Global Climate Change: Earth System Response

<p>The Anthropocene is widely described as producing a rupture in the global stratigraphic signature, attributable to human activities. There is no doubt that human activities have introduced new products into the stratigraphic record; and that humans are modifying the geomorphic processes that produce the sediment which then becomes incorporated into that record. The stratigraphic literature is replete with simplistic generalisations of how sediment flux to the continental shelf is changing, such as increasing due to soil erosion or decreasing due to hydropower related sediment flux disconnection. Here we argue that human impacts on geomorphic processes in the Anthropocene are unlikely to be stationary for long enough for them to be seen consistently across the depositional record of many different environments. Illustrating this for a major inner-Alpine drainage basin, the Swiss Rh&#244;ne, we show that human-driven global climate-change is indeed dramatically altering the geomorphic process regimes of Alpine environments. However, there are three broad reasons why this is unlikely to be seen in the future geological record. First, the geomorphic response that drives increased sediment delivery is transient because of the significant regime changes associated with global climate change impacts. Second, such increases are countered by other human impacts, notably those on sediment flux, which are tending to reduce the connectivity of sediment sources to downstream sediment sinks. Third, human impacts on both sediment sources and connectivity are nonstationary, driven by both exogenous factors (here illustrated by the worldwide economic shock of 2008) and endogenous ones, notably human response to the perceived problems caused by both sediment starvation and sediment over-supply. In geomorphic terms, then, there is a difference between the pervasive nature of Earth system shifts that we see in the pre-Holocene depositional record and the more ephemeral impacts of the Earth system &#8211; human coupling associated with the Anthropocene. The extent to which this is the case is likely to vary geographically and temporally as a function of the degree and nature of human impacts on geomorphic processes. Thus, the primary challenge for future prediction will be as much the prediction of the complex and reflexive nature of human response as it will be geomorphic processes themselves.</p>

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Earth System Science, the IPCC and the problem of downward causation in human geographies of Global Climate Change

Geografisk Tidsskrift-Danish Journal of Geography ◽

10.1080/00167223.2012.741885 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 112 (2) ◽

pp. 194-202 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Jonas Østergaard Nielsen ◽

Frank Sejersen

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Global Climate Change ◽

Global Climate ◽

Downward Causation ◽

Earth System ◽

Earth System Science ◽

System Science

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The Politics of Climate Change Is More Than the Politics of Capitalism

Theory Culture & Society ◽

10.1177/0263276417690236 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 34 (2-3) ◽

pp. 25-37 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

Dipesh Chakrabarty

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Global Climate Change ◽

Political Thought ◽

Dominant Species ◽

Global Climate ◽

Earth System ◽

Capitalist System ◽

The Earth ◽

The Common ◽

Developed World

Discussion of global climate change is shaped by the intellectual categories developed to address capitalism and globalization. Yet climate change is only one manifestation of humanity’s varied and accelerating impact on the Earth System. The common predicament that may be anticipated in the Anthropocene raises difficult questions of distributive justice – between rich and poor, developed and developing countries, the living and the yet unborn, and even the human and the non-human – and may pose a challenge to the categories on which our traditions of political thought are based. Awareness of the Anthropocene encourages us to think of humans on different scales and in different contexts – as parts of a global capitalist system and as members of a now-dominant species – although the debate is, for now, still structured by the experiences and concepts of the developed world.

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Climate and Water Resources in the Carolinas: Approaches to Applying Global Climate Change Information to Local Decisions

The Journal of South Carolina Water Resources ◽

10.34068/jscwr.03.06 ◽

2016 ◽

pp. 49-61 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kirsten Lackstrom ◽

Gregory J. Carbone ◽

Daniel L. Tufford ◽

Aashka Patel

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Resource Management ◽

Water Resources ◽

Global Climate Change ◽

Global Climate ◽

Future Climate ◽

Future Climate Change ◽

System Response ◽

Vulnerability Assessments ◽

Climate Change Information

A wide range of resource managers, community planners, and other stakeholders are increasingly asking for information regarding how climate change will affect South Carolina’s freshwater and coastal resources. They are interested in using this information for decisions related to infrastructure design, water system planning, vulnerability assessments, and ecosystem management. While climate change data, projections, and related information are also becoming increasingly available, many uncertainties around future climate change and its potential impacts often hinder its application. Furthermore it is often not available in a format or at a scale that is easily translated to local- and regional resource management decisions. This article highlights decision-maker questions about climate change in the Carolinas, approaches to using global climate change information, and opportunities to bridge the gap that often exists between scientific research and applications. We find that integration of future climate scenarios with water resources issues succeeds when robust links exist between climate variables and system response, and when scenarios from observed or simulated climate data are representative, plausible, and consistent. In general, there is no one “best” model that depicts future climate conditions, nor can climate science provide accurate predictions for specific locations and impacts. However, climate change projections can be used in conjunction with a variety of other tools and resources, such as vulnerability assessments and historical climate observations, to inform planning processes. Improved understanding of the system of concern, the linkages to climate, and the most important variables can help decision makers and researchers alike to develop the most relevant and informative analyses for climate-related questions. Ongoing engagement, as well as a willingness to experiment and share lessons learned, between and across the resource management and science communities will help to advance the climate change dialogue in the Carolinas and enhance the production and use of climate change information.

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