Is it curious our conservative friends never stop by this thread. Seems they’re only interested on dropping bombs on Biden. It’s not political, it seems the right is totally unconcerned with the current troubling trends, record breaking heat nearly every year, wildfires are now normal, among other issues.
Here’s an interesting story, basically a summer of record breaking heat. With an election cycle upcoming, it’ll be interesting to see what they use to confuse the public this time…
“The average global ocean temperature has smashed records for May, June and July. It is approaching the highest sea surface temperature ever recorded, which was in 2016.
But it is extreme heat in the North Atlantic ocean that is particularly alarming scientists.
"We've never ever had a marine heatwave in this part of Atlantic. I had not expected this," says Daniela Schmidt, Prof of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol.
In June temperatures off the west coast of Ireland were between 4C and 5C above average, which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration classified as a category 5 heatwave, or "beyond extreme".
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brianlux
Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 40,736
Is it curious our conservative friends never stop by this thread. Seems they’re only interested on dropping bombs on Biden. It’s not political, it seems the right is totally unconcerned with the current troubling trends, record breaking heat nearly every year, wildfires are now normal, among other issues.
Here’s an interesting story, basically a summer of record breaking heat. With an election cycle upcoming, it’ll be interesting to see what they use to confuse the public this time…
“The average global ocean temperature has smashed records for May, June and July. It is approaching the highest sea surface temperature ever recorded, which was in 2016.
But it is extreme heat in the North Atlantic ocean that is particularly alarming scientists.
"We've never ever had a marine heatwave in this part of Atlantic. I had not expected this," says Daniela Schmidt, Prof of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol.
In June temperatures off the west coast of Ireland were between 4C and 5C above average, which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration classified as a category 5 heatwave, or "beyond extreme".
Good point, L! But of course, most radical right folks are also climate change deniers or at the very least, unwilling to admit climate change is anthropogenic.
I would add that it is curious (to me, down right perplexing) that more people in general her on AMT don't stop by this and other threads related to global warming and climate change. In the last few weeks I have read numerous articles about extreme heat, record breaking heat waves in many parts of the U.S and the rest of the world, extreme heat as a major issue in UPS contract talks, sick and dying workers on the US/Mexican border due to high temperatures, extreme heat and fires in Athens, and on and on and on.
Why is this subject largely ignored here? I really don't get it.
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
Is it curious our conservative friends never stop by this thread. Seems they’re only interested on dropping bombs on Biden. It’s not political, it seems the right is totally unconcerned with the current troubling trends, record breaking heat nearly every year, wildfires are now normal, among other issues.
Here’s an interesting story, basically a summer of record breaking heat. With an election cycle upcoming, it’ll be interesting to see what they use to confuse the public this time…
“The average global ocean temperature has smashed records for May, June and July. It is approaching the highest sea surface temperature ever recorded, which was in 2016.
But it is extreme heat in the North Atlantic ocean that is particularly alarming scientists.
"We've never ever had a marine heatwave in this part of Atlantic. I had not expected this," says Daniela Schmidt, Prof of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol.
In June temperatures off the west coast of Ireland were between 4C and 5C above average, which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration classified as a category 5 heatwave, or "beyond extreme".
Good point, L! But of course, most radical right folks are also climate change deniers or at the very least, unwilling to admit climate change is anthropogenic.
I would add that it is curious (to me, down right perplexing) that more people in general her on AMT don't stop by this and other threads related to global warming and climate change. In the last few weeks I have read numerous articles about extreme heat, record breaking heat waves in many parts of the U.S and the rest of the world, extreme heat as a major issue in UPS contract talks, sick and dying workers on the US/Mexican border due to high temperatures, extreme heat and fires in Athens, and on and on and on.
Why is this subject largely ignored here? I really don't get it.
Don’t assume that the lack of comments in this thread indicates a lack of concern or following up and paying attention to climate change. I assume that for most people, what’s left to say? And what can be done about it beyond the individual level? For me personally, I think it’s too late and we’re beyond the tipping point. It’s going to be catastrophic climate in 10-20 years as opposed to 50-70 years, even if we, the human population, but mostly the US, China, EU and India radically change our economies and drastically reduce our fossil fuel use. And that’s not going to happen in the next 10-50 years.
I’ll keep doing what I can by eating less meat, driving less, using less plastic and recycling more, taking public transportation, walking or biking, etc. but all in all, it feels like I’m pissing in the wind, particularly when one major political party and their voters refuse to believe it’s human caused and they think the solution is “burn baby burn.” We need and will get a great “re-set.”
Great book from the title of this CNN article. I encourage people to read it as the earth is capable of healing itself but only if there’s a lot less of us around and consuming.
Is it curious our conservative friends never stop by this thread. Seems they’re only interested on dropping bombs on Biden. It’s not political, it seems the right is totally unconcerned with the current troubling trends, record breaking heat nearly every year, wildfires are now normal, among other issues.
Here’s an interesting story, basically a summer of record breaking heat. With an election cycle upcoming, it’ll be interesting to see what they use to confuse the public this time…
“The average global ocean temperature has smashed records for May, June and July. It is approaching the highest sea surface temperature ever recorded, which was in 2016.
But it is extreme heat in the North Atlantic ocean that is particularly alarming scientists.
"We've never ever had a marine heatwave in this part of Atlantic. I had not expected this," says Daniela Schmidt, Prof of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol.
In June temperatures off the west coast of Ireland were between 4C and 5C above average, which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration classified as a category 5 heatwave, or "beyond extreme".
Good point, L! But of course, most radical right folks are also climate change deniers or at the very least, unwilling to admit climate change is anthropogenic.
I would add that it is curious (to me, down right perplexing) that more people in general her on AMT don't stop by this and other threads related to global warming and climate change. In the last few weeks I have read numerous articles about extreme heat, record breaking heat waves in many parts of the U.S and the rest of the world, extreme heat as a major issue in UPS contract talks, sick and dying workers on the US/Mexican border due to high temperatures, extreme heat and fires in Athens, and on and on and on.
Why is this subject largely ignored here? I really don't get it.
Don’t assume that the lack of comments in this thread indicates a lack of concern or following up and paying attention to climate change. I assume that for most people, what’s left to say? And what can be done about it beyond the individual level? For me personally, I think it’s too late and we’re beyond the tipping point. It’s going to be catastrophic climate in 10-20 years as opposed to 50-70 years, even if we, the human population, but mostly the US, China, EU and India radically change our economies and drastically reduce our fossil fuel use. And that’s not going to happen in the next 10-50 years.
I’ll keep doing what I can by eating less meat, driving less, using less plastic and recycling more, taking public transportation, walking or biking, etc. but all in all, it feels like I’m pissing in the wind, particularly when one major political party and their voters refuse to believe it’s human caused and they think the solution is “burn baby burn.” We need and will get a great “re-set.”
Great book from the title of this CNN article. I encourage people to read it as the earth is capable of healing itself but only if there’s a lot less of us around and consuming.
Is it curious our conservative friends never stop by this thread. Seems they’re only interested on dropping bombs on Biden. It’s not political, it seems the right is totally unconcerned with the current troubling trends, record breaking heat nearly every year, wildfires are now normal, among other issues.
Here’s an interesting story, basically a summer of record breaking heat. With an election cycle upcoming, it’ll be interesting to see what they use to confuse the public this time…
“The average global ocean temperature has smashed records for May, June and July. It is approaching the highest sea surface temperature ever recorded, which was in 2016.
But it is extreme heat in the North Atlantic ocean that is particularly alarming scientists.
"We've never ever had a marine heatwave in this part of Atlantic. I had not expected this," says Daniela Schmidt, Prof of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol.
In June temperatures off the west coast of Ireland were between 4C and 5C above average, which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration classified as a category 5 heatwave, or "beyond extreme".
Good point, L! But of course, most radical right folks are also climate change deniers or at the very least, unwilling to admit climate change is anthropogenic.
I would add that it is curious (to me, down right perplexing) that more people in general her on AMT don't stop by this and other threads related to global warming and climate change. In the last few weeks I have read numerous articles about extreme heat, record breaking heat waves in many parts of the U.S and the rest of the world, extreme heat as a major issue in UPS contract talks, sick and dying workers on the US/Mexican border due to high temperatures, extreme heat and fires in Athens, and on and on and on.
Why is this subject largely ignored here? I really don't get it.
Don’t assume that the lack of comments in this thread indicates a lack of concern or following up and paying attention to climate change. I assume that for most people, what’s left to say? And what can be done about it beyond the individual level? For me personally, I think it’s too late and we’re beyond the tipping point. It’s going to be catastrophic climate in 10-20 years as opposed to 50-70 years, even if we, the human population, but mostly the US, China, EU and India radically change our economies and drastically reduce our fossil fuel use. And that’s not going to happen in the next 10-50 years.
I’ll keep doing what I can by eating less meat, driving less, using less plastic and recycling more, taking public transportation, walking or biking, etc. but all in all, it feels like I’m pissing in the wind, particularly when one major political party and their voters refuse to believe it’s human caused and they think the solution is “burn baby burn.” We need and will get a great “re-set.”
Great book from the title of this CNN article. I encourage people to read it as the earth is capable of healing itself but only if there’s a lot less of us around and consuming.
Is it curious our conservative friends never stop by this thread. Seems they’re only interested on dropping bombs on Biden. It’s not political, it seems the right is totally unconcerned with the current troubling trends, record breaking heat nearly every year, wildfires are now normal, among other issues.
Here’s an interesting story, basically a summer of record breaking heat. With an election cycle upcoming, it’ll be interesting to see what they use to confuse the public this time…
“The average global ocean temperature has smashed records for May, June and July. It is approaching the highest sea surface temperature ever recorded, which was in 2016.
But it is extreme heat in the North Atlantic ocean that is particularly alarming scientists.
"We've never ever had a marine heatwave in this part of Atlantic. I had not expected this," says Daniela Schmidt, Prof of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol.
In June temperatures off the west coast of Ireland were between 4C and 5C above average, which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration classified as a category 5 heatwave, or "beyond extreme".
Good point, L! But of course, most radical right folks are also climate change deniers or at the very least, unwilling to admit climate change is anthropogenic.
I would add that it is curious (to me, down right perplexing) that more people in general her on AMT don't stop by this and other threads related to global warming and climate change. In the last few weeks I have read numerous articles about extreme heat, record breaking heat waves in many parts of the U.S and the rest of the world, extreme heat as a major issue in UPS contract talks, sick and dying workers on the US/Mexican border due to high temperatures, extreme heat and fires in Athens, and on and on and on.
Why is this subject largely ignored here? I really don't get it.
Don’t assume that the lack of comments in this thread indicates a lack of concern or following up and paying attention to climate change. I assume that for most people, what’s left to say? And what can be done about it beyond the individual level? For me personally, I think it’s too late and we’re beyond the tipping point. It’s going to be catastrophic climate in 10-20 years as opposed to 50-70 years, even if we, the human population, but mostly the US, China, EU and India radically change our economies and drastically reduce our fossil fuel use. And that’s not going to happen in the next 10-50 years.
I’ll keep doing what I can by eating less meat, driving less, using less plastic and recycling more, taking public transportation, walking or biking, etc. but all in all, it feels like I’m pissing in the wind, particularly when one major political party and their voters refuse to believe it’s human caused and they think the solution is “burn baby burn.” We need and will get a great “re-set.”
Great book from the title of this CNN article. I encourage people to read it as the earth is capable of healing itself but only if there’s a lot less of us around and consuming.
Is it curious our conservative friends never stop by this thread. Seems they’re only interested on dropping bombs on Biden. It’s not political, it seems the right is totally unconcerned with the current troubling trends, record breaking heat nearly every year, wildfires are now normal, among other issues.
Here’s an interesting story, basically a summer of record breaking heat. With an election cycle upcoming, it’ll be interesting to see what they use to confuse the public this time…
“The average global ocean temperature has smashed records for May, June and July. It is approaching the highest sea surface temperature ever recorded, which was in 2016.
