What Will The Climate Be Like in 2100?

Stanford University climatologist Stephen Schneider discusses what we know and don’t know about the future of the Earth’s climate, and whether it is worth spending trillions of dollars to fight climate change.

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Readers' Comments (12)

Marjorie Sorensen 2009-11-16 14:25:35

Global Warming
Time to act is now,,,or will we wait for another Katrina...in what part of our world next...

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Hugh Jass 2009-11-11 17:10:16

Re: Time Machine
I Will Go Back In Time To Stop Global Warming And Carbon Emissions

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Honey Fernando 2009-09-27 04:58:00

Global Warming.......
Well,in my opinion Global warming is not only because CO2 and I won't support you blaming India and China alone because nowadays for all vehicles CNG's are using....the main cause is due to the gases like CFC's,smoke from factory(which is the main cause for Acid rain),methane,even deforestation(lack of purification of air in the environment) and another main cause is 'PERFUMES or ROOM SPRAY'.......but we never think about it.

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indirajith jk 2009-09-02 08:43:33

global warming
already we are sent carbon dioxide for 100 more years and how it is possible to prevent global warming?

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James Macdonald 2009-08-12 15:10:56

Re: Global cooling
Thilo--
My,my,my, ENSO actually caused the two warmest years, not CO2.
I am looking at the Hadley graph and see that their linear fit didn't start until after the warmest year,1998. Including that we do have the cooling I mentioned.
In either case, nothing compares with the amount of warming predicted by the models. In hindsight, the models also depicted the Mt. Pinatubo cooling dip in 1993. Can the models tell us when the next Volcano is going to erupt? Can they tell us when the next ENSO, PDO, AMO are going to occur and their strength? Can the models tell us when the next sunspot maxima or minima will occur and how long they will last?
The models are failing because they only include the assumed increase in the weak CO2 factor and not the real drivers of the climate.
I too am a physist as well as a meteorologist.

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James Macdonald 2009-08-11 21:10:28

No warming
If CO2 is the main driver of the climate, how come temperatures have been stable and even cooling for the past decade? Sunspots and ocean oscillations are better correlated to warming and coolng cycles. Climate models use a positive feedback to exaggerate any warming, principally by water vapor, but clouds and precipitation offset the warming. Prof Richard Lindzen, Dr. Roy Spencer and others have shown that more heat is escaping to space than is predicted by the climate models.
Unless we can predict the future sunspots, ocean oscillations, volcanoes, cloud amounts, there is no way to predict the future climate.
For all the alarming predictions of the past 33 years, the oceans are only rising at 2 millimeters per year. The Antarctic ice cap which holds 90-95 % of the world's ice is getting thicker.

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amit jha 2009-08-10 21:04:06

global climate
*we can't predict the climate in 2100 but it will definitely more hot.due to this ,it may be possible life will be collapse .so we have to prevent this.UN should be more active & related country should help to tackle this problem*

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rashid ali 2009-07-25 18:07:43

earth future
it is very difficult to say that the heat of earth will increased too much in 2100. because climate is not hot and not too cold.

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Thambirajah Vignarajah 2009-07-08 10:48:02

A few alternate actions to prevent global warming
It is accepted that global warming is reaching a remarkably dangerous stage.There is no second opinion that a remedy must be essential to solve this issue sothat people will be able to live in harmony in future.In my opinion I will put forward a few solutions.China and India considerably contribute in the ongoing global warming process because of their ill-prepared and uncaring activities such as massive environmental pollutions.On the one hand most of the developed nations care environment in spite of heavy cost,on the other hand China and India do not consider the environment and mainly focuses on profit.Therefore,these two countries must be isolated in the international merchant activities despite their huge population,if they do not adhere to the international rules and regulations.Indeed,improproper industrial activities of these nations are resembling passive smoking.

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Douglas Shull 2009-06-27 03:59:07

Global Climate Change
I have heard from Global Warming folks that drought will increase. Yet according to USGS, during the Sangoman Interglacial Period, a warmer period than now, with sea level 6 meters higher, the forests of the North American midcontinent were approx 500 Km further to the west. Please explain.
The link is:
http://esp.cr.usgs.gov/info/lite/midcontinent/midcontinent.html

Thank you.

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James Macdonald 2009-05-07 15:55:41

Disagreeing with Schneider
Please tell us what caused the warming and cooling cycles of the past. Everything from ice ages, warm periods (Medieval), and the little ice age which occurred before the influence of man. If all these occurred naturally, due to changes in the sun Sunspots or solar flares), changes inthe great ocean currents, volcanoes, or changes in the earth's tilt, why is CO2 suddenly the big culprit this time?

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Yolande Croucamp 2009-05-04 10:19:39

Global Warming
Hi well, I don't know much about whats happening in the world, although the people around me do. Listening to them scares me and well that is why I don't want to know about these things. I am 25 this year and engaged to a wonderfull man. We want children but we are scared of what the future holds for our kids. We both don't come from wealthy families, so everything we have today, we had to work for and befor getting married and having kids we want to be prepared and try our best to support our family. I know you are not God but what future does the human race have?

What about this earth hour we had? Could we not do this more often?

I don't know, but all I fear is that I don't want to bribg kids into the world if they are going to suffer, I 'm not going to live forever, but they live on.

Well sorry to dump on you like this. Was just curious.

PS- May God be with you all in you may discover.

Luv me.

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