Disrupting existing ecosystems and productive areas alike is likely to be of great harm both to biodiversity and to the world economy. This model of precipitation changes suggests storms will become more severe, but that rainfall overall will not change significantly. The best the world can do is to slow down the rate, in the hope that it will become manageable. This is a major problem for industrial society because of its current dependence on fossil fuels for the very foundation of all its activity and productivity. This makes for an insoluble situation unless a real attempt is made at rapid and effective conversion to renewable energy sources.
Action has to start at once if it is to be effective.
Delays will ensure that the greenhouse effect accelerates beyond all control. Carbon dioxide emissions can best be controlled by conserving energy, halting deforestation and planting more trees. These measures require an unprecedented degree of cooperation, because very few nations, acting alone, can make much of an impact on global emissions. The world began preparations for a World Treaty on the Climate. But by early 1990, though the evidence of climatic change continued to mount, little concrete action had been taken.