Environment

Four years to Save the Earth.

by LilHoody | May 21, 2009 at 12:04 pm

221 views | 52 Recommendations | 8 comments

Barack Obama has only four years to save the world. That is the stark assessment of Nasa scientist and leading climate expert Jim Hansen who last week warned only urgent action by the new president could halt the devastating climate change that now threatens Earth.

Soaring carbon emissions are already causing ice-cap melting and threaten to trigger global flooding, widespread species loss and major disruptions of weather patterns in the near future. "We cannot afford to put off change any longer," said Hansen. "We have to get on a new path within this new administration. We have only four years left for Obama to set an example to the rest of the world. America must take the lead."

It has been noted that the current carbon levels in the atmosphere were already too high to prevent runaway greenhouse warming. Yet the levels are still rising despite all the efforts of politicians and scientists.
What does that tell you? Clearly, it means the steps that are being currently implemented are not working.
The only solution is to stop killing - stop the livestock industry and lead a healthy plant based diet.

Henning Steinfeld, Chief of FAO’s Livestock Information and Policy Branch and senior author of the report: “Livestock are one of the most significant contributors to today’s most serious environmental problems. Urgent action is required to remedy the situation.”

It has been documented that the US is the only way the world will change. It has the political muscle to lead the world and halt the rise of carbon emissions. Must like the whole world who made choices to ignore leading scientist and climatologist for the past 8 years, especially in the US, Europe, Australia and Asia - every effort must be made today to prevent us losing the one place we can call home.It is widely accepted that the US is the leading carbon emitter, and with the Earth's largest economy - are the ones that can put a stop to the Earth heating up.

Hansen said feedbacks in the climate system are already accelerating ice melt and are threatening to lead to the collapse of ice sheets. Sea-level rises will therefore be far greater - a claim backed last week by a group of British, Danish and Finnish scientists who said studies of past variations in climate indicate that a far more likely figure for sea-level rise will be about 1.4 metres, enough to cause devastating flooding of many of the world's major cities and of low-lying areas of Holland, Bangladesh and other nations.

Australia just witnessed anther Natural Disaster this week - massive rains hammered the East Coast - causing wide spread flooding.CSIRO have implimented contingent plans to help coastal towns in Australia to deal with rising waters, expecting that these areas will be washed away this year. Same too can be said for the UK.

Stretches of Britain's coastline are doomed and plans will soon have to be drawn up to evacuate people from the most threatened areas, the new head of the Environment Agency warns today.

All out apathy thinking that nothing will happen to us, we are immunie - that will come to an end soon. Leading scientist from all parts of the world are all saying the same things - the Earth does not have long to live - we must STOP KILLING - we must be VEGETARIAN.
Please, heed the calls - before it is too late.

0 See all footage | View Slideshow

Share: email story | add to any | | facebook | stumbleupon

recommend This comment thread is now closed

TinTinMan

at 12:11 on May 21st, 2009

Cool piece - thank you

M-J

at 13:38 on May 21st, 2009

Thats pretty crazy that this has been reported in the Guardian. It seems that the major forms of media are beginning to spread the word...FINALLY. As much as we'd all like to pretend that this is not happening, I hope that people can begin to realise the enormity of the situation. 4 years is not a long time. Its scary!

Barbara McPherson

at 17:57 on May 21st, 2009

Good article as a starting place for discussion. A vegetarian diet will not work for all people. The Inuit of Canada come to mind right away. Perhaps we should be following everything in moderation. The large feedlot operations for beef feed grain to the animals causing far more gas emissions than grass fed animals. I for one would hate to see all the domestic animals go extinct as well as our dogs and cats and aquarium fish. But then maybe we'll go extinct instead. Change is always happening.

LilHoody

at 13:57 on May 21st, 2009

Yeah M-J, crazy times

Paschen

at 15:32 on May 21st, 2009

The Earth will be okay, it is Humanity that won't be though.

If Obama wanted to save Humanity, he did already fail.

BMCWrites

at 19:12 on May 21st, 2009

Nothing like a good discussion of GLOBULL WARMING.

Art de Rivers

at 09:04 on May 22nd, 2009

Barbara's last line is definitely apocalyptic and I am old enough to accept my extinction bravely - but Lilhoody is right AND I am with her with my Carrot Flag flying - to save us naked ape chaos causers, its bye bye animals - cows and beef etc because of their globally windy bums ... Who would have thought we are deeply threatened by cows farting .. ?

I say, welcome to the mushroom herds ...May they roam until I pick them ....And a bit of extra global warmth can certainly produce lots of fungus ....

"BMCWrites" thinks its all Globull ... I can only say my evidence base is my Kitty the cat who takes her fur off more and more complaining of being a sweaty cat each night while my Goldfish screams :

"Bring on the flood I want out of here! " ....

I want you all to know I AM doing my bit though because I am breathing near my houseplants and they are absorbing my carbon dioxide ...How about you ? Huh ? Feeling Guilty ?