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I'm an engineer and physicist, not an economist, but in my casual studies of economics I've learned that there are many parallels. Most important among them: exponential growth is not sustainable. CNN reported with some jubilation on Friday that the Dow Jones Industrial Average has risen for 23 of the past 26 weeks, nearly matching the 24/27 record from 80 years ago. This should have given the CNN writers pause: what shortly followed this record rise 80 years ago? Ah yes, the Great Depression.

Courtesy of the The Oil Drum, the Independent has a summary of the predicted effects of global warming at different temperature levels as found in the new United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report.

Considering that the IPCC is supposed to represent the views that the majority of scientists can agree upon as the minimum effects. Imagine if the high-end predictions are correct? Remember that the temperatures are in Celsius: