Fṛm Đ Gardịn: What frightens me about the climate crisis is we don’t know how bad things really are

‘What is the use of a net zero policy if it relies in part on planting trees that may crackle in wildfire?’ Firefighters tackle wildfires on the Greek island of Rhodes, 25 July 2023. Photograph: Graeme Robertson/The Guardian
‘Ẃt z ɖ ys v a net ziro poḷsi f it rlîz in part on plantñ triz ɖt me cracl in wîldfîr?’ Fîrfîtrz tacl wîldfîrz on ɖ Grīc îḷnd v Roudz, 25 Jlî 2023. Foṭgraf: Greym Roḅtsn/Ɖ Gardịn

Az ɖ barāź v bad nyz fṛm plesz lîc Grīs cntinyz, ol w cn b srtn v z ɖr r mni s’prîzz layñ ahd

Transcription of a Guardian article of 25 July 2023

Ẃt frîtnz m abt ɖ clîṃt crîsis z w d’nt nǒ hǎ bad ʈñz riyli r

Roger Harrabin
Rojr Haṛbin

Wnzde, 19 Jlî 2023

Ovr ɖ past fy decedz, clîṃtsayntists hv md hyj strîdz in unḍstandñ ɖ fyćr clîṃt. Bt aftr rīsnt wīcs v xtrim hīt n devstetñ fludz it’s clir ɖt, olɖo clîṃtmodlz hv pṛvîdd gd inḟmeśn abt oṿol rîzñ tmpṛćrz, ɖe c’nt b śr ẃt levl v dstrux́n ć noć on ɖ ʈmomitr wl brñ.

Clîṃtmoḍlñ z xtrimli complex, bt its funḍmntlz rlî on besic fizics – X tunz v imiśnz wl brñ Y incris in tmpṛćr, wɖ sm errbarz. Sūṗcmpytrz hv bn ebl t factr in śifts in land ys ɖt wl ćenj ɖ reflectiṿti v ɖ Rʈ’z srfis. Impruvd tmpṛćŗecordz hlpt veṛfî ɖer fîndñz.

Bt lêtli, līdñ rsrćrz hv md a penfl cnfeśn: īvn ɖer most sfisṭcetd modlz c’nt yt fōrsi xacli hǎ Rʈ sistmz wl rspond t ɖoz hayr tmpṛćrz.

Ɖ influenśl Inṭguvnmntl Panl on Clîṃt Ćenj (IPCĆ) sz crancñ p globl tmpṛćr bî haf a dgri wl brñ “mć mor xtrim weɖr, n it cn b mor ofn, mor intns, or xtndd in jreśn” – bt xacli hǎ mć mor, it c’nt prisîsli se.

So, fr instns, w’v olrdi hd a globl tmpṛćŗîz v abt 1.2°S: ɖt’s in lîn wɖ IPCĆ pṛjx́nz. Yt ɖ panl cd’nt worn s abt ɖ apōlñ hītdom ɖt’s bn sirñ Norʈ America. I c’nt fînd hītdomz mnśnd in ɖ bîbl v clîṃtćenj, ɖ IPCĆ rport. Ɖs piriodic rport inevitbli lagz bhnd ny sayns n – undr preśr fṛm sm guvnmnts n inḍstriz, az wel az a dzîr nt t scermungr – its pṛnǎnsmnts tnd t b cnsrṿtiv.

Ɖ modlz olso cd’nt worn s akṛtli abt ɖ imrjns v ɖ hīt trapt dīp in ɖ ośn, ẃć sǒcs p 90% v ɖ wrld’z xes wormʈ. In ɖ 35 yirz I cuvrd ɖ invîrnmnt fr ɖ BBC, I rcōl spekleśn ɖt ɖ wormʈ cd ste dīp fr decedz, phps snć̣riz – nt ɖt sm v it wd sudnli brst p t ɖ srfis of ɖ cǒst v norɖn Britn.

Mejr unsrṭntiz rmen, tù, ovr renfōl. Gd inḟmeśn abt ɖ fyćr v monsūnren wd b a god-snd fr farmrz hu rlî upn it – nt jst in India bt in suɖn Ćîna. Unforćṇtli, gd inḟmeśn on prisiṗteśn z pruvñ a bit trici t fînd.

Ɖ macromodlz olso feld t pṛjct ɖ ifct v cuṛnt eḷvetd tmpṛćrz on îs at bʈ polz. Ɖ formr IPCĆ ćīf, Pṛf. Bob Wotsn, tld m: “I am vri cnsrnd. Nn v ɖ obzrvd ćenjz so far (wɖ a 1.2°S tmpṛćŗîz) r s’prîzñ. Bt ɖe r mor svir ɖn w pridictd 20 yirz ago, n mor svir ɖn ɖ pridix́nz v fîv yirz ago. W probbli unḍesṭmetd ɖ consiqnsz.”

