Summary: The author of the report "The Critical Decade: climat science, risks and responses," says that the earth will soon be running out of time to prevent very serious climate events cause from global warning and that countries of the world, especially Australia, should start a renewable energy revolution by 2020 or else there will be irreversible damage done to climate change. Austrlia must get there carbon emissions to stabilized by using energy efficient technologies. Lowering carbon emissions only slows the growth rate of greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere. Changes must be made in the next decade to transition to zero emissions economy to avoid and increase in global temperature by 2 degrees. An increase in temperature could mean an increase in sea level by 1 meter by 2100, extinctions of coral reefs, and even the end of the polar ice caps. Renewable sources like solar and wind could help that change. This information just reinforces the science behind the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's that says that global warming is caused by burning fossil fuels. It also raises the question of the links tha could be between floods in Australia and the human induced climate change. ( picture- the major increase in global climate in just over hundred years)
Reflection: 2020 is not that far away which means the world, especially Australia needs to start thinking about global climate change. I never knew that climate change could be irreversible. If we don't get to it by 2020 the global temperature could increase by 2 degrees permanently. I also just learned that a small climate change could dramatically change the sea level. We could loose how polar ice caps! They are already melting because of the global climate change. I hope the world and Australia will realize we need to switch to renewable energies so we can prevent serious global climate events. This reminds me of when we learned about renewable energy and how much they could help with our environment. This also reminds me of just last summer and how hot it got during the day, I can't even imagine the summer getting any hotter. I hope we can stop this increase in global climate change.
Questions:
1) Do you think it is possible to have a renewable energy revolution by 2020?
2) Why is renewable energy a way to prevent serious climate events?
3) What do you think is the reason why we have not tried to prevent an increase in global climate before?
Title: Australian Renewable Energy Revolution Critical By 2020
Author: Energy Matters
Publication: Energy Matters
Date: May 23, 2011
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