Page 28 - aruba-today-20190928

A28 SCIENCE
Saturday 28 September 2019
‘We’re all in big trouble’: Climate panel sees a dire future

By SETH BORENSTEIN report’s authors said.
AP Science Writer The IPCC increased its pro-
NEW YORK (AP) — Earth is in jected end-of-century sea
more hot water than ever level rise in the worst-case
before, and so are we, an scenario by nearly 4 inches
expert United Nations cli- (10 centimeters) from its
mate panel warned in a 2013 projections because
grim new report Wednes- of the increased recent
day. melting of ice sheets in
Sea levels are rising at an Greenland and Antarctica.
ever-faster rate as ice and The new report projects
snow shrink, and oceans that, under the business-
are getting more acidic as-usual scenario for car-
and losing oxygen, the In- bon emissions, seas by the
tergovernmental Panel on end of the century will rise
Climate Change said in a between 2 feet (61 centi-
report issued as world lead- meters) and 43 inches (110
ers met at the United Na- centimeters), with a most
tions. likely rise of 33 inches (84
It warned that if steps aren’t centimeters). This is slightly
taken to reduce emissions less than the traditional 1
and slow global warming, meter (39 inches) that sci-
seas will rise 3 feet by the entists often use.
end of the century, with This early Friday, Aug. 16, 2019 file photo shows an aerial view of large Icebergs floating as the sun And sea level will rise two to
many fewer fish, less snow rises near Kulusuk, Greenland. three times as much over
and ice, stronger and wet- Associated Press the centuries to come if
ter hurricanes and other, ing the heat for climate million square miles (2.5 mil- “Climate change is al- warming continues, so the
nastier weather systems. change for decades. The lion square kilometers). ready irreversible,” French world is looking at a “future
“The oceans and the icy consequences for nature —Arctic sea ice in Septem- climate scientist Valérie that certainly looks com-
parts of the world are and humanity are sweep- ber, the annual low point, Masson-Delmotte, a report pletely different than what
in big trouble, and that ing and severe,” said Ko is down almost 13% per de- lead author, said at a news we currently have,” said
means we’re all in big Barrett, vice chair of the cade since 1979. This year’s conference in Monaco, report co-author Hans-Otto
trouble, too,” said one of IPCC and a deputy assis- low, reported Monday, tied where the document was Portner, a German climate
the report’s lead authors, tant administrator for re- for the second-lowest on released. “Due to the heat scientist.
Michael Oppenheimer, search at the U.S. National record. uptake in the ocean, we The Nobel Prize-winning
professor of geosciences Oceanic and Atmospheric —Marine animals are like- can’t go back.” IPCC requires that its reports
and international affairs at Administration. ly to decrease 15%, and But many of the worst-case be unanimously approved.
Princeton University. “The The report found: catches by fisheries in gen- projections in the report Because of that, its reports
changes are accelerat- — Seas are now rising at eral are expected to de- can still be avoided, de- tend to show less sea level
ing.” one-seventh of an inch cline 21% to 24%, by the pending on how the world rise and smaller harm than
The dire effects will be felt (3.66 millimeters) a year, end of century because of handles the emissions of other scientific studies, out-
on both land and sea, which is 2.5 times faster climate change. heat-trapping gases, the side experts said.q
harming people, plants, than the rate from 1900 to
animals, food, societies, in- 1990. Caltech gets $750M pledge for
frastructure and the global — The world’s oceans have
economy. In fact, the inter- already lost 1% to 3% of the sustainability research
national team of scientists oxygen in their upper lev-
projected for the first time els since 1970 and will lose PASADENA, Calif. (AP) —
that some island nations more as warming contin- The California Institute of
will probably become unin- ues. Technology said Thursday
habitable. —From 2006 to 2015, the it has received a pledge
The oceans absorb more ice melting from Green- of $750 million from phi-
than 90% of the excess land, Antarctica and the lanthropists and entrepre-
heat from carbon pollution world’s mountain glaciers neurs Stewart and Lynda
in the air, as well as much has accelerated. They are Resnick to support re-
of the carbon dioxide it- now losing 720 billion tons search into environmen-
self. Earth’s snow and ice, (653 billion metric tons) of tal sustainability in the
called the cryosphere, are ice a year. face of climate change.
also being eroded. —Arctic June snow cover The commitment is the
“The world’s oceans and has shrunk more than half largest ever for such re-
cryosphere have been tak- since 1967, down nearly 1 search, the largest in its
history and the second-
largest given to a U.S. This September, 2019 photo provided by The Wonderful
academic institution, Company shows, from left, Lynda Resnick, California Institute
Caltech said. of Technology president Thomas F. Rosenbaum, and Stewart
“In order to compre- Resnick in the surface science lab at Caltech’s Joint Center
hensively manage the for Artificial Photosynthesis (JCAP) in Pasadena, Calif.
climate crisis, we need Associated Press
breakthrough innova- in university research,” unite to address the most
tions, the kind that will Stewart Resnick said in pressing challenges fac-
only be possible through a statement. “Science ing energy, water, and
significant investment and bold creativity must sustainability.”q