The current goal of government officials is to limit the greenhouse effect by reducing carbon emissions. Scientists are pointing out the flaw in this theory, and encouraging them to funnel some resources to promote adaptation instead. The message this sends to the public is that it is too late to stop global warning. The time to arrest the climate changes is past, and now governments must take steps to predict the consequences.
A paper published on October 14 highlights why programs such as carbon-cap-and-trade and gas emission monitoring are trying to close the barn door after the horse is already out. The Impacts of Climate Change on Terrestrial Earth Surface System authors explain that it is too late to stop global warming. What is critical now is to put that money into monitoring the effects of this trend. In addition to monitoring, the government needs to budget ways to model future changes and manage the environmental impact.
What is going to happen should be the focus at this point, they explain. The changes to the earth structure such as soil and coastal erosion are relevant to slowing the damage, maintaining biodiversity and ensuring the future of food sources.
One of the problems with global warming is the lack of knowledge regarding the long-term effects. Scientists just don’t know how sensitive the Earth is to the alterations in temperature and other systems that affect life on this planet. Scientists point out that this is especially true in coastal areas. The rocky and sandy platforms yield differently to the climate forces. Coastal management plans are based on history, not disaster modeling. It is the future of these areas in question. Past disaster scenarios may not be effective as the soil stability changes.
It is going to take an international effort by scientists to deal with what has already begun. Trying to manage global warming through prevention and green living does not change the escalating trend. The studies must highlight on how melting glaciers, disappearing rivers, mountain erosion and coastline shrinkage is going to continue to be impacted by the climate changes from global warming. What has started will not stop no matter how many ways governments try to control the factors leading to global warming.
Focus must shift to living with global warming, because there is no stopping it.
