IPCC Report on Climate Change
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report this year includes a concise and clear Summary for Policy Makers (SPM) document that summarizes the evidence and a range of predictions for the coming centuries. It turns out that the largest uncertainties are not scientific, but economic. This figure from the SPM shows a range of different temperature forecasts for the 21st century based on different world economy models. The 18 page SPM is an excellent resource for anyone interested in global climate change, and in particular the anthropogenic versus natural contributions.
Image credit: IPCC Working Group I Fourth Assessment Report; Summary for Policymakers.
To assess my earlier selfish concerns about our new house in Orlando, the report provides some reassurance for my future property value: all the scenarios shown in the figure above have sea level increases of 0.2-0.6 meters by the last decade of the century, that is, less than 2 feet.