But it is extreme heat in the North Atlantic ocean that is particularly alarming scientists.
"We've never ever had a marine heatwave in this part of Atlantic. I had not expected this," says Daniela Schmidt, Prof of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol.
In June temperatures off the west coast of Ireland were between 4C and 5C above average, which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration classified as a category 5 heatwave, or "beyond extreme".
Good point, L! But of course, most radical right folks are also climate change deniers or at the very least, unwilling to admit climate change is anthropogenic.
I would add that it is curious (to me, down right perplexing) that more people in general her on AMT don't stop by this and other threads related to global warming and climate change. In the last few weeks I have read numerous articles about extreme heat, record breaking heat waves in many parts of the U.S and the rest of the world, extreme heat as a major issue in UPS contract talks, sick and dying workers on the US/Mexican border due to high temperatures, extreme heat and fires in Athens, and on and on and on.
Why is this subject largely ignored here? I really don't get it.
Don’t assume that the lack of comments in this thread indicates a lack of concern or following up and paying attention to climate change. I assume that for most people, what’s left to say? And what can be done about it beyond the individual level? For me personally, I think it’s too late and we’re beyond the tipping point. It’s going to be catastrophic climate in 10-20 years as opposed to 50-70 years, even if we, the human population, but mostly the US, China, EU and India radically change our economies and drastically reduce our fossil fuel use. And that’s not going to happen in the next 10-50 years.
I’ll keep doing what I can by eating less meat, driving less, using less plastic and recycling more, taking public transportation, walking or biking, etc. but all in all, it feels like I’m pissing in the wind, particularly when one major political party and their voters refuse to believe it’s human caused and they think the solution is “burn baby burn.” We need and will get a great “re-set.”
Great book from the title of this CNN article. I encourage people to read it as the earth is capable of healing itself but only if there’s a lot less of us around and consuming.
The book looks to be only in French, yes? Je ne parle pas français!
So the article states. I was referring to “The World Without Us,” which I believe you’ve read or we’ve discussed in the past.
OoooooooooK, got it! I thought you were recommending the Romain Vellion book, Green Urbex: The World Without Us, but you were referring to Alan Weisman's marvelous book titled (more simply) The World Without us. Yes, terrific book! I can't recommend it enough everyone- great read!
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
Is it curious our conservative friends never stop by this thread. Seems they’re only interested on dropping bombs on Biden. It’s not political, it seems the right is totally unconcerned with the current troubling trends, record breaking heat nearly every year, wildfires are now normal, among other issues.
Here’s an interesting story, basically a summer of record breaking heat. With an election cycle upcoming, it’ll be interesting to see what they use to confuse the public this time…
“The average global ocean temperature has smashed records for May, June and July. It is approaching the highest sea surface temperature ever recorded, which was in 2016.
But it is extreme heat in the North Atlantic ocean that is particularly alarming scientists.
"We've never ever had a marine heatwave in this part of Atlantic. I had not expected this," says Daniela Schmidt, Prof of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol.
In June temperatures off the west coast of Ireland were between 4C and 5C above average, which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration classified as a category 5 heatwave, or "beyond extreme".
Good point, L! But of course, most radical right folks are also climate change deniers or at the very least, unwilling to admit climate change is anthropogenic.
I would add that it is curious (to me, down right perplexing) that more people in general her on AMT don't stop by this and other threads related to global warming and climate change. In the last few weeks I have read numerous articles about extreme heat, record breaking heat waves in many parts of the U.S and the rest of the world, extreme heat as a major issue in UPS contract talks, sick and dying workers on the US/Mexican border due to high temperatures, extreme heat and fires in Athens, and on and on and on.
Why is this subject largely ignored here? I really don't get it.
Don’t assume that the lack of comments in this thread indicates a lack of concern or following up and paying attention to climate change. I assume that for most people, what’s left to say? And what can be done about it beyond the individual level? For me personally, I think it’s too late and we’re beyond the tipping point. It’s going to be catastrophic climate in 10-20 years as opposed to 50-70 years, even if we, the human population, but mostly the US, China, EU and India radically change our economies and drastically reduce our fossil fuel use. And that’s not going to happen in the next 10-50 years.
I’ll keep doing what I can by eating less meat, driving less, using less plastic and recycling more, taking public transportation, walking or biking, etc. but all in all, it feels like I’m pissing in the wind, particularly when one major political party and their voters refuse to believe it’s human caused and they think the solution is “burn baby burn.” We need and will get a great “re-set.”
Great book from the title of this CNN article. I encourage people to read it as the earth is capable of healing itself but only if there’s a lot less of us around and consuming.
The book looks to be only in French, yes? Je ne parle pas français!
So the article states. I was referring to “The World Without Us,” which I believe you’ve read or we’ve discussed in the past.
OoooooooooK, got it! I thought you were recommending the Romain Vellion book, Green Urbex: The World Without Us, but you were referring to Alan Weisman's marvelous book titled (more simply) The World Without us. Yes, terrific book! I can't recommend it enough everyone- great read!
I don’t read or speak French but I like to pretend that I can. I may just get the book and practice my Frenchy sauce.
Is it curious our conservative friends never stop by this thread. Seems they’re only interested on dropping bombs on Biden. It’s not political, it seems the right is totally unconcerned with the current troubling trends, record breaking heat nearly every year, wildfires are now normal, among other issues.
Here’s an interesting story, basically a summer of record breaking heat. With an election cycle upcoming, it’ll be interesting to see what they use to confuse the public this time…
“The average global ocean temperature has smashed records for May, June and July. It is approaching the highest sea surface temperature ever recorded, which was in 2016.
But it is extreme heat in the North Atlantic ocean that is particularly alarming scientists.
"We've never ever had a marine heatwave in this part of Atlantic. I had not expected this," says Daniela Schmidt, Prof of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol.
In June temperatures off the west coast of Ireland were between 4C and 5C above average, which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration classified as a category 5 heatwave, or "beyond extreme".
Good point, L! But of course, most radical right folks are also climate change deniers or at the very least, unwilling to admit climate change is anthropogenic.
I would add that it is curious (to me, down right perplexing) that more people in general her on AMT don't stop by this and other threads related to global warming and climate change. In the last few weeks I have read numerous articles about extreme heat, record breaking heat waves in many parts of the U.S and the rest of the world, extreme heat as a major issue in UPS contract talks, sick and dying workers on the US/Mexican border due to high temperatures, extreme heat and fires in Athens, and on and on and on.
Why is this subject largely ignored here? I really don't get it.
Don’t assume that the lack of comments in this thread indicates a lack of concern or following up and paying attention to climate change. I assume that for most people, what’s left to say? And what can be done about it beyond the individual level? For me personally, I think it’s too late and we’re beyond the tipping point. It’s going to be catastrophic climate in 10-20 years as opposed to 50-70 years, even if we, the human population, but mostly the US, China, EU and India radically change our economies and drastically reduce our fossil fuel use. And that’s not going to happen in the next 10-50 years.
I’ll keep doing what I can by eating less meat, driving less, using less plastic and recycling more, taking public transportation, walking or biking, etc. but all in all, it feels like I’m pissing in the wind, particularly when one major political party and their voters refuse to believe it’s human caused and they think the solution is “burn baby burn.” We need and will get a great “re-set.”
Great book from the title of this CNN article. I encourage people to read it as the earth is capable of healing itself but only if there’s a lot less of us around and consuming.
The book looks to be only in French, yes? Je ne parle pas français!
So the article states. I was referring to “The World Without Us,” which I believe you’ve read or we’ve discussed in the past.
OoooooooooK, got it! I thought you were recommending the Romain Vellion book, Green Urbex: The World Without Us, but you were referring to Alan Weisman's marvelous book titled (more simply) The World Without us. Yes, terrific book! I can't recommend it enough everyone- great read!
I don’t read or speak French but I like to pretend that I can. I may just get the book and practice my Frenchy sauce.
There ya go!
I used to learn just enough from different languages to get a feel for them. Sometimes I would take a phrase out of a language book and memorize it and get the pronunciation down. Like when I found this old, old French language book, opened it up and picked a phrase at random to learn. I don't remember the French phrase now but the English translation was, "The charcoal burner is the master of his own home." Like I said, an OLD book, lol.
But generally I never did well or got very far with most of them. I did OK with Spanish when I was a lot younger. Might not be a bad idea to take it up again. They say learning another language helps keep the brain from deteriorating so quickly. I could probably use something like that!
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
It is so hot in Maricopa County, Arizona, that people are being brought into the emergency room with significant, sometimes life-threatening burns. For the past three or four weeks of this record heatwave, people have been burned just by falling on the ground.
I just returned from two weeks in Italy and one in Greece. Cities were 35 degrees celsius on average, but in the heat of the day, it reached 45 (113 fahrenheit). At the base of the acropolis, the Red Cross was stationed to quickly process those who fainted on the short journey up to it, and while the site is usually open all hours of the day, they closed at noon for the past week due to untenable heat for visitors and staff. Today, I was surprised to read that two Greek islands are currently being evacuated (the worst in their history) from wildfires. All of this in a country where tourism is responsible for just under 20% of their GDP - how is that sustainable?
The tragedy of this all, is that it's now been literally decades since we've warned that this was imminent but as humans, we individuals seem to keep our blinders on when it comes to big problems, and to wait until 'too late'. On the government side, those entities who are meant to take the lead on tackling the big societal problems, have stood by idly - because what's their incentive to working on it? One country can't fix the problem, so if they work harder than other regional governments, they're accused of over-investing in the future and/or 'not caring about the problems of today'. These opinions are weaponized by political opponents, all but assuring that little is done. The incentives simply aren't aligned, and this leads me to complete faithlessness that anything can change while the problem is still reversible - assuming that's even the case anymore.
'05 - TO, '06 - TO 1, '08 - NYC 1 & 2, '09 - TO, Chi 1 & 2, '10 - Buffalo, NYC 1 & 2, '11 - TO 1 & 2, Hamilton, '13 - Buffalo, Brooklyn 1 & 2, '15 - Global Citizen, '16 - TO 1 & 2, Chi 2
EV
Toronto Film Festival 9/11/2007, '08 - Toronto 1 & 2, '09 - Albany 1, '11 - Chicago 1
Phoenix breaks heat record with 19th day of temperatures at 110F or higher
Tuesday marked the 19th day the city of Phoenix
has been subjected to temperatures of at least 110F (43.3C) – the
longest stretch of time spent in such brutal heat – as record-breaking
summer weather continues to affect millions in the US and around the
world.
The US city, which is the fifth biggest in the country, with a
population of about 1.6 million that is only expected to grow in the
coming years, often ranks as the hottest or one of the hottest.
***********************************
Wait a minute... did I read that right? Phoenix is expected to grow? As in, people actually want to go there? WTF???
***********************************
In if NOAA is correct here, that record will be even greater:
Sunny
and hot, with a high near 116. Breezy, with a light and variable wind
becoming west 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as
20 mph.
Wednesday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 91. West wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday
Sunny
and hot, with a high near 117. Breezy, with a south wind 5 to 10 mph
becoming west 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as
20 mph.
Thursday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 91. West wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday
Sunny and hot, with a high near 116. Breezy, with a west wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Friday Night
A
20 percent chance of showers. Partly cloudy, with a low around 91.
Breezy, with a west southwest wind 5 to 15 mph becoming south southeast
after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.
Saturday
Mostly sunny and hot, with a high near 113. South southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming west in the afternoon.
Saturday Night
A
chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11pm, then a slight chance
of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 91. Northwest wind 5 to 10
mph becoming east southeast after midnight. Winds could gust as high as
20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Sunday
A
20 percent chance of showers after 11am. Mostly sunny and hot, with a
high near 113. Breezy, with a north wind 5 to 15 mph becoming southwest
in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.
Sunday Night
A
30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a
low around 91. Breezy, with a southwest wind 5 to 15 mph becoming east
after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph.
Monday
A
20 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny and hot, with a high near
112. Breezy, with an east wind 5 to 15 mph becoming west in the
afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.
Monday Night
A
30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a
low around 92. Breezy, with a west wind 5 to 15 mph becoming east after
midnight. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.
Tuesday
A
30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny and hot,
with a high near 112. Breezy, with a southeast wind 5 to 15 mph becoming
west in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.
Brian I'll tell you a story. I worked/lived in AZ 3 times in the span of 15 years. First time was 1998 in Florence. A little town between Phoenix and Tucson o the out skirts of Casa Grande. Tempe and Mesa were just starting their building boom. It was desolate from Mesa to casa Grande then desolate again to Tucson. It was all open desert. Literally deserted.
We then came back to Tucson in 2003. I would sometimes drive to Phoenix and Tempe and Mesa had filled out. Like really filled out. They made loops through these cities for traffic to get around. Massive malls. The amount of new hoses from 98 was astounding.
2008. Market crashing and we have a job in Casa Grande. It's the middle of Tucson and Phoenix. It had a population of maybe 10k when we passed through years ago.
Driving to Casa Grande from Phoenix and I ask my PM what town we are looking at as there are tons of new construction housing. Thousands of new houses.
He tells me "Casa Grande"
I say no. Casa Grande is a little hole in the wall town. That is not Casa Grande.
Well F me because it was. They started to build out there. The town ballooned to over 50,000 in population. They built so fast that the didn't compact the old farm lands for foundations so they had to make post tensioned foundations that wouldn't shift and sink.
Tucson started a big boom too and built up all along the freeway North and now is almost to Picacho Peak. Phoenix and Tucson will touch before my life ends. It's about an hour drive between the two when there weren't so many houses. Just open space and now it's all creeping in together.
The area below Mt Lemon in Tucson was, or used to be, resorts and 5 star hotels. It was a getaway. Beautiful pristine desert where the Javolinas ran around at night. Now it's all houses.
In 2008 we were allowed to build a prison only because they developed a way to save water. They recycled the gray water and used it for the toilets.
So in my span of of 10 years I witnessed the desert grow exponentially and it's still growing.
It is so hot in Maricopa County, Arizona, that people are being brought into the emergency room with significant, sometimes life-threatening burns. For the past three or four weeks of this record heatwave, people have been burned just by falling on the ground.
It was so hot when we worked there that I had to have my crews work midnight to 8am and pour concrete at 8am. It was just too hot to try and pour concrete in 100 degree weather, well for our application it was nearly impossible.
This isn't news to me as it's always been hot there.
Only place hotter that I've been to was Iraq.
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brianlux
Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 40,736
It is so hot in Maricopa County, Arizona, that people are being brought into the emergency room with significant, sometimes life-threatening burns. For the past three or four weeks of this record heatwave, people have been burned just by falling on the ground.
I just returned from two weeks in Italy and one in Greece. Cities were 35 degrees celsius on average, but in the heat of the day, it reached 45 (113 fahrenheit). At the base of the acropolis, the Red Cross was stationed to quickly process those who fainted on the short journey up to it, and while the site is usually open all hours of the day, they closed at noon for the past week due to untenable heat for visitors and staff. Today, I was surprised to read that two Greek islands are currently being evacuated (the worst in their history) from wildfires. All of this in a country where tourism is responsible for just under 20% of their GDP - how is that sustainable?
The tragedy of this all, is that it's now been literally decades since we've warned that this was imminent but as humans, we individuals seem to keep our blinders on when it comes to big problems, and to wait until 'too late'. On the government side, those entities who are meant to take the lead on tackling the big societal problems, have stood by idly - because what's their incentive to working on it? One country can't fix the problem, so if they work harder than other regional governments, they're accused of over-investing in the future and/or 'not caring about the problems of today'. These opinions are weaponized by political opponents, all but assuring that little is done. The incentives simply aren't aligned, and this leads me to complete faithlessness that anything can change while the problem is still reversible - assuming that's even the case anymore.
I remember reading someone (probably Edward Abbey) who told us that civilization was a speeding car heading right toward a brick wall. That was decades ago and here we are, hitting the brick wall.
I too am unsure about the process being reversible. How possible it is to mitigate the impact of climate change is also questionable, but I'll will forever believe it only makes sense to work toward that end.
Phoenix breaks heat record with 19th day of temperatures at 110F or higher
Tuesday marked the 19th day the city of Phoenix
has been subjected to temperatures of at least 110F (43.3C) – the
longest stretch of time spent in such brutal heat – as record-breaking
summer weather continues to affect millions in the US and around the
world.
The US city, which is the fifth biggest in the country, with a
population of about 1.6 million that is only expected to grow in the
coming years, often ranks as the hottest or one of the hottest.
***********************************
Wait a minute... did I read that right? Phoenix is expected to grow? As in, people actually want to go there? WTF???
***********************************
In if NOAA is correct here, that record will be even greater:
Sunny
and hot, with a high near 116. Breezy, with a light and variable wind
becoming west 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as
20 mph.
Wednesday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 91. West wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday
Sunny
and hot, with a high near 117. Breezy, with a south wind 5 to 10 mph
becoming west 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as
20 mph.
Thursday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 91. West wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday
Sunny and hot, with a high near 116. Breezy, with a west wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Friday Night
A
20 percent chance of showers. Partly cloudy, with a low around 91.
Breezy, with a west southwest wind 5 to 15 mph becoming south southeast
after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.
Saturday
Mostly sunny and hot, with a high near 113. South southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming west in the afternoon.
Saturday Night
A
chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11pm, then a slight chance
of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 91. Northwest wind 5 to 10
mph becoming east southeast after midnight. Winds could gust as high as
20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Sunday
A
20 percent chance of showers after 11am. Mostly sunny and hot, with a
high near 113. Breezy, with a north wind 5 to 15 mph becoming southwest
in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.
Sunday Night
A
30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a
low around 91. Breezy, with a southwest wind 5 to 15 mph becoming east
after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph.
Monday
A
20 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny and hot, with a high near
112. Breezy, with an east wind 5 to 15 mph becoming west in the
afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.
Monday Night
A
30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a
low around 92. Breezy, with a west wind 5 to 15 mph becoming east after
midnight. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.
Tuesday
A
30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny and hot,
with a high near 112. Breezy, with a southeast wind 5 to 15 mph becoming
west in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.
Brian I'll tell you a story. I worked/lived in AZ 3 times in the span of 15 years. First time was 1998 in Florence. A little town between Phoenix and Tucson o the out skirts of Casa Grande. Tempe and Mesa were just starting their building boom. It was desolate from Mesa to casa Grande then desolate again to Tucson. It was all open desert. Literally deserted.
We then came back to Tucson in 2003. I would sometimes drive to Phoenix and Tempe and Mesa had filled out. Like really filled out. They made loops through these cities for traffic to get around. Massive malls. The amount of new hoses from 98 was astounding.
2008. Market crashing and we have a job in Casa Grande. It's the middle of Tucson and Phoenix. It had a population of maybe 10k when we passed through years ago.
Driving to Casa Grande from Phoenix and I ask my PM what town we are looking at as there are tons of new construction housing. Thousands of new houses.
He tells me "Casa Grande"
I say no. Casa Grande is a little hole in the wall town. That is not Casa Grande.
Well F me because it was. They started to build out there. The town ballooned to over 50,000 in population. They built so fast that the didn't compact the old farm lands for foundations so they had to make post tensioned foundations that wouldn't shift and sink.
Tucson started a big boom too and built up all along the freeway North and now is almost to Picacho Peak. Phoenix and Tucson will touch before my life ends. It's about an hour drive between the two when there weren't so many houses. Just open space and now it's all creeping in together.
The area below Mt Lemon in Tucson was, or used to be, resorts and 5 star hotels. It was a getaway. Beautiful pristine desert where the Javolinas ran around at night. Now it's all houses.
In 2008 we were allowed to build a prison only because they developed a way to save water. They recycled the gray water and used it for the toilets.
So in my span of of 10 years I witnessed the desert grow exponentially and it's still growing.
A sad tale, my friend.
I'm seeing the same thing happen where the west end of El Dorado County and the east end of Sacramento County meet (basically centered around Folsom, El Dorado Hill, and Cameron Park, but also creeping up to Shingle Springs and Placerville). When I move here in 1996, most of the land south of Folsom was open space. The growth at that time was slowing starting up and then began to expand exponentially. It is growing so fast now that I can only surmise that the houses being building are instant just add water houses. The problem with that metaphor is that water will become a big issue around here. The developers are having a field day while the open fields (and those who appreciate them) lose out big-time.
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
I know what they are. When Mead fills up the water by the dam area gets higher.
The water levels have gone up. That's good.
Echo bay is another place that I used to go to that had house rental boats that aren't usable because of the water levels.
The question is, can water reserves in the southwest keep up with the growing population.
And yes, we were pleased to have the huge amount of rain and snow last winter, but also bear in mind these unusual conditions are likely due to global warming, and look at as a planetary issue, that is problematic. As the saying goes, "Local weather is not the same as global climate."
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
I know what they are. When Mead fills up the water by the dam area gets higher.
The water levels have gone up. That's good.
Echo bay is another place that I used to go to that had house rental boats that aren't usable because of the water levels.
The question is, can water reserves in the southwest keep up with the growing population.
And yes, we were pleased to have the huge amount of rain and snow last winter, but also bear in mind these unusual conditions are likely due to global warming, and look at as a planetary issue, that is problematic. As the saying goes, "Local weather is not the same as global climate."
And I thought the rise of ocean temperatures were isolated to the Persian gulf, Gulf of Mexico and around Flo Rida and the Mediterranean. But no, the North Sea has also experienced a temperature rise that is unprecedented and above normal, past increases. It’s bad enough when ocean surface temperatures are in the 90s+ but combined with North Sea increases? We’re fucked.
I just returned from two weeks in Italy and one in Greece. Cities were 35 degrees celsius on average, but in the heat of the day, it reached 45 (113 fahrenheit). At the base of the acropolis, the Red Cross was stationed to quickly process those who fainted on the short journey up to it, and while the site is usually open all hours of the day, they closed at noon for the past week due to untenable heat for visitors and staff. Today, I was surprised to read that two Greek islands are currently being evacuated (the worst in their history) from wildfires. All of this in a country where tourism is responsible for just under 20% of their GDP - how is that sustainable?
The tragedy of this all, is that it's now been literally decades since we've warned that this was imminent but as humans, we individuals seem to keep our blinders on when it comes to big problems, and to wait until 'too late'. On the government side, those entities who are meant to take the lead on tackling the big societal problems, have stood by idly - because what's their incentive to working on it? One country can't fix the problem, so if they work harder than other regional governments, they're accused of over-investing in the future and/or 'not caring about the problems of today'. These opinions are weaponized by political opponents, all but assuring that little is done. The incentives simply aren't aligned, and this leads me to complete faithlessness that anything can change while the problem is still reversible - assuming that's even the case anymore.
We are going to save earth? We can’t even get 45% of the country to agree trump started a violent riot that led to the deaths of seven people. It sounds like I am changing the subject, but if people are this burned into their beliefs, how are we convincing them their politics are destroying the planet?
what makes this more painful, is these aren’t hidden people, they are our family members, friends, coworkers, etc, and they just do not agree that earth can be or needs to be saved. They make jokes about cows destroying the planet, and think it’s absurd to consider eating less beef.
Edit, thanks for sharing stories of travel. It’s upsetting seeing what’s happening to wonderful places like Rhodes
I just returned from two weeks in Italy and one in Greece. Cities were 35 degrees celsius on average, but in the heat of the day, it reached 45 (113 fahrenheit). At the base of the acropolis, the Red Cross was stationed to quickly process those who fainted on the short journey up to it, and while the site is usually open all hours of the day, they closed at noon for the past week due to untenable heat for visitors and staff. Today, I was surprised to read that two Greek islands are currently being evacuated (the worst in their history) from wildfires. All of this in a country where tourism is responsible for just under 20% of their GDP - how is that sustainable?
