How bad do you think it will get?

Question

Depending on which model you look at the predicted increase in average global atmospheric temperature will rise by between a low of 2 degrees C. to a high of nearly 5 degrees C., but most scenarios ignore potential dangerous feedbacks.
http://www.globalwarmingart.com/wiki/Image:Global_Warming_Predictions_png
Feedbacks such as saturation of the oceans, or destruction of forest ecosystem due to a changing climate that will hinder the natural absorption of atmospheric carbon or even cause oceans and forests to become sources of CO2. Then there is the melting of permafrost in the arctic that would release large amounts of CO2 and methane and in fact has already begun in many areas of the north. Of course there’s the very nasty scenario where clathrate hydrates becoming unstable, releasing large quantities of methane and that would be a very scary scenario indeed if it were allowed to happen.
There are of course more feedbacks like the effects of decreasing planetary albedo, but I’m sure you get the picture.
So I'm wondering, if we don’t do something to mitigate man made global warming, what do you think the quality of life of your grand children and great grand children will be like, assuming you have or will some day have them?

Answer 1

The cost of resources will increase much faster than the average person's ability to procure them. (think grain, land, concrete, copper, water, building materials, everything)



As soon as people figure out that no government is going to be able to protect them, there will be a mad rush to build secure self sufficient enclaves. Doing this means building the infrastructure. Building the infrastructure takes resources.



The price of resources is already spiking. We seem to be having a reprieve right now but last year's doubling of oil and copper and grain was just a foretaste.



About the time that people wake up and realize they have to do this for themselves, that global pollution and over-population and overuse has destroyed the resource base, the cost of resources will spike permanently out of reach and only the very rich will be able corner enough resources to make a stand.



After that money will become worthless because you can't eat it.



No one will ever be truly self sufficient - but if you have land and the infrastructure built ahead of time you will be able to make a stand, grow some of your own food, create some of your own value added goods and have something to trade with.



And you don't think that the smart, resourceful people, the smart affluent people and governments haven't already done this? Haven't got the plans and contingencies already laid out? Don't kid yourself.



Start now before it's too late. I am. I have kids and I'm buying land.



May not make much difference but at least I can look them in the eye, tell them I saw it coming and I tried to do something about it.



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2100. The natural world is degraded beyond recognition. The population has collapsed. Of the survivors, anyone unprepared or unlucky lives as a refugee in third world conditions.



Humanity is faced with a choice. What will the new ethos look like? Will we learn from our mistakes? Or will we continue with the recriminations and decend into ?

Answer 2

The effect that I am most concerned about is shifts in agricultural production. In 2003 a heat wave reduced crop yields in Western Europe by 33%. With AGW, exceptionally hot years will become the norm through throughout politically stable regions like the Middle East and Indian subcontinent. A 30% reduction in available food as a long term average necessarily means a 30% reduction in the human population. The business of deciding which 70% eats and which 30% starves is going to be nasty. While yields will likely increase in my corner of the world, my descendants will face a human tide of 2 billion migrants. Those are long odds even with nuclear weapons.

Answer 3

Just reading these answers are going to give me a nightmare thinking of if these musicians formed a band. Worst Vocalist: Chad Kroeger Worst Drummer: Meg White (Although I do like The White Stripes) Worst Bassist: Nikki Sixx Worst Guitarist: Herman Lee

Answer 4

If global warming actually starts occurring again, history shows that the growing season will be extended, and the earth will support 10 billion humans. If it continues to cool, the growing season will shrink, and it will be difficult to support the current population. There is this really neat invention called irrigation, but we can't do anything about late and early frost.

Answer 5

OK so we mitigate "man made" global warming and it still warms up because man is not the main culprit in global warming....then what? Learn to live with change, change is inevitable, the earth is not a static system man or no man. Sooner or later it will cool and if human kind is still on the planet there will be those who arrogantly believe that they can save the planet from the rest of the ignorant humans. Global warming and cooling both have advantages for those willing to accept change and certain death for those who will not.

Answer 6

Billions of people rely on climate staying the same, and of course it won't, even without our effects... but with human input the change will be much faster and much harder to adapt to. Pessimistically, billions of people are going to die. Temperate countries are going to collapse under the weight of starving refugees. It doesn't look good.

Answer 7

It will get so bad that people won't even be surprised that you point at something white and call it black. They'll even take it seriously.

Answer 8

Well we're definitely going to do *something*. Whether or not we do enough is really the question.



If we don't achieve substantial reductions in our greenhouse gas emissions, it's going to get bad. We're already seeing a lot of indicators happening more rapidly than climate models predict, like the increase in atmospheric CO2, melting of ice sheets, etc. Once certain feedbacks kick in, they can trigger more rapid warming, causing other feedbacks to kick in, etc.



Really I hate to hazard a guess as to how bad it will get if we don't succeed in reducing our greenhouse gas emissions sufficiently. It's a terrible scenario, and we simply can't fail or future generations will pay a nasty price and look back on our generation as a complete failure.

Answer 9

So bad we won't even notice.