Paris Agreement Doomed to Fail?

The Agreement aims to respond to the global climate change threat by keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius.


However, the progress is far from it.


As per this recent article from Independent,  BP and Shell planning for catastrophic 5°C global warming despite publicly backing Paris climate agreement.


According to this article on NY Daily News, there are many indications that the agreement is a failure. The United Nations body that oversees the Treaty estimates that if every country were to achieve every promise by 2030, the total greenhouse gas cut would be equivalent to just 60 billion tons of carbon dioxide. Keeping the global temperature rise below 2 degrees C requires a reduction in emissions during this century of almost 6,000 billion tons. Even with complete success, Paris makes only 1% progress toward the least ambitious target. Not a single wealthy, major emitter is set to meet its treaty promises. The article concludes by stating that it’s time to change course. Nations should invest far more in green energy research and development. Fixing climate change is not about making pretty promises, but about boosting innovation so green energy will eventually outcompete fossil fuels.





https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:COP21_participants_-_30_Nov_2015_(23430273715).jpg#/media/File:COP21_participants_-_30_Nov_2015_(23430273715).jpg

Some Compelling Data

This article on National Geographic explains it all and with compelling statistics and great storytelling. Here is the summary of the article.


1. The world is getting warmer. Global average surface temperature (difference from 20th century average)





Source: NOAA


2. It's becasue of us. Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide in PPM





Source: NOAA, Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center


3. We're sure. A 2013 review of 4014 research papers found that 97% (98% authors) said humans caused global warming


4. Ice is melting fast. Extent of Arctic Ice in millions of miles. Coastal cities are at danger here.





5. Weather is wreaking havoc. Global natural disasters (red line is earthquakes, Tsunamis and volcanic activity, the columns from bottom to top are stroms, floods / landslides and Droughts / Heatwaves / forest fires)







Read the rest of the article on the National Geographic website at this link

Hurricanes and Global Warming

We have seen hurricanes in the past and we have seen bad ones but the kind we are getting now exceeds all limits of how much destruction it can bring.

The way Hurricane Harvey dropped unfathomable amount of rainfall on Houston and other parts of Texas was unimaginable.

The consensus among scientists is that the effects of climate change, such as rising sea levels and warmer oceans, made those storms far more destructive than they would have been in previous decades.

Here is the science: Hurricanes thrive over warm water and strengthen in intensity; oceans have warmed on an average 1 to 3 degrees Fahrenheit over the past century, and sea levels have risen about 7 inches during that time. Throw in compound flooding -- the combination of rising sea levels from global warming, storm surge and extreme rainfall -- and you have the perfect mix for record flooding.

Read more in this insighful article on CNN

EPA moves to rescind Obama plan to slow global warming

The roll back is real...


The Trump administration is moving to roll back the centerpiece of President Barack Obama's efforts to slow global warming, seeking to ease restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants.


See more here:


http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/epa-moves-rescind-obama-plan-slow-global-warming-50330450