GR.–Our response to environmental disasters often comes in the form of rescues and recovery aid after the event. The climate emergency is different. The way we’ve ignored forecasts of global warming is comparable to remaining in the house after receiving the forecasts for an approaching tornado and a tsunami. For climate change, however, we will not have a quiet time to rebuild, because the catastrophe will roll on gathering strength for centuries. The disaster recurrence interval will become too short for us to rebuild.
From RobertScribbler:
“What is happening right now is we are catapulting ourselves out of the Holocene, which is the geological epoch that human civilization has been able to develop in, because of the relatively stable climate. It allowed us to invent agriculture, rather than living as nomads. It allowed a big population growth, it allowed the foundation of cities, all of which required a stable climate.” — Stefan Rahmstorf
RobertScribbler.–“A strong El Nino in 2015 helped to contribute to record hot global temperatures over the past three years. But with so much heat unexpectedly showing up in the global climate system, there’s clearly something else going on. And indicators are that the natural climate variability that human beings have grown accustomed to over the last 10,000 years may now be a thing of the past — as it is steadily overwhelmed by a stronger overall greenhouse gas based warming signature. One that is concentrating more and more warming near the poles.
“2014 was the hottest year on record. But that lasted only until the end of 2015 — which shattered the 2014 global heat record by a big margin. Then 2016 rolled around and produced what could best be described as an insane heat spike during the January through May period. Now, it’s about 95 percent certain that the 2015 record will also fall, leaving 2016 as the new hottest year on record in yet one more climate vertigo inducing temperature jump.”
(“The rate of warming for 2014 through 2015 is just off the charts. This scares scientists, and it should. This makes many climate experts wonder about causes, and it should. Pime suspect for the increased rate of change — amplifying feedbacks in the Arctic. Image source: NOAA Global Analysis and Weather Underground.”)
GR.–For an excellent discussion of why this is happening, Continue reading: Rapid Polar Warming Kicks ENSO Out of Climate Driver’s Seat, Sets off Big 2014-2016 Global Temperature Spike | robertscribbler
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