UK-based jurno Gwynne Dyer suggests it is time to panic over climate change and cites plenty of evidence (nearly all of which you can find on this site) including southern Africa losing 30 per cent of its corn crop as climate gets hotter and drier there.
Dyer goes on to say:
The two Democratic candidates for the presidency in the United States promise 80 per cent cuts in emissions by 2050, and John McCain for the Republicans promises 50 per cent cuts by then.
Nobody points out such a leisurely approach condemns the world to a global temperature regime at least three or four degrees Celsius (5.5 to 7 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than today.
Nobody points out those are average global temperatures which take into account the relatively cool air over the oceans.
Few people are aware these higher temperatures will prevent pollination in many major food crops in parts of the world that are already so hot they are near the threshold, and that this, combined with shifting rainfall patterns, will cause catastrophic losses in food production.
I agree those target dates are far too slow and push the responsibility of taking real action into the distant future. Dyer’s “nobody points out” is plain wrong since IPS and other alternative news sources have been banging the drum on climate for years. But that’s not a complaint, happy to see other good jurno’s join in.
Stephen Leahy, International Environmental Journalist 
i still don’t believe it
Evidence suggests that we will be due for another Maunder Minimum either before or around that time anyway.
Hi me Says, you need to see ‘ How It All Ends’ a few minutes.
http://wonderingmind42.wordpress.com/
He also has more info. videos for those that want to know.
Wes. while the little ice age of 1650-1700 was associated by a decline of sunspot activity, you should keep in mind that it only got colder in the Northern hemisphere. (NASA scientist explanation here http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NasaNews/2001/200112065794.html )
Secondly the Earth is nothing like it was 400 years ago — most of forests are now gone and the atmosphere holds far more CO2 etc..
http://northwardho.blogspot.com/2008/02/global-warming-cartoon-caption-contest.html
Steve,
I started a cartoon caption site, on global warming. Feel free to post a pithy caption there or email it to me if you can’t get in. Anonymous entries okay, too. All readers welcome to contribute.
Danny
PANIC! Dyer is an important writer and we should listen. by the way, i contacted a reuters reporter about polar cities coverage, and he said he was interested, he looked over my clips, and then he replied: “sorry, unless you have funding or high level funding, this will sound like scaremongering for our readers, I am afraid it’s not for Reuters, but it’s a good idea. Keep trying to mainstream media. Sorry for having to say no now.”
And so it goes…..only IPS had the guts to report this news. But I shall persevere in this quixotic quest. SMILE. It’s worth talking about, neh?