Consequences for the World

26. The global implications of are as follows: (a) the Arctic sea ice will all but disappear; (b) extremes of heat, heat waves, and heavy precipitation will be more frequent; and (c) rain in the lower latitudes will decrease. (Kerr, p. 755.) Because of the decrease in rain in latitudes near the equator, there will be more wild fires and drought. More droughts will lead to endemic famine for tens of millions of people. Would you agree the world would be facing a humanitarian crisis of gigantic proportions?
27. Exacerbating the global warming problem, rising temperatures and drought near the equator could cause the Amazon rainforest to die, which would remove from the earth these vast forests that now absorb carbon dioxide. (Fiona Harvey, "Climate change sparks events ‘that have not happened in 650 years,'" Financial Times, February 3, 2007, p. 5.)
28. With regard to the potential 4-foot rise in sea levels by 2100, there are an estimated 100 million to 200 million people worldwide living within an altitude of 3 feet from sea level. (Bret Schulte, "Temperature," U.S. News & World Report, June 5, 2006, p. 36.) The impact of a 4-foot rise in sea levels is that hundreds of millions of people will lose their homes and become dislocated. Would you agree that lack of food, water, sanitation, and shelter for the hundreds of millions of displaced peoples would likely create a catastrophic humanitarian crisis?
29. To make matters worse, the sea levels will continue to rise after 2100, rising more than 20 feet in later centuries. Putting this into context, much of Manhattan, Florida, Louisiana, Western Europe, Southeast Asia, and Bangladesh would be under water. (Seth Borenstein, Associated Press, "Scientists: It's not too late to reverse global warming," Palo Alto Daily News, February 3, 2007, p. 14.)
30. Scientists are also predicting that tropical diseases that thrive in warmer climates, such as malaria, will progressively spread to higher latitudes in North America and Europe, with the developing world bearing the greatest onslaught. (Andrew Jack, "Climate change bites-How rising temperatures are taking a toll on human health," Financial Times, April 25, 2007, p. 9.)
31. Would you agree that the consequences of global warming for the world are grim if we don't do something about it?

Costs of Mitigating Catastrophic Consequences

32. Scientists agree that some of the consequences of global warming are inevitable due to past greenhouse gas emissions, but that cutting these emissions now and in the future could vastly reduce the catastrophic effects. (Kay, p. A6.)
33. Some say that mitigating global warming is too costly; consequently, they argue that the U.S. should do nothing about regulating greenhouse gases.
34. Are you aware that on May 4, 2007, the UN IPCC issued another report finding that mitigating climate change is affordable, and that it is a fallacy that it is too costly. The UN IPCC estimates the costs of improving the world's energy infrastructure to reduce greenhouse gases is less than a 0.12% per year reduction in the annual global GDP growth rates. (Ronald Bailey, "Fixing Climate Change Is Cheap," Reasononline, May 4, 2007, at www.reasononline. com/news/show.)
35. Would you agree that a 0.12% per year reduction in the world's GDP growth rates doesn't seem like a high cost to pay to mitigate global warming, when compared with the cost of human displacement and suffering?
36. In the case of gasoline combustion, this 0.12% mitigation cost translates to an additional 25 cents to 50 cents per gallon of gas. (Andrew C. Revkin, New York Times, "Climate panel says it's time to change," San Francisco Chronicle, May 4, 2007, p. A8.)
37. To mitigate the carbon released from driving your car, would you be willing to pay an additional 25 cents to 50 cents per gallon?
38. A UN IPCC spokesperson told reporters that the UN report on costs should stifle arguments by skeptics that combating climate change is too costly, or that it would suppress development in poor countries. (Megan Sever, "IPCC says climate change mitigation is affordable," May 4, 2007, Geotimes Online, Web Extra, American Geological Institute, at www.geotimes.org/ may07/ article.)
39. Would you agree with the UN IPCC experts that costs should no longer be an excuse for not being aggressive about climate change?