Water Down
Similar to the first IPCC’s fourth assessment release being watered down by neglecting the great ice sheets, the second report’s release has also been watered down, in an alternative sense.
Again, a number of scientists feel as though the most urgent messages were not conveyed due to diplomats’ edits. But rather than flooded coasts, the neglected details indicate abundant water scarcities ahead. That is, in communities not flooded by severe storms. From the Washington Post (emphasis added):
- “More than one sixth of the world population live in glacier- or snowmelt-fed river basins and will be affected by decrease of water volume.” And depending on how much fossil fuels are burned in the future, “262-983 million people are likely to move into the water stressed-category” by 2050.
- Global warming could increase the number of hungry in the world in 2080 by anywhere between 140 million and 1 billion, depending on how much greenhouse gas is emitted over the next few decades.
- “Overall a 2- to 3-fold increase of population to be flooded is expected by 2080.”
- Malaria, diarrhea diseases, dengue fever, tick-borne diseases, heat-related deaths will all rise with global warming.
- In eastern North America, depending on fossil fuel emissions, smog will increase and there would be a 4.5 percent increase in smog-related deaths.
