> While some may comfort themselves by saying that climate fluctuations are not unprecedented and species adapt (or don't), the pace and scale of change now is historically unprecedented. 

I dispute the use of the term "unprecedented" and also, that anyone can accurately predict the future. The following is quoted material, with links to their sources. As to adaptation, the history of life on this planet is about adaptation. Nothing is constant but change.

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Two of the terms bandied about by global warming alarmists are "unprecedented" and "irreversible." The history of our planet clearly shows that neither term is accurate. Proof of this inaccuracy is obvious if we look back over the history of Earth -- the Phanerozoic Eon in particular -- taking the "Grand View" of historical climate change.

During the later part of the Carboniferous, the amount of oxygen in Earth's atmosphere was about 35%, much higher than it is today. According to Robert Berner, levels atmospheric oxygen levels have varied between 15% and 30% over the past 550 million years. At the same time, global CO2 went below 300 parts per million -- a level which is now associated with glacial periods. 

The abundance of O2 led to the existence of the largest insects ever seen on Earth. Hawk-sized dragonflies, with 29 inch (75 cm) wing spans, spiders the size of house plants, 5 foot (1.5 m) long centipedes and soup bowl-sized crawling bugs. It was truly a time when insects ruled the planet. Perhaps it's a good thing the atmospheric oxygen level is only 21% today.

As Earth's climate history has shown, nothing predicted by the global warming alarmists would be unprecedented — Earth's climate has been colder than today's and much, much warmer. CO2 levels have also been many times higher than they currently are, even during ice ages. Ice ages come and go, caused by mechanisms mankind is powerless to control. 

http://theresilientearth.com/?q=content/grand-view-4-billion-years-climate-change

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The 2013 Atlantic Hurricane Season has not produced a single land-falling hurricane in the U.S. Instead of having above-average storm activity, as the seasonal hurricane outlooks unanimously called for, the season has been quiet -- notable for its inactivity. "It’s not only quiet, but it’s got the potential to be near record quiet for the Atlantic Basin," Chris Landsea, a meteorologist at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, said. So far, there have been just 11 named storms, two of which have been hurricanes, and none that have been major hurricanes.

While pre-season outlooks rarely, if ever, have pinpoint accuracy, they don’t usually miss by such a large margin. In May, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) projected that there would likely be between 13 and 20 named storms (with sustained winds of at least 39 mph). Of those storms, NOAA projected that between seven and 11 would achieve hurricane status (winds of at least 74 mph); and that three or four would become major hurricanes of category 3, 4 or 5 (winds of at least 111 mph). By one measure, 2013 so far ranks as the 7th quietest season in the past 70 years. 

http://www.climatecentral.org/news/what-happened-to-the-2013-atlantic-hurricane-season-16616

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