‘Fabric of Life’ at Risk

Recent blogs have dealt with research reports about the increasing numbers and severity of negative events attributed to climate change. I really dislike sending out gloomy messages – except – we still have time to do fix the problem. I’m amazed none of our political campaigns features climate change issues, which have a far greater impact on our lives than whether or not prison inmates may have transgender operations. Comments afterwards.

 

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‘Very Fabric of Life’ at Risk Without

Urgent Action to End Fossil Fuel Era

 

“We are on the brink of an irreversible climate

disaster. This is a global emergency beyond any doubt.”

 

Jessica Corbett

Common Dreams

Oct 08, 2024

 

As Hurricane Milton barreled toward Florida’s Gulf Coast, demonstrating the dangers of global warming, international scientists on Tuesday published a terrifying annual analysis that highlights the need to swiftly phase out planet-heating fossil fuels. The coalition wrote in BioScience

 

“Our aim in the present article is to com-

municate directly to researchers, policy-

makers, and the public. As scientists and

academics, we feel it is our moral duty

and that of our institutions to alert

humanity to the growing threats that

we face as clearly as possible and to

show leadership in addressing them.”

 

The 14 experts from Australia, Brazil, China, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States warned …

 

“We are on the brink of an irreversible

climate disaster. This is a global emer-

gency beyond any doubt. Much of the

very fabric of life on Earth is imperiled.

We are stepping into a critical and unpre-

dictable new phase of the climate crisis.”

 

Their latest edition, “The 2024 State of the Climate Report: Perilous Times on Planet Earth,” shows that 25 of the 35 “planetary vital signs” the team uses to track the climate emergency are at record extremes. They include U.S.-heat related mortality, fossil fuel subsidies, coal and oil consumption, carbon dioxide equivalent emissions, per capita meat consumption, global tree cover loss due to fires, ocean acidity and heat content change, glacier thickness change, and ice mass change in Antarctica and Greenland.

The report emphasizes that “human-caused carbon dioxide emissions and other greenhouse gases are the primary drivers of climate change. As of 2022, global fossil fuel combustion and industrial processes account for approximately 90% of these emissions, whereas land-use change, primarily deforestation, accounts for approximately 10%.”

“For many years, scientists, including a group of more than 15,000, have sounded the alarm about the impending dangers of climate change driven by increasing greenhouse gas emissions and ecosystem change,” the publication notes. “For half a century, global warming has been correctly predicted even before it was observed—and not only by independent academic scientists but also by fossil fuel companies.” The article adds…

 

“Despite these warnings, we are still moving

in the wrong direction; fossil fuel emissions

have increased to an all-time high, the three

hottest days ever occurred in July of 2024,

and current policies have us on track for

approximately 2.7°C peak warming by 2100.”

 

“Tragically, we are failing to avoid serious impacts, and we can now only hope to limit the extent of the damage. We are witnessing the grim reality of the forecasts as climate impacts escalate, bringing forth scenes of unprecedented disasters around the world and human and nonhuman suffering.”

Oregon State University professor William Ripple, who led the team with Christopher Wolf of Terrestrial Ecosystems Research Associates, said in a Tuesday statement that “ecological overshoot, taking more than the Earth can safely give, has pushed the planet into climatic conditions more threatening than anything witnessed even by our prehistoric relatives.” Ripple stressed …

 

“We’re already in the midst of abrupt climate

upheaval. For example, Hurricane Helene

caused more than 200 deaths in the south-

eastern United States and massive flooding

in a North Carolina mountain area thought

to be a safe haven from climate change.”

 

“Since the publication of our 2023 report, multiple climate-related disasters have taken place, including a series of heatwaves across Asia that killed more than a thousand people and led to temperatures reaching 122°F in parts of India.” He continued …

 

“Climate change has already displaced

millions of people, with the potential to

displace hundreds of millions or even

billions. That would likely lead to greater

geopolitical instability, possibly even

partial societal collapse.”

 

To avoid that dark future, the article argues, “we need bold, transformative change: drastically reducing overconsumption and waste, especially by the affluent, stabilizing and gradually reducing the human population through empowering education and rights for girls and women, reforming food production systems to support more plant-based eating, and adopting an ecological and post-growth economics framework that ensures social justice.”

The assessment—whose authors include Michael Mann of the University of Pennsylvania, Naomi Oreskes of Harvard University, and Stefan Rahmstorf and Johan Rockström of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research—comes just over a month away from the next United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP29, which is scheduled for November 11-22 in Azerbaijan.

Pointing to previous summits, Wolf said Tuesday that “despite six reports from the International Panel on Climate Change, hundreds of other reports, tens of thousands of scientific papers, and 28 annual meetings of the U.N.’s Conference of the Parties, the world has made very little headway on climate change.” He warned …

 

“Humanity’s future depends on creativity,

moral fiber, and perseverance. If future

generations are to inherit the world they

deserve, decisive action is needed, and fast.”

 

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Personally, I’m living in a home (and development) that uses no fossil fuels, and most have e-cars powered by photovoltaic panels. We have no electric bills, and live in wonderful homes that cost the same or less than traditional home’s initial price, and far less money when including total monthly costs. We have the technology. It’s proven and affordable. But unless we have the will to survive, to adjust our lifestyle, we might not. Adding D’s thoughts …

 

“Humans are creatures of habit. And what we are asking you to do is change your habits. Change from driving a gas vehicle to electric is a habit change, which creates a nervousness in many people. And yet, it is one of the strongest things you can do to stop or limit your fossil fuel use. 

“Another habit change could be to move to solar panels, to limit fossil fuel use. Again, we are asking you to invest in your future, which is a change. It is important to challenge and understand what your fossil fuel use is, and begin taking steps to limit the amount you use … to save the planet.”

 

I’m not in a position in which I can do another Garden Atrium community. However, if you’re planning to build a new net zero home or know of homebuilders who wish to build net zero homes, I’d be pleased to help with plans, construction coaching, and whatever else might be needed.

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