Monday, April 12, 2010

Six degrees- 1 degree

I am on strike this week (as mom). SO instead of washing their clothing (that they refuse to bring down to the laundry room) or cooking their dinner (that they refuse to wash up after) I will be spending more time blogging, and this week's topic is a chapter by chapter summery of the book "Six Degrees" by Mark Lynas.

Today's Chapter is 1 degree. What would happen were the average global temperature of the planet rose 1 degree?

Massive droughts in California, the great plains and other "breadbasket" areas, change in global climate patterns. Loss of coral reefs, ice free artic, monsoons in Africa, loss of glaciers and glacial drinking waters, drastic changes in weather patterns, mountains held together by permafrost melting and flowing down, extinction of Pikas (small furry baby bunny like mammals),

"Hurricanes...only occur in the North Atlantic tropics. Not a single South Atlantic hurricane has ever been documented- that is, before March 2004... may of those who suffered, because they had also refused to believe that hurricanes were possible in Brazil, had neglected to take shelter as the storm barreled towards shore."

Tropical storms to graze mainland Europe, increase in strength of hurricanes (about double)

Basically, we have seen all/are seeing this already... our planet has already warmed 1 degree. What we have seen is just the beginning.

more on chapter one coming