I THINK my empirically justified disgust with climate change denialism is fairly obvious at this point, but in one sense I understand the frustration of climate deniers with what they perceive as self-serving dogma: the constant mantra, "We must act to stop climate change before it's too late," annoys me to no end, just not for the same reasons.

It annoys me because it is naïve; it is already "too late" to reverse the effects of human activity on the climate. The most optimistic models already indicate that, if all human-generated greenhouse gas emissions were to instantly cease and disappear forever, the warming of the climate that began in the late 19th century and has accelerated at an exponential rate since about 1970 would continue for some time. The best case scenario is that average global temperatures would reach about 1.8 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels; given the results of some recent research, a more likely level of global warming is between 2.0 and 2.4 C.

 Displaced people seek refuge from recent unprecedented floods in Pakistan AFP PHOTO
Displaced people seek refuge from recent unprecedented floods in Pakistan AFP PHOTO

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