Obama Administration: Global Warming Will Cost Us Unless We Take Action

PatrickJS

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Obama Administration: Global Warming Will Cost Us Unless We Take Action



In a report released on Monday, the White House shows the economic and health benefits of taking action against climate change. Changes made now, says the report, could save lives.

The Obama Administration has released a report on Monday that takes a hard look at climate change, and whether the cost would be higher to take or action or do nothing in the face of global warming. Their findings: decisions and policy changes today will save not only lives, but billions of dollars by the end of the century.

The report, titled Climate Change in the United States: Benefits of Global Action, [https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/06/22/obama-administration-releases-report-health-and-economic-benefits-global] compares two possible scenarios: one in which the global community dramatically adjusts itself to the ongoing climate disaster, and one in which no action is taken whatsoever. From there, it extrapolates the differences in health, economy, and ecosystem impacts under the two different futures.

Says Gina McCarthy, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, "The report finds that we can save tens of thousands of American lives, and hundreds of billions of dollars, annually in the United States by the end of this century, and the sooner we act, the better off America and future generations of Americans will be."

More from the Escapist: The Sad Truth About Global Warming [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/139513-Climate-Change-Why-Global-Warming-Is-a-Glum-Reminder-of-Human-Nature]

While the Obama White House is vague on its approval of the theory of man-made climate change, they still suggest that adaptations in our ways of life and business will have immense impact. Lowering greenhouse gas emissions across the board will certainly slow the rate of change, says the report - and the responsibility will fall on citizens, businesses, and governments alike.

The report, in development for months, comes on the heels of Pope Francis issuing an encyclical on climate change. [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/141281-Pope-Francis-Issues-an-Encyclical-on-the-Environment-Saying-We-Need-Immediate-Action-to-Save-Humanity] The Catholic religious leader demanded immediate action, saying it is now our spiritual duty to protect the environment.

Meanwhile, a research paper published in The Lancet [http://press.thelancet.com/Climate2Commission.pdf] examined the potential "catastrophic risk" that climate change poses to global health.

Says the Lancet paper, some of the health risks are obvious - hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, heat waves and other weather extremes are already occurring at a frightening frequency across the globe, a rate which is bound to increase. More insidious threats include asthma, allergies, and various respiratory ailments and diseases caused by air pollution, not to mention droughts leading to food shortages. A collapse of ecosystems could put various types of disease carriers in touch with humans, causing contagion on a broad scale.

See more: The Escapist on the environment. [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/tag/view/environment?from_search=1]

"Global warming" is what many grew up calling the phenomenon, but it has become increasingly clear over the past decades that "climate change" is a more appropriate term. While the Earth as a whole is warming gradually, havoc is being wrought with individual climes. Some regions experience deeper, colder winters than ever before; others have uncharacteristic heat spikes. Sea levels are rising, threatening millions around the world, while unprecedented droughts ravage food supplies.

It is largely agreed now that an accumulation of greenhouse gases, among many other factors, has at the very least exacerbated the situation, if not triggered it. While any of the gases on their own can be produced naturally, it is also widely known that human influence puts them into our atmosphere at a far, far faster rate than nature normally could.

Source: The Lancet Report [https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/06/22/obama-administration-releases-report-health-and-economic-benefits-global]

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RJ 17

The Sound of Silence
Nov 27, 2011
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I understand that not every article on this site is about gaming...but most at least have some tie-in to "geek culture". Really gotta wonder what a straight-up politics article is doing here.

OT: Eh, personally I kinda welcome the end of the world. I'd like to see which is more accurate: The Day After Tomorrow or Water World. :p

Edit:
Wow, apparently the funniest part of my joke - the 2nd bit in the post above - was how many people have apparently taken that statement seriously. :p
 

Scrythe

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Jun 23, 2009
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I can't wait to see the new wave of conspiracy theories to come out of this.

Personally, I'm hoping that someone tries to connect the President and the Pope as being in cahoots via [insert secret society here].

Assuming that hasn't happened already, of course.
 

Clive Howlitzer

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The problem with all issues like this is that people in general are extremely short sighted. If you want to fix a problem that won't affect them in their lifetime, good luck getting them to commit to it. Let alone want to PAY for it.
 

Tony2077

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climate change happens the problem is how much are we affecting it and can we do anything to stop it if we are
 

meiam

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Meh I've long since given up on global warming. Even if we did dramatically reduce our consumption (which won't happen) between the permafrost and the ocean claptrap were kinda doomed anyway, beside the CO2, methane and water vapor is already in the atmosphere. Our only hope would be massive geo-engineering and the cost are so insanely staggering no one would ever green light it. Other possibility include space colonization, good luck with that, you know things are shit when plan-B is "leave the earth".

So yeah, I just hope I'll be dead when humanity feel the brunt of it and I'll make sure I don't have kid cause that'd be just cruel.
 

The_Darkness

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RJ 17 said:
I understand that not every article on this site is about gaming...but most at least have some tie-in to "geek culture". Really gotta wonder what a straight-up politics article is doing here.
Personally I don't consider this to be a straight-up politics article. The Escapist is a geeky website, often includes scientific articles, and, well, Climate Change is a big science topic. It's only political because many politicians seemingly prefer not to listen to the experts on the topic.

OT: Eh, personally I kinda welcome the end of the world. I'd like to see which is more accurate: The Day After Tomorrow or Water World. :p
Can I say both? Water World is more realistic (purely because it doesn't have ice hurricanes), but I'm expecting to see some of the extreme weather variation that The Day After Tomorrow had...

In any case, if the End of the World doesn't come with Zombies, then I'm really not interested...
 

Xeorm

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The_Darkness said:
RJ 17 said:
I understand that not every article on this site is about gaming...but most at least have some tie-in to "geek culture". Really gotta wonder what a straight-up politics article is doing here.
Personally I don't consider this to be a straight-up politics article. The Escapist is a geeky website, often includes scientific articles, and, well, Climate Change is a big science topic. It's only political because many politicians seemingly prefer not to listen to the experts on the topic.

OT: Eh, personally I kinda welcome the end of the world. I'd like to see which is more accurate: The Day After Tomorrow or Water World. :p
Can I say both? Water World is more realistic (purely because it doesn't have ice hurricanes), but I'm expecting to see some of the extreme weather variation that The Day After Tomorrow had...

In any case, if the End of the World doesn't come with Zombies, then I'm really not interested...
I'd also call it a politics article. They didn't come up with new information, or have any useful science done, but they're using old bad science to extrapolate out 100 years and calling it good science. It's politics, pure and simple. Same as the blasted corn ethanol program that's been expanded so much. It looks good to idiots and hinders the actual environment while allowing him to engage in more crony capitalism. I expect more cronyism in the future from this.
 

Alar

The Stormbringer
Dec 1, 2009
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Ummm... duh? We've known this. For fucking years. Why is this a surprise to anyone?
 

Something Amyss

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Dec 3, 2008
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Scrythe said:
I can't wait to see the new wave of conspiracy theories to come out of this.

Personally, I'm hoping that someone tries to connect the President and the Pope as being in cahoots via [insert secret society here].

Assuming that hasn't happened already, of course.
So secret society. Just the lizard people.

I, for one, welcome our new reptiloid overlords!

Alar said:
Ummm... duh? We've known this. For fucking years. Why is this a surprise to anyone?
Because it's been played as a "controversy" in the media and court of public opinion?
 

IceStar100

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Jan 5, 2009
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Meiam said:
Meh I've long since given up on global warming. Even if we did dramatically reduce our consumption (which won't happen) between the permafrost and the ocean claptrap were kinda doomed anyway, beside the CO2, methane and water vapor is already in the atmosphere. Our only hope would be massive geo-engineering and the cost are so insanely staggering no one would ever green light it. Other possibility include space colonization, good luck with that, you know things are shit when plan-B is "leave the earth".

So yeah, I just hope I'll be dead when humanity feel the brunt of it and I'll make sure I don't have kid cause that'd be just cruel.

You never know we could evolve into the dark ones. (Metro 2033 refrance) Who life fines a way. Or we wipe ourselves out like the dumbass we are.
 

ecoho

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Jun 16, 2010
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Clive Howlitzer said:
The problem with all issues like this is that people in general are extremely short sighted. If you want to fix a problem that won't affect them in their lifetime, good luck getting them to commit to it. Let alone want to PAY for it.
honestly I think its more the fact that the "eco-idiots" as I like to call them want us to stop using what we have now and switch to unproven or inefficient tech before its ready. Really the best thing to do is use what works while improving tech so we can switch over and not have too big of an increase in cost or decrease in efficiency.
 

Strazdas

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May 28, 2011
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RJ 17 said:
I understand that not every article on this site is about gaming...but most at least have some tie-in to "geek culture". Really gotta wonder what a straight-up politics article is doing here.
I think its along the lines of "Global Warming" article which the escapist been doing for years.

RJ 17 said:
OT: Eh, personally I kinda welcome the end of the world. I'd like to see which is more accurate: The Day After Tomorrow or Water World. :p
Neither are likely, though water world is flat out impossible due to there simply not being enough water in the world to cover such areas unless for some magical reason the earth suddenly flattens.

ecoho said:
honestly I think its more the fact that the "eco-idiots" as I like to call them want us to stop using what we have now and switch to unproven or inefficient tech before its ready. Really the best thing to do is use what works while improving tech so we can switch over and not have too big of an increase in cost or decrease in efficiency.
I think the big problem is that we arent doing enough to find the tech that works and we aren't finding it fast enough. And even when we do, we arent switching fast enough because of economical factors. For example we know that hybrid cars work. yet the vast majority of cars purchased are still combustion engine online because they are cheaper.
 

ecoho

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Jun 16, 2010
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Strazdas said:
RJ 17 said:
I understand that not every article on this site is about gaming...but most at least have some tie-in to "geek culture". Really gotta wonder what a straight-up politics article is doing here.
I think its along the lines of "Global Warming" article which the escapist been doing for years.

RJ 17 said:
OT: Eh, personally I kinda welcome the end of the world. I'd like to see which is more accurate: The Day After Tomorrow or Water World. :p
Neither are likely, though water world is flat out impossible due to there simply not being enough water in the world to cover such areas unless for some magical reason the earth suddenly flattens.

ecoho said:
honestly I think its more the fact that the "eco-idiots" as I like to call them want us to stop using what we have now and switch to unproven or inefficient tech before its ready. Really the best thing to do is use what works while improving tech so we can switch over and not have too big of an increase in cost or decrease in efficiency.
I think the big problem is that we arent doing enough to find the tech that works and we aren't finding it fast enough. And even when we do, we arent switching fast enough because of economical factors. For example we know that hybrid cars work. yet the vast majority of cars purchased are still combustion engine online because they are cheaper.
true but that's mostly because they guys in charge of making those decisions see only the crazy people who want us to stop making everything, hell they could probably make hybrids cost effective in about 10 years but they wont due to the fact that those "eco-idiots" I talked about would consider it a victory and then use that to justify any other means they use.

its also good to note that those people (the "eco-idiots that is) are against clean coal burning research, better fuel efficiency in cars, and anything else that may reduce how many emissions were putting up just because it still uses current fossil fuels.
 

Wiggum Esquilax

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Apr 22, 2015
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Do Presidential statements of support even help a cause anymore?

It seems to me that American politics are intractably entrenched. So much so that trying to change opinions is worse than a waste of time, as it gives one's enemies a target.
 

Ukomba

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Oct 14, 2010
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What ever we do, we've better hurry up. We past the point of no return in the year

1988
2005
2007
2015
2016
2050
3000...

Well, I'm sure it's somewhere in that range.
 

FogHornG36

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Jan 29, 2011
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STOP! Stop telling us, go tell china, and India, go tell the countries that are polluting so much that they have smog warnings.

America can only do so much, and when the government "does something" it only means making up useless rules, or making a new tax that just drives business away and takes jobs away from Americans.
 

llubtoille

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Apr 12, 2010
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Business will always seek profit, while consumers seek to maximize self-satisfaction.
It's literally up to government to create 'action' by making laws which make the environmental agenda also the most profitable and the most consumer satisfying.
(Typically by taxing the 'bad' alternatives to death, or flat out banning them)
Unfortunately most politicians worldwide are directly influenced by business, seek to maximize their own profits and satisfactions, and generally have the mindset of bickering school children.
So short of divine intervention we're probably boned.
 

Neurotic Void Melody

Bound to escape
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Jul 15, 2013
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President says another thing about really needing to change for the good of humanity (or americans in this case).
No change happens.
What kind of abusive relationship is this?

It's pretty bad that everytime talks of having to combat climate change are brought up, it has to always have a financial reason, to appease the deniers. How about trying to survive as a species and keep our home all nice, for visitors? Is that not enough?

Also, that Obama picture looks like he is holding an invisible Men in Black neuralyzer. Hmmm...