The climate fact no one will admit: 2 °C warming is inevitable

[NickB79]

50. What impacts just humans isn't all that matters (at least, it shouldn't be to any sane person)

After all, you shouldn't call something a "massive global impact" if it doesn't actually, you know, "impact" people's lives.

So, if it doesn't impact a large number of people's lives in the short term, it doesn't rise to a massive, global impact?

By that logic, many repulsive things could be done to the environment that would be permissible using your mindset.

Shoot every African elephant on the planet for ivory, it doesn't affect 99% of the people on this planet in the short term! But it would cause huge, negative changes to the African ecosystem they're a part of and wipe out a 50-million year old phyla of life.

Harpoon the last whale in the ocean, it doesn't affect 99% of the people on this planet in the short term! But it would have hugely detrimental impacts on the ocean biosphere, and wipe out a 50-million year old phyla.

Clear-cut the Alberta forests for tar sands and build the Keystone XL pipeline across farmland, it doesn't affect 99% of the people on this planet! But we'd be spoiling millions of square kilometers of land in the process.

Effects to the planet's biosphere, cryosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere can indeed be massive and global, even if they have no immediate impact on human lives, for the simple fact that there is far more to the planet than human life. Indeed, some of the things I listed would actually IMPROVE millions of lives in the short term. Shooting elephants would generate massive profits for hunters and protect farmer's crops. Whaling to extinction would employ millions in the short term.

However, it also implies that there is no intrinsic value in the natural world beyond what human civilization can get out of it for economic growth.

Frankly, that's a position I've only seen the far right take, and it is sickening.

But even with the "small" changes we've already enacted to the planet, we are seeing lives impacted:

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2009/may/29/1

Global warming causes 300,000 deaths a year, says Kofi Annan thinktank

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/09/27/climate-change-kills-400-000-a-year-new-report-reveals.html

Climate Change Kills 400,000 a Year, New Report Reveals

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/121032/map-climate-change-kills-more-people-worldwide-terrorism

Obama Is Right: Climate Change Kills More People Than Terrorism

Like I said in my initial post to this thread: That's the result of "only" 0.8C of warming. You want to gamble and see what 2C does?