Originally published on the CGS blog on August 23, 2013.
Climate change is scary right? Well it’s about to get scarier. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change leaked a report that has five terrifying statements about how bad climate change really is. There is a silver lining though. NBC covered the report for 2 minutes and 59 seconds.
A draft copy of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s 2013 Summary for Policymakers Report was leaked earlier this week and revealed the true extent of the changes to our environment. Of course the report is only a draft and subject to change, but here are some shocking facts it includes, as highlighted by Mother Jones:
- Ocean acidity is “virtually certain” to increase. Acidity threatens the survival of entire ecosystems, from Antarctic systems to many human food webs dependent on everything from oysters to salmon.
- We are on course to change the planet in a way unprecedented for hundreds or thousands of years. For such a conservative, nonpartisan, and well respected body as the IPCC to use such language is shocking and reflects how seriously they see the problem.
- The sea level could increase from 5 to 10 meters. The report says with “very high confidence” that if we exceed two degrees increase in temperature, we could seeradically higher oceans, submerged coastal cities – all in as little as a century.
- Rising sea levels implies a substantial melting of the Greenland ice sheet.
- Perhaps the worst news is that greenhouse gases already emitted will stay in the atmosphere for a millennia.
The panel, which consists of several hundred scientists, won the Nobel Peace prize in 2007 along with Al Gore. Summaries of its findings are published every five or six years and are largely considered the definitive voice on the risks of climate change. Hundreds of billions of dollars are spent to reduce greenhouse gases based on the group’s findings. Dr. Christopher B. Field of the Carnegie Institution for Science and on the panel (but not involved in the draft) posits, “I think that the I.P.C.C. has a tradition of being very conservative. They really want the story to be right.” Since they are so conservative and tend to only report the most substantiated findings on climate change every 5 years, they are well respected among governments and scientists alike.
Following our #CoverClimate campaign, NBC produced a 3 minute segment on the leaked report. Network news listened and is covering climate and its effects on our environment and lives. Let’s keep the pressure up and let the media know what our priorities are – #CoverClimate