The tragedy of this all, is that it's now been literally decades since we've warned that this was imminent but as humans, we individuals seem to keep our blinders on when it comes to big problems, and to wait until 'too late'. On the government side, those entities who are meant to take the lead on tackling the big societal problems, have stood by idly - because what's their incentive to working on it? One country can't fix the problem, so if they work harder than other regional governments, they're accused of over-investing in the future and/or 'not caring about the problems of today'. These opinions are weaponized by political opponents, all but assuring that little is done. The incentives simply aren't aligned, and this leads me to complete faithlessness that anything can change while the problem is still reversible - assuming that's even the case anymore.
We are going to save earth? We can’t even get 45% of the country to agree trump started a violent riot that led to the deaths of seven people. It sounds like I am changing the subject, but if people are this burned into their beliefs, how are we convincing them their politics are destroying the planet?
what makes this more painful, is these aren’t hidden people, they are our family members, friends, coworkers, etc, and they just do not agree that earth can be saved. They make jokes about cows destroying the planet, and think it’s absurd to consider eating less beef.
Not just less beef but inexpensive, mass produced and slaughtered by 14 year olds beef. York Steakhouse or Golden Corral style.
I just returned from two weeks in Italy and one in Greece. Cities were 35 degrees celsius on average, but in the heat of the day, it reached 45 (113 fahrenheit). At the base of the acropolis, the Red Cross was stationed to quickly process those who fainted on the short journey up to it, and while the site is usually open all hours of the day, they closed at noon for the past week due to untenable heat for visitors and staff. Today, I was surprised to read that two Greek islands are currently being evacuated (the worst in their history) from wildfires. All of this in a country where tourism is responsible for just under 20% of their GDP - how is that sustainable?
The tragedy of this all, is that it's now been literally decades since we've warned that this was imminent but as humans, we individuals seem to keep our blinders on when it comes to big problems, and to wait until 'too late'. On the government side, those entities who are meant to take the lead on tackling the big societal problems, have stood by idly - because what's their incentive to working on it? One country can't fix the problem, so if they work harder than other regional governments, they're accused of over-investing in the future and/or 'not caring about the problems of today'. These opinions are weaponized by political opponents, all but assuring that little is done. The incentives simply aren't aligned, and this leads me to complete faithlessness that anything can change while the problem is still reversible - assuming that's even the case anymore.
We are going to save earth? We can’t even get 45% of the country to agree trump started a violent riot that led to the deaths of seven people. It sounds like I am changing the subject, but if people are this burned into their beliefs, how are we convincing them their politics are destroying the planet?
what makes this more painful, is these aren’t hidden people, they are our family members, friends, coworkers, etc, and they just do not agree that earth can be or needs to be saved. They make jokes about cows destroying the planet, and think it’s absurd to consider eating less beef.
Edit, thanks for sharing stories of travel. It’s upsetting seeing what’s happening to wonderful places like Rhodes
The Earth needs to be saved. Where do we start?
How much of a carbon footprint did this trip to Italy and Greece leave? We should all stop traveling for vacation. Can you even fathom how much this could save Earth if everyone stopped lavishly traveling the world?
On second thought, we should just keep giving money to the government because they always have our best interest at heart....
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brianlux
Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 40,736
I know what they are. When Mead fills up the water by the dam area gets higher.
The water levels have gone up. That's good.
Echo bay is another place that I used to go to that had house rental boats that aren't usable because of the water levels.
The question is, can water reserves in the southwest keep up with the growing population.
And yes, we were pleased to have the huge amount of rain and snow last winter, but also bear in mind these unusual conditions are likely due to global warming, and look at as a planetary issue, that is problematic. As the saying goes, "Local weather is not the same as global climate."
And I thought the rise of ocean temperatures were isolated to the Persian gulf, Gulf of Mexico and around Flo Rida and the Mediterranean. But no, the North Sea has also experienced a temperature rise that is unprecedented and above normal, past increases. It’s bad enough when ocean surface temperatures are in the 90s+ but combined with North Sea increases? We’re fucked.
The oceans are our barometer and the birds are the canary in the coal mine. We need to listen up!
I just returned from two weeks in Italy and one in Greece. Cities were 35 degrees celsius on average, but in the heat of the day, it reached 45 (113 fahrenheit). At the base of the acropolis, the Red Cross was stationed to quickly process those who fainted on the short journey up to it, and while the site is usually open all hours of the day, they closed at noon for the past week due to untenable heat for visitors and staff. Today, I was surprised to read that two Greek islands are currently being evacuated (the worst in their history) from wildfires. All of this in a country where tourism is responsible for just under 20% of their GDP - how is that sustainable?
The tragedy of this all, is that it's now been literally decades since we've warned that this was imminent but as humans, we individuals seem to keep our blinders on when it comes to big problems, and to wait until 'too late'. On the government side, those entities who are meant to take the lead on tackling the big societal problems, have stood by idly - because what's their incentive to working on it? One country can't fix the problem, so if they work harder than other regional governments, they're accused of over-investing in the future and/or 'not caring about the problems of today'. These opinions are weaponized by political opponents, all but assuring that little is done. The incentives simply aren't aligned, and this leads me to complete faithlessness that anything can change while the problem is still reversible - assuming that's even the case anymore.
We are going to save earth? We can’t even get 45% of the country to agree trump started a violent riot that led to the deaths of seven people. It sounds like I am changing the subject, but if people are this burned into their beliefs, how are we convincing them their politics are destroying the planet?
what makes this more painful, is these aren’t hidden people, they are our family members, friends, coworkers, etc, and they just do not agree that earth can be or needs to be saved. They make jokes about cows destroying the planet, and think it’s absurd to consider eating less beef.
Edit, thanks for sharing stories of travel. It’s upsetting seeing what’s happening to wonderful places like Rhodes
I (and others here, I'm sure) share your frustration. It seems futile to say this, but we really do need to keep trying. And every person we can persuade to help also makes a difference. I'm trying hard to be more persuasive and less berating.
I just returned from two weeks in Italy and one in Greece. Cities were 35 degrees celsius on average, but in the heat of the day, it reached 45 (113 fahrenheit). At the base of the acropolis, the Red Cross was stationed to quickly process those who fainted on the short journey up to it, and while the site is usually open all hours of the day, they closed at noon for the past week due to untenable heat for visitors and staff. Today, I was surprised to read that two Greek islands are currently being evacuated (the worst in their history) from wildfires. All of this in a country where tourism is responsible for just under 20% of their GDP - how is that sustainable?
The tragedy of this all, is that it's now been literally decades since we've warned that this was imminent but as humans, we individuals seem to keep our blinders on when it comes to big problems, and to wait until 'too late'. On the government side, those entities who are meant to take the lead on tackling the big societal problems, have stood by idly - because what's their incentive to working on it? One country can't fix the problem, so if they work harder than other regional governments, they're accused of over-investing in the future and/or 'not caring about the problems of today'. These opinions are weaponized by political opponents, all but assuring that little is done. The incentives simply aren't aligned, and this leads me to complete faithlessness that anything can change while the problem is still reversible - assuming that's even the case anymore.
We are going to save earth? We can’t even get 45% of the country to agree trump started a violent riot that led to the deaths of seven people. It sounds like I am changing the subject, but if people are this burned into their beliefs, how are we convincing them their politics are destroying the planet?
what makes this more painful, is these aren’t hidden people, they are our family members, friends, coworkers, etc, and they just do not agree that earth can be or needs to be saved. They make jokes about cows destroying the planet, and think it’s absurd to consider eating less beef.
Edit, thanks for sharing stories of travel. It’s upsetting seeing what’s happening to wonderful places like Rhodes
The Earth needs to be saved. Where do we start?
How much of a carbon footprint did this trip to Italy and Greece leave? We should all stop traveling for vacation. Can you even fathom how much this could save Earth if everyone stopped lavishly traveling the world?
On second thought, we should just keep giving money to the government because they always have our best interest at heart....
I think it was someone here who posted this already, but lets do it again. This is excellent:
I used to ride private planes. Now I’d rather get arrested protesting them
Abigail Disney
Our planet faces ecological catastrophe. Private flights are untenable and morally indefensible
Last Friday, I was arrested along with a group of climate activists
for blocking the entrance to the East Hampton airport in New York and
stopping private jet arrivals and departures. Many people have asked me
why.
The truth is I am terrified of the future
of our climate, and I believe that non-violent civil disobedience is the
best way to create transformative change. I have covered disruptive
protest and social issues in my films, and supported movements through
philanthropy. So, at 63, I decided it was time for me to stand in
protest with other activists, to put my body on the line.
My
father owned a 737 with a queen-sized bed. I loved that thing so much. I
loved the men and women who flew the plane and took care of the plane,
people I’d known since childhood.
It all seemed
so benign, and when something makes your life so seamless that you
barely notice what you are doing, it can be difficult to acknowledge the
problems you are causing, especially when those problems are impersonal
and remote.
But one day, flying all alone from California to
New York, I had an epiphany. My comfort and convenience suddenly seemed
like ridiculously small issues when held up against the climate
freight-train that is barreling down the tracks at us.
Our
planet is wrapped in a blanket of pollution so thick and unforgiving
that it is becoming unlivable. While my one flight across the country
was not enough to cause this on its own, I was still contributing to a
catastrophic collective consequence that everyone else on Earth is
already paying for.
The life of a wealthy
person burns up a lot of carbon – through superyachts, frequent travel
on private jets and helicopters, and multiple enormous homes. According
to Oxfam, billionaires emit a million times more greenhouse gases than the average person.
This
is not an accusation. My father was a good and decent man, and so are
most of the people who own private planes. But we are facing an active
emergency, and decency is worthless when unaccompanied by meaningful
action, including a vigorous inquiry into the consequences of our
personal choices and preferences. And niceness is a hollow virtue if we
do not lift a finger to keep our children and grandchildren safe.
It
is a rich irony that most of the focus on behavior change in the face
of climate change centers around the small changes working-class
Americans should make, from giving up plastic straws to paying
exorbitant gas taxes, to recycling and composting.
But
what have we asked of the wealthy? If just a handful of very wealthy
people were to change just a handful of their behaviors, they could make
more of a difference in one trip than millions of working-class people
can in their lifetimes. Just a four-hour flight on a private jet will
burn as much carbon as the average person does in a year.
Yes,
the people who own private jets make up a small sliver of the
population. It’s tempting to think it’s not a significant enough number
to make a difference. But the number of private planes only grows. Since
the beginning of the pandemic, private jet use has jumped an
astonishing 23%. Some 5.3m private jet flights occurred in 2022 alone, with the total expected to jump again in 2023.
First
principles matter. My own first principle is to do no harm. In an
enormously complicated world, this can be difficult. But more often, the
answer has been right in front of you all along.
I
will continue to try to make up for the willful ignorance I deployed
when I enjoyed my father’s plane, through my philanthropy and activism,
but that will never be enough. Carbon offsets and more efficient fuels
are nice, but at best get us to break even. We need more. A lot more.
I
hope other wealthy people will join me in ditching their planes. A tiny
sliver of the population could decide right now to make a difference by
making a series of relatively small sacrifices. (Have you checked out
first class lately? It’s pretty posh!) If it means averting catastrophe
and making the thriving of your children and grandchildren possible,
isn’t that the least you can do?
And if you are really ready to dive in, come join me at the next protest.
This article was amended on 21 July 2023 to remove text stating that
“50% of aviation carbon emissions are caused by private flights”, which
was based on a misreading of a different statistic.
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
I just returned from two weeks in Italy and one in Greece. Cities were 35 degrees celsius on average, but in the heat of the day, it reached 45 (113 fahrenheit). At the base of the acropolis, the Red Cross was stationed to quickly process those who fainted on the short journey up to it, and while the site is usually open all hours of the day, they closed at noon for the past week due to untenable heat for visitors and staff. Today, I was surprised to read that two Greek islands are currently being evacuated (the worst in their history) from wildfires. All of this in a country where tourism is responsible for just under 20% of their GDP - how is that sustainable?
