Surviving the Inevitable Climate Change

How might we cool the planet if we fail to meet our CO2 emissions targets? This is a question that perhaps we shouldn't even ask because it will distract us from our primary goal of reducing CO2 emissions. But seriously, what if our CO2 reduction efforts don't work? Do we just accept the climate consequences of the CO2 we generate (the 35 billion tonnes we emit annually) - sea level rise, desertification, ocean acidification, loss of habitat - or do we try to repair the damage that we are causing?

By looking at past variations in Earth’s climate, we can put the following centuries in context. I will compare the speed and magnitude of change with those that occur naturally. I will look at evidence on how ice sheets have been affected by the kinds of change we expect in the polar regions. And I will look at a time 56 million years ago, when nature released carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

This talk will explore what has been done in response to recent floods in the UK, how rare such events really are, and how the roles of government and society are changing. The need to act with an imperfect understanding of the natural system and managing residual risk are central to this issue. The changing climate means that the lessons from flooding should be transferred to how other environmental hazards are handled.