Posted by
Miguel Diocuore Ph.D. on Friday, July 10, 2009 2:37:51 PM
Climate change poses a catastrophic threat for all G-8 nations, writes the former Democratic nominee for president in a security memo he likens to President Bush’s pre-9/11 warning.
On August 6, 2001, President George W. Bush famously received an intelligence briefing entitled, “Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S.” Thirty-six days later, al Qaeda terrorists did just that.
Today, as the leaders of the G-8 and the members U.S. Senate simultaneously debate climate-change policy shifts, scientists tell us we have a 10-year window—if even that—before catastrophic climate change becomes inevitable and irreversible. So I’ve put together the briefing that needs to be read by every American—before it’s the Day After.
Climate Change Poses Stark National Security Threat to U.S.
The scientific community agrees that climate change is real, human activity is contributing to it, and the window for doing something about it is closing rapidly.
Shifting weather patterns may turn the American “breadbasket” into a dustbowl.
Atmospheric carbon-dioxide levels have risen 38% in the industrial era, from 280 to 385 parts per million (ppm). Scientists have warned that anything above 450 ppm—a warming of 2 degrees Celsius—will result in an unacceptable risk of catastrophic climate change.
The truth is that the threat we face is not an abstract concern for the future. It is already upon us and its effects are being felt worldwide, right now. The Arctic will be ice-free in the summer of 2013, not 2030—and the loss of summer ice will accelerate warming because dark water absorbs more sunlight than snow and ice do.
Meanwhile, the ocean, which acts as a natural sink for carbon dioxide, is losing its ability to absorb emissions. This means that the impacts of climate change are being felt stronger than expected, faster than expected.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-07-08/mother-natures-nuclear-strike/full/