The tragedy of this all, is that it's now been literally decades since we've warned that this was imminent but as humans, we individuals seem to keep our blinders on when it comes to big problems, and to wait until 'too late'. On the government side, those entities who are meant to take the lead on tackling the big societal problems, have stood by idly - because what's their incentive to working on it? One country can't fix the problem, so if they work harder than other regional governments, they're accused of over-investing in the future and/or 'not caring about the problems of today'. These opinions are weaponized by political opponents, all but assuring that little is done. The incentives simply aren't aligned, and this leads me to complete faithlessness that anything can change while the problem is still reversible - assuming that's even the case anymore.
We are going to save earth? We can’t even get 45% of the country to agree trump started a violent riot that led to the deaths of seven people. It sounds like I am changing the subject, but if people are this burned into their beliefs, how are we convincing them their politics are destroying the planet?
what makes this more painful, is these aren’t hidden people, they are our family members, friends, coworkers, etc, and they just do not agree that earth can be or needs to be saved. They make jokes about cows destroying the planet, and think it’s absurd to consider eating less beef.
Edit, thanks for sharing stories of travel. It’s upsetting seeing what’s happening to wonderful places like Rhodes
The Earth needs to be saved. Where do we start?
How much of a carbon footprint did this trip to Italy and Greece leave? We should all stop traveling for vacation. Can you even fathom how much this could save Earth if everyone stopped lavishly traveling the world?
On second thought, we should just keep giving money to the government because they always have our best interest at heart....
Im guessing you’re being sarcastic. But while we’re at it, we might as well go after PJ for having a full tour consisting of stops in only five cities. How much air travel is that generating for fans flying to a rock show? That has much more impact than one person deciding to take a well deserved vacation?
I haven’t been on a plane in five years, but when I do go on vacation, it’s usually a 4-5 hour drive. That uses petrol. Should we not take vacations anymore? Is there an alternative?
What there is an alternative for is fossil fuels. That’s an easy fix. Wouldn’t it make a lot more sense for the US and all major countries to invest as much money as possible in renewables and get rid of coal asap? Wouldn’t that be far more beneficial than calling out folks for taking vacations and by extension bands for scheduling micro tours which drive up a much higher carbon footprint?
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brianlux
Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 40,736
I just returned from two weeks in Italy and one in Greece. Cities were 35 degrees celsius on average, but in the heat of the day, it reached 45 (113 fahrenheit). At the base of the acropolis, the Red Cross was stationed to quickly process those who fainted on the short journey up to it, and while the site is usually open all hours of the day, they closed at noon for the past week due to untenable heat for visitors and staff. Today, I was surprised to read that two Greek islands are currently being evacuated (the worst in their history) from wildfires. All of this in a country where tourism is responsible for just under 20% of their GDP - how is that sustainable?
The tragedy of this all, is that it's now been literally decades since we've warned that this was imminent but as humans, we individuals seem to keep our blinders on when it comes to big problems, and to wait until 'too late'. On the government side, those entities who are meant to take the lead on tackling the big societal problems, have stood by idly - because what's their incentive to working on it? One country can't fix the problem, so if they work harder than other regional governments, they're accused of over-investing in the future and/or 'not caring about the problems of today'. These opinions are weaponized by political opponents, all but assuring that little is done. The incentives simply aren't aligned, and this leads me to complete faithlessness that anything can change while the problem is still reversible - assuming that's even the case anymore.
We are going to save earth? We can’t even get 45% of the country to agree trump started a violent riot that led to the deaths of seven people. It sounds like I am changing the subject, but if people are this burned into their beliefs, how are we convincing them their politics are destroying the planet?
what makes this more painful, is these aren’t hidden people, they are our family members, friends, coworkers, etc, and they just do not agree that earth can be or needs to be saved. They make jokes about cows destroying the planet, and think it’s absurd to consider eating less beef.
Edit, thanks for sharing stories of travel. It’s upsetting seeing what’s happening to wonderful places like Rhodes
The Earth needs to be saved. Where do we start?
How much of a carbon footprint did this trip to Italy and Greece leave? We should all stop traveling for vacation. Can you even fathom how much this could save Earth if everyone stopped lavishly traveling the world?
On second thought, we should just keep giving money to the government because they always have our best interest at heart....
Im guessing you’re being sarcastic. But while we’re at it, we might as well go after PJ for having a full tour consisting of stops in only five cities. How much air travel is that generating for fans flying to a rock show? That has much more impact than one person deciding to take a well deserved vacation?
I haven’t been on a plane in five years, but when I do go on vacation, it’s usually a 4-5 hour drive. That uses petrol. Should we not take vacations anymore? Is there an alternative?
What there is an alternative for is fossil fuels. That’s an easy fix. Wouldn’t it make a lot more sense for the US and all major countries to invest as much money as possible in renewables and get rid of coal asap? Wouldn’t that be far more beneficial than calling out folks for taking vacations and by extension bands for scheduling micro tours which drive up a much higher carbon footprint?
Not at all. Not sure why you say that. I don't see Eddie Vedder or Neil Young standing on the tarmac protesting private planes-- not that I expect them to, but here is an equally well-to-do person who did, and got arrested for it. Kudos to that!
I also believe the average person flies too frequently, and that includes some people I am very, very close to. I don't cut them slack for it, but I also do not stop loving them.
I also put my reduced travel where my mouth is. I have not flown since some time in the late 1980s. I have not been out of California since going to my father's memorial 7 years ago. And I have only been on a 2 to 4 hour drive from my home a handful of times since then (and fewer times as each year passes). Mostly, I drive 15 minute now and then to town for groceries and errands and walk (I walk every day).
I am not shaming anyone on this- that does no good- but I am encouraging everyone to consider reducing your travel.
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
I just returned from two weeks in Italy and one in Greece. Cities were 35 degrees celsius on average, but in the heat of the day, it reached 45 (113 fahrenheit). At the base of the acropolis, the Red Cross was stationed to quickly process those who fainted on the short journey up to it, and while the site is usually open all hours of the day, they closed at noon for the past week due to untenable heat for visitors and staff. Today, I was surprised to read that two Greek islands are currently being evacuated (the worst in their history) from wildfires. All of this in a country where tourism is responsible for just under 20% of their GDP - how is that sustainable?
The tragedy of this all, is that it's now been literally decades since we've warned that this was imminent but as humans, we individuals seem to keep our blinders on when it comes to big problems, and to wait until 'too late'. On the government side, those entities who are meant to take the lead on tackling the big societal problems, have stood by idly - because what's their incentive to working on it? One country can't fix the problem, so if they work harder than other regional governments, they're accused of over-investing in the future and/or 'not caring about the problems of today'. These opinions are weaponized by political opponents, all but assuring that little is done. The incentives simply aren't aligned, and this leads me to complete faithlessness that anything can change while the problem is still reversible - assuming that's even the case anymore.
We are going to save earth? We can’t even get 45% of the country to agree trump started a violent riot that led to the deaths of seven people. It sounds like I am changing the subject, but if people are this burned into their beliefs, how are we convincing them their politics are destroying the planet?
what makes this more painful, is these aren’t hidden people, they are our family members, friends, coworkers, etc, and they just do not agree that earth can be or needs to be saved. They make jokes about cows destroying the planet, and think it’s absurd to consider eating less beef.
Edit, thanks for sharing stories of travel. It’s upsetting seeing what’s happening to wonderful places like Rhodes
The Earth needs to be saved. Where do we start?
How much of a carbon footprint did this trip to Italy and Greece leave? We should all stop traveling for vacation. Can you even fathom how much this could save Earth if everyone stopped lavishly traveling the world?
On second thought, we should just keep giving money to the government because they always have our best interest at heart....
Im guessing you’re being sarcastic. But while we’re at it, we might as well go after PJ for having a full tour consisting of stops in only five cities. How much air travel is that generating for fans flying to a rock show? That has much more impact than one person deciding to take a well deserved vacation?
I haven’t been on a plane in five years, but when I do go on vacation, it’s usually a 4-5 hour drive. That uses petrol. Should we not take vacations anymore? Is there an alternative?
What there is an alternative for is fossil fuels. That’s an easy fix. Wouldn’t it make a lot more sense for the US and all major countries to invest as much money as possible in renewables and get rid of coal asap? Wouldn’t that be far more beneficial than calling out folks for taking vacations and by extension bands for scheduling micro tours which drive up a much higher carbon footprint?
Not at all. Not sure why you say that. I don't see Eddie Vedder or Neil Young standing on the tarmac protesting private planes-- not that I expect them to, but here is an equally well-to-do person who did, and got arrested for it. Kudos to that!
I also believe the average person flies too frequently, and that includes some people I am very, very close to. I don't cut them slack for it, but I also do not stop loving them.
I also put my reduced travel where my mouth is. I have not flown since some time in the late 1980s. I have not been out of California since going to my father's memorial 7 years ago. And I have only been on a 2 to 4 hour drive from my home a handful of times since then (and fewer times as each year passes). Mostly, I drive 15 minute now and then to town for groceries and errands and walk (I walk every day).
I am not shaming anyone on this- that does no good- but I am encouraging everyone to consider reducing your travel.
Thanks for sharing. I was being a little tongue in cheek replying to JB who seemed to be critical about ppl taking European vacations. And I expanded the sarcasm, not about private jets, which is hypothetically one flight, but about micro tours and residences that draw thousands of travelers onto the airways to travel long distances to catch the limited itineraries of their favorite artists. Not sure what an artist can to do if they have limited availability to perform, but that does have a lot more impact compared to what a single person does regarding our carbon footprints. These are not easy decisions. At least the left is willing to consider the impacts.
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mickeyrat
up my ass, like Chadwick was up his Posts: 35,805
should note, the Ky coal museum has been solar powered for a while now....
One year old, US climate law is already turbocharging clean energy technology
By ISABELLA O'MALLEY and MICHAEL PHILLIS
23 Jul 2023
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — On a recent day under the July sun, three men heaved solar panels onto the roof of a roomy, two-story house near the banks of the Kentucky River, a few miles upstream from the state capitol where lawmakers have promoted coal for more than a century.
The U.S. climate law that passed one year ago offers a 30% discount off this installation via a tax credit, and that's helping push clean energy even into places where coal still provides cheap electricity. For Heather Baggett’s family in Frankfort, it was a good deal.
“For us, it's not politically motivated,” said Baggett. “It really came down to financially, it made sense.”
On August 16, after the hottest June ever recorded and a scorching July, America's long-sought response to climate change, the Inflation Reduction Act, turns one year old. In less than a year it has prompted investment in a massive buildout of battery and EV manufacturing across the states. Nearly 80 major clean energy manufacturing facilities have been announced, an investment equal to the previous seven years combined, according to the American Clean Power Association.
“It seems like every week there’s a new factory facility somewhere” being announced, said Jesse Jenkins, a professor at Princeton and leader of the REPEAT Project which has been deeply involved in analysis of the law.
“We’ve been talking about bringing manufacturing jobs back to America for my entire life. We’re finally doing it, right? That’s pretty exciting," he said.
The IRA is America’s most significant response to climate change, after decades of lobbying by oil, gas and coal interests stalled action, while carbon emissions climbed, creating a hotter, more dangerous world. It is designed to spur clean energy buildout on a scale that will bend the arc of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. It also aims to build domestic supply chains to reverse China's and other nations' early domination of this vital sector.
One target of the law is cleaner transportation, the largest source of climate pollution for the U.S. Siemens, one of the biggest tech companies in the world, produces charging stations for EVs. Executives say this alignment of U.S. policy on climate is driving higher demand for batteries.
“When the federal government makes an investment, we get to the tipping point faster,” said Barbara Humpton, CEO of Siemens USA, adding that the company has invested $260 million in battery or battery storage projects in recent years.
The law also encourages more of the type of batteries that feed electricity to the grid when the wind is slack, or at night when the sun isn't hitting solar panels. It could put the storage business on the same upward trajectory that solar blazed a decade ago, said Michael McGowan, head of North American infrastructure private markets for Mercer Alternatives, a consulting firm.
Derrick Flakoll, North America policy associate at Bloomberg NEF, pointed out that sales at the largest manufacturer of solar panels in the U.S., First Solar, skyrocketed after the law passed, creating a big backlog of orders.
