Will global warming continue even if we try to stop it?

Answer 1

Yes, to some extent, global warming will continue no matter what we try to do to stop it. Once the process has started, it becomes very hard to stop. Added to this, we will inevitably keep adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere if we wish to maintain our high standard of living - and no one suggests we should not. However, by acting now we can begin to slow global warming down and hopefully stop it before it becomes too late.

Scientists have given us a two degree Celsius buffer before irreversible damage occurs. A few years ago, economists thought that we could halt global warming before we reached that point, but now feel that it is already too late and that we run the risk of passing that threshold. Nevertheless we should try, and do it now. It has been said that if we take no substantive action before the year 2020, then the entire world may need to be placed on a war footing to meet the common challenge. Acting now is the alternative.