luxury connect 2017

1. A CHANGING PLANET:
G L O B A L W A R M I N G I N T H E 2 1 S T C E N T U R Y
D R . M I K A TO S C A
S C H O O L O F T H E A R T I N S T I T U T E O F C H I C A G O
J E T P R O P U L S I O N L A B O R A T O R Y , P A S A D E N A , C A

2. “Already that’s not the world we inhabit; its poles are melting, its oceans rising.We can register
what is happening with satellites and scientific instruments, but can we register it in our
imaginations, the most sensitive of all our devices?” –Bill McKibben

3. GLOBAL TEMPERATURES ARE
STEADILY INCREASING…
Globally-averaged
temperatures have
risen about one
degree since the pre-
industrial period
(1850), according to
the major temperature
datasets available.

4. …BECAUSE OF HUMAN-EMITTED
GREENHOUSE GASES
Carbon dioxide levels have been increasing for the last 150 or so years, with the advent of the
industrial revolution. Official instrument record of atmospheric CO2 begins in 1955 (the Keeling
Curve)

5. AND THE FORECAST ISN’T GOOD…
Modeled projections of 21st century temperature rise forecast between 1 and 4 degrees
Celsius more of warming and observations from 2000-2017 largely match original model
forecasts.
Credit: Gavin Schmidt, NASA

6. THIS MEANS MORE HEAT WAVES, AND
LONGER SUMMERS…
A one degree Celsius warming since
the late 1800s translates to a shift in
the distribution of warm and cold
temperatures. This means fewer cold
days and more record hot days. In
summer, these record hot days can be
fatal.

7. THIS MEANS MORE HEAT WAVES, AND
LONGER SUMMERS

8. AND, IN THE WESTERN UNITED
STATES, MORE FOREST FIRE
More hot days = more extreme fires
Stronger storms bring stronger winds which fuel
wildfires
Extreme rainfall events prime forests by growing more
fuel.
Drought + warmer springs = smaller snow packs, drier
fuel
Roaring Lion fire, July 2016 Credit: Mike Daniels

9. SEA LEVELS ARE RISING, THREATENING
21ST CENTURY COASTAL DEVELOPMENT

10. SEA LEVELS ARE RISING, THREATENING
21ST CENTURY COASTAL DEVELOPMENT

11. SEA LEVELS ARE RISING, THREATENING
21ST CENTURY COASTAL DEVELOPMENT

12. SEA LEVELS ARE RISING, THREATENING
21ST CENTURY COASTAL DEVELOPMENT
The Gulf Coast and
southeast Atlantic coast are
two particularly vulnerable
regions.

13. SEA LEVELS ARE RISING, THREATENING
21ST CENTURY COASTAL DEVELOPMENT

14. MORE HURRICANES, LONGER
DROUGHTS, CLIMATE REFUGEES

15. MORE WESTERN FIRES IN A WARMER
WORLD?
Warmer temperatures, earlier snowpack melt,
drier fuel has lengthened the fire season from
about 5 months to about 7 months.
Projections are that this lengthening will
continue to increase which would multiply the
number of large fires occurring in a single
year.

16. WHAT IS OUR FUTURE WITH CLIMATE
CHANGE?
For more information on the
work I do, visit my site:
micktosca.com
Niederaussem Power Station, Credit: Ulrich Baumgarten/Getty