{"id":7318,"date":"2023-10-24T21:04:30","date_gmt":"2023-10-24T21:04:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/course.fossdle.org\/baccc\/?page_id=7318"},"modified":"2023-10-24T21:04:30","modified_gmt":"2023-10-24T21:04:30","slug":"climate-change-measuring-monitoring-and-observing-trends-part-4","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/course.fossdle.org\/baccc\/modules\/module-1-the-science-of-climate-change\/climate-change-measuring-monitoring-and-observing-trends-part-4\/","title":{"rendered":"Climate Change: Measuring, Monitoring and Observing Trends – Part 4"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Global climate change commitments and irreversibility<\/span><\/h2>\n

Because the full effect of greenhouse gases is not felt as soon as the gases are emitted (due to the inertia \u2013 resistance to change \u2013 of the oceans, the carbon cycle and the climate system), the IPCC has established that there is a very high chance the Earth\u2019s climate will continue to warm in the coming decades. In other words, the global climate is committed to carrying on heating up until long after we have stopped emitting greenhouse gases.\n<\/p>\n

Why is this important? Intuitively some (and perhaps most) people think that as soon as we substantially decrease our CO2<\/sub> emissions (which we have not done so far), the problem will be solved. It will not, not by a very long shot. Even if we reduce CO2<\/sub> emissions to zero over a realistic timeframe, the CO2<\/sub> concentration in the atmosphere \u2013 and thus also the global average temperature \u2013 will still remain elevated for thousands of years. But the longer we postpone reducing our emissions, the more severe those emissions reductions will need to be in order to have the same mitigating effect on long-term warming. \u2014 Adapted from Bart Verheggen (2016)\n<\/p>\n

Another problem we are facing is that some irreversible changes to the Earth\u2019s climate system are already underway, such as the melting of glaciers and ice caps, the rise in sea level and changes in weather patterns.\n<\/p>\n

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Activity<\/h2>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t
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First, read this short report from the Australian Academy of Science:\n<\/p>\n

“How do we expect climate change to evolve?<\/a>“[1]<\/a><\/sup>\n<\/p>\n

Next, respond in your learning journal to this quotation from it:\n<\/p>\n

These characteristics of the climate system mean that the only way to stop human-induced climate change (without resorting to \u201cgeoengineering\u201d \u2013 the deliberate, large-scale modification of climate) is to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions to near-zero levels. The longer this takes to achieve, and the more greenhouse gases that are emitted in the meantime, the larger the scale of future climate change.<\/i>\n<\/p>\n

With whom would you want to share this report or quotation? With whom would you not want to share this report or quote?\n<\/p>\n

Answer the following questions in your learning journal.\n<\/p>\n

1. What are the historic indicators of climate change?\n<\/p>\n

2. How do scientists collect evidence about climate change?\n<\/p>\n

3. How has the global average temperature changed since the Industrial Revolution?\n<\/p>\n

4. What do most climate scientists unanimously agree on regarding\n<\/p>\n