'Planetary Emergency' due to Arctic melt
PJ_Soul
Vancouver, BC Posts: 50,018
Well... I have no faith in the causes of this being reduced, and fully expect the oil companies to gleefully plunder the arctic as our world slowly dies and our lives become more and more unpleasant, but it is good to know what's going to be our doom and who wants it to continue.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/ar ... 87bee4.1f1
'Planetary emergency' due to Arctic melt, experts warn
By Mariano Andrade (AFP) – 3 hours ago
NEW YORK — Experts warned of a "planetary emergency" due to the unforeseen global consequences of Arctic ice melt, including methane gas released from permafrost regions currently under ice.
Columbia University and the environmental activist group Greenpeace held separate events Wednesday to discuss US government data showing that the Arctic sea ice has shrunk to its smallest surface area since record-keeping began in 1979.
Satellite images show the Arctic ice cap melted to 1.32 million square miles (3.4 million square kilometers) as of September 16, the predicted lowest point for the year, according to data from the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colorado.
"Between 1979 and 2012, we have a decline of 13 percent per decade in the sea ice, accelerating from six percent between 1979 and 2000," said oceanographer Wieslaw Maslowski with the US Naval Postgraduate School, speaking at the Greenpeace event.
"If this trend continues we will not have sea ice by the end of this decade," said Maslowski.
While these figures are worse than the early estimates they come as no surprise to scientists, said NASA climate expert James Hansen, who also spoke at the Greenpeace event.
"We are in a planetary emergency," said Hansen, decrying "the gap between what is understood by scientific community and what is known by the public."
Scientists say the earth's climate has been warming because carbon dioxide and other human-produced gases hinder the planet's reflection of the sun's heat back into space, creating a greenhouse effect.
Environmentalists warn that a string of recent extreme weather events around the globe, including deadly typhoons, devastating floods and severe droughts, show urgent action on emission cuts is needed.
The extreme weather include the drought and heat waves that struck the United States in the summer.
One consequence of the melt is the slow but continuous rise in the ocean level that threatens coastal areas.
Another result is the likely release of large amounts of methane -- a greenhouse gas -- trapped in the permafrost under Greenland's ice cap, the remains of the region's organic plant and animal life that were trapped in sediment and later covered by ice sheets in the last Ice Age.
Methane is 25 times more efficient at trapping solar heat than carbon dioxide, and the released gases could in turn add to global warming, which in turn would free up more locked-up carbon.
"The implications are enormous and also mysterious," said environmentalist Bill McKibben, co-founder of 350.org, a global non-governmental organization focused on solving the climate crisis.
For Peter Schlosser, an expert with the Earth Institute at Columbia University, the impact of the polar ice cap melt is hard to determine because "the Arctic is likely to respond rapidly and more severely than other part of the Earth.
"The effects of human induced global change are more and more visible and larger impacts are expected for the future," he said.
Some see the Arctic melt as a business opportunity -- a chance to reach the oil and gas riches under the seabed, and a path for ships to shorten the distance between ports and saving time and fuel.
According to the US Geological Survey, within the Arctic Circle there are some 90 million barrels of oil -- 13 percent of the planet's undiscovered oil reserves and 30 percent of its undiscovered natural gas.
The potential bounty that has encouraged energy groups like Royal Dutch Shell Co. to invest heavily in the region.
Greenpeace International head Kumi Naidoo says that oil companies have thwarted governments from taking action to cut back on greenhouse gas emissions.
"Why our governments don't take action? Because they have been captured by the same interests of the energy industry," Naidoo said.
Anne Siders, a postdoctoral researcher at Columbia University's Center for Climate Change Law, warned against the "temptation" of sending ships through the area.
The new shipping lanes are dangerous to use because there are plenty of ice floes and little infrastructure for help in case of an accident -- which in turn increases the insurance costs.
Another consequence of global warming is that, as the oceans warm, more cold-water fish move north, "which means more fish will be taken out of their ecosystem," said Siders.
