Ummm - I Don't Think This Is A GOOD Thing

I posted earlier today about the  UN study that predicted that global temperatures would rise by an average of 3C if the emissions cuts offered so far at the Copenhagen climate change summit don't increase.  Doing very little looks like an absolutely terrible idea now:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/dec/16/ipcc-sea-level-rise-temperatures

A study forecasts 9 m sea-level rise if temperatures meet 2C threshold.  Hundreds of millions of people around the world would be affected as low low-lying coastal areas became inundated.

And yes, the author of the study is publishing it in a peer reveiwed journal: Nature to be exact.  Global temperatures may rise by an average of 3 C under the current emissions cuts at Copenhagen... and sea levels may rise by 9 metres at 2 C?  Why aren't we applying the precautionary principle?  After all, in the words of
protesters' signs,there is no Planet B

. 

Perhaps we should take care of it ......it is the only home we have.

Hole in Ozone Layer Has Protected Ice Thus Far

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/dec/01/ozone-antarctica

The hole in the Earth's ozone layer has shielded Antarctica from the worst effects of global warming until now, according to the most comprehensive review to date of the state of the Antarctic climate.   But scientists warned that as the hole closes up in the next few decades, temperatures on the continent could rise by around 3C on average, with melting ice contributing to a global sea-level increases of up to 1.4m.

The original report is at http://www.scar.org/  .

Various governments have been studying the issue of sea level rise  - including the province of British Columbia.  http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/epd/climate/pdfs/sea-level-changes-08.pdf
The low to high estimates of sea level rise for Vancouver (on page 8) are .04 metres to 1.03 metres   Of course, these estimates by the provincial government are based upon IPCC predictions - so they may be far too low as they were set before the above SCAR reprot was released. 

  How many major cities in the world are located in a low lying coastal area?  How much money is sea level rise going to cost?  Before you answer, consider the destruction wrought by storm surges in Cockermouth and the Cowichwan valley..... Perhaps we should do something about greenhouse gas emissions while we still can....