Cold Comfort in Climate Change

Extreme weather patterns, hitting all parts of the globe, up-ends the untested proposition that the world has at least a decade to control or adapt to climate change. Scientists and corporate interests could both be wrong about global warming, and the phenomenon could hit much sooner, much harder, than anyone has yet predicted. Environmental analyst Peter Fisher reviews the growing body of research that points to the abrupt nature of climate change throughout history. With record highs set in many areas in recent years, including levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases, according to a United Nations weather agency, people cannot expect weather as usual. People can wait until disaster hits, or they can change bad habits in an effort to prevent polluted skies, breaking arctic ice, rising sea levels, vanishing species and other catastrophes that will have global economic consequences. – YaleGlobal