Top climate scientist declares 2-degree C climate goal 'dead'

Hansen has been warning 'leaders' since the 80's about the climate crisis. And still they aren't listening.

They, governments should have listened to the environmental protests of the 1960s & 70s. Now we have microplastics in our brains. Global temperature 1.7ºC above preindustrial levels.

I could use a little global warming. I've been freezing all week!

ifd66

Hansen has been warning 'leaders' since the 80's about the climate crisis. And still they aren't listening.

In the 80s the "climate crisis" was global cooling. Hansen should make up his mind.

In the 80s the "climate crisis" was global cooling. Hansen should make up his mind.

No it wasn't. And Hansen clearly has made up his mind.

In the 80s the "climate crisis" was global cooling.

False, and then some. Global cooling was simply conjecture that aerosols in the atmosphere might offset some of the warming effects from CO2. Scientists have been predicting this global warming far before Al Gore annoyed you with it, because they understand the properties of things like CO2.

It was never a 'thing', although it's unsurprising that climate change deniers try to make it one in their endless quest to avoid seeing what is in front of them.

So now you know.

I read that for the past 25 million years CO2 levels in the atmosphere have never exceeded 250 ppm, until today. The level of CO2 is now at 410 ppm and rising. Global warming is guaranteed for the next several hundred years, no matter what we do, unless a radical new way to quickly take CO2 and other greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere comes along.

Aren't we lucky to have a convicted felon in the White House who doesn't believe that global warming is real?

It doesn’t matter how the climate changes.

There will always be parts of the earth which are habitable and if we aren’t able to adapt then some other type of life will.

Will climate change cause another migration crisis in Europe?

Yes "parts of the earth will be inhabitable "...now lets see how these "inhabitable nations " welcome those whose climate has rendered them inhabitable.

Because the history of the world is one of sharing and caring isn't it ?

It doesn’t matter how the climate changes.

It really, really does! Especially if you like things such as 'food' on a regular basis at reasonable prices.

There will always be parts of the earth which are habitable and if we aren’t able to adapt then some other type of life will.

Adapting is what we are trying to do now. All we really have to do is not burn as much black stuff. Quite simple really. In return we get cleaner air, water, almost unlimited energy, less wars and more independence.

But you don't want to adapt now so you won't then.

No budget for it unfortunately.

We have to spend as much as we can on buying and/or developing weapons because that's what our designated enemies are doing too

Anyway still not hearing much about carbon capture.

Even if we achieve net zero right now we still have to lessen what's already existing don't we?

Even if we achieve net zero right now we still have to lessen what's already existing don't we?

Exactly. The step after that is carbon negative, where the planet can absorb more CO2 than it / we produces.

Net zero just a first step. We are making hard work of it though.

This may actually help, pushing more governments to spend some proper time and money on making society more resilient as the climate warms. Because we were never going to stop it in its tracks at this point, and we are ill prepared for it.

But nothing is ever a 'slam dunk' in science. Dissenting voices are important and scientists have open minds for a reason.

Hypotheses are based on what we know, but there is always a tonne of stuff we don't know. The planet reacts to changes in unexpected ways and ways that are not built into current simulations. We see this in astronomy a lot, where new evidence requires a complete rewrite. There are so many variables involved in climate change that things are going to happen that we didn't expect. Maybe huge algal blooms that soak up atmospheric CO2 and produce methane (40% of which is currently emitted naturally, 60% due to us). We are likely to see tree growth increase, producing more oxygen. These are not things that we do, but natural responses to climate change that will effect all the variables. And this will happen all over the place in ways that we do not expect.

So whilst we should reduce emissions where it is viable, there will be other changes going on that we cannot predict and cannot yet factor in to our simulations. Whenever you think you have nailed something in science, new and anomalous data pops up.

Increasing populations, so called better climate politicians and stars flying private jets to events, plane makers trying to sell more planes and companies trying to sell more technology, put efforts to AI……. It’s a shame trump exited it, but it’s also shameful that the lot of them are doing the opposite of decreasing global warming. What comes out of their mouths don’t fit their actions.

Great Bird

In the 80s the "climate crisis" was global cooling. Hansen should make up his mind.

No it wasn't. And Hansen clearly has made up his mind.

Yes, there was the global cooling panic. And they had "science" on their side. I am old enough to remember it, having lived through it, and you are literate enough to research it if you did not know.

1glenn

I read that for the past 25 million years CO2 levels in the atmosphere have never exceeded 250 ppm

Where did you read that? And did that source also mention that for plants, the ideal level is around 2000 ppm (which is why they pump CO2 into greenhouses)?