# Alarming climate change: Earth heads for its tipping point as it could reach +1.5 °C over the next 5 years, WMO finds in the latest study



## Paco Dennis (Jul 21, 2021)

2020 had the globally averaged temperature of 1.02 °C (1.84 °F) warmer than the baseline 1951-1980 mean, according to scientists at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York. 2020 edged out 2016 by a very small amount, within the margin of error of the analysis, making the years effectively tied for the warmest year on record.

_“But these are more than just statistics”_, said the WMO Secretary-General Prof. Petteri Taalas. _“The increasing temperatures mean more melting ice, higher sea levels, more heatwaves, and other extreme weather, and greater impacts on food security, health, the environment, and sustainable development,”_ Taalas said.

https://www.severe-weather.eu/globa...tipping-point-global-temperature-increase-mk/


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## Irwin (Jul 21, 2021)

Along with clean energy, there should be a push to develop ocean water desalination technologies. That's the only way we're going to be able to live with droughts caused by climate change.


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## Cameron (Jul 21, 2021)

For sure a big concern for me.  i think the last years of my life will be dealing with the droughts and tropical deluge like we had yesterday.  Seems a while since a good steady rainfall up this way as it was in years gone by.   A farmer in maine was talking of the drought there, increase head, blight on fruit trees that rarely happened before.  

Prod a stick at an bear and .....


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## Don M. (Jul 21, 2021)

I'm a bit pessimistic when it comes to being able to do Anything to slow down, or reverse Climate Change.  Even if suddenly ALL fossil fuel use was banned, and All vehicles parked, etc., it would probably take decades to reverse the damage already done.  

Can you imagine a world where people suddenly had to give up their cars...can you visualize a world where electricity might only be available for an hour or two per day?  Utter chaos and massive conflicts between people would be the result.  

If I owned any property near a coastline, at an elevation of less than 50 ft. above today's sea levels, I would sell it...while it still has some value.


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## Cameron (Jul 21, 2021)

I am certainly no expert but from what i have read we are locked into about 1,000 years of the weather we have now with the amount of carbon that is in atmosphere already causing the climate change.   Huge population increase over the past 100 yrs, ramped up food production based on petrochemicals and fossil fuels causing soil failure so food supply as it stands at risk.  Energy drove the industrial revolution in the UK, then Europe, then in North America.   Learning how to utilize fossil fuels spurred things even further by 1920's .   We have built a civilization with relatively easy access energy that now comes with a large cost in both the waste product and far few cheap to produce reserves.

Human ingenuity is amazing and there are some brillant people working on this.  We can I hope find away to carry foward but at a standard of living I suspect that is closer to the 1950's or 1940's.   People were still happy back then and enjoying life, but for all of us alive now this will require giving up some material things and expectations .  

I can sail a boat across the atlantic to see family.  I live generating my own electricity and heat with renewable firewood.  hardships? for sure.  At the end of the day I want my nieces and nephews and their kids to have a chance to experience happiness and community well being


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## Alligatorob (Jul 21, 2021)

Don M. said:


> I'm a bit pessimistic when it comes to being able to do Anything to slow down, or reverse Climate Change.  Even if suddenly ALL fossil fuel use was banned, and All vehicles parked, etc., it would probably take decades to reverse the damage already done.
> 
> Can you imagine a world where people suddenly had to give up their cars...can you visualize a world where electricity might only be available for an hour or two per day?  Utter chaos and massive conflicts between people would be the result.


I agree, there is no way people will voluntarily give up the short term benefits of energy consumption for a nebulous long term out come.  A few may want to, but it just ain't going to happen.  And even if it did things are not likely to return to what they used to be, the changes are already here.


Don M. said:


> If I owned any property near a coastline, at an elevation of less than 50 ft. above today's sea levels, I would sell it...while it still has some value.


Absolutely, I did just that a few years ago.  I believe the best we can do is get ready for it, we don't really quite know what's coming, but we can be pretty sure things will change.  Those best prepared for the change will come out ahead.


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## officerripley (Jul 21, 2021)

I'm starting more and more to wish we had a basement.


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## Irwin (Jul 21, 2021)

People are "preparing" for the damage caused by climate change by moving to Colorado. They need to stop it! Go away! We have enough people here already!


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## Phoenix (Jul 31, 2021)

Don M. said:


> 'm a bit pessimistic when it comes to being able to do Anything to slow down, or reverse Climate Change.  Even if suddenly ALL fossil fuel use was banned, and All vehicles parked, etc., it would probably take decades to reverse the damage already done.
> I
> Can you imagine a world where people suddenly had to give up their cars...can you visualize a world where electricity might only be available for an hour or two per day?  Utter chaos and massive conflicts between people would be the result.
> 
> If I owned any property near a coastline, at an elevation of less than 50 ft. above today's sea levels, I would sell it...while it still has some value.


Here in Oregon most of our electricity comes from hydroelectric facilities.  Sure they want us to switch to electric cars, but with the reservoirs so low, soon there won't be enough water to produce the power for our regular needs.

I'm about 40 miles inland from  the Oregon coast in the mountains.  I am glad I didn't buy property any closer to the coast.  But even so everything is so very dry.  The trees on my property are dying.   I'd move, but there's no safe place to go.  It's going to hit all of us, one way or another.


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## Phoenix (Jul 31, 2021)

Irwin said:


> People are "preparing" for the damage caused by climate change by moving to Colorado. They need to stop it! Go away! We have enough people here already!


They were listening to John Denver's songs about Colorado.  I've felt the same way about people moving to Oregon.  Now all the western states are on fire.  I'd thought moving to B.C. was a good idea at one point, but decided against it.  Then they too get hit by excessive heat and fires.  We just have to figure out what we are going to do where we are.


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