FEU Public Intellectual Lecture Series | Redentor Constantino | Part 1

Summary

The 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

00:00

🌡️ 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.

05:00

🌍 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.

10:01

🧊 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.

15:03

🌡️ 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.

Keywords

💡Climate Change

Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. It is a central theme of the video, emphasizing the ongoing global warming and its impact on the environment. The script discusses how climate change is happening due to human activities, causing a crisis that requires immediate attention and action.

💡Anthropogenic Influence

Anthropogenic influence denotes the impact humans have on the environment. In the context of the video, it is the primary cause of climate change, with at least 97% of the scientific community agreeing that human activities are responsible for the warming planet, as mentioned in the script.

💡Specialization

Specialization is the focus on a particular area of knowledge or activity. The video script suggests that while it is important, it should not overshadow the ability to integrate knowledge from other disciplines. This is crucial for being better citizens and addressing complex issues like climate change.

💡Greenhouse Gases

Greenhouse gases are gases that trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere, contributing to the greenhouse effect. The video explains how an excess of these gases, particularly carbon dioxide, is leading to a rise in global temperatures and exacerbating climate change.

💡Hockey Stick Graph

The 'hockey stick graph' is a term used in the script to describe the sharp increase in global temperatures over the past century, resembling the shape of a hockey stick. It visually represents the rapid warming trend linked to human activities and is a key piece of evidence for climate change.

💡CO2 Emissions

CO2 emissions refer to the release of carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere. The script highlights the correlation between rising CO2 emissions and increasing global temperatures, indicating the urgency of reducing emissions to mitigate climate change.

💡Sea Level Rise

Sea level rise is the increase in the volume of water covering the Earth's surface due to melting ice and thermal expansion of seawater. The video script discusses the irreversible nature of sea level rise and its potential to submerge coastal cities and island nations, emphasizing the long-term consequences of climate change.

💡Ice Core Samples

Ice core samples are cylindrical sections of ice extracted from glaciers or ice sheets, which contain trapped air bubbles and other materials that provide a record of past atmospheric conditions. The script uses ice core data to demonstrate the historical levels of CO2 and the correlation with current climate change.

💡Arctic Warming

Arctic warming refers to the rapid increase in temperatures in the Arctic region. The video script explains how this warming is causing disruptions in weather patterns globally, leading to more extreme weather events such as intense blizzards and typhoons.

💡RCPs (Representative Concentration Pathways)

RCPs are scenarios used in climate science to project possible future levels of greenhouse gas concentrations and their impact on global temperatures. The script mentions different RCPs, including RCP 8.5, which represents a scenario of runaway climate change with severe consequences.

💡Species Migration

Species migration in the context of the video refers to the movement of organisms to new locations in response to changing climate conditions. The script discusses how species are moving uphill and away from the equator to escape warming temperatures, highlighting the impact of climate change on biodiversity.

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

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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

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