The 17th Annual Global Warming Conference, hosted by Global Warming International Center (GWIC), was held during April 19 to 21 in Miami, Florida. A number of distinguished scientists and policy makers presented their most recent research on the current state of global warming.
The presentations and panel discussions covered a wide range of topics that illustrated just how complex and interrelated the sciences and systems are behind global warming and climate change.
A number of American researchers vocalized their concerns and frustrations with the Bush administration. Some voiced how their findings had been censored, while others lamented how their research labs are now slated for closure in the latest Bush budget.
A conversation with one of the researchers revealed that an Excel spreadsheet is floating among various US governmental departments, listing all research labs on the chopping block. The majority of those labs are conducting projects on the effects of climate change. Unfortunately, access to this list is very controlled and permission to view it could not be attained during preparation of this article.
Reviewing such a document could provide evidence as to whether or not the Bush administration is trying to systematically influence and silence the discussion on climate change.
The main issues discussed during the three-day event included the relationships between extreme weather events and rising ocean temperatures; the effects of extreme events further influencing climate change; the loss of Arctic permafrost; coral reef bleaching and sea surface temperatures; and The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), addressing carbon dioxide emissions from power plants in 11 Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states.
The Honorable Jim Marzilli, from the Massachusetts House of Representatives, made the statement during a panel discussion that “We must reduce our energy consumption,” citing the relationship between energy production and greenhouse gas emissions, a theme which resurfaced many times throughout the conference.
A number of presenters had been sponsored by the private sector to conduct their research projects. One was a Canadian professor, Bhawan Singh, from the University of Montreal. He had been sponsored by PetroTrin, the state-owned petroleum company of Trinidad.
The premise of his research was to determine what threat climate change might have on PetroTrin’s oil and gas infrastructure. His findings showed that extreme weather events posed the biggest threat for the short term, due to the flooding that would result from ocean swells. The long-term threat came mainly from rising ocean levels. Overall, his research showed that the threat is real and should be taken seriously by the company.
The large insurance company Swiss Re, along with the United Nations Development Program, financed a research project conducted by the Center for Health and the Global Environment at the Harvard Medical School. The project took three years to complete and the results have since been released in a report titled Climate Change Futures: Health, Ecological and Economic Dimensions. The report is freely available online at climatechangefutures.org.
The following is a short excerpt from it, outlining the intricate relationship between the causes and effects of climate change: “One surprise is the vulnerability of the energy sector—the primary source of increased heat in Earth systems. The risks to oil production compound the threats to the electricity grid from heat waves and the instabilities of pipelines grounded in the thawing tundra.”
Raymond Hayes is a contributor to this report and he presented a talk on the seriousness of climate change. He discussed the tipping point of climate change as being the point where a transition from linear to exponential change occurs. Going past this point will result in equilibrium being lost, leading to the collapse of ecosystems, the effects of which he describes: “Living organisms suffer catastrophic increases in morbidity and mortality as ecosystems collapse.”
When asked how the report had been received by the business community, he responded by saying that Swiss Re insurance rates will be raised due to the report’s findings.
As of November 1, 2005, nearly every major company in the world is in the process of reviewing this report. Business decisions are beginning to be influenced by the risks associated with climate change.
Steven Britz, a plant physiologist with the US Department of Agriculture, walked the crowd through his findings on how the compounds in plants change due to the environment. This ground-breaking research showed how climate change could potentially result in everlasting effects to our food supply. Britz has spent nearly 30 years conducting research into plant physiology. His lab with the Agricultural Research Service is to be closed as of this October due to cuts by the Bush administration.
Another interesting presentation was given by Tom Goreau on his compilation of 20 years’ worth of Sea Surface Temperature readings from NOAA satellites. His data mining efforts resulted in a number of unusual and alarming findings. It showed that warming trends are being noticed at many of the major coral reefs in the world. He was able to use this data 15 years ago to predict where and when coral bleaching would occur. Also of interest were the changes in upwelling currents, currents which help to carry cold water and nutrients up to the ocean surface. Goreau noted that “Sudden, intense, widespread changes in regional upwelling rates” have occurred around the globe. The effects of these changes are, at this point in time, not clearly understood, but alarming nonetheless.
There was also talk of how temperatures in the Arctic are increasing at a rate double that of anywhere else in the world. As Arctic ice melts, it leaves behind a darker surface which then acts as a heat absorber instead of a reflector. Permafrost covers nearly 25% of the northern hemisphere. The loss of permafrost allows for further expansion of shrubs and an earlier snow melt, both of which help accelerate warming. As well, carbon that was once trapped in the frozen soil is released. The concern is that we are quickly approaching a point where permafrost will begin to melt rapidly, accelerating global warming uncontrollably.
The overall consensus of the conference was that the world is racing towards a point of no return, and that current government policies do not reflect the seriousness of this problem, nor do they address it in any meaningful way.
