Somebody asked me this question for a while ago. While I am not a good follower of the ecological movement (I just flew to Italy and back in June, which makes some 5000 km in air and over 300kg of CO²) I still see their point. The warming raises sea levels and changes natural living conditions, which will be problematic in the many parts of the world. It is already visible here in the Nordic countries, where weather changes faster than in the most of the world and the nature is suffering. The change is far too fast for the natures sake and maybe just getting started.
The problem is that there are some risk factors involved that could create serious problems even, if we are able to stop making pollutants that are currently waming the world, as the chain reaction that continues to heat it further may have already started. There is a question of frozen underwater methane of Siberian lakes and arctic oceans that is a first great question. If the sea water warms up and the age old methene will be released from its ancient graves, we will be in trouble, as methane is much more powerful greenhouse gas than plain carbon dioxide.
Extinctions
There have been several significant climate changes in the past for sure. The most recent one have been known as ice ages (and I don’t mean the movies). The last ice-age may have created an environment that was partly guilty of killing Neanderthals in extinction. The one more important thing is that the change has not been this fast for probably several hundred million years. The cooling before and warming after the ice age took several thousand years.
This might mean that the nature is not fast enough to adjust itself, which might mean some short of mass extinction. Some may think devil may care of same insignificant species going to extinction. The problem is that these species, which we don’t even notice in normal life may be important for the natural balance and their extinction may create some unpredictable problems.
I have to admit that I have another side to this question: I enjoy the natural variation. It would be sad if the dragonflies would go to extinction (they seemed to have problems last winter). For me this is not just practical, but I have to admit, also emotional issue. I’d love to be able to give my children change to enjoy the nature in the same way that I have. Of course all the changes are not for worst, but those who are expecting to enjoy better weather due the global warming, could be missing the clues of some shocking changes due very soon. The nature is already changing to be more unpredictable.
Of course we might be saved by the potentially upcoming new ice age – only if it would be fast enough…
Sea levels
About the rising sea-levels. While living in the coastal city the problem is a significant one. The sea level have been slowly sinking in these areas that were once buried under continental glacier during the ice age. The rise of land has been about 1 meter during last thousand years. Now the warming up is threaten to raise the level same amount in few decades and it does not necessary stop there.
We have already had serious problems during autumn storms and soon we may start to have problems most of the times. The whole structure of the city maybe in need of change. What is more, many of the large cities are located in the water-front like Tokyo, New York, Mumbai, Kalkota and Sao Paulo. What will happen to them? There are large areas inhabited by huge amount of people in low lands of Africa and Asia that are in danger to end up homeless and become refugees.
There are plenty of social and health risks involved and there is no person in this planet, who could predict the out come. But who cares?

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