Global Warming Predictions for 2014 and Beyond

It does not take much more than a basic understanding of climate science to appreciate that global warming will continue to have far reaching impacts in 2014 and beyond. Here is a review of some of the well known impacts predicted by climate models. This includes higher atmospheric levels of CO2, warmer temperatures, melting ice, flooding, the spread of infectious diseases, diminished water quality, decreased food production, excessive heat and other extreme weather events.

More Emissions

The planet currently absorbs half our CO2 emissions. However, the level of CO2 absorption is expected reach a saturation point where the oceans and other carbon sinks will no longer be able to naturally sequester CO2.

Event - Sandy One Year Later Conference

Sandy One Year Later Conference will take place on October 29, 2013. New Jersey Future invites you to join us at Monmouth University in W. Long Branch for a day-long conference focused on the Sandy recovery process. Distinguished speakers, including former governors James Florio and Christine Todd Whitman and retired U.S. Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, will highlight the economic and planning impacts of Sandy and of potential future storms, and will discuss things New Jersey and its municipalities need to be doing in order to be better prepared for the next severe weather event. There is no charge to attend, but because space is limited, registration is required.

Genetic Engineering: The Dark Side of Climate Ready Crops

Climate change is already affecting food supplies around the world as heat waves and drought reduce grain harvests and food prices soar. For every 1˚ C rise above optimum growing season temperatures, farmers will likely experience a 10 percent decline in their yields. And with a growing global population expected to hit 9 billion by 2050, 80 million more people need to be fed each year.

Between 2008 and 2010, at least 261 patents were filed or issued related to “climate-ready” crops—seeds supposedly able to withstand extreme conditions like droughts and floods; of these patents close to 80 percent were controlled by just six agribusiness giants, (DuPont, BASF, Monsanto, Syngenta, Bayer and Dow). This represents an exclusive monopoly and control over the world’s plant biomass.

Event - Climate Change and the Common Good

Climate Change and the Common Good will take place on April 8-10, 2013 at Notre Dame, IN. This event will provide a multidisciplinary exploration of the challenges and opportunities society faces in addressing climate change and resource scarcity. From scientists and ethicists to policy and national security experts, this groundbreaking conference will bring together a diverse array of scholars and leaders to approach the complexities of climate disruption in a meaningful and productive way.

Canada’s White Christmas Isn’t So White Anymore

Enjoying a white Christmas is an honored tradition for many all over the world, and nowhere more than for those in Canada’s Great White North. But for most Canadians, the tradition of a white Christmas is becoming more a dream than a reality.