“This is years and years of manufacturing capacity that is already booked out because people are bullish about the U.S.-produced solar market,” he said.
The IRA is also helping technologies that are expensive, but promising for near-term decarbonization.
Jason Mortimer is senior vice president of global sales at EH2, which makes large, low-cost electrolyzers — machines that split hydrogen from water. Hydrogen as clean energy is still in its infancy. "The IRA accelerates the implementation of hydrogen at scale by about four to five years,” making the U.S. competitive with Europe, he said.
But these changes, significant as they are, may just be the beginning, experts say.
“I think we’re about to see a quite a flood of investment in wind and solar-related manufacturing in the U.S.,” Jenkins said, adding that 2026 to 2028 is when the country will see the law's full impact.
Other countries, some of them ahead of the U.S. in addressing climate change, have enacted their own further efforts to speed the changeover to clean energy. Canada has announced a matching policy and Europe has its own measures to attract manufacturing, similar to the IRA.
"European and Japanese automakers are trying to think about how to change supply chains in order to try and compete,” said Neil Mehrotra, assistant vice president and policy advisor at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis and contributor to a report about the U.S. law published by the Brookings Institution.
The Congressional Budget Office initially estimated the IRA’s tax credits would cost about $270 billion over a decade, but Brookings says businesses might take advantage of the credits far more aggressively and the federal government could pay out three or four times more.
The law is supposed to reduce the emissions of the U.S. — the country most responsible for greenhouse gases historically — by as much as 41% by 2030, according to a new analysis by Princeton researchers. That's not enough to hit U.S. goals, but is a significant improvement.
But those crucial greenhouse gas cuts are partially at risk if the U.S. electric grid cannot grow enough to connect new wind and solar farms and handle new demands, like mass vehicle charging.
Despite the new investment in red states, not everyone likes it. Republicans recently proposed repealing major elements of the law. And Frankfort resident Jessie Decker, whose neighbor has solar panels, said he wouldn’t consider them, and doesn’t think the federal government should be “wasting money” on dubious climate programs.
Nor does the law mean climate-warming oil and gas are going away.
“Frankly, we are going to be using fossil fuels for many decades to come,” said Fred Eames, a regulatory attorney with the law firm Hunton Andrews Kurth.
Up on Baggett’s roof, Nicholas Hartnett, owner of Pure Power Solar, is pleased that business is up and homeowners are opening up to solar once they see how they can financially benefit.
“You have the environmental side, which handles the left, and then you have the option to use your own tax money that the government would have otherwise taken, which gets the right checked off,” he said.
___
The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP’s environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
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brianlux
Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 40,736
One year old, US climate law is already turbocharging clean energy technology
By ISABELLA O'MALLEY and MICHAEL PHILLIS
23 Jul 2023
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — On a recent day under the July sun, three men heaved solar panels onto the roof of a roomy, two-story house near the banks of the Kentucky River, a few miles upstream from the state capitol where lawmakers have promoted coal for more than a century.
The U.S. climate law that passed one year ago offers a 30% discount off this installation via a tax credit, and that's helping push clean energy even into places where coal still provides cheap electricity. For Heather Baggett’s family in Frankfort, it was a good deal.
“For us, it's not politically motivated,” said Baggett. “It really came down to financially, it made sense.”
On August 16, after the hottest June ever recorded and a scorching July, America's long-sought response to climate change, the Inflation Reduction Act, turns one year old. In less than a year it has prompted investment in a massive buildout of battery and EV manufacturing across the states. Nearly 80 major clean energy manufacturing facilities have been announced, an investment equal to the previous seven years combined, according to the American Clean Power Association.
“It seems like every week there’s a new factory facility somewhere” being announced, said Jesse Jenkins, a professor at Princeton and leader of the REPEAT Project which has been deeply involved in analysis of the law.
“We’ve been talking about bringing manufacturing jobs back to America for my entire life. We’re finally doing it, right? That’s pretty exciting," he said.
The IRA is America’s most significant response to climate change, after decades of lobbying by oil, gas and coal interests stalled action, while carbon emissions climbed, creating a hotter, more dangerous world. It is designed to spur clean energy buildout on a scale that will bend the arc of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. It also aims to build domestic supply chains to reverse China's and other nations' early domination of this vital sector.
One target of the law is cleaner transportation, the largest source of climate pollution for the U.S. Siemens, one of the biggest tech companies in the world, produces charging stations for EVs. Executives say this alignment of U.S. policy on climate is driving higher demand for batteries.
“When the federal government makes an investment, we get to the tipping point faster,” said Barbara Humpton, CEO of Siemens USA, adding that the company has invested $260 million in battery or battery storage projects in recent years.
The law also encourages more of the type of batteries that feed electricity to the grid when the wind is slack, or at night when the sun isn't hitting solar panels. It could put the storage business on the same upward trajectory that solar blazed a decade ago, said Michael McGowan, head of North American infrastructure private markets for Mercer Alternatives, a consulting firm.
Derrick Flakoll, North America policy associate at Bloomberg NEF, pointed out that sales at the largest manufacturer of solar panels in the U.S., First Solar, skyrocketed after the law passed, creating a big backlog of orders.
“This is years and years of manufacturing capacity that is already booked out because people are bullish about the U.S.-produced solar market,” he said.
The IRA is also helping technologies that are expensive, but promising for near-term decarbonization.
Jason Mortimer is senior vice president of global sales at EH2, which makes large, low-cost electrolyzers — machines that split hydrogen from water. Hydrogen as clean energy is still in its infancy. "The IRA accelerates the implementation of hydrogen at scale by about four to five years,” making the U.S. competitive with Europe, he said.
But these changes, significant as they are, may just be the beginning, experts say.
“I think we’re about to see a quite a flood of investment in wind and solar-related manufacturing in the U.S.,” Jenkins said, adding that 2026 to 2028 is when the country will see the law's full impact.
Other countries, some of them ahead of the U.S. in addressing climate change, have enacted their own further efforts to speed the changeover to clean energy. Canada has announced a matching policy and Europe has its own measures to attract manufacturing, similar to the IRA.
"European and Japanese automakers are trying to think about how to change supply chains in order to try and compete,” said Neil Mehrotra, assistant vice president and policy advisor at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis and contributor to a report about the U.S. law published by the Brookings Institution.
The Congressional Budget Office initially estimated the IRA’s tax credits would cost about $270 billion over a decade, but Brookings says businesses might take advantage of the credits far more aggressively and the federal government could pay out three or four times more.
The law is supposed to reduce the emissions of the U.S. — the country most responsible for greenhouse gases historically — by as much as 41% by 2030, according to a new analysis by Princeton researchers. That's not enough to hit U.S. goals, but is a significant improvement.
But those crucial greenhouse gas cuts are partially at risk if the U.S. electric grid cannot grow enough to connect new wind and solar farms and handle new demands, like mass vehicle charging.
Despite the new investment in red states, not everyone likes it. Republicans recently proposed repealing major elements of the law. And Frankfort resident Jessie Decker, whose neighbor has solar panels, said he wouldn’t consider them, and doesn’t think the federal government should be “wasting money” on dubious climate programs.
Nor does the law mean climate-warming oil and gas are going away.
“Frankly, we are going to be using fossil fuels for many decades to come,” said Fred Eames, a regulatory attorney with the law firm Hunton Andrews Kurth.
Up on Baggett’s roof, Nicholas Hartnett, owner of Pure Power Solar, is pleased that business is up and homeowners are opening up to solar once they see how they can financially benefit.
“You have the environmental side, which handles the left, and then you have the option to use your own tax money that the government would have otherwise taken, which gets the right checked off,” he said.
___
The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP’s environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment
That 30% discount helps a lot. Another good idea is to tie the cost of solar panel installation to one mortgage. That way, if someone lives in a house for just a few years, they are more likely to go solar because they only pay during the years they live there and then the payments go to the next owner. If depreciation is worked into the formula, everyone counts out ahead, included the planet!
Of course, the best ultimate goal still is to reduce our energy consumption.
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
How’s this doing? Must be Deathsantis with a straw blowing into the ocean, eh?
In hot water: South Florida ocean tops 100 degrees; could be world record
Excessively hot waters off the coast of South Florida rose to an unfathomable level Monday evening.
A buoy in Manatee Bay, about 40 miles south of Miami, posted a temperature of 101.1 degrees at 6 p.m. after a morning low of 91 degrees. Temperatures remained at or above 100 from 5 p.m. through late evening.
For comparison, the “ideal” temperature of a hot tub is 100 to 102 degrees, according to jacuzzi.com.
The Manatee Bay reading could be unprecedented globally, although there are no official records maintained for ocean temperatures. A study published in 2020proposed that the highest sea surface temperature reliably observed may have been 99.7 degrees in the middle of Kuwait Bay, wrote Jeff Masters, a meteorologist and writer for Yale Climate Connections, in a thread on Twitter.
The temperature at Manatee Bay was measured at shallow levels about five feet below the surface — where waters can easily heat up. Masters tweeted that it’s not clear if the temperature is valid because of “contamination of the measurement by land effects and organic matter in the water.”
However, the Manatee Bay buoy temperature reading was among several extreme values in South Florida’s offshore waters.
To the southwest, a buoy near Johnson Key topped out at 98.4 degrees. The temperature hovered at or above 98 degrees for several hours during the evening.
A majority of buoys in the area reached or surpassed 95 degrees during the day. In fact, the average of the two dozen observation locations in and around Florida Bay was right around 96 degrees during the early evening.
The water temperatures were remarkable for being even higher than air temperatures. Masters explained on Twitter that “sunlit shallow water surrounded by dark land can have [a sea surface temperature] that exceeds the air temperature.”
Extremely warm waters linked to record-setting heat over South Florida
The extreme ocean heat comes amid Florida’s hottest July on record. Miami, Key West, Naples, Tampa and many other cities are seeing their toastiest July. Most of South Florida is also experiencing its hottest year on record thus far, according to data compiled by the Southeast Regional Climate Center.
Miami has reached at least 90 degrees on 64 days, while Fort Myers and Key West have done so on 97 and 46 days, respectively, all of which are year-to-date records.
The heat index in Miami, taking into account humidity as well as air temperature, has reached at least 100 degrees on a record 44 straight days.
Meanwhile, overnight low temperatures have averaged 80 to 83 degrees over the past several weeks in these areas — allowing ocean temperatures to remain extremely warm.
Scorching waters off South Florida are only one of several regions in the Northern Hemisphere experiencing a marine heat wave, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Coral Reef Watch, which monitors ocean temperatures around the planet.
The abnormally warm waters surrounding South Florida and the Florida Keys are already damaging coral reefs, according to scientists.
The Coral Restoration Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Key Largo that works to preserve and restore corals, wrote that the historically high water temperatures are creating “a severe and urgent crisis,” in a news releaselate last week.
On Thursday, scientists at the foundation visited Sombrero Reef, which is south of Marathon in the Florida Keys, to assess its health.
“What we found was unimaginable — 100% coral mortality,” said Phanor Montoya-Maya, the restoration program manager at the foundation, in the release. “We have also lost almost all the corals in the Looe Key Nursery in the Lower Keys.”
The foundation said the situation “underscores the urgency of addressing climate change.”
Scientists detect sign that a crucial ocean current is near collapse
The Atlantic Ocean’s sensitive circulation system has become slower and less resilient, according to a new analysis of 150 years of temperature data — raising the possibility that this crucial element of the climate system could collapse within the next few decades.
Scientists have long seen the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC, as one of the planet’s most vulnerable “tipping elements” — meaning the system could undergo an abrupt and irreversible change, with dramatic consequences for the rest of the globe. Under Earth’s current climate, this aquatic conveyor belt transports warm, salty water from the tropics to the North Atlantic, and then sends colder water back south along the ocean floor. But as rising global temperatures melt Arctic ice, the resulting influx of cold freshwater has thrown a wrench in the system — and could shut it down entirely.
