Climate Change - How Fast?

How fast is fast?

Day to Day? No

Month to Month? Yes, but not easily noticed.

Year to Year? Oh, yes. But you have to look at averages, not just two specific consecutive years.

Decade to Decade? The earth is currently going down the drain to a different environment.

What's changing and how fast and why so fast or slow?

Did you notice? Growing seasons lengthen, Growing zones move north, Southerners stay air conditioned inside in summer, and on and on.

A tiny bit each year goes a long way....

Coral reefs die and shells have a harder time forming.

All kinds of ocean life changes.

CO2 change is not a day by day change, but it's increasing, and fast.

CO2 Emissions

This is what you notices first - because it never happened before/you didn't remember it happening this often!

Storms/Hurricanes/Cyclones/Tornados

Droughts

Heat Waves

Monster Wind and Rain

Flooding

What is a Tipping Point? - That time when you tilt your chair backwards just a tiny bit more - and fall over.

Is climate change unstable in some way that causes even more severe or faster effects?

The opposite is not possible
CO2 will only decrease if we either stop emitting so much CO2 (and methane, etc.)

How could climate change speed up - and fast?

Global warming causes melted Permafrost (ground frozen all year round)
- Causes release of huge amounts of the carbon stored there.
Ice shelf collapse
- Large ice caps melt on the bottom and suddenly collapse, melting much faster
- Huge increases in sea level in short (100 years) periods.
Global warming may change the way the big ocean currents move
- Image what would happen if the gulf stream disappeared.
- Warming and ocean acidity may cause the destruction of most ocean reefs, eliminating entire ecosystems.

Good articles on tipping points:

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-03595-0

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-53726487

Last updated: October 2021