Interactive: The impacts of climate change at 1.5C, 2C and beyond

*****Mapped: How every part of the world has warmed – and could continue to warm INFOGRAPHICS | September 26. 2018. 15:10 Mapped: How every part of the world has warmed – and could continue to warm Climate change is often communicated by looking at the global average temperature. Aboriginal Ownership of National Parks and Tourism In 1996, the parliament of New South Wales (NSW), based in Sydney, Australia, passed legislation to enable the return of ownership of several national parks to their traditional Aboriginal owners. Like earlier federal Australian legislation governing the Northern Territory, the Aboriginal owners are to lease the lands back to the NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS) and co-manage the land using a board which has a majority of traditional owners in a style known as "joint management." The legislation provides for an annual rental fee paid by the NSW government, which will provide extra funding to ensure the lands are managed to meet Aboriginal community interests.

Solar Geo-Engineering: What if It Doesn’t Work? Photo: Pierre Longnus/Getty Images Last week, at a dinner organized by the New York Times to promote Nathaniel Rich’s magazine-length global-warming history “Losing Earth,” the legendary climate scientist Wallace Smith Broecker — who coined the term “global warming” and is, miraculously, still with us and, at 86, still working — raised his hand and asked to speak. The room had been chattering about the importance of hopefulness in fighting climate change, and in writing about it — a common refrain among advocates battling the possibility of burnout. Broecker wanted to offer a dose of perspective — to cut against the hope a bit, and, he said, give just a sense of how big the problem really is.

Is it too late to prevent climate change? Humans have caused major climate changes to happen already, and we have set in motion more changes still. However, if we stopped emitting greenhouse gases today, the rise in global temperatures would begin to flatten within a few years. Temperatures would then plateau but remain well-elevated for many, many centuries. There is a time lag between what we do and when we feel it, but that lag is less than a decade. Climate change: Oceans 'soaking up more heat than estimated' Image copyright Getty Images The world has seriously underestimated the amount of heat soaked up by our oceans over the past 25 years, researchers say. Their study suggests that the seas have absorbed 60% more than previously thought. They say it means the Earth is more sensitive to fossil fuel emissions than estimated. This could make it much more difficult to keep global warming within safe levels this century.

astro4earth Astronomers for Planet Earth astro4earth@groups.io Astronomers for Planet Earth use this space to share links, slides, articles, and other materials useful for teaching, learning, and taking action about climate change. We also use it to communicate with one another. Click on Databases in the menu to find links to online materials that members have shared. UN Says Climate Genocide Coming. But It’s Worse Than That. You now have permission to freak out. Photo: George Rose/Getty Images Just two years ago, amid global fanfare, the Paris climate accords were signed — initiating what seemed, for a brief moment, like the beginning of a planet-saving movement. Climate change apocalypse could start by 2050 if we do nothing A chilling Australian policy paper outlining a doomsday scenario for humans if we don’t start dealing with climate change suggests that by 2050, we could see irreversible damage to global climate systems resulting in a world of chaos where political panic is the norm and we are on a path facing the end of civilization. The worst thing about it, experts say, is that it’s actually a fairly calm and rational look at just how bad things could get — and how quickly — if humans don’t stop emitting greenhouse gases into the environment. The scenarios "don't seem that far-fetched to me. I don't think there's anything too crazy about them," said Adam Sobel, a professor of applied physics and mathematics at Columbia University in New York City who studies atmospheric and climate dynamics.

*****Halfway to boiling: the city at 50C Imagine a city at 50C (122F). The pavements are empty, the parks quiet, entire neighbourhoods appear uninhabited. Nobody with a choice ventures outside during daylight hours.