Ɖs z a masiv admiśn. H add: “Sayntists r onli nǎ startñ t unḍstand ɖ rspons v larj îsśīts in Grīnland n Antartica – n it z vri dstrbñ.”

Pṛf. Jen Fransis, d’rectr v ɖ Britiś Antartic Srve, tld m a fy munʈs ago ɖ lêtist sayns on îs-mlt wz “trūli scẹri”.

‘The US has considered itself less vulnerable. But tell that to people in Phoenix trapped under that heat dome.’ Photograph: Matt York/AP
‘Ɖ YS hz cnsidrd itslf les vulnṛbl. Bt tel ɖt t ppl in Fīnix trapt undr ɖt hītdom.’ Foṭgraf: Mát Yorc/AP

Wotsn sd at cuṛnt rets ɖ wrld wd olmst srtnli xid ɖ agrìd maximm tmpṛćŗîz v 1.5-2°S. W wd b luci t gt awe wɖ 2.5°S, h sd. Mor lîcli, w’r hedñ twdz 3°S.

Ɖt numbr poztivli frîtnz mni clîṃtsayntists. Bt, az India starts stocpîlñ rîs wɖ a tmpṛćŗîz v 1.2°S, ẃt ysfl advîs cn sayntists ofr fr a 3°S wrld? Jst hǎ bad wl ʈñz b bî ɖen?

Śd hoḷde-mcrz avôd bayñ homz in Grīs? Ćîna z vulnṛbl t xtrīmz – hǎ śd its icoṇmi adapt? Ɖ YS hz cnsidrd itslf les vulnṛbl. Bt tel ɖt t Ny Yorcrz ćocñ on wîldfîr smoc, or ppl in Fīnix trapt undr ɖt hītdom.

Ẃl imīɉt harm t ppl grabz ɖ hedlînz, ẃt’s īvn mor dstructiv cd b ɖ impact v hīt n hymiḍti on fūdpṛdux́n fr an xpandñ popyleśn. A globl śift twdz a plant-best dayt cd hāv ɖ land n wōtr yzd fr agriculćr – n hāv ɖ carbn imiśnz – bt poḷtiśnz fir anġrñ votrz bî rec̣mndñ a daytri śift.

Fesñ ol ɖs glūm mīnz w nīd imaɉnirz az wel az clîṃtoḷjists. Wotsn sd siṿlîześn wl stl xist in ɖ fyćr, bt wɖ mć wrs livñcndiśnz. Bt ẃt sort v a dgredd siṿlîześn mt ɖt b? Bî ɖen w me īvn hv trigrd sm naćṛl tipñpônts ɖt cd rzult in a masiv rlis v trapt mīʈen in ɖ tundra – let’s hop nt.

Ẃt w d nǒ z ɖt so far, ɖ ifcts v hītñ ɖ clîṃt r snr n wrs ɖn mni sayntists pṛjctd (in public at līst). Ɖs hz poḷsi impḷceśnz. Ɖ wrld hz agrìd t cut imiśnz t net ziro bî 2050, bt ɖ YN secṛtrijenṛl, António Guterres, sz rić cuntriz śd b emñ t sqīz ɖ tîmtebl t 2040. Bt ẃt z ɖ ys v a net-ziro poḷsi f it rlîz in part on plantñ triz ɖt me śrivl in fyćr drǎt or cracl in wîldfîr?

T mc matrz wrs, clîṃthītñ z wn ʈñ on a list v hyj invîrnmntl probḷmz – includñ p’lūśn v ɖ er n wōtr, dstrux́n v wîldlîf haḅtats, oṿfiśñ, insectpopyleśn dclînz, los v brdz, plastic p’lūśn, nîtrets, sôļos n mor.

Wotsn sz w d’nt nǒ hǎ ɖz fnomina wl inṭact wɖ ć uɖr, bt h rjz poḷtiśnz t ŕ on ɖ sîd v cōśn, az ɖ stecs r so vri hî. Evri 0.1°S wormñ matrz, sayntists se: 1.5°S z betr ɖn 1.6°S. Ɖt in trn z les bad ɖn 1.7°S.

Az ɖ barāź v bad nyz cntinyz, ol w cn b srtn v z ɖt ɖr r mni clîṃt-s’prîzz layñ ahd v s. Guvnmnts, cumṗniz n indivijlz nīd t rjntli sqīz dǎn imiśnz t insylet ǎrslvz az far az poṣbl fṛm ẃt w me fes.

***

Rojr Haṛbin z an eṇji n invîrnmnt aṇlist n a formr BBC corispondnt

Instroduction to Ñspel

"House by the Railroad," Edward Hopper, 1925

30/07/2023

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