collapse, it would cause a domino effect across the sector, potentially leading to the demise of more businesses.

Indeed, the China Chenxin Credit Rating Group (CCXIS) has already downgraded the outlook of China’s property sector to negative. This change makes it even more difficult for those companies to raise funds, exacerbating the debt situation and making borrowing more expensive.

Beyond the world of property, the collapse of Evergrande would have major ramifications in other sectors it is involved with, including consumer electronics, building materials, furniture and electric cars.

In 2013, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report concluded, "It is extremely likely that human influence has been the dominant cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th century." The largest human influence has been the emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide.

In view of the dominant role of human activity in causing it, the phenomenon is sometimes called "anthropogenic global warming" or "anthropogenic climate change."

Climate model projections summarized in the report indicated that during the 21st century, the global surface temperature is likely to rise a further 0.3 to 1.7 °C (0.5 to 3.1 °F) to 2.6 to 4.8 °C (4.7 to 8.6 °F) depending on the rate of greenhouse gas emissions.

These findings have been recognized by the national science academies of the major industrialized nations and are not disputed by any scientific body of national or international standing.

SOME INCONVENIENT FACTS:

The Rising Temperature

April 2017 was the second-warmest April in 137 years of modern record-keeping, according to NASA‘s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS).

In 2016, Earth’s average surface temperature hit a record level for the third consecutive year since records began in 1880.

The global average temperature was about 1.1 degree Celsius (1.98 Fahrenheit) higher than the pre-industrial era. This is when mankind’s mass burning of coal, and later oil and gas, started hiking levels of heat-trapping CO2 in the atmosphere.

The Melting Ice

Arctic summer sea ice shrank to 4.14 million square kilometers (1.6 million square miles) in 2016 — the second-lowest after 2012, when it reached 3.39 million km2.

The Arctic Ocean could be ice-free in summer as early as 2030 due to ocean warming.

On the other extreme of the world, Antarctica, sea ice last year hit its lowest extent ever recorded by satellites.

The Greenhouse

The atmospheric concentrations of the three most potent greenhouse gases — carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) — all hit new highs in 2016.

For the first time on record, in 2015, the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere averaged 400 parts per million (ppm).

The Rising Sea Level

The average ocean level was 70 millimeters (2.75 inches) higher in 2015 than in 1993, having risen as much as 30 percent faster in the 10 years to 2015 than in the previous decade.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said in January 2017 the global average sea level could be between 0.3 and 2.5 meters (one foot to 8.2 feet) higher by 2100.

ISLAND NATIONS UNDER THREAT OF SINKING FROM GLOBAL WARMING - A TO Z

1. Cabo Verde, Republic of

2. Carteret Islands

3. Fiji, Republic of

4. Ireland

5. Hawaii
6. Japan

7. Kiribati

8. Maldives

9. Marshall Islands, Republic of the

10. Micronesia, Federated States of

11. Palau

12. Sarichef Island

13. Seychelles
14. Solomon Islands

15. Tangier Island

16. Torres Strait Islands

17. Tuvalu

18. United Kingdom

The Perils

The number of climate-related extreme events — droughts, forest fires, floods, major storm surges — has doubled since 1990, research has shown.

The intensity of typhoons battering China, Taiwan, Japan and the Korean Peninsula since 1980, for example, has increased by 12 to 15 percent.

Natural disasters drive about 26 million people into poverty every year, says the World Bank, and cause annual losses of about $520 million (463 million euros).

TOO SLOW BOJO, UK POLITICS, ALL TALK - Boris Johnson's Government have been a little slow to introduce policies and tax breaks to gird the loins of the energy industry to change from coal, oil and gas, to green hydrogen from wind turbines and solar farms. His inability to read world change and act decisively to create a sustainable society, has just about halved pensioner's savings in real terms in the UK. Well done Bojo.

WATER INSECURITY - A study published by United Nations’ water researchers says there has been an “exponential increase” in global desalination capacity compared to 20 years ago — and a concomitant increase in the flow of polluted, hyper-salty brine water into the ocean.

While the biggest plants are located in the Middle East, North Africa, Spain and small island nations, the study estimates that there are now 15,906 desalination plants operating in 177 countries (with more than 300 in Sub-Saharan Africa).

South Africa has about 10 small desalination projects, including pilot plants built in the coastal cities of Cape Town and Richards Bay after the recent severe drought. Similar plans have been proposed to ease growing water demand in the Durban area.

The new research suggests that 40% of the world’s people face severe water scarcity already, and that this bleak situation will only get worse because of human population growth, development, inland water pollution and climate change. Desertification is partly cause by desalination.

LINKS & REFERENCE

https://www.ipcc.ch/

https://www.britannica.com/science/global-warming

THE BLONDE YEARS - Business success does not appear to go hand-in-glove with conservation needs, where there is no profit in doing the right thing, other than saving the planet. But you cannot bank saving the planet. This begs the question, do we want hard nosed business ethics entering the political arena with Presidents like Donald (Chump) Trump. Want it or not the USA have got it because he used his climate change dollars to buy the presidency. Should that be allowed? We'd suggest a cap on allowable election expenses. We live in hope that the entrepreneur might develop a conscience while still in office.