impacts, adaptation, and resiliency.
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As our natural world around the globe continues to undergo irreparable pressure from human population growth, resource extraction, and habitat loss, arguably no issue is more pressing than Climate Change. And while the current US administration blatantly rejects credible and peer-reviewed science, there is still hope. Cities, states, Tribes, and communities are stepping up, not a moment too soon.
This project is a journey into the impacts and drivers of Climate Change, and explores meaningful action being taken on the city, state, tribal, and community level to protect culture, the environment, and community livelihoods in the face of a changing climate.
...without bolder action, our children won’t have time to debate the existence of Climate Change. They’ll be busy dealing with its effects. More environmental disasters, more economic disruptions. Waves of climate refugees seeking sanctuary. We CAN and SHOULD argue about the best approach to solve the problem, but to simply deny the problem not only betrays future generations, it betrays the essential spirit of this country.
But why?
- 93-98% of peer reviewed climate experts agree: (1) climate change is occurring, (2) humans are contributing to it, and (3) Climate Change science is a trustworthy, mature and credible discipline. "Scientists who continue to claim otherwise are operating outside of the consensus, not just of climate scientists, but also of scientists as a whole" [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6].
- Exemplified by the Paris Accord, 195 out of 196 countries (with the exception of the current US administration) agree that Climate Change is real, is caused by humans, and requires immediate action.
On January 18, 2017, NASA, NOAA and the US Center for Environmental Information (EIA) indicated that 2016 was the hottest year in 137 years of known record-keeping, and the third year in a row to boast that number one position. Of the 18 hottest years on human record, 17 have occurred since 2000. NASA indicates that September 2016 marked the 1st time in earths history we have not dipped below 400 ppm CO2 concentrations. Previously, in 800,000 years (determined through ice core samples in the Arctic, the earth has never reached above 300 ppm.
Who agrees?
The United Nations (The United Nations Development Program and the United Nations Environment Program); The World Bank; the World Meteorological Organization; the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs, the United States Department of Transportation, the U.S. Federal Highway Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, the United States Department of Agriculture, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the United States Department of Energy, the United States Department of Defense, the United States Department of the Interior, United States National Park Service, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, United States Urban Housing and Development (HUD), the United States Geological Society (USGS), the United States Department of State, NASA, the International Maritime Organization, and the Federal Transit Authority; 7,100 mayors from some of the largest cities in the world across 119 countries; 365 (and counting) of the largest corporations in the world including Nike, Walmart, Goldman Sachs, Starbucks, Johnson and Johnson, Proctor and Gamble... [6][7]; and, over 175 Native American Tribes (and counting). Even Royal Dutch Shell company acknowledges the roll of fossil fuels in Climate Change and their plan to brace for a renewable future.
“But are you sure it’s human inflicted?” NASA says so. And it is clear that Shell and Exxon Mobil knew the risks and purposefully covered up the science. The science was settled nearly two decades ago.
Carlton, J. S., Perry-Hill, R., Huber, M., & Prokopy, L. S. (2015). The climate change consensus extends beyond climate scientists. Environ. Res. Lett, 10(9), 094025. doi:10.1088/1748-9326/10/9/094025. Retrieved from http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/10/9/094025/meta
Stenhouse, N., Maibach, E., Cobb, S., Ban, R., Bleistein, A., Croft, P., Bierly, E., Seitter, K., Rasmussen, G., Leiserowitz, A. (2014). Meteorologists' Views About Global Warming: A Survey of American Meteorological Society Professional Members. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc, 95(7), 1029-1040. doi:10.1175/bams-d-13-00091.1. Retrieved from https://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/abs/10.1175/BAMS-D-13-00091.1
- Verheggen, B., Strengers, B., Cook, J., Van Dorland, R., Vringer, K., Peters, J., Visser, H., Meyer, L. (July 2014). Scientists' views about attribution of Global Warming. Environmental Science & Technology 48 (16), pp 8963–8971. doi: 10.1021/es501998e. Retrieved from https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es501998e
- Anderegg, W., Prall, J., Harold, J., Schneider, S. (July 6, 2010). Expert credibility in Climate Change. PNAS. 107 (27) 12107-12109. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1003187107
- Doran, P., Zimmerman, M., (June 2011). Examining the Scientific Consensus on Climate Change. EOS. Volume 90, Issue 3, pp 22-23. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1029/2009EO030002
https://www.forbes.com/sites/causeintegration/2015/10/21/corporate-pioneers-unite-around-climate-change/#6dac2128d2e4