The Svínafellsjökull glacier in Iceland. Glacial retreat is among the most visible impacts of climate change. Since the early 20th century, with few exceptions, glaciers around the world have been retreating at unprecedented rates.
Marie Cusick / StateImpact Pennsylvania
Marie Cusick / StateImpact Pennsylvania
The Svínafellsjökull glacier in Iceland. Glacial retreat is among the most visible impacts of climate change. Since the early 20th century, with few exceptions, glaciers around the world have been retreating at unprecedented rates.
A recent report from the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change paints a pretty dire picture. By 2040, the world faces myriad crises — including food shortages, extreme weather, wildfires and a mass die-off of coral reefs — unless emissions are cut sharply.
Scientists are urging world leaders to keep the warming below 1.5 celsius above pre-industrial levels. That’s half a degree less than the goal set by the 2015 Paris Climate Accord. They conceded that there is “no documented historic precedent” for such a rapid transformation of the global economy.
Additionally, climate change and other factors, including habitat destruction and invasive species, are fueling an ongoing mass extinction event rarely seen in earth’s history.
Appearing Tuesday on WITF’s Smart Talk to discuss the climate report is Professor Richard Alley, Evan Pugh University Professor, Penn State, department of Geosciences, and Earth and Environmental Systems Institute.
Also joining Smart Talk are Professor S. Blair Hedges, director, center for biodiversity, Temple University, and Kerry Cesareo, vice president for forests with the World Wildlife Fund, to discuss habitat loss and biodiversity.
Listen here:
