Forum on Public Policy 1 Earth News: Adapt, Mitigate or Die

• Main Authors: Kathe A. Gabel, Department Of Health, Human Performance
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Blair; Ocean acidification
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.508.266; http://forumonpublicpolicy.com/spring09papers/archivespr09/gabel.pdf

In 1967, Martin Luther King, Jr. said “We are now faced with the fact, my friends, that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now ” (Blair 2009). Although stated more than 40 years ago, his words are fitting for climate change today. Scientific data indicates that increased greenhouse gas concentrations are prompting precipitation patterns to shift, droughts to worsen, heat waves to intensify, and monsoons to fail. Conversely, we are seeing increased precipitation intensity, destructive storms, and ocean acidification. Between 1990 and 2001, world flooding affected 1.5 billion people and their food security. For example since 1990, China‟s Yangtze River floods and related crop failure have claimed more than a million lives. As food shortages increase, civil conflict and potential for disease increase. Many earlier civilizations collapsed due to food insecurity and civil conflict. Unabated climate change adversely affects world food supplies, health and civilization. The fierce urgency of now is here. Citizens of the world need bold visionary goals to mitigate climate change by using low-carbon technology, energy efficiency, renewable energy, carbon capture and storage. This paper reviews the links among climate change, crop failure and effects on health, followed with suggestions for adapting to the effects of climate change and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions.