The 2021 International Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC report, developed by hundreds of world scientists, is warning us “this is a critical decade to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions to avoid catastrophic global warming.” The report gives us a business as usual scenario which will lead to 3 to 5 degree Centigrade global warming by 2050. We’ve raised the global temperature by 1 degree C with unprecedented wildfire across the West Coast in 2020. A 3 to 5 degree C increase will make a very challenging environment for our children.

The COP26 climate summit of world leaders in Glasgow demonstrated the enormous influence the fossil fuel industry exerts over our elected officials. President Joe Biden, while calling for global CO2 emissions reductions, has approved Line 3 Pipeline and other major fossil fuel infrastructures.

The Union of Concerned Scientists’ 2021 report is giving us a look into the future of a 3 to 5 degree C global warming. We will experience food shortages due to crop failures, water shortages due to drought, heat waves exceeding 120 degrees C, wildfires and mass population migrations.

Not only do we need to convert to renewable energy, we will also need to adapt to a very hostile world environment.

Tom Peck

Eugene

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