Another hotfoot

Something many folks don't realize is that the IPCC report released February 2 was just the opening chapter, the so-called Summary for Policymakers - or the SFP if you want to sound like you're in the know. That one summarized the scientific basis for the conclusions drawn. The next report, due out in April, is to address the consequences.

According to a leaked draft obtained by the Australian newspaper The Age, those consequences ain't pretty, as this Reuters dispatch shows.

Rising temperatures will leave millions more people hungry by 2080 and cause critical water shortages in China and Australia, as well as parts of Europe and the United States....

[C]limate change will bring water scarcity to between 1.1 and 3.2 billion people....

[A]n additional 200 million to 600 million people across the world would face food shortages in another 70 years, while coastal flooding would hit another 7 million homes.

"The message is that every region of the earth will have exposure," Dr Graeme Pearman, who helped draft the report, told Reuters on Tuesday."

And all the while too many of the governments of the world play Nero while their corporatist allies and masters feed them grapes - and feed us baloney.

However - still trying to keep that hope thingy going - I note that the Financial Times (UK) reported just yesterday that

[p]lans for a global day of concerts and events to promote awareness of climate change to more than 2bn people were unveiled on Thursday by Al Gore ... and leading lights of the entertainment industry. ...

More than 100 artists are lined up to play in a 24-hour concert, known as “Live Earth”, which will be carried on television, radio and the internet.

MSN ... will broadcast the concert on the web. In the US, NBC-Universal, the television network, and the radio groups SIRIUS and XM will take part. In the UK, the BBC will be the event’s broadcast partner.

Shanghai, Sydney, Johannesburg and London were confirmed as the four concert-hosting cities. Other locations in Brazil, Japan and the US are yet to be determined. It is estimated that more than 1m could attend the live events. ...

The organisers also plan to use only electricity from renewable sources, employ recycling and biodegradable materials where possible, and offset travel via carbon credits.

I'm feeling my age - I didn't even know some of the performers listed in the article - but I expect I'll be listening.

Footnote to the foot- never mind: About a week and a-half ago the humor site All Day Coffee had an FAQ about "the global warming hoax." This was my favorite part:

When did the global warming hoax come about?
In the late 1970s, Greenpeace had convinced the world to stop hunting whales. Having lost the single issue that brought them the most donations, they made the preposterous claim that the earth is getting warmer.

Why would Greenpeace want to do that?
In a top-secret meeting with the world's whaling fleets, they decided to link global warming to petroleum-based emissions. If people stopped using petroleum, they'd have to switch back to whale oil. Which would be mutually beneficial to G-WHAC (the Global WHAling Consortium) and Greenpeace, who would again be able to launch significant anti-whaling fund raising campaigns.

Check out the rest for a smile.