The study published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communicationssuggests that continued warming will push the AMOC over its “tipping point” around the middle of this century. The shift would be as abrupt and irreversible as turning off a light switch, and it could lead to dramatic changes in weather on either side of the Atlantic.
“This is a really worrying result,” said Peter Ditlevsen, a climate physicist at the University of Copenhagen and lead author of the new study. “This is really showing we need a hard foot on the brake” of greenhouse gas emissions.
Ditlevsen’s analysis is at odds with the most recent report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which drew on multiple climate models and concluded with “medium confidence” that the AMOC will not fully collapse this century.
Other experts on the AMOC also cautioned that because the new study doesn’t present new observations of the entire ocean system — instead, it is extrapolating about the future based on past data from a limited region of the Atlantic — its conclusions should be taken with a grain of salt.
The qualitative statement that AMOC has been losing stability in the last century remains true even taking all uncertainties into account,” said Niklas Boers, a scientist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany. “But the uncertainties are too high for a reliable estimate of the time of AMOC tipping.”
The study adds to a growing body of evidence that this crucial ocean system is in peril. Since 2004, observations from a network of ocean buoys has shown the AMOC getting weaker — though the limited time frame of that data set makes it hard to establish a trend. Scientists have also analyzed multiple “proxy” indicators of the current’s strength, including microscopic organisms and tiny sediments from the seafloor, to show the system is in its weakest state in more than 1,000 years.
For their analysis, Peter Ditlevsen and his colleague Susanne Ditlevsen (who is Peter’s sister) examined records of sea surface temperatures going back to 1870. In recent years, they found, temperatures in the northernmost waters of the Atlantic have undergone bigger fluctuations and taken longer to return to normal. These are “early warning signals” that the AMOC is becoming critically unstable, the scientists said — like the increasingly wild wobbles before a tower of Jenga blocks starts to fall.
Susanne Ditlevsen, a statistician at the University of Copenhagen, then developed an advanced mathematical model to predict how much more wobbling the AMOC system can handle. The results suggest that the AMOC could collapse any time between now and 2095, and as early as 2025, the authors said.
The consequences would not be nearly as dire as they appear in the 2004 sci-fi film “The Day After Tomorrow,” in which a sudden shutdown of the current causes a flash freeze across the Northern Hemisphere. But it could lead to a drop in temperatures in northern Europe and elevated warming in the tropics, as well as stronger storms on the East Coast of North America, Peter Ditlevsen said.
Marilena Oltmanns, an oceanographer at the National Oceanography Center in Britain, noted in a statement that the temperatures in the North Atlantic are “only one part of a highly complex, dynamical system.” Though her own research on marine physics supports the Ditlevsens’ conclusion that this particular region could reach a tipping point this century, she is wary of linking that transition to a full-scale change in Atlantic Ocean circulation.
Yet the dangers of even a partial AMOC shutdown mean any indicators of instability are worth investigating, said Stefan Rahmstorf, another oceanographer at the Potsdam Institute who was not involved in the new study.
“As always in science, a single study provides limited evidence, but when multiple approaches lead to similar conclusions this must be taken very seriously,” he said. “The scientific evidence now is that we can’t even rule out crossing a tipping point already in the next decade or two.”
Comments
Here’s an interesting story, basically a summer of record breaking heat. With an election cycle upcoming, it’ll be interesting to see what they use to confuse the public this time…
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-66229065
“The average global ocean temperature has smashed records for May, June and July. It is approaching the highest sea surface temperature ever recorded, which was in 2016.
But it is extreme heat in the North Atlantic ocean that is particularly alarming scientists.
"We've never ever had a marine heatwave in this part of Atlantic. I had not expected this," says Daniela Schmidt, Prof of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol.
In June temperatures off the west coast of Ireland were between 4C and 5C above average, which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration classified as a category 5 heatwave, or "beyond extreme".
I’ll keep doing what I can by eating less meat, driving less, using less plastic and recycling more, taking public transportation, walking or biking, etc. but all in all, it feels like I’m pissing in the wind, particularly when one major political party and their voters refuse to believe it’s human caused and they think the solution is “burn baby burn.” We need and will get a great “re-set.”
Great book from the title of this CNN article. I encourage people to read it as the earth is capable of healing itself but only if there’s a lot less of us around and consuming.
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/haunting-images-of-abandoned-sites-overrun-by-nature/index.html
Libtardaplorable©. And proud of it.
Brilliantati©
The book looks to be only in French, yes? Je ne parle pas français!
Libtardaplorable©. And proud of it.
Brilliantati©
OoooooooooK, got it! I thought you were recommending the Romain Vellion book, Green Urbex: The World Without Us, but you were referring to Alan Weisman's marvelous book titled (more simply) The World Without us. Yes, terrific book! I can't recommend it enough everyone- great read!
Libtardaplorable©. And proud of it.
Brilliantati©
It is so hot in Maricopa County, Arizona, that people are being brought into the emergency room with significant, sometimes life-threatening burns. For the past three or four weeks of this record heatwave, people have been burned just by falling on the ground.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/24/health/arizona-heat-burns-er/index.html
The tragedy of this all, is that it's now been literally decades since we've warned that this was imminent but as humans, we individuals seem to keep our blinders on when it comes to big problems, and to wait until 'too late'. On the government side, those entities who are meant to take the lead on tackling the big societal problems, have stood by idly - because what's their incentive to working on it? One country can't fix the problem, so if they work harder than other regional governments, they're accused of over-investing in the future and/or 'not caring about the problems of today'. These opinions are weaponized by political opponents, all but assuring that little is done. The incentives simply aren't aligned, and this leads me to complete faithlessness that anything can change while the problem is still reversible - assuming that's even the case anymore.
EV
Toronto Film Festival 9/11/2007, '08 - Toronto 1 & 2, '09 - Albany 1, '11 - Chicago 1
We then came back to Tucson in 2003. I would sometimes drive to Phoenix and Tempe and Mesa had filled out. Like really filled out. They made loops through these cities for traffic to get around. Massive malls. The amount of new hoses from 98 was astounding.
2008. Market crashing and we have a job in Casa Grande. It's the middle of Tucson and Phoenix. It had a population of maybe 10k when we passed through years ago.
Driving to Casa Grande from Phoenix and I ask my PM what town we are looking at as there are tons of new construction housing. Thousands of new houses.
He tells me "Casa Grande"
I say no. Casa Grande is a little hole in the wall town. That is not Casa Grande.
Well F me because it was. They started to build out there. The town ballooned to over 50,000 in population. They built so fast that the didn't compact the old farm lands for foundations so they had to make post tensioned foundations that wouldn't shift and sink.
Tucson started a big boom too and built up all along the freeway North and now is almost to Picacho Peak. Phoenix and Tucson will touch before my life ends. It's about an hour drive between the two when there weren't so many houses. Just open space and now it's all creeping in together.
The area below Mt Lemon in Tucson was, or used to be, resorts and 5 star hotels. It was a getaway. Beautiful pristine desert where the Javolinas ran around at night. Now it's all houses.
In 2008 we were allowed to build a prison only because they developed a way to save water. They recycled the gray water and used it for the toilets.
So in my span of of 10 years I witnessed the desert grow exponentially and it's still growing.
This isn't news to me as it's always been hot there.
Only place hotter that I've been to was Iraq.
The Mountains have been getting record snowfalls year after year. I would expect that to be stored somewhere too.
Now I havent seen Lake Mead or Hoover in a while. I wonder if those two ever filled up?
https://mead.uslakes.info/level.asp
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
The water levels have gone up. That's good.
Echo bay is another place that I used to go to that had house rental boats that aren't usable because of the water levels.
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what makes this more painful, is these aren’t hidden people, they are our family members, friends, coworkers, etc, and they just do not agree that earth can be or needs to be saved. They make jokes about cows destroying the planet, and think it’s absurd to consider eating less beef.
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How much of a carbon footprint did this trip to Italy and Greece leave? We should all stop traveling for vacation. Can you even fathom how much this could save Earth if everyone stopped lavishly traveling the world?
On second thought, we should just keep giving money to the government because they always have our best interest at heart....
I (and others here, I'm sure) share your frustration. It seems futile to say this, but we really do need to keep trying. And every person we can persuade to help also makes a difference. I'm trying hard to be more persuasive and less berating.
I used to ride private planes. Now I’d rather get arrested protesting them
Our planet faces ecological catastrophe. Private flights are untenable and morally indefensible
The truth is I am terrified of the future of our climate, and I believe that non-violent civil disobedience is the best way to create transformative change. I have covered disruptive protest and social issues in my films, and supported movements through philanthropy. So, at 63, I decided it was time for me to stand in protest with other activists, to put my body on the line.
My father owned a 737 with a queen-sized bed. I loved that thing so much. I loved the men and women who flew the plane and took care of the plane, people I’d known since childhood.
It all seemed so benign, and when something makes your life so seamless that you barely notice what you are doing, it can be difficult to acknowledge the problems you are causing, especially when those problems are impersonal and remote.
But one day, flying all alone from California to New York, I had an epiphany. My comfort and convenience suddenly seemed like ridiculously small issues when held up against the climate freight-train that is barreling down the tracks at us.
Our planet is wrapped in a blanket of pollution so thick and unforgiving that it is becoming unlivable. While my one flight across the country was not enough to cause this on its own, I was still contributing to a catastrophic collective consequence that everyone else on Earth is already paying for.
The life of a wealthy person burns up a lot of carbon – through superyachts, frequent travel on private jets and helicopters, and multiple enormous homes. According to Oxfam, billionaires emit a million times more greenhouse gases than the average person.
This is not an accusation. My father was a good and decent man, and so are most of the people who own private planes. But we are facing an active emergency, and decency is worthless when unaccompanied by meaningful action, including a vigorous inquiry into the consequences of our personal choices and preferences. And niceness is a hollow virtue if we do not lift a finger to keep our children and grandchildren safe.
It is a rich irony that most of the focus on behavior change in the face of climate change centers around the small changes working-class Americans should make, from giving up plastic straws to paying exorbitant gas taxes, to recycling and composting.
But what have we asked of the wealthy? If just a handful of very wealthy people were to change just a handful of their behaviors, they could make more of a difference in one trip than millions of working-class people can in their lifetimes. Just a four-hour flight on a private jet will burn as much carbon as the average person does in a year.
Yes, the people who own private jets make up a small sliver of the population. It’s tempting to think it’s not a significant enough number to make a difference. But the number of private planes only grows. Since the beginning of the pandemic, private jet use has jumped an astonishing 23%. Some 5.3m private jet flights occurred in 2022 alone, with the total expected to jump again in 2023.
First principles matter. My own first principle is to do no harm. In an enormously complicated world, this can be difficult. But more often, the answer has been right in front of you all along.
I will continue to try to make up for the willful ignorance I deployed when I enjoyed my father’s plane, through my philanthropy and activism, but that will never be enough. Carbon offsets and more efficient fuels are nice, but at best get us to break even. We need more. A lot more.
I hope other wealthy people will join me in ditching their planes. A tiny sliver of the population could decide right now to make a difference by making a series of relatively small sacrifices. (Have you checked out first class lately? It’s pretty posh!) If it means averting catastrophe and making the thriving of your children and grandchildren possible, isn’t that the least you can do?
And if you are really ready to dive in, come join me at the next protest.
This article was amended on 21 July 2023 to remove text stating that “50% of aviation carbon emissions are caused by private flights”, which was based on a misreading of a different statistic.
I haven’t been on a plane in five years, but when I do go on vacation, it’s usually a 4-5 hour drive. That uses petrol. Should we not take vacations anymore? Is there an alternative?
What there is an alternative for is fossil fuels. That’s an easy fix. Wouldn’t it make a lot more sense for the US and all major countries to invest as much money as possible in renewables and get rid of coal asap? Wouldn’t that be far more beneficial than calling out folks for taking vacations and by extension bands for scheduling micro tours which drive up a much higher carbon footprint?
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — On a recent day under the July sun, three men heaved solar panels onto the roof of a roomy, two-story house near the banks of the Kentucky River, a few miles upstream from the state capitol where lawmakers have promoted coal for more than a century.
