Met Office warn of 'catastrophic' rise in temperature: … more than 5°C in the next 90 years …

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article5371682.ece

From Times Online
December 19, 2008

Met Office warn of 'catastrophic' rise in temperature

A new study by the Met Office warns that the world could warm by more than 5C in the next 90 years, if emissions keep on rising. This would be catastrophic for the environment and for humanity. Dr Vicky Pope, Head of Climate Change Advice at the Met Office’s Hadley Centre explains the science

Vicky Pope, Head of Climate Change Advice - Met Office

When it comes to climate change, scientific evidence provides critical information for decision making. Because governments need to understand the consequences of choosing one strategy over another they also need to understand what will happen if targets are missed or cannot be agreed by all countries. Failures could have far-reaching consequences and so the Met Office has conducted a series of ‘what if?’ climate projections, to give a better understanding of what those consequences might be.

Latest climate projections from the Met Office Hadley Centre show the possible range of temperature rises, depending on what action is taken to reduce Greenhouse gas emissions. Even with large and early cuts in emissions, the indications are that temperatures are likely to rise to around 2 °C above pre-industrial levels by the end of the century. If action is delayed or not quick enough, there is a large risk of much bigger increases in temperature, with some severe impacts.

In a worst-case scenario, where no action is taken to check the rise in Greenhouse gas emissions, temperatures would most likely rise by more than 5 °C by the end of the century. This would lead to significant risks of severe and irreversible impacts.

In the most optimistic scenario, action to reduce emissions would need to start in 2010 and reach a rapid and sustained rate of decline of 3 per cent every year. Even then there would still only be a 50-50 chance of keeping temperature rises below around 2°C. This contrasts sharply with current trends, where the world’s overall emissions are currently increasing at 1 per cent every year

…

[notesdev]

1. Remind me to worry about that

when I'm done freezing my butt off here

[OKIsItJustMe]

2. In my best crotchety old man voice…

Ah, you don't know what "cold" is. Why, when I was a boy, it used to get cold.

[tridim]

3. Meh.. We'll all be dead by then anyway

Quoth the idiot-boy President.

[OKIsItJustMe]

4. Do you want to live to see 3°C?

(I'm just sayin'…)