FEU Public Intellectual Lecture Series | Redentor Constantino | Part 1
Summary
TLDRThe video script addresses the urgent issue of climate change, emphasizing its anthropogenic origins and the scientific consensus supporting it. It highlights the consequences of inaction, including rising temperatures, melting ice, and sea level rise, which threaten economies and ecosystems. The script calls for immediate government and citizen action, stressing the importance of interdisciplinary integration and the challenges of balancing specialization with a broader perspective on societal impact.
Takeaways
- 🌡️ Climate change is real and has been happening for a long time, with temperatures consistently rising.
- 🌍 The warming is due to anthropogenic factors, with at least 97% of the scientific community agreeing on human influence on climate change.
- 📢 Citizen involvement is crucial, as governments are more likely to act when citizens demand action on climate change.
- 🕊️ The urgency of the situation is highlighted by the fact that the changes we make today will affect future generations more than our own.
- 🔬 Specialization is important, but an interdisciplinary approach is necessary to address the complexity of climate change effectively.
- ❓ The challenge lies not in whether we can fix climate change but whether we can do so in time to prevent further damage.
- 🌞 The sun's radiation is trapped by excessive greenhouse gases, preventing heat from dissipating and causing the Earth to warm.
- 📊 The 'hockey stick' graph illustrates a significant increase in global temperatures since the industrial period, closely tied to rising CO2 emissions.
- 🧊 Melting ice, both in polar regions and glaciers, contributes to rising sea levels and threatens freshwater supplies for millions.
- 🏞️ Climate change disrupts ecosystems and the habitats of many species, causing them to migrate in search of suitable climates.
- 🌊 Rising sea levels are irreversible and pose an existential threat to coastal cities and island nations, with cultural as well as environmental implications.
- ⏳ The effects of climate change are long-term, with some impacts taking decades or even millennia to manifest or reverse.
Q & A
What is the primary cause of climate change according to the script?
-The script states that the primary cause of climate change is anthropogenic influence, meaning human activities are responsible for the warming temperatures and changes in the climate.
What is the consensus among the scientific community regarding the human influence on climate change?
-At least 97% of the scientific community worldwide agrees that climate change is real and is a result of human interference with the planet's climate system.
Why is it important for citizens to be involved in climate change issues?
-Citizens need to be involved because governments often don't act on their own; they are influenced by the demands and actions of their citizens. Without citizen involvement, little to no action is taken to address climate change.
How does the script describe the balance between specialization and interdisciplinary integration in addressing climate change?
-While specialization is important, the script emphasizes that it is not enough on its own. Interdisciplinary integration is crucial for being better citizens and for addressing climate change effectively.
What is the 'hockey stick' graph and what does it represent?
-The 'hockey stick' graph is a visual representation of temperature increases over time, showing a relatively stable period followed by a sharp upward trend, indicating the rapid increase in global temperatures, particularly in recent times.
How does the script explain the relationship between greenhouse gases and global warming?
-The script explains that the increase in greenhouse gases traps solar radiation, preventing it from dissipating and thus causing the Earth's temperature to rise, which contributes to global warming.
What is the significance of the safe level of CO2 in the atmosphere mentioned in the script?
-The script mentions that the safe level of CO2 in the atmosphere is 350 parts per million (PPM). Current levels are above this, indicating a need to reduce emissions to avoid further climate change impacts.
Why are sea level rises a significant concern in the context of climate change?
-Sea level rises are a significant concern because they are irreversible on a human timescale, threatening to submerge coastal cities and island nations, leading to cultural and ecological loss.
How does the script relate the melting of polar ice to broader climate impacts?
-The script explains that the melting of polar ice contributes to rising sea levels and influences global weather patterns, leading to more extreme weather events such as intense blizzards and typhoons.
What does the script suggest about the timeline for the impacts of climate change mitigation efforts?
-The script suggests that the impacts of current mitigation efforts will not be felt immediately but rather in 20 to 30 years, emphasizing the importance of acting now for the sake of future generations.
How does the script discuss the challenges faced by species due to climate change?
-The script discusses that many species are moving uphill and away from the equator to escape warming temperatures, but some cannot move quickly enough or find suitable habitats, leading to potential species decline or extinction.