The U.S. climate law that passed one year ago offers a 30% discount off this installation via a tax credit, and that's helping push clean energy even into places where coal still provides cheap electricity. For Heather Baggett’s family in Frankfort, it was a good deal.
“For us, it's not politically motivated,” said Baggett. “It really came down to financially, it made sense.”
On August 16, after the hottest June ever recorded and a scorching July, America's long-sought response to climate change, the Inflation Reduction Act, turns one year old. In less than a year it has prompted investment in a massive buildout of battery and EV manufacturing across the states. Nearly 80 major clean energy manufacturing facilities have been announced, an investment equal to the previous seven years combined, according to the American Clean Power Association.
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“It seems like every week there’s a new factory facility somewhere” being announced, said Jesse Jenkins, a professor at Princeton and leader of the REPEAT Project which has been deeply involved in analysis of the law.
“We’ve been talking about bringing manufacturing jobs back to America for my entire life. We’re finally doing it, right? That’s pretty exciting," he said.
The IRA is America’s most significant response to climate change, after decades of lobbying by oil, gas and coal interests stalled action, while carbon emissions climbed, creating a hotter, more dangerous world. It is designed to spur clean energy buildout on a scale that will bend the arc of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. It also aims to build domestic supply chains to reverse China's and other nations' early domination of this vital sector.
One target of the law is cleaner transportation, the largest source of climate pollution for the U.S. Siemens, one of the biggest tech companies in the world, produces charging stations for EVs. Executives say this alignment of U.S. policy on climate is driving higher demand for batteries.
“When the federal government makes an investment, we get to the tipping point faster,” said Barbara Humpton, CEO of Siemens USA, adding that the company has invested $260 million in battery or battery storage projects in recent years.
The law also encourages more of the type of batteries that feed electricity to the grid when the wind is slack, or at night when the sun isn't hitting solar panels. It could put the storage business on the same upward trajectory that solar blazed a decade ago, said Michael McGowan, head of North American infrastructure private markets for Mercer Alternatives, a consulting firm.
Derrick Flakoll, North America policy associate at Bloomberg NEF, pointed out that sales at the largest manufacturer of solar panels in the U.S., First Solar, skyrocketed after the law passed, creating a big backlog of orders.
“This is years and years of manufacturing capacity that is already booked out because people are bullish about the U.S.-produced solar market,” he said.
The IRA is also helping technologies that are expensive, but promising for near-term decarbonization.
Jason Mortimer is senior vice president of global sales at EH2, which makes large, low-cost electrolyzers — machines that split hydrogen from water. Hydrogen as clean energy is still in its infancy. "The IRA accelerates the implementation of hydrogen at scale by about four to five years,” making the U.S. competitive with Europe, he said.
But these changes, significant as they are, may just be the beginning, experts say.
“I think we’re about to see a quite a flood of investment in wind and solar-related manufacturing in the U.S.,” Jenkins said, adding that 2026 to 2028 is when the country will see the law's full impact.
Other countries, some of them ahead of the U.S. in addressing climate change, have enacted their own further efforts to speed the changeover to clean energy. Canada has announced a matching policy and Europe has its own measures to attract manufacturing, similar to the IRA.
"European and Japanese automakers are trying to think about how to change supply chains in order to try and compete,” said Neil Mehrotra, assistant vice president and policy advisor at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis and contributor to a report about the U.S. law published by the Brookings Institution.
The Congressional Budget Office initially estimated the IRA’s tax credits would cost about $270 billion over a decade, but Brookings says businesses might take advantage of the credits far more aggressively and the federal government could pay out three or four times more.
The law is supposed to reduce the emissions of the U.S. — the country most responsible for greenhouse gases historically — by as much as 41% by 2030, according to a new analysis by Princeton researchers. That's not enough to hit U.S. goals, but is a significant improvement.
But those crucial greenhouse gas cuts are partially at risk if the U.S. electric grid cannot grow enough to connect new wind and solar farms and handle new demands, like mass vehicle charging.
Despite the new investment in red states, not everyone likes it. Republicans recently proposed repealing major elements of the law. And Frankfort resident Jessie Decker, whose neighbor has solar panels, said he wouldn’t consider them, and doesn’t think the federal government should be “wasting money” on dubious climate programs.
Nor does the law mean climate-warming oil and gas are going away.
“Frankly, we are going to be using fossil fuels for many decades to come,” said Fred Eames, a regulatory attorney with the law firm Hunton Andrews Kurth.
Up on Baggett’s roof, Nicholas Hartnett, owner of Pure Power Solar, is pleased that business is up and homeowners are opening up to solar once they see how they can financially benefit.
“You have the environmental side, which handles the left, and then you have the option to use your own tax money that the government would have otherwise taken, which gets the right checked off,” he said.
___
The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP’s environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
In hot water: South Florida ocean tops 100 degrees; could be world record
Excessively hot waters off the coast of South Florida rose to an unfathomable level Monday evening.
A buoy in Manatee Bay, about 40 miles south of Miami, posted a temperature of 101.1 degrees at 6 p.m. after a morning low of 91 degrees. Temperatures remained at or above 100 from 5 p.m. through late evening.
For comparison, the “ideal” temperature of a hot tub is 100 to 102 degrees, according to jacuzzi.com.
The Manatee Bay reading could be unprecedented globally, although there are no official records maintained for ocean temperatures. A study published in 2020proposed that the highest sea surface temperature reliably observed may have been 99.7 degrees in the middle of Kuwait Bay, wrote Jeff Masters, a meteorologist and writer for Yale Climate Connections, in a thread on Twitter.
Why a sudden surge of broken heat records is scaring scientists
The temperature at Manatee Bay was measured at shallow levels about five feet below the surface — where waters can easily heat up. Masters tweeted that it’s not clear if the temperature is valid because of “contamination of the measurement by land effects and organic matter in the water.”
However, the Manatee Bay buoy temperature reading was among several extreme values in South Florida’s offshore waters.
To the southwest, a buoy near Johnson Key topped out at 98.4 degrees. The temperature hovered at or above 98 degrees for several hours during the evening.
A majority of buoys in the area reached or surpassed 95 degrees during the day. In fact, the average of the two dozen observation locations in and around Florida Bay was right around 96 degrees during the early evening.
The water temperatures were remarkable for being even higher than air temperatures. Masters explained on Twitter that “sunlit shallow water surrounded by dark land can have [a sea surface temperature] that exceeds the air temperature.”
Extremely warm waters linked to record-setting heat over South Florida
The extreme ocean heat comes amid Florida’s hottest July on record. Miami, Key West, Naples, Tampa and many other cities are seeing their toastiest July. Most of South Florida is also experiencing its hottest year on record thus far, according to data compiled by the Southeast Regional Climate Center.
Miami has reached at least 90 degrees on 64 days, while Fort Myers and Key West have done so on 97 and 46 days, respectively, all of which are year-to-date records.
The heat index in Miami, taking into account humidity as well as air temperature, has reached at least 100 degrees on a record 44 straight days.
Record-crushing heat is blasting Florida, with no clear end
Meanwhile, overnight low temperatures have averaged 80 to 83 degrees over the past several weeks in these areas — allowing ocean temperatures to remain extremely warm.
Scorching waters off South Florida are only one of several regions in the Northern Hemisphere experiencing a marine heat wave, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Coral Reef Watch, which monitors ocean temperatures around the planet.
Other ocean hot spots include the Mediterranean Sea, which reached its hottest level on record Monday, averaging 83.1 degrees; the waters west of Peru; and the North Atlantic Ocean, where water temperatures are off the charts.
Damaging coral reefs
The abnormally warm waters surrounding South Florida and the Florida Keys are already damaging coral reefs, according to scientists.
The Coral Restoration Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Key Largo that works to preserve and restore corals, wrote that the historically high water temperatures are creating “a severe and urgent crisis,” in a news releaselate last week.
On Thursday, scientists at the foundation visited Sombrero Reef, which is south of Marathon in the Florida Keys, to assess its health.
“What we found was unimaginable — 100% coral mortality,” said Phanor Montoya-Maya, the restoration program manager at the foundation, in the release. “We have also lost almost all the corals in the Looe Key Nursery in the Lower Keys.”
The foundation said the situation “underscores the urgency of addressing climate change.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2023/07/25/florida-record-warm-ocean-climate/
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Scientists detect sign that a crucial ocean current is near collapse
Scientists have long seen the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC, as one of the planet’s most vulnerable “tipping elements” — meaning the system could undergo an abrupt and irreversible change, with dramatic consequences for the rest of the globe. Under Earth’s current climate, this aquatic conveyor belt transports warm, salty water from the tropics to the North Atlantic, and then sends colder water back south along the ocean floor. But as rising global temperatures melt Arctic ice, the resulting influx of cold freshwater has thrown a wrench in the system — and could shut it down entirely.
The study published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communicationssuggests that continued warming will push the AMOC over its “tipping point” around the middle of this century. The shift would be as abrupt and irreversible as turning off a light switch, and it could lead to dramatic changes in weather on either side of the Atlantic.
“This is a really worrying result,” said Peter Ditlevsen, a climate physicist at the University of Copenhagen and lead author of the new study. “This is really showing we need a hard foot on the brake” of greenhouse gas emissions.
Ditlevsen’s analysis is at odds with the most recent report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which drew on multiple climate models and concluded with “medium confidence” that the AMOC will not fully collapse this century.
Other experts on the AMOC also cautioned that because the new study doesn’t present new observations of the entire ocean system — instead, it is extrapolating about the future based on past data from a limited region of the Atlantic — its conclusions should be taken with a grain of salt.
The qualitative statement that AMOC has been losing stability in the last century remains true even taking all uncertainties into account,” said Niklas Boers, a scientist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany. “But the uncertainties are too high for a reliable estimate of the time of AMOC tipping.”
The study adds to a growing body of evidence that this crucial ocean system is in peril. Since 2004, observations from a network of ocean buoys has shown the AMOC getting weaker — though the limited time frame of that data set makes it hard to establish a trend. Scientists have also analyzed multiple “proxy” indicators of the current’s strength, including microscopic organisms and tiny sediments from the seafloor, to show the system is in its weakest state in more than 1,000 years.
For their analysis, Peter Ditlevsen and his colleague Susanne Ditlevsen (who is Peter’s sister) examined records of sea surface temperatures going back to 1870. In recent years, they found, temperatures in the northernmost waters of the Atlantic have undergone bigger fluctuations and taken longer to return to normal. These are “early warning signals” that the AMOC is becoming critically unstable, the scientists said — like the increasingly wild wobbles before a tower of Jenga blocks starts to fall.
Susanne Ditlevsen, a statistician at the University of Copenhagen, then developed an advanced mathematical model to predict how much more wobbling the AMOC system can handle. The results suggest that the AMOC could collapse any time between now and 2095, and as early as 2025, the authors said.
The consequences would not be nearly as dire as they appear in the 2004 sci-fi film “The Day After Tomorrow,” in which a sudden shutdown of the current causes a flash freeze across the Northern Hemisphere. But it could lead to a drop in temperatures in northern Europe and elevated warming in the tropics, as well as stronger storms on the East Coast of North America, Peter Ditlevsen said.
Marilena Oltmanns, an oceanographer at the National Oceanography Center in Britain, noted in a statement that the temperatures in the North Atlantic are “only one part of a highly complex, dynamical system.” Though her own research on marine physics supports the Ditlevsens’ conclusion that this particular region could reach a tipping point this century, she is wary of linking that transition to a full-scale change in Atlantic Ocean circulation.
Yet the dangers of even a partial AMOC shutdown mean any indicators of instability are worth investigating, said Stefan Rahmstorf, another oceanographer at the Potsdam Institute who was not involved in the new study.
“As always in science, a single study provides limited evidence, but when multiple approaches lead to similar conclusions this must be taken very seriously,” he said. “The scientific evidence now is that we can’t even rule out crossing a tipping point already in the next decade or two.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/07/25/atlantic-ocean-amoc-climate-change/
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