RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—A study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found increased carbon dioxide emissions that lead to climate change cannot be reversed for 1,000 years.
THE DETAILS: Researchers from all over the world ran climate models and found that even if carbon dioxide emissions suddenly stopped, temperatures would remain high until about the year 3000. “We were very surprised,” says lead study author Susan Solomon, PhD, senior scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder, CO. “I thought that the climate would recover in a 100 years or so if emissions were stopped, but we learned that the climate change lasts more than 1,000 years.”
Currently, atmospheric carbon dioxide levels stand at about 385 parts per million. If they increase to 450 to 600 ppm, areas of Europe, the southwestern United States, the Mediterranean, and Africa could become dust bowls, creating food and water shortages for many in the world. If twenty-first-century CO2 emissions exceed 600 ppm, the world could face an unalterable rise in sea level.
“We can’t reverse what we’ve done so far, but the fact that we won’t be able to reverse a mistake suggests to me that we should be especially careful about how much more carbon dioxide we choose to put into the atmosphere in the future,” Solomon says.
WHAT IT MEANS: While the paper certainly is an eye-opener, it may leave the impression that there’s not much we can do about this monumental problem. In fact, it’s a call to action. “This is a very good paper, drawing attention to an issue that deserves much attention,” says Columbia University professor and NASA climate scientist James Hansen, PhD. “But it inappropriately leaves the impression that it is too late. Of course it is too late to avoid having any effects, but not the potentially largest ones.” He adds, “It should be made clear that we still have time to avoid most irreversible climate impacts, but only if we rapidly adopt appropriate policies.”
In an open letter to President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, Hansen, and his wife, Anniek, urged the couple to phase out coal-fired power plants that do not capture carbon dioxide. On top of that, they also want the Obamas to consider more research and development for fourth generation nuclear power, a source that could turn nuclear waste into energy. The final top priority outlined in the Hansens’ letter involves making fossil fuels more expensive through a carbon tax. They say the higher gas prices would spur development of cheaper clean energy. The best part of that proposal? To eliminate lobbyist interference, the tax would be redistributed back to U.S. citizens.
Here’s how you can make a different on the personal and policy level:
• Make sure your rep knows you by name. Through letters, writing opinion pieces to your local newspapers, and visits to your representatives’ offices, urge your elected officials to take bold action to cut greenhouse-gas emissions. To contact your congressperson: writerep.house.gov. To contact your senator: www.senate.gov.
• Eat oil-free food. Whether there’s a carbon tax or not, you can choose to eat a more petroleum-free diet. Eating whole, organic foods grown locally will not only benefit your health, but could be a tool in fighting global warming. That’s because it reduces the energy use and carbon output created through processing, packaging, and manufacturing and applying pesticides and fertilizers. Plus, organic farming techniques keep the soil healthy, and sink carbon into the soil, keeping it out of the atmosphere. Find healthy, low-carbon-input food at Local Harvest.