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DO GLOBAL WARMING AND CLIMATE CHANGE REPRESENT A SERIOUS THREAT TO OUR WELFARE AND ENVIRONMENT?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 June 2009

Michael E. Mann
Michael E. Mann
Affiliation:
Meteorology and Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University
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Abstract

The science underlying global warming, climate change, and the connections between these phenomena are reviewed. Projected future climate changes under various plausible scenarios of future human behavior are explored, as are the potential impacts of projected climate changes on society, ecosystems, and our environment. The economic, security, and ethical considerations relevant to determining the threat posed by climate change are subsequently assessed. The article then discusses the various means available for climate change mitigation, focusing on the relative strengths and weaknesses of various societal alternatives including ‘geoengineering’ and transitioning to less carbon intensive energy sources. The article concludes with the author's views as to what steps might most profitably be taken to avert dangerous anthropogenic interference with Earth's climate, and the ramifications if such steps are not taken.

Type
Research Article
Information
Social Philosophy and Policy , Volume 26 , Issue 2 , July 2009 , pp. 193 - 230
Copyright
Copyright © Social Philosophy and Policy Foundation 2009

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References

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12 It is this (flawed) scientific premise that provides the basis for the plot of the disaster movie The Day After Tomorrow, released by Twentieth Century Fox in 2004, written and directed by Roland Emmerich.

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59 This example is highlighted by Diamond, Jared in Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed (New York: Viking, 2004)Google Scholar.