Roger Kimball,
Amazing. Just who will you cite next?
(so the story goes) done more to insult the environment
It couldn’t possibly have something to do with…
By mid-century, annual average river runoff and water availability
are projected to increase by 10-40% at high latitudes and in some
wet tropical areas, and decrease by 10-30% over some dry regions
atmid-latitudes and in the dry tropics, some of which are presently
water-stressed areas. In some places and in particular seasons,
changes differ from these annual figures. ** D10 [3.4]
Drought-affected areas will likely increase in extent. Heavy
precipitation events,which are very likely to increase in frequency,
will augment flood risk. **N[WorkingGroup I FourthAssessment
Table SPM-2,Working Group II FourthAssessment 3.4]
In the course of the century,water supplies stored in glaciers and snow
cover are projected to decline, reducing water availability in regions
supplied bymeltwater frommajormountain ranges,wheremore than
one-sixth of the world population currently lives. ** N [3.4][...]
At lower latitudes, especially seasonally dry and tropical
regions, crop productivity is projected to decrease for even small
local temperature increases (1-2 deg. C), which would increase the
risk of hunger.[...]
Increases in the frequency of droughts and floods are projected to
affect local crop production negatively, especially in subsistence
sectors at low latitudes.[...]
Regional changes in the distribution and production of particular
fish species are expected due to continued warming, with adverse
effects projected for aquaculture and fisheries.[...]
Many millions more people are projected to be flooded every year
due to sea-level rise by the 2080s. Those densely-populated and
low-lying areas where adaptive capacity is relatively low, and
which already face other challenges such as tropical storms or
local coastal subsidence, are especially at risk. The numbers
affected will be largest in the mega-deltas of Asia and Africa while
small islands are especially vulnerable. *** D [6.4]
Adaptation for coasts will be more challenging in developing
countries than in developed countries, due to constraints on
adaptive capacity.[...]
Projected climate change-related exposures are likely to affect
the health status of millions of people, particularly those with
low adaptive capacity, through:
* increases in malnutrition and consequent disorders, with
implications for child growth and development;
* increased deaths, disease and injury due to heatwaves,
floods, storms, fires and droughts;
* the increased burden of diarrhoeal disease;
* the increased frequency of cardio-respiratory diseases due
to higher concentrations of ground-level ozone related to
climate change; and,
* the altered spatial distribution of some infectious disease
vectors.
But who needs peer-reviewed science.
