Education and Climate Information
The Frog will explore The Climate Action Handbook: A Visual Guide to 100 Climate Solutions by Heidi Roop in the first 100 days of 2024
In the first `100 days of 2024 we will explore 100 climate solutions that may “empower you to evaluate, engage, and act” to address on-going climate change as an individual on your terms.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change. The IPCC provides regular assessments of the scientific basis of climate change, its impacts and future risks, and options for adaptation and mitigation.
The IPCC has been publishing a a data-driven and supported overview of whether the Earth is warming and whether humans are causing it since 1990. The language they have used in quantifying the impact of humans on observed climate change has evolved since then.
- AR1 in 1990: The report did not quantify the human contribution to global warming
- AR2 in 1995: The balance of evidence suggests a discernible human influence on the climate
- AR3 in 2001: Human-emitted GHGs are likely (67-90% chance) responsible
for more than half of Earth’s temperature increase since 1951 - AR4 in 2007: Human-emitted GHGs are very likely (at least 90% chance) responsible
for more than half of Earth’s temperature increase since 1951 - AR5 in 2013 Human-emitted GHGs are extremely likely (at least 95% chance) responsible for more than half of Earth’s temperature increase since 1951
- AR6 in 2022 : It’s real. It’s us. Experts agree. It’s bad. There’s hope.
That last one is from John Cook, who summarized climate change in those ten words.
They actually said this: “It is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land. Widespread and rapid changes in the atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere and biosphere have occurred. The scale of recent changes across the climate system as a whole – and the present state of many aspects of the climate system – are unprecedented over many centuries to many thousands of years. Human-induced climate change is already affecting many weather and climate extremes in every region across the globe.”
IPCC reports are data-dense and lengthy. They boil each Full Report down to a Summary for Policymakers and then to a set of Headline Statements, which is a good place to start. You can dig into the full report and find information specific to your region or you can use the IPCC WGI Interactive Atlas to explore the climate future in your region. It is a fascinating tool that allows you to see the impact of the various response scenarios – from a focused, global response to business as usual – and the projected impact regionally for the rest of the century.
To get a more US focused, science-based exploration of climate change, you can explore the Fifth National Climate Assessment, the result of a collaboration of US Government agencies called the US Global Change Research Program. Mandated by legislation in 1990, the assessment synthesizes the data from all agencies and provides an analysis of the “effects of global change on the natural environment, agriculture, energy production and use, land and water resources, transportation, human health and welfare, human social systems, and biological diversity”.
Read the Key Messages from the Fifth National Climate Assessment
The authors of the the 5th Assessment, published in 2023, “come from a variety of disciplines and perspectives, including universities, the private sector, indigenous communities, and state and local governments”. Many of the contributors are passionate volunteers who are driven to provide a comprehensive and incisive view of the impact of on-going climate change in the United States.
There are two incredibly useful resources in the National Climate Assessment that you can use in your climate change journey.
The Fifth National Climate Assessment Regions section allows you to focus on and explore your own backyard in great detail. For instance, in Chapter 24 Midwest you not only find the data to support the changes underway in the Midwest, but a regional roadmap for a response to climate change. The report details Midwest-specific solutions for climate-smart agriculture, ecosystem services, human health, green infrastructure, and water quality and quantity.
Explore detailed climate solutions for your region.
The other useful tool in the Fifth NCA is the list of authors, which provides contacts and context for follow up and deeper dives. The opening line of Chapter 24 states that “the Midwest is diverse in landscapes, people, and culture” and the list of authors embodies that, including local experts from Government, Universities, and indigenous communities. And, of course, our very own Heidi Roop from the Midwest Climate Adaptation Partnership!
And in a beautiful expression of the power of human artistry to capture the essence of climate change the US Global Change Research Program issued “a call for art with the understanding that, together, art and science move people to greater understanding and action”. Explore the magnificent artwork in the Art x Climate Gallery which “offers a powerful depiction of climate change in the United States—its causes and impacts, as well as the strength of our collective response”.
Next Up: Climate Action Day 95: Look to Local Climate Science Leaders
Howard Creel
#rescuethatfrog
Email: rescuethatfrog@gmail.com
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