Got a climate question? Ask our expert!
Unless you have a PhD in meteorology or have spent the past few decades in the bowels of a laboratory, there are probably one or two things about climate change that leave you feeling a little flummoxed.
Is it really true, for example, that global warming could drive most of the Earth’s species into extinction? What will happen to the world if it heats up by more than 2°C? And anyway, isn’t it too late to stop the catastrophic effects of climate change?
Stuck for the answers? Fear not: Live Earth has teamed up with the Met Office Hadley Centre – the world’s leading authority on weather and the environment – to bring you your very own climate change expert, on standby to answer your questions about global warming.
Dr Richard Betts, the official scientific advisor for the Live Earth event in London, is head of the Climate Impacts research team at the Hadley Centre. A climate modeller for 15 years, Richard was a lead author on the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). He was also a lead author on the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, the authors of which shared the Zayed Environment Prize with Kofi Annan, then Secretary-General of the United Nations.
To pick Richard’s brains about the science of climate change, simply e-mail your questions to askaclimateexpert@hotmail.co.uk, along with your name and home town, and we’ll publish them – together with Richard’s answers – right here in this column.
Q. Why did the planet cool by 2°C between 1400 and 1800 (The Little Ice Age)? It wasn’t due to CO2 being removed from the atmosphere, was it? In fact, the IPCC predictions cover a 2°C rise by the end of the century, which would be consistent with the planet further recovering from the temperature drop of the Little Ice Age, would it not? (Chris, Brighton)
A. No. I don't know where you got your figure of 2°C global cooling between 1400 and 1800, but it is not backed up by the scientific evidence. There is evidence that there was a cooler period around that time, and in the UK the winters were particularly severe, but this was much smaller than you say: the numerous independent studies show that northern hemisphere temperatures fluctuated by less than 0.5°C in that time (there is not enough evidence to say anything much about southern hemisphere temperatures).
The evidence is that there was a reduction in solar irradiance (called the Maunder Minimum) in that time, but subsequent increases in solar irradiance cannot explain the warming seen over the 20th Century. Indeed, if only natural factors had operated, the climate should have cooled very slightly since 1950. The IPCC concluded that "it is very unlikely that this warming was merely a recovery from a pre-20th Century cold period". See www.ipcc.ch for further details: go to Working Group 1 and read chapter 6, which discusses past climate changes in great depth.
Q. Our science teacher said we could all die from climate change. Is this true? Also, what can schools do to help stop global warming? My school seems to do nothing and I want this to change. (Jane Wrigley)
A. Climate change is a very serious issue, but I think it's an exaggeration to say we could "all" die from climate change. It is indeed expected that many millions of lives will be put at additional risk worldwide, especially in poorer communities which tend to be more vulnerable, and this is obviously extremely serious, but this does not mean that the whole of humanity is expected to be wiped out. From the fact that you go to school, have access to the internet and presumably live in the UK (since you speak English and are reading a UK website) I can assume that you are unlikely to be amongst the poorest people in the world so are therefore probably less vulnerable to climate change. On the other hand, you may have some underlying medical condition which makes you more vulnerable to heat stress, which would make you more likely to be severely affected by heat waves (which are expected to occur more frequently due to climate change), or you may live in a place which is vulnerable to flooding. So I'd say don't panic, but do take it seriously!
One major thing that schools can do to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is to introduce a Travel Plan which reduces the number of pupils coming to school by car. This can involve lift-sharing (ie: one parent brings more than one child), use of school buses, encouragement to use public transport, and encouragement to cycle and walk. Obviously cycling and walking raise safety issues, but these can be addressed with some thought and planning. "Walking Buses" are a popular way of increasing the number of children walking to school: a group of children are supervised by trained "drivers" and walk in a group, picking up others along the way. My local school (Whimple in Devon) now has four walking buses involving over a third of all pupils, uses the "Walking Wizard" award scheme which gives certificates for the number of times children walk to school, and also offers cycle training to help children learn to cycle more safely on the road. This has cut the problem of traffic congestion outside the school, as well as encouraging emission reductions and a healthier lifestyle.
