2020 has been a very bad year!
This video was recorded September 15, 2020 by the Global Interdependence Center. at a GIC Executive Briefing conducted by Climate Adaptation Center CEO, Bob Bunting. Titled “Climate Disruptions and the COVID Pandemic,” the briefing highlights the current science behind global climate warming, in the context of 2020’s extreme weather events and the impact of the global pandemic. Bob recaps the global warming trend and related “climate disruptions” in 2020 including:
- heat waves,
- unprecedented forest fires in Australia and the western United States, and
- the record breaking number of Atlantic hurricanes and tropical storms.
In a category Bob called “Everything Else,” we find a collection of ongoing changes to the world’s climate that will continue to have long-lasting societal and economic impacts:
- sea level continuing its inexorable rise
- storm surge flooding rapidly becoming the new normal for coastal communities
- more frequent Harmful Algae Blooms (“Red Tide” for example) impacting human health
- health and productivity decline due to rising temperatures and heat waves
- declining crop yields under rising temperatures, forcing migration to cooler latitudes
Watch the presentation!