PROPHETS OF DOOM
By Anton Antonio
October 28, 2015
Environmental scientists, researcher, advocates and
activists are often called “prophets of doom” because they are the most vocal
personalities against global warming, climate change and other environmental
destruction. They certainly could not be
faulted for knowing what they know from years of diligent research and
development work. They simply are
sharing their findings as they genuinely care for the present and future
generations. Here goes another dooms day
scenario report…
“CLIMATE CHANGE COULD SOON PUSH PERSIAN GULF TEMPERATURES TO
LETHAL EXTREMES, REPORT WARNS
By Joby Warrick
October 26, 2015
The region that gave birth to civilization six millennia ago
could soon witness a grim milestone in the history of urban development: the
first cities to experience temperatures too extreme for human survival. A scientific study released Monday predicts
that parts of the Persian Gulf could see lethally hot summers by the end of the
century, thanks to human-induced global warming that is already contributing to
soaring temperatures around the globe.
The report’s authors say coastal cities from Dubai to Iran’s Bandar
Abbas could experience summer days that surpass the “human habitability” limit,
with heat and humidity so high that even the healthiest people could not
withstand more than a few hours outdoors.
Other Middle Eastern cities could approach the lethal threshold,
including the Saudi holy city of Mecca, a destination for millions of Muslim
pilgrims every year, according to the report in the peer-reviewed journal
Nature Climate Change. Scientists have
long maintained that parts of the planet could experience extreme temperatures
if global warming continues at current rates.
But the suggestion that major world metropolises could cross the
“habitability” threshold in the 21st Century surprised some climate
experts. “The threats to human health
may be much more severe than previously thought, and may occur in the current
century,” Christoph Schaer, a physicist and climate modeller at the Institute
for Atmospheric and Climate Science in Zurich, Switzerland, said in a
commentary on the study’s conclusions.
The nature study used high-resolution climate models of the Persian Gulf
to examine different scenarios for climate change over the coming decades. The authors, a pair of scientists from
Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Loyola Marymount University, focused
on a key heat measurement known as the “wet-bulb temperature,” which includes humidity
and evaporation rates, averaged over several hours. A wet-bulb temperature of 35 degrees C (95
degrees F) is regarded as the survivability limit for healthy people. “It is an upper limit to adaptability to
climate change due to heat stress,” MIT researcher Elfatih Eltahir told
reporters at a news conference called to discuss the findings. The analysis showed that, at current rates of
warming, inhabitants of Persian Gulf cities could experience a combination of
heat and humidity so high that the human body is no longer capable of shedding
the excess heat through perspiration.
The worst impacts would be felt in low-lying areas from Iran’s southern
coast to the great metropolises of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha and Dhahran, Saudi
Arabia. “Our results expose a regional
hotspot where climate change, in the absence of significant mitigation, is
likely to severely impact human habitability in the future,” the authors wrote
in the study. As travellers to the
region can attest, the Persian Gulf region is already notorious for oppressive
heat, with temperatures regularly surpassing 110 degrees F in the summer and
heat-index values that contribute to high rates of heatstroke among outdoor
workers. The study’s authors say the
worst impacts could be avoided if the world’s countries can find the will to
curb emissions of greenhouse-gas pollutions.
In any case, urban planners will soon have to plan for major
infrastructure changes as temperatures approach the lethal 35-degree
threshold. “Although it may be feasible
to adapt indoor activities in the rich oil countries of the region, even the
most basic outdoor activities are likely to be severely impacted,” the report
stated. The study comes on the heels of
other reports predicting more intense heat waves for the United States, Europe
and other parts of the world because of rising concentrations of heat-trapping
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The
American Academy of Pediatrics on Monday issued a policy statement warning of a
greater health risks to children because of human-induced global warming. The statement, published in the journal
Pediatrics, said children face great risks from heat-related illnesses and
greater susceptibility to being injured in weather-related disasters such as
floods and extreme storms. “Children are
uniquely at risk to the direct impacts of climate change,” said lead author
Samantha Ahdoot.”
Let us assume, for a moment, that pro-environment people are
real dooms day mongers. Who really wants
to play this type of role in society? There
is absolutely nothing in it for them but curses and disdain from climate change
non-believers. But there must be
something they want us to realize… perhaps the message is for all of us to
realize that something should be done to mitigate the impact of climate
change. Or, do we really think that they
are plain, simple and good-for-nothing prophets of doom?
Thoughts to
promote positive action…
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