Caroline Cannon, a leader of the Inupiat community of Alaska, reminded the participants that her indigenous community, including her nine children and 25 grandchildren, depend on Arctic fishing and hunting for survival.
"My people rely on that ocean and we're seeing dramatic changes," said Cannon. "It's scary to think about our food supply."
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/ar ... 87bee4.1f1
'Planetary emergency' due to Arctic melt, experts warn
By Mariano Andrade (AFP) – 3 hours ago
NEW YORK — Experts warned of a "planetary emergency" due to the unforeseen global consequences of Arctic ice melt, including methane gas released from permafrost regions currently under ice.
Columbia University and the environmental activist group Greenpeace held separate events Wednesday to discuss US government data showing that the Arctic sea ice has shrunk to its smallest surface area since record-keeping began in 1979.
Satellite images show the Arctic ice cap melted to 1.32 million square miles (3.4 million square kilometers) as of September 16, the predicted lowest point for the year, according to data from the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colorado.
"Between 1979 and 2012, we have a decline of 13 percent per decade in the sea ice, accelerating from six percent between 1979 and 2000," said oceanographer Wieslaw Maslowski with the US Naval Postgraduate School, speaking at the Greenpeace event.
"If this trend continues we will not have sea ice by the end of this decade," said Maslowski.
While these figures are worse than the early estimates they come as no surprise to scientists, said NASA climate expert James Hansen, who also spoke at the Greenpeace event.
"We are in a planetary emergency," said Hansen, decrying "the gap between what is understood by scientific community and what is known by the public."
Scientists say the earth's climate has been warming because carbon dioxide and other human-produced gases hinder the planet's reflection of the sun's heat back into space, creating a greenhouse effect.
Environmentalists warn that a string of recent extreme weather events around the globe, including deadly typhoons, devastating floods and severe droughts, show urgent action on emission cuts is needed.
The extreme weather include the drought and heat waves that struck the United States in the summer.
One consequence of the melt is the slow but continuous rise in the ocean level that threatens coastal areas.
Another result is the likely release of large amounts of methane -- a greenhouse gas -- trapped in the permafrost under Greenland's ice cap, the remains of the region's organic plant and animal life that were trapped in sediment and later covered by ice sheets in the last Ice Age.
Methane is 25 times more efficient at trapping solar heat than carbon dioxide, and the released gases could in turn add to global warming, which in turn would free up more locked-up carbon.
"The implications are enormous and also mysterious," said environmentalist Bill McKibben, co-founder of 350.org, a global non-governmental organization focused on solving the climate crisis.
For Peter Schlosser, an expert with the Earth Institute at Columbia University, the impact of the polar ice cap melt is hard to determine because "the Arctic is likely to respond rapidly and more severely than other part of the Earth.
"The effects of human induced global change are more and more visible and larger impacts are expected for the future," he said.
Some see the Arctic melt as a business opportunity -- a chance to reach the oil and gas riches under the seabed, and a path for ships to shorten the distance between ports and saving time and fuel.
According to the US Geological Survey, within the Arctic Circle there are some 90 million barrels of oil -- 13 percent of the planet's undiscovered oil reserves and 30 percent of its undiscovered natural gas.
The potential bounty that has encouraged energy groups like Royal Dutch Shell Co. to invest heavily in the region.
Greenpeace International head Kumi Naidoo says that oil companies have thwarted governments from taking action to cut back on greenhouse gas emissions.
"Why our governments don't take action? Because they have been captured by the same interests of the energy industry," Naidoo said.
Anne Siders, a postdoctoral researcher at Columbia University's Center for Climate Change Law, warned against the "temptation" of sending ships through the area.
The new shipping lanes are dangerous to use because there are plenty of ice floes and little infrastructure for help in case of an accident -- which in turn increases the insurance costs.
Another consequence of global warming is that, as the oceans warm, more cold-water fish move north, "which means more fish will be taken out of their ecosystem," said Siders.
Caroline Cannon, a leader of the Inupiat community of Alaska, reminded the participants that her indigenous community, including her nine children and 25 grandchildren, depend on Arctic fishing and hunting for survival.
