Adapting to unstoppable global warming

We need to adapt. But our adaptation will not save other species, and might not be affordable by poor countries.

http://www.nbcnews.com/science/its-time-adapt-unstoppable-global-warming-scientists-say-8C11554338

ohn Roach NBC News
Nov. 7, 2013

Even if the world's 7 billion people magically stop burning fossil fuels and chopping down forests today, the greenhouse gases already emitted to the atmosphere will warm the planet by about 2 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of this century, according to scientists who are urging a focused scientific effort to help humanity adapt to the changing climate.

And reality shows no sign of such a magic reduction in emissions. The amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere reached another new high in 2012, the World Meteorological Association announced Wednesday. In fact, concentrations of carbon dioxide, the most abundant planet warming gas, grew faster last year than its average growth rate of the past decade.

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The Science article does not advocate abandoning mitigation efforts, but rather elucidates the need for adaptation, noted Joe Casola, director of the science and impacts program at the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, an environmental think tank in Arlington, Va. "I think that both of them are going to be required," he told NBC News.

"The more mitigation we do, the less adaptation we'll need," added Casola, who was not involved with the Science article. "If we were to do no mitigation, then our adaptation investments now are probably going to be made worthless or very, very limited as we have a lot of changes to deal with in the climate system."

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