Climate Change / Global Warming Discussion

[mspohr]

We bailed out the banks but we’re not prepared to bail out the planet

US and UK must use financial firepower of the state to put economies on a saner course

www.theguardian.com

They say he should be declaring a climate emergency, which would allow him to block new fossil fuel projects without congressional approval. As it is, Biden has showed a marked reluctance to take this step. There are clearly limits to what the US government is prepared to do to counter this “existential threat”.

As the rapid responses to the global financial crisis of 2007-09 and the Covid pandemic proved, governments can act speedily, collectively and decisively if the crisis is deemed big enough. When the banks were facing their existential crisis in 2008, money was created to bail them out and prevent a second Great Depression. In 2020, economies were effectively put on a war footing. Should the same approach be adopted in the fight against climate change? Yes. Is there any sign of this happening? Not on the scale required. Effectively, this is like the 1930s, when there was resistance to meeting the threat of fascism. Then, as now, what was needed was rapid rearmament. Then, as now, what we’re getting is a failure to do what needs to be done.

 

[mspohr]

Lost samples from a secret army base reveal that Greenland's ice vanished 416,000 years ago. That means it could melt way faster than expected.

The Cold War-era mission uncovered evidence of catastrophic melt when the atmosphere had 50% less carbon dioxide than it does now.

www.businessinsider.com

Their paper indicates that only 416,000 years ago Greenland's ice sheet melted, and sea levels were from five to 20 feet higher compared with when the sheet was frozen. This means that the current ice sheet is much more sensitive to global warming than previously thought, the scientists reported.

In the coming centuries, the climate crisis will cause the Greenland ice sheet to melt completely, the researchers said. "It's not going to happen tomorrow. But it's going to happen faster and faster," Bierman said.

This will cause anywhere from five feet of sea level rise to 20 plus feet, the paper reported. What would that amount of water do to a city like Miami, or the island of Manhattan, for example?

 

[petit_bateau]

On a scale of zero to bandicoot ....

As a climate scientist, how does it feel to see your worst nightmares come true? | First Dog on the Moon

You all told us it would be bad but did you think it would get this bad this fast?

www.theguardian.com

 

[Raffy.Roma]

NASA Finds June 2023 Hottest on Record – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet

Independent analyses by the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service and NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information also found June 2023 to be the warmest June in their records.

climate.nasa.gov

NASA finds June 2023 hottest on record!

 

[eevee-fan]

Humanity will use 1.7 Earths' worth of resources this year

Humanity passed Earth Overshoot Day on August 2, the day that we've used more resources than the Earth can provide in a year.

electrek.co

Is there stats on how many Earths the US uses... being just 4.23% of the world population. Also, how much of the pollution in China should really be attributed to the US.

Countries By Percentage Of World Population

At 1.4 billion people, eighteen percent of the global population live in China. In fact, China accounts for approximately 32 percent of Asia’s total population.

www.worldatlas.com

 

[eevee-fan]

 

[mspohr]

‘Winter is disappearing’: South America hit by ‘brutal’ unseasonal heatwave

Buenos Aires records hottest start to August in 117 years, Chile sees highs towards 40C and Bolivia, Paraguay and Brazil also bake

www.theguardian.com

Now should be South America’s bleak midwinter, but several parts of the continent are experiencing an extraordinary unseasonal heatwave that scientists believe offers a disturbing glimpse of a future of extreme weather. Argentina’s riverside capital, Buenos Aires, this week recorded its hottest 1 August in 117 years. Cindy Fernández, a weather bureau spokesperson, said her country was facing “a year of extreme heat”.

 

[Raffy.Roma]

Very interesting video showing clips of the movie "The day after tomorrow" that I mentioned in the post originating this thread. The amoc is the Gulf Stream that I agree could collapse because of the Ice melting at the Poles.
The video defines the tipping point not to be overtaken to keep the amoc working as a Temperature Deviation of 1.5 degrees from preindustrial values.

I disagree with the video saying that the movie isn't realistic and I think that if the amoc would collapse we will have a new Ice Age.

 

[mspohr]

Ocean surface hits highest ever recorded temperature and set to rise further

Average daily surface temperature of 20.96C breaks 2016 record, with experts saying warmest month for oceans to come

www.theguardian.com

The surface temperature of the world’s oceans has hit its highest ever level as climate breakdown from burning fossil fuels causes the oceans to heat. Global average daily sea surface temperatures (SST) hit 20.96C this week, breaking the record of 20.95C reached in 2016, according to the Copernicus climate modelling service. Scientists say it is likely the record will continue to be broken, as usually oceans are at their hottest globally in March, not August. Dr Samantha Burgess, from Copernicus, said: “The fact that we’ve seen the record now makes me nervous about how much warmer the ocean may get between now and next March.”

 

[mspohr]

19 'mass extinctions' had CO2 levels we're now veering toward, study warns

The research looked at peaks in biodiversity loss and their relationship with atmospheric CO2, finding 50 events over the last 534 million years that can be considered mass extinctions.

www.livescience.com

Within a human lifetime, concentrations of CO2 in Earth's atmosphere could reach levels associated with 19 "mass extinctions" that have taken place in the last 534 million years, new research suggests.

