Six Degrees

The documentary, Six Degrees, is not my type of video. I have never been a big fan of speculation and this is exactly what occurs throughout the video. After three degrees Celsius of warming, the science behind global warming becomes theoretical, therefore I am going to focus primarily on what one, two, and three degrees would mean for Earth. One fact I would like to start off with is, the average global temperature during the ice age was approximately six degrees less than our current average. This means that a six degree increase is enough to drastically alter Earth, and possibly humanity.

One thing that is stressed throughout this documentary, that I believe is absolutely crucial to understanding climate change, is that, the earths average temperature has always been dynamic and shifts in the climate are not unusual. It is the rate at which the change is occurring that is unknown. The planet has experienced climate change before, but it usually occurs over thousands or millions of years. The problem is that humans have accelerated these changes to a pace so rapid that species aren't able to adapt to their altered environment quick enough.

At one degree, not much changes. We are already experiencing a one degree increase in global temperature, so basically what is happening now is going to continue to happen. Droughts, forest fires, melting of ice, etc. But at one degree, not every place on Earth is struggling. While western United States is experiencing droughts, Europe is experiencing a perfect climate for the growth of grapes and olive trees. This, of course, would not be possible without the change in climate over the years.

The main problem with a two degree increase in global temperature would be the effects on the oceanic systems. These systems will begin to break down at increased rates. The bleaching of coral reefs will only increase, destroying many species ecosystem. Under normal conditions species are able to absorb carbon dioxide, but in an ocean that becomes to acidic this ability becomes limited. The other effect it has is on the ice sheets. As the temperature increases so does the rate of melting and at a two degree increase, the melting could become uncontrollable. The narrator of the documentary said, "Alter the oceans chemistry and natures primary mechanism for controlling the climate begins to break down." Perhaps this is why some scientist believe that a two degree increase in global temperature is the point of no return.

Other scientists believe that it is a three degree increase that will mark the point where global warming becomes uncontrollable. At a three degree increase in the average global temperature, the Arctic is ice free all summer, the Amazon dries out, and the El Nino becomes normal. The narrator states, "At this point global warming becomes a unpredictable chain reaction." The documentary looks back to 2003 and uses the events that occurred in Europe during this time as an example of what could become the norm with a three degree increase. In 2003, Europe experienced a heat wave that killed more than 30,000 people. These heat waves will become a normal summer occurrence. Another thing that could happen with a three degree increase is photosynthesis in some plants could begin to breakdown. This occurred in 2003 during the intense heat wave. Plants began emitting carbon dioxide instead of oxygen. This means that our basic life support systems could stop working at this temperature, making life on Earth extremely challenging.

The inside of a nuclear fusion reactor.

One quote, from this documentary, that sums up what happens at these tipping points is, "the warmer it gets, the faster it gets warmer." Basically, there is a tipping point for global warming, a point of no return. Whether that point is at two or three degrees, it does not matter. If humans do not find a way to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in the air, we will hit that point. On the bright side Six Degrees ends with a talk about recent strides to develop a new type of energy through a process called nuclear fusion. Scientists are essentially trying to create a mini sun and they will use this "sun" to harness large amounts of clean energy. This is easier said than done, but scientists are getting closer to success everyday.