Not yet – Before coastal cities around the world shore up their banks, we need to take action. One suggestion is to connect flood plains to rivers so that overflow is no longer a problem. And while, over time, global warming can cause melting glaciers that lead to rising sea levels, scientists in Israel think we’ll be able to cope: The sea level in Israel has been rising and falling regularly for the past 2,500 years.
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But scientists don’t know why not – It’s hotter than ever, and we may have to choose between reducing global warming and solving the problems of the recession. Scientists predict more drought in the Southwest as temperatures rise, but they also can’t figure out why things aren’t as bad right now as their predictions said they would be.
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Measures being proposed at the Copenhagen conference to curb greenhouse gas emissions are unlikely to affect potential long-term economic growth in the United States.
Economist Martin Ross says that adopting climate legislation would only cause slight changes in the nation’s Gross Domestic Product. A study which assessed the impacts of the plan being put forth found that measures being proposed would cost the average American household $57, $89, and $269 in 2015, 2020, and 2030, respectively. Over the same time period, household consumption, a measure of household purchasing power, is expected to rise by around 70%, while emissions are being reduced.
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Despite this, China has withdrawn from Climate talks – Who knew that there are glaciers in China as well as at the poles? And just like glaciers everywhere, they are melting! Which is why it’s such a shame that China is not cooperating with UN climate negotiations in Cophenhagen.
In fact, the world’s third largest ice sheet, in the remote plateau of Tibet, is warming up faster than any place else on earth. The researchers found that levels of black carbon in the ice core of the Tibetan plateau have soared since the 1990s due to the burning of coal in homes and industries.
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