By: Kevin J. Sinclair

In 2012 alone, there were $139 Billion in climate-related disasters in the US.  Private insurance companies paid about 25% of that; the US government paid the rest - that means, TAXPAYERS paid the rest.  So skeptics can no longer pretend that these issues are not hitting us.  The US has a fund called the Climate Disruption Budget; last year it was allocated $100 Billion.  This is happening; its real.  The costs have started, and they are rising.

Typhoon Haiyan in the Phillippines recently killed over 6,000 people and cost over $10 Billion in damages - and that is just one storm.  What happens when those storms get more common?
  

  
Hurricanes in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas have up to $14 Billion in damages each year; up to 30% of that cost can be avoided through better construction codes, and restoring wetlands.  But this kind of help is unlikely to happen if Republicans keep ignoring the needs of real Americans. 
  

If you live in the US or Europe, do you think you are immune to the effects of Climate Change?  In the 1995 Chicago heat wave, 700 people died.  Chicago - this is a large city in the United States, with many resources yet 700 people died.   Just think about that number. What happens when heat waves get more common?   Deaths in Chicago alone, from heat waves are projected to be over 2,000 people per year by the end of this century.   And yet, House Republicans in Congress are not even allowed to discuss Climate Change; party leaders have forbidden even discussion.  Its hard to see how Republicans can say they care about American citizens.

Taking action now will save us considerable money compared to doing nothing.  As Climate Change progresses, the costs will get higher and higher.  Many of these costs will be the burden of future generations.  They do not have a voice right now; it is our responsibility to leave a world for them that is safe and secure.
  

The Earth is undergoing a rapid transition; industrial processes are driving much of that, and how we respond right now will determine how bad things will get.  The official US report website is at GlobalChange.org.
   

 
Climate Change is no longer a worry for the future - its here now.  Don't count on any help from Conservatives or Republicans; they are so tied to industry that they just don't care about the environment.   Remember that, when you head to the polls.  Also remember, when you read news online, that there are many mis-informed bloggers; don't trust what you read on random websites.  Some of those who speak out against climate change are simply afraid of change in general.  This new report from the US Government had input from many sources, and is firmly based on science.  

One big focus of the report is on water and water scarcity.  This will become an increasingly important topic in the years and decades to come.  

For example the report details what people living in Idaho are already seeing: warmer winters, more early runoff, leading to hotter and dryer summers and more wildfires. You can find 'armchair bloggers' on the internet claiming skepticism but in the real world, people can see what is happening.  Changes in the water cycle are reducing available water in the whole Northwest, especially California.  Coastal regions are starting to see changes in habitat, and rising ocean acidity.  Coral reefs continue to degrade.  Forest mortality is on the rise with increase in tree diseases, less water, and more forest fires; which will also lead to different kinds of trees that are smaller and less absorptive of CO2.  There are many projected risks in the report as well as seeing effects now.

The new report from the US Government is called the National Climate Assessment; a 1,300 page report produced by 300 scientists, that looks at all aspects of how Climate Change will affect Americans.   This report follows other, recent reports including one from the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change), an education campaign from the AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science), and reports from the National Academy of Sciences and the Royal Society (British).  The Obama administration will use the report as the basis for legislative proposals over the next 2 years.  A primary goal is reducing emissions in power plants.
  

  
Hopefully this report can help educate people, raise awareness of the need for action, reduce emissions, increase the number of climate projects that people start, help increase spending on all government levels for Climate Change planning and action, and reduce skepticism about those who do not yet understand Climate Change.

Not all effects of Climate Change are bad.  A warmer winter means longer growing seasons.  But that in turn can worse climate change as we use more nitrogen-based fertilizers.  As ice melts, formerly ice-bound areas will become arable land; that has utility, but it also means sea level rise which puts coastline communities at risk.

Water is a prime concern.  Both surface and groundwater supplies are shrinking, which puts many at risk.   California agriculture is of particular concern at this time.  

2012 was the warmest year on record, as long as we have kept records.  And right now in California, 77% of the state is in a drought emergency - and summer has not even started yet.

No one will be spared form Climate Changed.  Biodiversity will be impacted, and indigenous people will be affected including Native Americans in the US, Aborigines in Australia, and others.  

 

He explains how the Earth has had many periods of change: land-mass movement, asteroids, ice ages and warming periods, massive species extinction, and so on.  That sets the context for what we are doing to the Earth now.

Millions and millions of years of plant growth, particularly trees, are now in the soil. a gigantic Carbon storage, and about to be released if there is widespread melting. Those trees became coal, which we burn now and fill the atmosphere with CO2. Climate change is, to some degree and perhaps a large degree, because of Man's activities - yet we can get solar power for free, wind power for free, and so on.
  

    
Tyson does not debate Climate Change 'deniers' - nor should he.  Debate and discussion need to be rational, and not politicized.  Too many people are rejecting science because they are either (1) scared of climate change, (2) brainwashed by Talk Radio and other Conservative efforts, or (3) through lack of education.  Having said that, there are some scientists who question some of the conclusions of Climate Change that those discussions can be interesting.  We are looking for skeptics who can write articles questioning Climate Change - if that is you, please submit a summary of your proposed article here.
  
Cosmos covers a different topic each week.  We are very glad that Tyson took on the task of explaining Climate Change. You can find the episode online and the series can be found on FOX.