Closing off modeling climate change

Have just finished the course at EdX which I mentioned in two previous posts (first, second).

As part of an assignment I looked at historical temperatures for Georgetown and Timerhi. Georgetown has one of the most complete sets of data for this part of the world. Here is a graph showing the annual average temperatures (degrees Celsius) from 1850 (Georgetown orange, Timerhi green). It is clear that there is an upward trend which has accelerated from about 1950. The trend for Georgetown is about 0.2 degrees rise per decade and the mean temperature seems to have risen by about one degree since 1950. Global temperatures show similar results.

One closing topic was short-term mitigation - what we can do now to reduce the problem. The lecturer pointed out that there are things that can be done such as reduce heat loss by homes in cold countries, change agricultural practices to trap more carbon and increase energy efficiency of transportation. Another is to change our life style and diet.

It seems to me more than ever what we need is better working together to tackle world problems and less short-term politics.