Reply to climate change news; as bad as I knew, but still...

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]What is the catastrophe?

I understand there may be significant coastal erosion, periodic flooding, and other changes to local geographies. But that’s happening all the time. So some smaller islands may get swallowed up, shorelines may change; but at the same time when a glacier or whatever melts into the sea, doesn’t that be definition expose new landmass, create new habitats for plant and animal life?

Crops that used to be grown in Florida may later be grown in Ohio. And crops from Iowa suddenly can be grown really well in previously unused vast expanses of Canada.

I understand there is a claim that rising temps will mean more sever weather events. OK. I’m skeptical, but even assuming it’s true, some incrementally higher number of thunderstorms or wildfires doesn’t seem “catastrophic” in a global sense. [/quote]

First, you should read the article mentioned above about the halt to the Gulf Stream. The changes are not limited to those you've mentioned.

Second, the economic upheaval of adjusting to even the changes you've mentioned is enormous because those changes are happening fast. Think in human terms what it would mean to massively reconfigure economic activity like that.

Third, the political and national security implications are enormous. For a small example, look at the impact of the 500 year drought in Syria-- likely brought about by climate change. It pushed people from the countryside into the cities, which destabilized the country enough to spark a civil war. The civil war created a humanitarian disaster in Syria, which led to tens of thousands of refugees fleeing to Europe and elsewhere. The presence of those refugees then sparked a political backlash, giving rise to right wing parties with authoritarian politics. Look at Victor Orban in Hungary.

There is a reason that the U.S. military has been gaming out scenarios and planning for the security impacts of climate change for at least a decade.

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