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Originally Posted by Bossnass
If agricultural backbone areas enter extended drought before the then viable high altitude/latitude areas are developed, there will be shortages of staples.
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I think the value of alternatives a vastly underestimated in the worst case scenario, and there does not seem to be a consideration of the principle of diminishing returns as it may apply to CO2 emissions increasing the earths temperature.
For example: Cereal crop yields will decrease in some areas and increase in other areas. In some cases there are two planting cycles in a 12 month period. We are not going to have a period were area A produced cereal crops in one year and produces none in the next, while area B produced none in one year and produces some in the next. when it comes to staples, we have to look at yields per acre rather than all or nothing. Sure give the relative speed of global climate change, it is dramatic in the context of the planets history, but not in terms of our ability to produce food.
Another example would be perhaps an increased use of sea food as opposed to beef. If we consume more sea food while the beef industry shrinks that would actually cause less production of green house gases.
Another example: Cold weather related deaths may decrease off-setting an increase in heat related deaths.
I am not sure I can accept his worst case scenario as even a remote possibility.
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Change is a constant. I'm of the belief that human activity has accelerated a natural long term cycle. But I want to emphasize that that is not the point. The point is discussing what we will have to do, the costs we will have to inccur, to slow the climate change and or adapt the planet to the future climate.
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Well, how different will the planet be? Current CO2 levels are at 380 ppm in the atmosphere, I saw one projection (October issue of National Geographic) taking us to 800 ppm by 2057 if no action is taken, with a projected average increase of 9 degrees F. When reading descriptions of the impact of that kind of a temperature increase, there are often contradictions. For example: Will there be more rain and less rain. Will there be higher humidity and be drier? Will there be less vegetation, under conditions where vegetation would thrive? Will our planet naturally respond to increased CO2 levels, mitigating increasing human output? My gut tells me that we should not do anything overly dramatic, but continue to make efforts to be better stewards of the planet.