Outlines
🌡️ Climate Change: The Urgency and Human Influence
This paragraph emphasizes the reality of climate change, highlighting that it's not a recent phenomenon but has been ongoing for some time. It underscores the scientific consensus that human activities are the primary cause, with at least 97% of the scientific community affirming anthropogenic climate change. The script calls for government action driven by citizen involvement, stressing the severity and worsening nature of the issue. It also touches on the importance of interdisciplinary integration for effective societal change and the long-term impacts of current emissions, which will affect future generations more than the present.
🌍 Understanding Climate Change: Weather vs. Climate and Economic Risks
The second paragraph delves into the distinction between climate and weather, explaining that climate change pertains to alterations in average weather patterns over time. It discusses the economic implications of these changes, as many industries and economies rely on predictable seasonal patterns. The 'hockey stick' graph is introduced, illustrating a significant uptick in global temperatures since the industrial revolution, correlating with the rise in CO2 emissions. The paragraph also presents evidence from ice core samples and atmospheric CO2 measurements, emphasizing the urgency of reducing emissions to a safe level to prevent catastrophic outcomes for communities worldwide.
🧊 Melting Ice and Rising Sea Levels: Global Impacts of Climate Change
This paragraph focuses on the tangible effects of climate change, such as the melting of global sea ice and glaciers, which has been unprecedented in the last four centuries. It discusses the ramifications for regions dependent on glaciers for freshwater, like South Asia, and the potential for increased conflicts due to water scarcity. The Antarctic ice shelves are also highlighted, noting the invisible but rapid melting beneath the surface, which contributes to rising sea levels. The paragraph warns of the irreversible nature of sea level rise, the threat to coastal cities and island nations, and the intensification of extreme weather events due to Arctic warming.
🌡️ Species Displacement and the Future of Climate Change
The final paragraph addresses the impact of climate change on species and ecosystems, with organisms moving to higher altitudes and latitudes to escape rising temperatures. It presents data on species migration and the challenges they face in finding suitable habitats. The concept of representative concentration pathways (RCPs) is introduced, outlining different scenarios for future warming. The paragraph concludes with a stark warning about the potential for runaway climate change under a business-as-usual scenario, which could lead to a temperature increase of up to 4.8 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, far exceeding the dangerous threshold of 2 degrees Celsius.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Climate Change
💡Anthropogenic Influence
💡Specialization
💡Greenhouse Gases
💡Hockey Stick Graph
💡CO2 Emissions
💡Sea Level Rise
💡Ice Core Samples
💡Arctic Warming
💡RCPs (Representative Concentration Pathways)
💡Species Migration
Highlights
Climate change is an ongoing process with global warming temperatures that have been increasing for a long time.
The scientific consensus is clear: at least 97% of scientists worldwide agree that climate change is real and caused by human activities.
Governments need citizen involvement to act against climate change, as inaction leads to worsening conditions.
The urgency of addressing climate change is emphasized, as it's not just about the present but the future generations.
Specialization is important, but an overemphasis can hinder the ability to be a better citizen and integrate knowledge from other disciplines.
The impacts of climate change are already being felt, and the effects are a result of emissions from decades ago.
Climate change affects economies that rely on predictable seasons and average weather conditions.
The 'hockey stick' graph illustrates the significant rise in global temperatures since the industrial period.
CO2 emissions have been rising alongside temperature increases, with current levels far exceeding the safe threshold.
Melting ice, both on land and in the oceans, contributes to rising sea levels with irreversible consequences.
The rapid melting of the Arctic ice is causing extreme weather conditions in other parts of the world.
Increased intensity of typhoons and other storms is linked to warmer sea temperatures.
Many species are moving to higher altitudes and latitudes to escape warming temperatures, affecting ecosystems.
Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) outline different scenarios for future climate change impacts.
If no action is taken, the baseline temperature increase could reach 4.8 degrees above pre-industrial levels.
The transcript emphasizes the importance of immediate action to mitigate the effects of climate change on future generations.