 

[dhrivnak]

Very interesting video showing clips of the movie "The day after tomorrow" that I mentioned in the post originating this thread. The amoc is the Gulf Stream that I agree could collapse because of the Ice melting at the Poles.
The video defines the tipping point not to be overtaken to keep the amoc working as a Temperature Deviation of 1.5 degrees from preindustrial values.

I disagree with the video saying that the movie isn't realistic and I think that if the amoc would collapse we will have a new Ice Age.

I have to disagree as the movie showed the start of an ice age in days. It will take decades if not longer for the world to flip into an ice age. Northern Europe getting noticeably colder is likely fast but that is far from an ice age.

 

[eevee-fan]

I have to disagree as the movie showed the start of an ice age in days. It will take decades if not longer for the world to flip into an ice age. Northern Europe getting noticeably colder is likely fast but that is far from an ice age.

Yep, when you start losing altitude in the middle of the ocean, no need to panic until the plane goes into a dive. LOL

 

[Raffy.Roma]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1687934503321321472

I like this action took by President Biden to combat the Climate Change issue. Hope that also Italian politicians will understand the gravity of the Climate Crisis as President Biden did.

 

[mspohr]

19 'mass extinctions' had CO2 levels we're now veering toward, study warns

The research looked at peaks in biodiversity loss and their relationship with atmospheric CO2, finding 50 events over the last 534 million years that can be considered mass extinctions.

www.livescience.com

Within a human lifetime, concentrations of CO2 in Earth's atmosphere could reach levels associated with 19 "mass extinctions" that have taken place in the last 534 million years, new research suggests.

 

[mspohr]

US utilities oppose Biden efforts to make gas power plants cleaner

Lobbying group’s pushback is out of step with voters and raises questions about industry commitment to reducing pollution

www.theguardian.com

The main lobbying group for US electric utilities plans to oppose a Biden administration proposal to curb greenhouse gas emissions from existing gas power plants, raising questions about the industry’s commitment to reducing planet-heating pollution.

A bipartisan majority also opposed utility companies using money from energy bills to fund political activities such as lobbying and issuing public comments, according to the poll, which was based on an online survey of 1,216 diverse likely US voters conducted in late July.

 

[mspohr]

Air pollution linked to rise in antibiotic resistance that imperils human health

Global study suggests connection has strengthened over time across every country and continent

www.theguardian.com

The main drivers are still the misuse and overuse of antibiotics, which are used to treat infections. But the study suggests the problem is being worsened by rising levels of air pollution. The study did not look at the science of why the two might be linked. Evidence suggests that particulate matter PM2.5 can contain antibiotic-resistant bacteria and resistance genes, which may be transferred between environments and inhaled directly by humans, the authors said. Air pollution is already the single largest environmental risk to public health. Long-term exposure to air pollution is associated with chronic conditions such as heart disease, asthma and lung cancer, reducing life expectancy.

 

[mspohr]

More than half of Earth’s species live in the soil, study finds

Study estimates soil is home to 90% of world’s fungi, 85% of plants and more than 50% of bacteria, making it the world’s most species-rich habitat

www.theguardian.com

A third of the planet’s land is severely degraded and 24bn tonnes of fertile soil are lost every year through intensive farming alone, according to a UN-backed study, the Global Land Outlook. Pollution, deforestation and global heating also damages soil. Adopting less intensive agricultural practices, greater regulation of non-native invasive species, and increasing habitat conservation will all help increase soil biodiversity, researchers say. Practices such as soil transplantations could also restore microscopic lifeforms in soil.

More than half of all species live in the soil, according to a study that has found it is the single most species-rich habitat on Earth.

 

[voyager]

The more urgent to think beyond electrification of our beloved car.

EVs “are not enough”: Polestar and Rivian urge more drastic climate action

Eliminating tailpipe emissions is just half the battle.

www.theverge.com

Remember, the electric car is to become a household's biggest 'appliance' so to speak.

 

[mspohr]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1689426359263674369

 

[mspohr]

Global heating likely to hit world food supply before 1.5C, says UN expert

Water scarcity threatening agriculture faster than expected, warns Cop15 desertification president

www.theguardian.com

The world is likely to face major disruption to food supplies well before temperatures rise by the 1.5C target, the president of the UN’s desertification conference has warned, as the impacts of the climate crisis combine with water scarcity and poor farming practices to threaten global agriculture.

The problems of rising temperatures, heatwaves and more intense droughts and floods, were endangering food security in many regions, Donwahi said. “[Look at] the effects of droughts on food security, the effects of droughts on migration of population, the effect of droughts on inflation. We could have an acceleration of negative effects, other than temperature,” he said. Poor farming practices were not helping, he said. “The degradation of soil comes with bad habits, and the way we do our agriculture will lead to degradation of the soil. When the soil is affected, the yield is affected,” he said.

Rich countries should look to Africa for the solutions to the climate crisis, he added. Africa enjoys many of the natural resources – from minerals required for renewable energy technology, to forests, sun and vast groundwater reserves – needed to cut greenhouse gas emissions, improve food security and preserve biodiversity.