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DCL
So you've read Planet Green's five minute guide to the COP15 climate change conference and now know the who, what and when part of the story... and a little bit of the scientific why. But here's some more on what could well happen if we really fail to take strong action on climate change:
1.4-4.3
Well, the UNEP has just released an update on the state of climate science which says that no matter what we do at this point [url='http://www.treehugger.com/natural-sciences/were-now-committed-to-14-43ac-warming-by-2100-but-thats-no-reason-not-to-act.html']we've committed the planet to 1.4
Not great, and there will be some unpleasant climate changes, but not the worst-case scenario. However, if we don't cut emissions quickly (25-40% from 1990 levels by 2020, with emissions peaking by 2015-2020) we will commit the planet to 4.3
Kiss Half of Animals, All of Coral Reefs, Much of Arctic Sea Ice Goodbye
That effectively signs the extinction warrant for about half of all animal and plant life on the planet, means coral reefs are gone due to ocean acidification, means ice-free summers in the Arctic, sets both Greenland and Antarctica on the melting path to multi-meter sea level rise, and means the glaciers in the Himalayas are doomed.
Widespread Thirst, Hunger...
In human terms, that means half of all humans will face water shortages; it means widespread starvation in South and East Asia as water availability plummets and crop yields drop; it means much the same thing in Africa; the Mekong Delta is 20% flooded and Ho Chi Minh City is 10-20% underwater; the Nile Delta (source of much of Egypt's food) is inundated with salt water; same thing for most of Bangladesh.
It's Gonna Get Really Hot in Parts of US
In the United States it means localized temperature increases (think the Great Plains) of up to 7
Half a Million Dead by 2030
If you want some numbers: By 2030, 500,000 people could die due to climate change -- 99% of them in the developing world, which it should be pointed out have historically done very little to cause the problem. Already an estimated 300,000 people are seriously affected by climate change.
In economic terms by 2030 the global economy could take a $340 billion hit.
