Short answers to hard questions about climate change

Here are quick answers to often-asked questions about climate change. This should give anyone a running start on understanding the problem.

How much is the planet heating up?
As of October 2015, the earth had warmed by about 1.7 degrees Fahrenheit since 1880. The number may sound low, but as an average over the surface of an entire planet, it is actually high, which explains why much of the world’s land ice is starting to melt and the oceans are rising at an accelerating pace.

Is there anything I can do?
You can reduce your own carbon footprint in lots of simple ways, and most of them will save you money.

Will a tech breakthrough help us?
Even Bill Gates says don’t count on it, unless we commit the cash. As more companies, governments and researchers devote themselves to the problem, the chances of big technological advances are improving. But even many experts who are optimistic about technological solutions warn that current efforts are not enough.

How much will the seas rise?
The real question is not how high, but how fast. The ocean is rising at a rate of about a foot per century. That causes severe effects on coastlines, forcing governments and property owners to spend tens of billions of dollars fighting erosion. But if that rate continued, it would probably be manageable, experts say.

Is there any reason for hope?
Scientists have been warning since the 1980s that strong policies were needed to limit emissions. Those warnings were ignored, and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have since built up to potentially dangerous levels. So the hour is late.

But after 20 years of largely fruitless diplomacy, the governments of the world are finally starting to take the problem seriously. A deal reached in Paris in December commits nearly every country to some kind of action. Religious leaders like Pope Francis are speaking out.

Culled from New York Times