Transcripts
foreign
[Music]
is very simple it starts from very five
very basic premises no
number one climate change the world
warming temperatures it's happening it's
been warming for a long while
climate science is not something new
that came up in the last decade many
people have pointed to a problem that
very early said we're going to have a
crisis soon unless we wake up and change
the way that our economies are run the
way that we live our societies number
two why is it warming why is there
climate change it's because of us it's a
scientific world we call it
anthropogenic influence influence of
humans
well
it's a very important term whether
you're in education you know or the Arts
or Sciences
our impact on our surroundings on our
classmates on our families on our
environment is always going to be
important
whether these impacts will be negative
or positive you know it's always really
up to us are we sure that it's really
anthropogenically related
yes climate says science is saying yes
97 at least of the scientific Community
worldwide all state that climate change
is real
it's because of human interference with
the planet's climate system
and it's going to get worse
until and unless governments act very
soon governments don't act on their own
citizens tell governments what they need
to do if you don't get involved nothing
pretty much happens yeah
is it bad
it's really bad
and it's not just bad it's going to get
worse
can we fix it yes
but we have very little time
and that's why there's a big question
mark the question is not whether we can
fix it it's whether we can fix it in
time and whether we can do enough to
ensure that in the next few decades over
the next few decades we will still be
strong enough to remake the societies
that we're in
probably one of the more important
points which is strange to say in a
setting that's uh in an academic uh
uh institution is that specialization is
very important
that's what you're all trained to do
but my message also to you is that it is
also not very important
in fact it is important but it is not
enough
and if you think too much and dive too
much into specialization
you're going to disable your ability
to be better citizens
and to be better at whatever you do I'm
just saying specialization is very
important
but it's only as important as you see
the other fields and as you see the
other disciplines and the way you
deliberately try to integrate
other disciplines into your work
and whatever that governments today do
and citizens act on
will result not in a better future for
them but in a future that may be better
for their children
this is because all the impacts that we
see today
that we have felt today
are impacts that are a result
of emissions decades ago
it means
solutions that we push for in terms of
energy or infrastructure or transport or
forests
that are established tomorrow
it will be felt only
in 20 years or 30 years
it means you are fighting not
necessarily for your future only
it's a future that is related more to
your kids or the ones that will come
after you
why is the climate crisis happening
um there are several ways of explaining
you know in the image that you see in
front of you you know that's one way of
looking at it the sun enters radiation
from the sun no solar radiation enters
our planetary system
but because there's too much greenhouse
gases no it is unable to go out and
dissipate the more greenhouse gases that
are emitted
the less able that we can dissipate the
radiation that comes in from the Sun
you can think of it in another
what is the difference between climate
and weather yeah weather is the totality
of all atmospheric phenomena climate is
average weather
what we're doing is we're changing
average weather
and if you consider the fact that entire
economies around the world depend on
average weather
because they depend on Seasons we know
when it's dry season or Autumn or spring
or winter or rainy season
if we're changing average weather we're
putting at risk entire economies
that rely on
predictability
that's why climate change is dangerous
because we are creating the possibility
of incremental or large-scale collapse
in the way that economies around around
the world think of it in another way as
well
Venus has too much Greenhouse cover
that's right too it's too hot
nothing lives in Venus Mars has too
little that's why it's too cold
Earth is optimal is an optimal setting
has enough Heat
enough of the setting that allows life
to flourish
but we're messing around with the
settings that's what climate change is
in a nutshell and the effects
are not entirely Pleasant what are the
problems
this graph it's called the hockey stick
graph you'll see that from this point to
here it's almost like a level
but then it goes straight up like a
hockey stick
this is
time
200
ad 1200
and current times here
this is
the record of
temperature increases
over time from different studies this
hockey stick graph is was made by the
scientist called Michael Mann in 1998
the reason why I'm showing this and the
other graphs that will follow is
to demonstrate how real and how serious
the impact of humans are on the earth's
climate
this is in 1998.
this
hockey stick has become more acute
because the end here
has just continued to rise up
so from
200
to a thousand
to the year 2000s
temperature is just simply gone up
unfortunately it corresponds also with
the CO2 emissions carbon dioxide
emissions
that have been recorded along with other
gases but right now CO2 is the most
important for our discussion
this is a graph that shows
the readings from several ice core
samples
and again it shows from CO2 measurements
over time
from the Taylor Dome I score low Dom I
score and the Mauna Loa Observatory
readings
again
industrial period
recordings went up almost alongside
uh temperature readings again another
graph that shows similar things but
measuring parts per million of CO2 in
the atmosphere
and this is a recording made in 2015.
