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Lecture: What do we gain by limiting global warming to 2 degrees?

Tuesday, July 14, 2015
12:00 AM
Gates Lecture Hall, University of Michigan Biological Station, 9133 Biological Rd., Pellston, MI 49769

We're on a path to warm earth's climate by 4-5 degrees by 2100. Even a 2-degree warming has consequences. Professor David Karowe will argue that the more ambitious 2-degree target is worth fighting for.

If humans continue to burn fossil fuels for most of our energy needs, Earth is projected to warm by 4-5 degrees C by the end of this century. Strong consensus within the scientific community advocates for limiting warming to 2 degrees in order to avoid the most adverse consequences. 

There has been much discussion of the costs of limiting global warming, but little discussion of the benefits. This talk will address the benefits of limiting warming to 2 degrees, with a focus on human and ecosystem health, and the choices that will allow us to achieve that goal.

Dr. David Karowe is a Professor of Biological Sciences at Western Michigan University, where he teaches courses in climate change, ecology, and evolution. Dr. Karowe is also a faculty member at the biological station where he teaches General Ecology in the spring session and co-directs the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program in the summer. Dr. Karowe’s research addresses how elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide affects plant defensive chemistry and nutritional quality, and how these changes affect higher levels in the food chain, including herbivores and parasitoids.

 

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