Global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from burning fossil fuels will rise to a record 36 billion metric tons this year, a study by 49 researchers from 10 countries found, showing the failure of governments to rein in the main greenhouse gas.
A minor but very important component of the atmosphere, carbon dioxide is released through natural processes such as respiration and volcanic eruptions and through human activities such as deforestation, land use changes, and burning fossil fuels. Humans have increased atmospheric CO2 concentration by a third since the Industrial Revolution began. This is the most important cause of climate change.
Over the last 40 years, carbon dioxide emissions have more than doubled: In 1970, global carbon dioxide emissions were approximately 15.6 billion metric tons; by the year 2010, that number has increased to 33 billion metric tons.
The scientific report was released Tuesday assessing the climate situation in the United States. "Climate change, once considered an issue for a distant future, has moved firmly into the present," the scientists declared.
"If greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane continue to escalate at a rapid pace, the warming could exceed 10 degrees by the end of this century," said Eric Radley, a climate scientist who helped write the report.
The report is the latest in a series of dire warnings about how the effects of global warming that had been long foreseen by climate scientists are already affecting the planet. Its region-by-region documentation of changes occurring in the United States, and of future risks, makes clear that few places will be unscathed.
"There is mounting evidence that harm to the nation will increase substantially in the future unless global emissions of heat-trapping gases are greatly reduced," warned Steve Tobak, a scientist at a California university.
Billion-Dollar Weather/Climate Disasters
The effects of human-induced climate change are being felt in every corner of the United States, the report indicated, with water growing scarcer in dry regions, torrential rains increasing in wet regions, heat waves becoming more common and more severe, wildfires growing worse, and forests dying under assault from heat-loving insects.
The U.S. has sustained 151 weather/climate disasters since 1980 where overall damages/costs reached or exceeded $1 billion. The total cost of these 151 events exceeds $1 trillion.
Scientists and science writers have pointed out that the increase in the frequency and intensity of natural catastrophes are the immediate consequences of climate change. Andrew McKibben, a science writer, cited scientific results: "The pattern of the increase in the frequency and severity of heat waves, drought, tropical cyclones, tornadoes and floods is very clear. These changes in atmospheric process will have profound impact on the lives, health, and property of millions of people."
Tropical Cyclones: Tornadoes and Hurricanes
Tornadoes and hurricanes have been menacing the U.S. as long as anyone can remember, but the frequency and severity of the storms, as well as the monetary damages the storms have caused, have increased in recent years, as recent studies indicated.
The devastation from Hurricane Sandy rang in at $65 billion, leaving 72 people dead and more than 6 million homeless.
The record sea-ice loss during 2012 summer, one of the many effects of human activities influencing Earth’s climate, could have set up the atmospheric pattern that sent Sandy barreling into the Northeast.
"Extreme weather of all sorts has been increasing around the Northern Hemisphere," said Chris Francis, one of the scientists who looked at the link between climate change and extreme weather events. "(Sandy) is the kind of situation we'd expect to see more of as greenhouse gases continue to build up in the atmosphere and sea level continues to rise."
Floods
Norfolk, Virginia, constantly wrestles with rising waters. The Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk's most prestigious art museum had just completed a $24 million renovation that emptied the basement, now accessible only by ladder because of flooding.
High tide seeped up through storm drains, puddled on the promenade and spread, half a foot deep, across the street, where a sign read, "Road Closed." An accounting firm stood behind a homemade barricade of stanchions and detachable flaps rigged to keep the water out. And a local church was looking to evacuate.
"This is not some distant problem of the future. This is a problem that is affecting people right now," said Andrea Slade. "I don't know many churches that have to put the tide chart on their Web site," so people know whether they can get to church.
Winter Storms
As the northeastern U.S. braces for the latest in a seemingly endless series of winter storms and severe snowfall, research has shown that the persistent cold weather suffered by much of the United States this 2013-2014 winter may be a result of a rapidly warming Arctic.
The rising annual average temperatures around the globe cause more moisture to be held in the air than the prior seasons. When storms occur, this added moisture can fuel heavier precipitation in the form of more intense rain or snow.
"Overall, it’s warming, but we still have cold winter weather," said atmospheric scientist Kevin Walsh. He added that climate change would cause extreme weather events of different types. "Less of a region’s precipitation is falling in light storms and more of it in heavy storms. Because of this, the risks of drought and wildfire are also greater. Ironically, higher air temperatures tend to produce intense drought periods punctuated by heavy floods, often in the same region."
What’s Next?
Putting a limit on heat-trapping emissions, encouraging the use of healthier, cleaner energy technologies, and increasing energy efficiency are all ways to help avert the worst potential consequences of global warming.
States like New York are required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by nearly a third over the next 15 years.
"Yes, climate change is already here, and we need to make sure that if there is weather like this we are more prepared and protected than we have been before," New York Governor Andrew Cuomo told reporters. "The choices we make today can help determine what our climate will be like in the future."