"My people rely on that ocean and we're seeing dramatic changes," said Cannon. "It's scary to think about our food supply."
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
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Comments
there is a story here of a guy who died trying to prevent some driver from doing a gas and dash ... one of the discussion points is that for some oil companies - they force each station to make their employees sign agreements that if any gas is lost or stolen - they must offset that loss ... Shell which is the company this guy works for has since said they don't condone that behaviour and forbid it however, it is clear that this was once the practice of oil companies ...
as for the melt ... as a fear-mongering alarmist aka environmentalist myself ... i don't anticipate much change simply because the world has become the domain of the wealthy ... those people will get on fine ... it will be the poor and animals that will suffer the most ... but hey - get in a way of someone wanting to make a buck to "feed his family" and you might as well be the devil himself ...
I was going to make some crack about that word- "alarmist".
It's strange how those who are trying to give a clear picture of what is happening in terms of anthropogenic induced climate change are labeled "alarmists". For example, the feedback loop of global warming that will occur when the methane trapped in melting tundra is released is a serious issue that deserves being taken as an indication that our continued infusion of CO2 into the atmosphere is a bad idea. Reports by clear headed scientists are clear and rational on this issue and yet they are labeled "alarmist" by some as if relating relevant and crucial information is a bad thing. None of us like this bad news but ignoring it will not make it go away.
Maybe it's too late to stop the cycle but why not try when there are several things we can do to at least slow it down:
- Drive less and ride share.
- Purchase and encourage proliferation of vehicles that get good gas mileage.
- Think smaller: instead of a McMansion, most of us can get by with a smaller home, if a 1/2 ton truck is adequate for the job don't buy a 3/4 ton.
- Encourage revitalizing and expanding our rail service.
- Build walkable communities.
- Consume fewer goods in general and specifically non-renewable good.
- When purchases are necessary, look for the most durable goods.
- Adjust the thermostat and wear more clothing to stay warm, less to stay cool.
- Recycle and compost.
- When possible, buy used instead of new.
This is just basic stuff. We'll probably continue to see global warming but slowing the precess down will buy us some time to find even better solutions. There's nothing alarmist about that.
-Eddie Vedder, "Smile"
Yeah, I saw that. Excellent!
-Eddie Vedder, "Smile"
I've often heard that groups like Greenpeace are considered to be radicals and alarmists, but I don't agree at all. The world really is in trouble, and those who really spend their time finding out all the horrible things being done with I don't think are overreacting at all. Furthermore, I think it's the PROPER tactic to try and strike fear in the hearts of everyone. Freaking people out is the only way to get them to do anything that is even remotely inconvenient these days.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Swvf3w6hcY4
Sure I'm trolling, i know, sorry, but the point Forbes makes is, hey, the media has a tendancy to focus on those sick trees over there while ignoring the larger forest. Don't get me wrong, I drive the 2009 Green Car of the Year -- but I do drive. We definitely need the alarm bells ringing, but it doesn't help to gloss over the larger picture as we try and figure all this stuff out.
some perspective on this ...
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news ... vironment/
also ... when we look at glaciers and sea ice world wide ... it is most definitely a rapid decline ... the few glaciers and antarctica that are growing is not even remotely close to the glaciers and sea ice we've lost recently ...
So we've got actual data, overall ice and snow mass on and around Antartica is growing, vs scientific models that that will rapidly change at some moment. Um, ok. Filing that with the scientific models on comet impacts, solar flares, and the odds of life on other planets. But the overall data, sure, I'd like to see how overwhelming that is -- I know about the South American and Asian glaciers, I think you've got something there.
feel free to read about it ... http://www.grid.unep.ch/glaciers/ or any other ice modeling/monitoring centre ...
and further to the growing ice in antarctica ... http://www.skepticalscience.com/antarct ... ng-ice.htm
I totally agree, PJ. Calling a Greenpeace member a radical or even an alarmist is like calling an EMT a Witch Doctor or a body snatcher.
-Eddie Vedder, "Smile"