Darren, Thanks for your detailed response. I agree with much of what you say about the dangers of rising global temperatures. I was quite hopeful in 2015 when the Paris Agreement was signed and I have repeatedly written about the historic comparisons between rapid climate change and mass extinctions. But the solutions to climate change lie less in our mastery of mitigation technology, and more in the collective willpower of the world’s nations. It is in this need for collective action where we find the weak link in solving our crisis.
My recent article expresses my views on the need to plan for a warmer future, but the assertion that we are on track for a 3 degree C rise is a reflection of the recent UN emissions report and other analyses from the past several years. The UN report states “World on course for more than 3 degree spike, even if climate commitments are met.”
The UN report also seems to recognize we have the scientific capability to avert this crisis, but we lack societal commitment.
I applude the shift towards solar power and the development of significant wind power. We need sustainable clean energy. I know that wind power in particular could create a massive shift towards clean power in the US northeast and other areas, and I believe this will happen over the next 30 years.
We need to move away from fossil fuels. But the reality is we needed to make that move 30 years ago. We can’t undo the past but we can shape the future. Until there is a true global effort to mitigate climate change we are forced to look at climate adaptation. I personally believe our governments are not yet up to the task.
I have been proven wrong many times before and I hope I am wrong this time. I am 100 percent behind climate mitigation efforts, but I also know future generations will need to adapt to a warmer world; we are already adapting in many regions. We can definately mitigate climate change, but we can’t stop it; it’s already happened. Perhaps the balance between mitigation and adaptation will shift in favor of mitigation if the world’s nations move rapidly. My observation is the pace of mitigation is picking up, but too slowly.
