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1-Page Summary of Eaarth
Living on a Changing Planet
In 1968, when Apollo 8 broadcast the first images of Earth from space, people saw the planet in all its glory. It was blue and white and wonderful. Its beauty struck even trained astronauts. However, since that time, we have been polluting our environment with fossil fuels and causing global warming which is affecting every part of our world. The oceans are turning browner as a result of this pollution—and it will affect everyone on earth.
Climate change also affects certain regions of the earth. The tropics have moved 2 degrees north and south since 1980. This has brought a permanent drought to Australia and the United States, where glaciers are melting in Tibet and Bolivia
Global warming is a serious problem that has been ignored for decades. It only recently became an issue when scientists found out how much damage was being done to the environment. However, it was not until recently that people realized how bad it really was and what kind of impact global warming could have on the planet.
For 10,000 years, carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere were stable at around 275 ppm. Then they started to increase with the arrival of the Industrial Revolution. That brought us to today’s level of over 400 ppm. Studies show that this is a dangerous level for our planet and we need to get back below 350 ppm as soon as possible. Scientists say that there are technological challenges involved in reducing CO2 emissions but it’s not even the biggest obstacle because political leaders aren’t doing enough about climate change either.
Too Little, Too Late
While some individuals, cities and states are taking action to slow global warming, it is too little, too late. Expect the following catastrophic results to become more common: * Rising temperatures – As temperatures increase, people will die from heat waves. Labor productivity will decrease because of the heat.
Crop failure – The world’s food supply will decrease because crops need specific weather conditions to grow. As the climate changes, more crops will get drowned by the rains and fried by the sun. Those that survive won’t carry as much protein. Some plants may not grow where they once did.
Pests and diseases will increase as the weather becomes warmer. This is because there will be fewer winter freezes that kill off pests, and pests will reproduce more quickly in extended hot seasons.
As rain falls more rapidly, many rivers will overflow. As glaciers melt and oceans rise, flooding will become an even greater problem than it is today. This increased flooding will cause food prices to increase because of the need for new farming techniques to grow crops in a changing climate. Diseases that are not currently problems may become so as temperatures change, leading to higher medical costs.
People and organizations make inaccurate risk assessments. They base their decisions on these judgments, so if the environment changes, they won’t be able to assess potential risks correctly. For example, when a levee or bridge is damaged by climate change, it will no longer provide safety for those nearby.
Growth Is a Habit, but Not the Answer
Economic growth has been an important cultural imperative for many years. However, that is coming to an end. This concept of “growth” was a good fit in the past but isn’t appropriate anymore because it’s not possible to keep growing forever. In fact, even those who support green growth, such as Al Gore and Thomas Friedman from The New York Times, agree that we need to change our habits now or else we’ll be doomed. Unfortunately, it’s too late; humanity needs a new kind of economy now—one that will help us survive on Eaarth instead of trying to grow with traditional methods like before.
