One of the Worst Predictions About Climate Change Is Coming True Faster Than Thought

February 7, 2017

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Climate change has become a political issue over the years, at the heart of which is whether or not “the science is settled” on it. One area where the science was not settled was how fast the effects of climate change would be felt. However, a study published this summer suggests that those effects are hitting us sooner than scientists thought.
From a March 2016 report by Inside Climate News:

The study, initially made public in draft form last July as a “discussion paper” so it could be circulated  ahead of the Paris climate talks, holds that multi-meter sea rise could happen within a matter of decades, rather than centuries as previous estimates suggested. Hansen argues the dramatic sea level rise could put the earth’s coastal cities in grave peril while a sudden influx of population from those cities will bring discord and conflict to the rest of the world.
The study, co-authored by a team of 19 international climate scientists, was published this week in the peer-reviewed journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

It’s not just Hansen and his team. Michael Mann, a climate scientist, told The Atlantic that the fast-rising sea levels are “yet another example of where observations suggest that climate model predictions may be too conservative when it comes to the pace at which certain aspects of climate change are proceeding.”
However with GOP-controlled legislative and executive branches it is unlikely that politicians will take action on these findings. That’s why some climate scientists are trying to take their arguments and dire warnings to the people who will most be affected by this.
From Rolling Stone:

Katharine Hayhoe, a climate scientist and evangelical Christian, moved from Canada to Texas with her husband, a pastor, precisely because of its vulnerability to climate change. There, she engages with the evangelical community on science — almost as a missionary would. But she’s already planning her exit strategy: “If we continue on our current pathway, Canada will be home for us long term. But the majority of people don’t have an exit strategy. . . . So that’s who I’m here trying to help.”

The GOP and, more specifically, the Trump administration has embraced the fossil-fuel industry, with their focus on the economy and jobs.  However, Hansen argues that there is still time to stop these effects but it would require the abandonment of the use of fossil fuels almost immediately.
What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments below.