Projections of Future Climates

Abstract

Climate projections are not the same as climate predictions. Climate change scientists can’t predict the future but with knowledge of past climates and detected climate trends, it is feasible to project climate change into the future using various scenarios. The IPCC did several projections in their AR4 2007 report and these are discussed in this chapter. What will happen in a hotter, flatter, and more crowded world is something inhabitants of this planet should be concerned about. There are conditions that we can be fairly confident about as we gaze into a virtual future. The political climate is separate from the temperature but has a great deal to do with the future of Earth and its inhabitants. Some politicians are famous or notorious for their stance on climate change and their contribution to environmental issues (both positive and negative) and some are discussed in this and the following chapters. Mitigation of climate change is to slow things down and thereby improve the global temperature rise or to stop it entirely. Is it already too late to stop the globe from further warming and, if it is not, what should or can we do?