A Critical Conversation on Climate Change ... - Green Choices

introduction – a new fossil fuel crisis 13Strange weatherahead: globalwarming willincrease stormintensity.Is climate change already irreversible?It depends what you mean, and for whom. For many people, for examplein some regions of the far north, it is not only irreversible buthas already overturned the lives of, for example, hunters who rely onwinter ice. For some bird species or coral species it is already too late.In other, broader senses, things can be turned around, even though atthis stage they are bound to get worse before they get better, no matterwhat policies are adopted now.If everything’s so uncertain, why should we do anything? Wouldn’t it be betterto wait until we’re sure what’s going to happen?There will always be uncertainty about the details and the timing. Butwhat is certain is that the world is on course for severe shocks, that thesewill become more severe the more fossil carbon is transferred to the atmosphere,that they will threaten many millions of people, that therewill continue to be surprises, and that these surprises will mostly beunpleasant. 40 That’s enough to demand immediate action.Give me the bottom line. If we don’t do anything, what will climate changecost us?Again, that’s a question no one is likely to be able to find a sensibleanswer to. First, nobody has any idea how to calculate or estimatewith any confidence the extent and effects of climate change. 41 Norcan anyone predict very well the future costs of technologies that