SAN DIEGO — The effects of climate change can be seen all around us. To help us better visualize the change, one organization has produced animations of what sea-level rise will look like around the world and close to home.
Andrew Pershing is the Director of Climate Science at Climate Central, an organization that conducts scientific research on climate change.
"It's really to help people see what the stakes are for all us all over the world with the choices we're facing," Pershing said. "So we modeled 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming and compared that with 3 degrees of warming specifically through sea-level rise."
One model shows the Hotel Del Coronado at the current sea level. By sliding a bar, you can look into the future and how temperature changes affect the sea level rise or fall.
"So if we do go to that 1.5 degrees Celsius that we target, we will continue to experience sea-level rise even after that mid-century levels off," Pershing said this would dramatically affect coastlines.
"1.5 degrees of warming leads to about 10" of sea-level rise which is a radical change around the world's coastlines," he said.
On our current path, the scenario is much worse. Pershing explained, "And 3 degrees leads to 20' of sea-level rise which is catastrophic to many places around the world."
One map shows what San Diego's coastline would look like based on a change of 1 to 4 degrees Celsius and it's devastating. The story is the same around the world and it will take a lot of hard work.
"It's a tough road for us to get to, it seems like it's possible," Pershing said. "If we don't bend that curve, if we don't reduce Co2 emissions, we're looking at 3 degrees on average around the world."
Pershing thinks the U.S. and other developed nations can cut emissions by 2030.
"So the question is are we going to help the developing world? How are we going to relate to Russia and China who haven't been serious at the table yet?"
He believes that looking at the rate of change gives us a better understanding.
"So we're going to pack 10,000 years of change into the next century. That's a huge rate we're going to have to adjust to."
But that outcome can be changed.
"This has been a transformative year for people thinking about climate change," he said. "I'm optimistic people are getting the message."
And that path is not as hard as it sounds according to Pershing.
"It doesn't require technology we haven't invented right now. Solar panels and wind turbines, let's do it, we can do it. It's just a question of getting it out at scale fast enough.
Pershing believes in the idea that there is still time to make the right choices, it's just that the clock to make those choices is already ticking.
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