The Effects of Global Warming by 2050
Warming from anthropogenic emissions will persist for centuries to millennia from pre-industrial times to the present and will continue to cause other long-term changes in the climate system
By 2050, climate change and its reality will no longer be contested. The subtle signs we’re starting to see around us will become more apparent, and their effects will be easily seen in everyday life, scientists say. It can be overwhelming to understand, let alone confront, warming trends—especially considering so many factors are thought to influence changes on Earth. But there’s good news: Humans have the tools to shape our future, and some of the tools are already at work around the world, USC researchers say.
The Costs of Global Warming by 2050
In models, policies that reflect high emissions prices are needed to achieve low-cost 1.5°C pathways (high confidence). All other things being equal, modeling studies suggest that the global average discounted marginal abatement costs of limiting warming to 1.5°C in the 21st century are about 3 to 4 times higher than at 2°C, with large interannual variations in the model and Socio-economic and political assumptions. Carbon prices can be imposed directly or implicitly through regulatory measures. Political tools such as technical guidelines or performance standards can complement explicit carbon pricing in some areas.
The Possible Solutions to Global Warming
Tackling climate change requires multiple solutions – there is no silver bullet. Yet nearly all of these solutions exist today, and many of them depend on people changing the way we behave and the way we produce and consume energy. The changes needed include technologies, behaviors and policies that promote less waste and wiser use of our resources. For example, improving the energy efficiency and fuel economy of vehicles, increasing wind and solar power generation, using organic waste to create biofuels, putting a price on carbon, and protecting forests are all effective ways to reduce carbon dioxide and other gases, thereby saving the heat on the planet.
Maximize policy synergies and co-benefits. There are many climate change mitigation options that can be implemented to meet the internationally agreed goal of limiting the increase in global average temperature to well below 2 degrees Celsius. Some are more biodiversity-friendly than others and may involve important trade-offs between climate policy, bioenergy use, land use and biodiversity policy.