The Great Simplification with Nate Hagens

Global Heating 101: Rapid-Fire Answers to the Biggest Climate Questions with Stefan Rahmstorf

Sep 18, 2024

Stefan Rahmstorf, an ocean and climate physicist, dives deep into the pressing realities of global heating. He sheds light on how tiny carbon dioxide levels have outsized effects on our planet’s temperature. Rahmstorf explains the dramatic consequences of a three-degree increase, emphasizing risks to ecosystems and human habitability. He also articulates the urgent need for emissions reductions by 50% by 2030 and discusses the interconnectedness of climate change with other crises like biodiversity loss. Community action and restoring ocean ecosystems emerge as crucial solutions.

01:41:16

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Stefan Rahmstorf

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Quick takeaways

Global unity is essential for addressing existential threats like climate change, emphasizing collaboration among individuals, communities, and nations.

Understanding climate change requires dispelling common misconceptions and fostering discussions that motivate public awareness and action.

The potential for severe regional temperature increases highlights the risks to food security and health, as certain areas may become uninhabitable.

Deep dives

Unity as Homo Sapiens

The need for global unity among humans is emphasized, urging that we recognize ourselves as one species inhabiting a shared planet. It is essential to foster collaboration rather than conflict to ensure our survival and well-being on Earth. Addressing existential threats, such as climate change, requires a collective approach where individuals, communities, and nations work synergistically towards shared goals. This awareness of interconnectedness is critical for responding effectively to the challenges facing civilization and the environment.

Understanding Climate Cycles: A Long Interglacial Ahead

01:26

Intro

3min

A Lifelong Connection to the Ocean

3min

The Alarming Reality of Climate Change

18min

Confronting Climate Realities

7min

The Dire Stakes of Three Degrees

27min

Climate Change Complexities and Urgency

22min

Interconnected Crises: Climate and Planetary Boundaries

3min

Beyond 2100: The Long-Term Impact of Climate Change

10min

The Role of Ocean Ecosystems in Climate Solutions

2min

10.

Empowering Action Against Climate Change

6min

(Conversation recorded on July 30th, 2024)

The science surrounding our planet’s dynamic and complex climate can be difficult to understand, and perhaps even more challenging to decipher what the actual realities and trajectories are among so much media coverage. Yet the study of Earth’s systems has been ongoing for decades, with a majority of scientists reaching a consensus on the realities of human-driven global heating.

In this episode, ocean and climate physicist Stefan Rahmstorf joins Nate for an overview on the most common questions and misconceptions concerning the state of the climate, including the nuances of what our future planetary home might look like.

How can carbon dioxide – which makes up such a small percentage of the atmosphere – have such a large effect on the temperature of the whole planet? Why does warming have such huge ripple effects across the biosphere – from ocean currents and wind patterns to extreme weather and wildfires? What do projections for the future tell us about the survivability of some of Earth’s most populated regions – and how can communities and nations prepare and mitigate these challenges amid many other converging crises we face?

About Stefan Rahmstorf:

Stefan Rahmstorf is Co-Head of the Research Department on Earth System Analysis of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and Professor of Ocean Physics at the University of Potsdam. His research focuses on paleoclimate, ocean circulation, sea level, extreme weather events and Earth System modeling.

After working at the New Zealand Oceanographic Institute and the Institute of Marine Science in Kiel, Stefan Rahmstorf joined PIK in 1996. From 2004 to 2013 Stefan Rahmstorf advised the German government as a member of its Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU). He is not only an outstanding and highly cited scientist but also a sought-after science communicator and speaker, winning the Climate Communication Prize of the American Geophysical Union in 2017.

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