<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);" class=""><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="">National Geographic </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;" class="">PUBLISHED DECEMBER 12, 2019</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class=""><span style="font-kerning: none" class=""><b class="">The decade we finally woke up to climate change</b></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class=""><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; background-color: rgb(255, 251, 0);" class="">The last 10 years have shown that climate change is happening now and could get much worse.</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class=""><span style="font-kerning: none" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class=""><span style="font-kerning: none" class="">BY ALEJANDRA BORUNDA</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 238);" class=""><span style="text-decoration: underline ; font-kerning: none" class=""><a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2019/12/the-decade-we-finally-woke-up-to-climate-change/" class="">https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2019/12/the-decade-we-finally-woke-up-to-climate-change/</a></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(153, 153, 153); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); min-height: 16px;" class=""><span style="font-kerning: none" class=""></span><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class=""><span style="font-kerning: none" class=""><b class="">Opening paragraphs</b></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); min-height: 16px;" class=""><span style="font-kerning: none" class=""></span><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class=""><span style="font-kerning: none" class="">This decade, many people around the world woke up to a grim reality: Climate change is here, it’s happening now, and it could very easily get much, much worse.</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); min-height: 16px;" class=""><span style="font-kerning: none" class=""></span><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class=""><span style="font-kerning: none" class="">These 10 years were punctuated by a series of deadly, dramatic, devastating events. Hurricanes like Sandy, Maria, and Harvey fundamentally changed the communities they barreled into, leaving behind scars that have yet to heal. Stronger and stronger heat waves forced communities across the country and world into dangerous swelter. Wildfires tore up hundreds of thousands of acres in a flash.</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); min-height: 16px;" class=""><span style="font-kerning: none" class=""></span><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class=""><span style="font-kerning: none" class="">Climate records fell left and right. Hottest-ever year for the planet’s atmosphere? Check. Hottest-ever year for its oceans? Also check. Puny, unprecedentedly tiny stretches of Arctic sea ice? Check, check, check.</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); min-height: 16px;" class=""><span style="font-kerning: none" class=""></span><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class=""><span style="font-kerning: none" class="">The underlying force beneath the changes is indisputable. Steadily increasing <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/greenhouse-gases/" class=""><span style="font-kerning: none; color: #333333" class="">greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere</span></a>, caused primarily by humans burning fossil fuels, are trapping extra heat near Earth’s surface. That warms Earth as a whole. <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 251, 0);" class="">The outcome is both straightforward—a hotter planet—and incredibly complex</span>, as changes cascade through the oceans, atmosphere, soil, rocks, trees, and every living thing on the planet.</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); min-height: 16px;" class=""><span style="font-kerning: none" class=""></span><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class=""><span style="text-decoration: underline; -webkit-font-kerning: none;" class=""><a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2019/12/the-decade-we-finally-woke-up-to-climate-change/" class="">https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2019/12/the-decade-we-finally-woke-up-to-climate-change/</a></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">
<div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;" class="">*************************************</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;" class=""><span style="text-decoration: underline; -webkit-font-kerning: none;" class=""><a href="https://www.dw.com/en/domino-effect-could-heat-up-earth-by-5-degrees-celsius-despite-paris-climate-deal/a-44968248" class=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 251, 0);" class="">Domino effect could heat up Earth by 5 degrees Celsius </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""></span></a></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; color: rgb(0, 105, 217);" class=""><span style="text-decoration: underline; -webkit-font-kerning: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><a href="https://www.dw.com/en/domino-effect-could-heat-up-earth-by-5-degrees-celsius-despite-paris-climate-deal/a-44968248" class="">https://www.dw.com/en/domino-effect-could-heat-up-earth-by-5-degrees-celsius-despite-paris-climate-deal/a-44968248<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;" class=""></span></a></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; color: rgb(14, 119, 68); min-height: 15px;" class=""><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;" class=""></span><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);" class=""><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; background-color: rgb(255, 251, 0);" class="">Aug 6, 2018<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><b class="">...</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Even if the Paris agreement is successfully implemented, the planet could still heat up by 5 degrees Celsius, scientists warn.</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; min-height: 15px;" class=""><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;" class=""></span><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; color: rgb(62, 62, 62); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;" class="">The lead authors say:</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; color: rgb(62, 62, 62); min-height: 15px;" class=""><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;" class=""></span><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; color: rgb(62, 62, 62); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;" class="">“Our study suggests that human-induced global warming of 2 degrees Celsius may trigger other Earth system processes, often called 'feedbacks,' that can drive further warming — even if we stop emitting greenhouse gases.” </span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; color: rgb(136, 136, 136); min-height: 15px;" class=""><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;" class=""></span><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; color: rgb(62, 62, 62); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;" class="">And:</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; color: rgb(62, 62, 62); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;" class="">“These tipping elements can potentially act like a row of dominos. Once one is pushed over, it pushes Earth toward another. It may be very difficult or impossible to stop the whole row of dominoes from tumbling over.” </span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; min-height: 15px;" class=""><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;" class=""></span><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; min-height: 15px;" class=""><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;" class=""></span><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;" class=""><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;" class="">The above referenced PNAS article:</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;" class=""><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;" class="">Steffen,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: rgb(62, 62, 62); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">Rockström</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;" class=""><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>et al. Trajectories of the Earth System in the Anthropocene. PNAS August 2018.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><b class="">[Open access]</b></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; color: rgb(0, 105, 217);" class=""><span style="text-decoration: underline; -webkit-font-kerning: none;" class=""><a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2018/07/31/1810141115" class="">http://www.pnas.org/content/early2018/07/31/1810141115</a></span></div></div>
</div>
<br class=""></div></body></html>