A short thread about the recent claims by some "economists" & #climate skeptics that an 8°C rise in temperature would only cut GDP by 4%:
First, it's complete nonsense. That large a temperature rise would destroy the Arctic, flood every coastal city in the world, cripple (1/n)
global agriculture, worsen already severe hurricanes, & disrupt water supplies.
Second, if that's only "4%" of GDP, it's time to acknowledge that GDP is a totally useless measure of well being.
Third, a reminder that breaking your leg or crashing your car raises GDP. But... (2/n)
wiping out a species, destroying an ecosystem, killing 300,000 people in a pandemic has no effect on GDP (or the stock market).
Using traditional economics to understand the consequences of human-caused #climatechange will give you the wrong answers.
(3/3)
(And no, the estimate that it might only be 10% of GDP isn't any better.)

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More from @PeterGleick

22 Dec 19
Thread
You think a #climatechange of just a couple of degrees is no big deal?
Around 12000 years ago, the planet abruptly cooled a couple of degrees, setting back humanity's social evolution for over a thousand years.
This cooling period, the Younger Dryas, delayed the transition in the Stone Age from hunter-gatherers to settled agriculture. When the planet warmed again at the beginning of the Holocene, homo sapiens began our slow climb to modern civilization. Now..
With humans changing the #climate by just a degree or so already, we're seeing massive fires, destruction of the Arctic, strengthening storms, species extinctions, environmental refugees. And much worse to come. Ironic...
Read 4 tweets
12 Jun 19
1/5 A thread:
There is a severe and growing #climate and #water disaster in India.
Delhi just saw its highest ever June temperature of 48C. Churu, Rajasthan saw highs of 50.8C, making it the hottest place on earth.

theguardian.com/world/2019/jun…
2/5
Hundreds of Indian villages have evacuated as historic drought forces abandonment of homes in search of water. 80% of districts in Karnataka & 72% in Maharashtra are suffering drought & crop failure. Violent conflicts are growing between the two states over shared #water.
3/5
In Beed, India clean drinking #water is gone. There’s not have enough water to wash clothes, clean dishes, or flush toilets. Hospitals are filling up with people suffering from dehydration and water-related sickness from drinking contaminated water.
Read 5 tweets
11 Jan 19
The most recent atmospheric CO2 reading is over 410 parts per million.

The last time humans experienced 410 ppm was... never. Never. Humans hadn't evolved yet.

#climatechange
Here's 800,000 years of CO2. We're over there on the far right. That line going straight up. #climatechange
And it's going up because of humans. As literally every national academy of sciences on the planet has concluded. #climatechange
Read 4 tweets
25 Nov 18
1/3
Dear Media, to avoid committing media malpractice, if you invite someone on your show to talk about #climate & they say:
"The climate has always changed."

You must immediately say "No, we understand all observed warming is now human caused, overwhelming any natural changes."
2/3
If they say "It's cold out"
You must immediately say:
You're confusing "weather" and "climate." The world as a whole is warming. One cold day in one place doesn't disprove global climate science.
3/3
If they say "The scientists are only in it for the money" you have two choices:

Say either "Scientists get paid far less than fossil fuel lobbyists & climate deniers, & whatever they're paid has no effect on the validity of the science."
Or call me for a "Fuck you" response.
Read 4 tweets
25 Nov 18
1/7
Water Thread from the new National Climate Assessment (#NCA4).

Explicit changes in water quantity & quality from human-caused climate change are already evident in the US.

Source: #NCA4, Chapter 3: Water. nca2018.globalchange.gov/chapter/3/
2/7
Changes in the frequency & intensity of climate extremes are already underway. Climate change is already leading to changes in the frequency, duration, & geographic distribution of severe storms, floods, & droughts. #water #climate #NCA4
3/7
Variable precipitation & rising temperature are intensifying droughts, increasing heavy downpours, & reducing snowpack.
Reduced snow-to-rain ratios are affecting the timing of both water supply & demand.
#water #climate #NCA4
Read 7 tweets
18 Sep 17
Short thread.
1. I didn't realize how badly Trump has eviscerated access to federal #climate data, so I went and looked at the USGS site.
2. In December, there were 5,932 climate science items linked there (9 were just pictures). Today there are 416 and 292 are just pictures.
3. In December 2016, 320 of those items were links to #climate data. Today, 0 links to data. 5,271 were web links. Now, 0 web links.
Read 7 tweets

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