Part 2

CLIMATE AFFAIRS: PART 2

Superstorm 1993 (March 12-15) From the Caribbean to Canada

ENSO: What it can do (based on what it has done in the recent past)

The Devil is in the Details: Australian Example

Perception of Climate’s Impacts on Agriculture Weather USDA 1984

Reality of Climate’s Impacts on Agriculture Weather USDA 1984

Europe heatwave temperature anomaly

Heat Wave in Europe, 2003

Heat waves are deadly

Global Warming What’s happening? Why? Who’s doing it? Who’s affected by it? How do we know?

Toward an ice-free Arctic Ocean Photo credit: Peter West, National Science Foundation Melting Arctic sea ice

Climate Policy & Law Air pollution, acid rain, ozone depletion, global warming Energy consumption, land-use practices, GHGs emission controls Trans-boundary water issues, coastal ocean issues, air-shed management IPCC deliberations and reports

Climate Politics US Cities vs Federal government California regulations to reduce greenhouse gases from automobiles for the first time anywhere. California's landmark regulations under attack from auto industry organizations demanding the roll- back of new climate protecting regulations.

Hurricane Katrina

Winners or losers in global warming?

International Response to US Pullout of Kyoto Process

Climate Economics Discounting the future – Welfare: Present versus future generations Discounting human lives Forecast value studies – Value of lives, North & South Prevent, mitigate or adapt – To climate variability and change

Costs, benefits and Global Warming

Insurance industry takes an interest Probability of Major Hurricane Landfall 2006 (CATEGORY 3, 4, 5) Average (Past century) 2006F Entire US Coast52%81% US East Coast Including Florida Peninsula 31%64% Gulf Coast from FL Panhandle to Brownsville, TX 30%47% Above-Average Major Hurricane Landfall in Caribbean Source: Dr. William Gray, Colorado State University, December 6, 2005.

Sources of C02 as of 2000 (emissions in millions of metric tons)

Victims of GHG impacts

Environmental Refugees Image credit: Friends of the EarthPhoto credit: Crosbie

Hurricane Mitch refugees (Oct.-Nov. 1998)

Render unto climate … We must identify climate’s contribution to its impacts on societies We must also identify society’s contribution to climate’s impacts

Do you think we need to improve communicating science? This graphic was used by a scientist to show policy people the magnitude of the recent El Nino, compared to earlier years. Is this message clear to you?

Need to improve society’s understanding of science “A once-in-a-century climate disaster caused by a warm current off the Peruvian coast”

Something to think about “I said that I wasn’t clever. I was just noticing how things were, and that wasn’t clever. That was just being observant. Being clever was when you looked at how things are and used the evidence to work out something new.” (Mark Haddon, 2002)