According to the Beeb, sea levels will rise 7 meters or 23 feet, over the next 1000 years. Maybe my parents should get a head start on things and start calling their property "beachfront" property. Actually, they're at an elevation of about 250 feet. They overlook a piece of the river which is six feet above sea level.
Currently, the atmosphere contains about 380 parts per million (ppm) of carbon dioxide, the principal greenhouse gas of concern, compared to levels before the industrial revolution of about 275ppm.
To have a good chance of achieving the EU's two-degree target, levels should be stabilised at 450ppm or below, the report concludes.
Some problems, of course, include:
- We don't know all the mechanisms for generating or removing carbon dioxide.
- We don't even know the most significant mechanisms.
- We don't know these mechanisms for other greenhouse gases. (Surprise! Plants give off more methane than we expected!)
- Our computer models still can't accurately model the changes in seasons, or "retrodict" – give the right answers when run backward into the past. Do we really trust them with the future?
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