Is our climate collapsing?
As the UK is engulfed in some of the most extreme winter many have experienced for decades, it has left many wondering whether it is a result of some of planet’s most precious eco-systems teetering on the brink of collapse.
The 97% of scientists who agree that man made climate change is real seem to conclude that the weather is at least partly to do with changing temperatures across the globe. Famous 3% member Nigel Farage this week showed his stunning lack of understanding of climate change, tweeting “Large parts of central London have no salt on the roads. Perhaps they are all so convinced by global warming they never thought any would be needed.” to almost audible laughter from anybody with an IQ in double digits.
Global warming, or climate change doesn’t work that way, with extreme weather coming as a result of long term changes, rather than turning the UK into Miami 365 days a year, as Farage seems to assume.
Regardless of this buffoonery, The Guardian publishes alarming news from the Arctic, where it is reported that temperatures are currently 35 degrees higher than they normally would be for this time of year.
In its article written by Jonathan Watts, they said “Although it could yet prove to be a freak event, the primary concern is that global warming is eroding the polar vortex, the powerful winds that once insulated the frozen north.
The north pole gets no sunlight until March, but an influx of warm air has pushed temperatures in Siberia up by as much as 35C above historical averages this month. Greenland has already experienced 61 hours above freezing in 2018 - more than three times as many hours as in any previous year.”
It also stated that the extreme weather is causing some scientists to revise even their most pessimistic predictions for environmental change.
One of the main concerns of the findings is that it could indicate that humanity has finally reached the tipping point of no return, for eroding the polar vortex would essentially mean that we could be entering into a new ice age whilst the planet readjusts its climate to recover from the damage caused by humans.
A report, entitled “The perfect storm”, published by The Population Institute, has predicted that by 2030, a number of environmental issues including food supply, water supply and energy production, could cause a catastrophic collapse in the order of civilisation.
Within the report it quotes John Beddington, England’s chief scientific advisor, who said “It is predicted that by 2030 the world will need to produce around 50 per cent more food and energy, together with 30 per cent more fresh water, whilst mitigating and adapting to climate change. This threatens to create a ‘perfect storm’ of global events. There's not going to be a complete collapse, but things will start getting really worrying if we don't tackle these problems.”
Given that the extreme winter weather could well prove to be a freak event, and those pessimistic predictions may well not come about, it’s perhaps not yet the time to start stocking up on tinned food and plotting to eat your elderly neighbour in the event of the apocalypse, but it certainly is worrying enough to raise eyebrows and heart rates in the scientific community.
