It’s 2050 and now it’s too late! Unfortunately, the climate scientists were correct that a “business as usual” scenario when they said if heat-trapping gasses in the atmosphere went much above 445 parts per million C02 equivalent then earth’s temperature would rise by about 3.6 degrees by 2050. The actual rise was very close to the prediction. And just as they predicted, the ocean sea-level rose by about 16 inches. Actually it rose a little higher than their early predictions because their models didn’t take into account the accelerated rate that the Arctic and Antarctic glaciers were melting and slipping into the sea.
As if the coastal flooding was not enough, three so-called “hundred year storms” they predicted actually happened in the last ten years reshaping the coastline and destroying homes, resorts, industries and even buildings on some of our college campuses.
The 100 mile Jersey shore line has been devastated. Years ago, the insurance companies saw this coming and refused to insure shore properties. Jersey shore tourism and the casino business is way down and New Jersey’s tax coffers are suffering. Across the Hudson in Lower Manhattan the flooding and storm damage has reached the rebuilt World Trade Center. Corporations and businesses—and jobs-- are moving out the NJ-NY Metropolitan area in droves leaving home owners with huge mortgages and little hope of ever paying them off. The President has declared a national emergency, but the U.S. budget deficit is enormous and China, Japan and others have cashed in most of their US Treasury notes so the government can offer little assistance. Major demonstrations are being organized to protest the situation, but no one seems to know what to do. Sporadic violence is making things worse.
It is not 2050. This catastrophe does not have to happen! But we need to take the necessary steps in the next ten years to keep the heat-trapping gasses below 445 ppm---an 80% reduction from present levels, and exactly what is required by the Global Warming Response Act signed by Governor Corzine.
We know what to do to make the reductions and we have the resources to do it. However, it will take a massive effort to develop renewable energy such as wind, solar, hydro and biomass, and implement energy efficiency and conservation measures on the whole planet Earth. And most of all it requires a change in the hearts, minds and actions of millions of people and the political will of governments and businesses to do what is necessary as soon as possible.