437.37 parts per million Italian period
because humans homo sapiens
around here
and this is where we are today most
recent April 2. 2018. and the recording
is very similar
and we're now at 409.43 PPM
scientific
common scientific understanding is that
the safe level
is at 350 PPM
in April 2 the recording was at 409.
the challenge is how to bring this back
to a safe level
and right now the challenge is not to
allow it to go any higher
how dangerous is it
um
it's pretty dangerous it's pretty bad
for many communities it's catastrophic
this graph shows the total Global sea
Ice Area measurements no dating from
1978 up to 2016.
recent headline that shows the melting
in the Greenland glaciers
the extent has been unprecedented
compared to the last four centuries last
400 years
consistent with the graph that I earlier
sent showed you
lasers are retreating
and in areas that rely
on glaciers or fresh water
this is particularly frightening
hundreds of millions of people in South
Asia
rely
on the glaciers for their freshwater
needs as the glaciers retreat
so
will their freshwater
Provisions dry up
and if those Provisions dry up they will
move and find other sources if they can
find any which means potentially
triggering more conflicts in South Asia
which is India Pakistan Bangladesh
Sri Lanka you know you name it
Antarctic Ice shelves
and measurement Nila this one talks
about melting that's happening below
that's not visible but it's rapidly
melting below
which means that it is also increasing
the warming of seeds around it
as water melts and
increases the temperature of seeds
around the glaciers
and it increases as a consequence
sea levels
sea levels are rising because of climate
change
for two reasons one
because Glaciers are not eyes that float
on water
but sit on masses of land and once they
once they melt they add to the volume of
water
the emerging the second probably even
more important reason
at risk are in the next two decades
Millions hundreds of millions of people
who live in coastal cities
such as Manila
such as those in Miami and other places
in the next two decades what you see is
the coast will probably be part of the
sea
and
although there are a lot of climate
change impacts that can be reversed are
irreversible
sea level rise sea levels Rising
is something that you cannot reverse
because it will take Millennia before
they go back to normal
and return to their previous levels
Islands will disappear
and island nation states like the
Marshall Islands or Fiji
are at risk not simply of being flooded
but of being obliterated entirely
because if your island nation goes
underwater
your culture disappears as well
this is also what happens no this is
most recent in the U.S
rapid Arctic warming is creating havoc
in other weather systems climatic
systems elsewhere resulting in more
extreme winter conditions
more extreme
cold
freezing blizzards elsewhere as the
Arctic worms
rapidly
so Arctic warming creating more intense
blizzards
warming Seas creating more intense
typhoons
Yolanda
was not necessarily because of climate
change
but the intensity increased because
worms is
serve as fuel
for storms adding to the wind speed and
intensity of the typhoon
okay you have to distinguish between
natural weather
ability and climate change induced
impacts
very bad particularly for humans but
terrible for
other species
this slide I'd like you to delve on
because it talks about speed scale and
timeline
and the inability of many organisms
to flee
from
the climate crisis
there are different
scenarios that scientists have projected
in terms of
how much warming we can allow or we will
allow
and what the impacts might be
so they call it representative
concentration Pathways rcps there's one
that talks about
um rcps that a pathway that is normal to
hear to where we are right now another
that looks at you know a less than great
scenario another that looks at an even
worse scenario and the other is RCP 8.5
which is a runaway climate change
last studies that came out showed that
on average studying about 2000 species
organisms were moving
at least one meter uphill
to flea warming temperatures
they've also been measured on average to
have moved
17 kilometers farther away from the
equator
where it's warmest
as
some cannot move as quickly as others
some can but only to the extent that
their habitats will allow them because
they are all searching for the average
climate that they had been born into
this is a graph that just shows this is
1990 this is 2100.
etotayo so far this black line This is
the the temperature the emissions level
if we don't do anything if it's business
as usual
if no change no action is taken globally
including on the part of the Philippines
because
and Baseline and temperature increase
would be up to 4.8 degrees
above pre-industrial levels
and as I said earlier two degrees is
already very dangerous okay
[Music]
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