Climate change could force 1 billion from their homes by 2050

It's frightening, but I have faith in the many new ways of producing food (recycled-hydroponics) and inventions we probably haven't even thought of yet. We each have to take steps to reuse, recycle and use less resources, but we can't lose hope.

global warming and cooling has been going on for thousands of years and will continue no matter what we do, but at least Al Gore can make a ton of money with his carbon credit scam. Did you know he gets 10 percent of all carbon credits sold and splits the money with the Rockefeller family
great scam Al Gore Ofcourse we knew you were smart Remember when Al said he invented the internet hahahahaha

God help us!

Its sad to see people living like this in 2008!!

this is a nice discussion....great for my debate class....thanks all

Our government won't do something about this. We as people need to start thinking about what we can do to help prevent this from happening to these people. We know they don't deserve this, and we can no longer depend on our government to do the right thing unless it somehow profits them.

As a global society, we need to pitch in to help make things better.

When something affects about one of every six people, you'd think we'd be more willing to do something about it right away!

actually we're headed for another Ice Age, I can't believe how many people eat up this global warming crap. Now, the over-all decline of every ecosystem on our planet? yea thats our fault, but it's not "global warming", people just feel better when they can focus their dismay and blame something or someone. The cause of our ecological problems can't be found in a made up term that doesn't really mean anything or hold any kind of weight. But you know, I think that alot of people find satisfaction in what they believe to be their imminent demise, as long as they're ahead of the game...

(Forgive me in advance for any rambling, this is my first blog posting ever, it will become concise)

I truely believe that humans are contributing to global climate change. At the same time I am rational and aware that science has also determined that the Earth has drastically changed its own climate in the past without man-made influences. At this time why can't we do both: attenuating human impact and further our understanding of the Earth's own cycles. The facilities are here in the U.S. already to recycle. I would like to see the impact if these facilities were used 100%. People simply throw paper into the garbage even though he or she is near a recycling bin. Is it because they are apathetic or ignorant? One piece of paper a day may not seem like a lot but neither does saving a penny a day until 25 years go by and all of a sudden you have $10,000. Forget climate in 2050...there will be so many people vying for the diminishing food supply because it has grown too expensive. Stop subsidising ETOH!!! It's a band-aid on a broken leg! Aqa.

By 2050 we're gonna have more global warming induced problems than water shortages and crop failures....if we're still alive by then

Well at least all three candidates currently running for president actually believe in it. They may not all have good plans, but it's a step forward.

And yet the idiots in charge still doubt the existence of Climate Change.

AceHardchester:

Of course when talking about varying degrees of probability the word "could" is essential for responsible reporting. Now the likelihood is another thing--is it likely that people will be walking in downtown Manhattan and be frozen mid-gait? Of course not. Is it likely that we are facing an unprecedented wave of mass migrations (quarter of a billion up to a billion in 40 years) due to water depletion and crop failures due to droughts?

I think the point of this presentation by the UNHCR is to change the definition of refugees to include man-made natural disasters as well. That will allow for fair and peaceful resettlement, as opposed to the alternative, destitution and despair, which ultimately is a recipe for riots and suicide bombings in our Homeland by those who make the connection. I work with refugees, and I have seen that a little compassion for their dislocation goes a long way.

My goal is not to scare people into compliance--it's to get people to wake their asses up and question our long term sustainability, to weigh all probabilities and base their actions on an informed view of the world, a world that exists outside of the bubble of Western isolation.

The key word there, richjm, is "implications."

It is an exaggeration. This is yet another scare tactic. If this is a reality, we cannot combat it by buying a few more organic food items from your local store. We would need to completely change everyone's way of living by force.

If this can be spoken of with so much certainty, it is already too late to change it. Our only hope is to adapt to accommodate the new way of the world.

Such massive global implications and yet some people still think global warming is a myth or an exaggeration.

Note the word "could."

In a similar vein, The Day After Tomorrow "could" really happen.

Do world leaders actually WANT it to get this bad so they can profit from it? Look no further than the World Bank and IMF for the answer. And what do we the people do? Let political leaders and candidates get away with really taking the lead on this in lieu of their media garbage. OOOO HIllary Clinton was on FOX , let's talk about that instead of how her climate change plan doesn't address this crisis properly and her war talk is no different than Bush's and McCain's. OOOO Obama was on FOX and the MSM he supposedly deplores giving Rev. Wright who isn't even running for anything credence to keep this MSM going for another couple months to divert from any other questions being asked while his stance on war and his bowing to energy industries like nuclear and ethanol are ignored because the hype about is so much more important than the fate of our only home.

NO urgency about this, and even if they talk about it their plans are still corporate friendly and not planet friendly because those who gave them money come before this planet and our children. I truly believe only should a real catastrophe hit this country regarding the climate will people even start to care...the frog in slow boiling water concept doesn't seem to be waking them up on the whole.. But even should catastrophe hit would that even wake many up? Look at Hurricane Katrina. It did nothing to spark any urgency about what is to come from our selfish behavior. Talk talk talk is all we get.

Our media has FAILED on this crisis and so have politicans of BOTH parties on the whole. So yes, what questions WILL our children ask us about this? Why did you sit and just talk? Where was the action? Where was the urgency? Where was the plan? Didn't you care? Yes, I can see that coming.

Just think, that's 42 years away. Seems like a long way away to us, but ask your parents how well they remember 40 years ago. I know mine would say 'they remember it like yesterday.'

For every report I read about the potential global warming has for destroying people's lives, there is another one downplaying the effects of it; in the case of the NY Times article linked above, downplaying the effects of it on countries run by mostly white people.

It doesn't take a brain scientist to realize that us whitey's are being fed a load of crap to make us complacent to the will of those who stand to make money off oil/emissions.

if things were this bad in 'white' countries, we sure see some more solutions at a faster rate.

see: wildfires in malibu last fall compared to the response to Hurricane Katrina....