I'm reading this excellent book by Wes Jackson called Becoming Native to This Place, and one of the themes in the book is promoting the idea that colleges and universities focus more energy on doing something to solve problems. 30 years later, most colleges still just talk about the problems or, even less productive, buy into the upward mobility/ consumer culture viewpoint.
So I'm always glad to see college/university students who are focusing some of their attention on more sustainable solutions.
But I say this with some reservations. I think a carbon negative automobile (if it can be made safe- the link does mention this is a prototype and no, the plastic body is not safe) would be a small step forward, but not the ultimate solution. Personally, I believe the larger step forward and ultimate answer is an eventual mass-reduction in personal transportation vehicles. I still do not believe that in a world of 8+ billion people that everyone can have their own car and not impact the planet in a way that overly consumes resources and energy. We have to consider here that everyone having their own car, no matter how "sustainable" it is touted to be, still requires huge amounts of resources, energy, and water to produce. In a world with a stable population a small fraction of what it is, I think these guys would be on to a major solution. In a world of 8 billion plus people, I think it will fall short.
"Pretty cookies, heart squares all around, yeah!" -Eddie Vedder, "Smile"
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
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
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
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
Deep in the Canadian Arctic, scientists and entrepreneurs brave sub-zero temperatures, whipping winds and snowstorms to drill holes through the sea ice to pump out the seawater below and freeze it on the surface.
The group from the UK start-up Real Ice is in Cambridge Bay, a tiny coastal village in Nunavut, to try to prove they can grow and restore Arctic sea ice.
Their ultimate plan is to thicken ice over more than 386,000 square miles of the Arctic — an area more than twice the size of California — with the aim of slowing down or even reversing summer ice loss and, in doing so, help to tackle the human-caused climate crisis.
Some Arctic scientists and experts have criticized Real Ice’s methods as unproven at scale, ecologically risky and a distraction from tackling the root cause of climate change: fossil fuels.
But the company says its project is inspired by natural processes and offers a last chance to protect a disappearing ecosystem as the world fails to act swiftly on climate change.
Arctic sea ice is shrinking as humans continue to heat up the world by burning fossil fuels. Since the mid-1980s, the amount of thick, multi-year ice has shrunk by 95%. The ice that remains is young and thin. Some scientists predict the Arctic could have an ice-free summer as early as the 2030s.
The loss of sea ice is a global problem. Its bright white surface reflects the sun’s energy back into space, cooling the planet. When it melts, the darker ocean exposed beneath is able to absorb more of the sun’s rays. It’s a doom loop — global warming melts the ice and melting ice supercharges global warming.
Real Ice’s plan for protecting this icy ocean landscape involves inserting electric-powered, submersible pumps under sea ice to pump seawater onto the surface. The water freezes as it pools across the ice like a huge puddle, creating an extra layer of ice.
The process also removes snow from the top of the ice, stripping it of an insulating layer and triggering extra growth on the underside of the sea ice, said Andrea Ceccolini, co-CEO of Real Ice.
The startup has been conducting field tests in the Arctic for almost two years. The first were in Alaska last year, mostly to check that the equipment worked and could stand up to the brutal cold.
The group started tests in Cambridge Bay in Canada in January this year. They covered around 44,000 square feet of ice and added an average of 20 inches of additional thickness between January and May compared to the control area, Ceccolini said.
A new round of tests in Cambridge Bay began in November and they have so far covered 430,000 square feet. In the first 10 days of the trial, the ice was already 4 inches thicker in the places they were testing, said Ceccolini.
They will return in the new year and again in May to measure how much ice has been created. Based on previous results, they expect between around 16 to 31 inches of ice gain, Ceccolini said.
“It is early days,” said Shaun Fitzgerald, director of the Centre for Climate Repair at the University of Cambridge, which has been working with Real Ice on the trials. But early results have been encouraging, he told CNN. “I am optimistic, but we need more experiments and more data.”
The ultimate plan is to automate the process using underwater drones, each about 6.5 feet long and powered by green hydrogen. These will melt holes in the ice from below using heated drills.
Ceccolini estimates around 500,000 drones would be used at full scale, and would be deployed carefully to avoid animal migration paths or shipping lanes, he said.
If all goes to plan, he expects they can scale up within eight to 10 years.
won’t be cheap. Real Ice estimates the cost to be between $5 billion and $6 billion a year to thicken ice over 386,000 square miles, an area it believes is large enough “to be effective in slowing down and even reversing the losses of summer sea ice in the Arctic,” Ceccolini said.
Real Ice is mostly self funded with some money from investors. Eventually, they see a global fund or governments stepping in to pay. They also envision selling “cooling credits,” where polluters pay toward ice refreezing in order to “offset” their own pollution.
It’s a compelling vision but many scientists remain doubtful it could work at scale.
‘Extremely questionable’
The science is sound, said Jennifer Francis, a senior scientist at Woodwell Climate Research Center, “ice will be made measurably thicker and brighter in local areas surrounding the pumps.” But a big question, she told CNN, is whether enough sea ice can be grown over a long enough period to make any difference to the climate crisis. “I have serious doubts,” she said.
The scalability of Real Ice’s solution is “extremely questionable,” said Liz Bagshaw, associate professor in polar environmental change at the University of Bristol. She also warned of potentially wide-ranging ecological impacts on a vulnerable region. “Such interventions are morally dubious at best, and at worst, ethically irresponsible,” she told CNN.
Dozens of scientists expressed concerns in a recent report about polar geoengineering projects, including ice thickening. They warned of “the possibility of grave unforeseen consequences,” including the environmental impact of “an unprecedented level of human presence” in the Arctic.
Ceccolnini does not deny the project could cause changes to the marine environment – for example, they are looking at algae growth that can be affected by ice thickness – but believes overall impacts will be limited.
The project’s future depends on whether they can prove ice thickening is effective and that it creates no significant side effects, he said.
“Everything we do has an impact,” Ceccolini said. “The problem is there is a much more dramatic impact in just letting things go on like this.”
"Oh Canada...you're beautiful when you're drunk" -EV 8/14/93
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
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
Deep in the Canadian Arctic, scientists and entrepreneurs brave sub-zero temperatures, whipping winds and snowstorms to drill holes through the sea ice to pump out the seawater below and freeze it on the surface.
The group from the UK start-up Real Ice is in Cambridge Bay, a tiny coastal village in Nunavut, to try to prove they can grow and restore Arctic sea ice.
Their ultimate plan is to thicken ice over more than 386,000 square miles of the Arctic — an area more than twice the size of California — with the aim of slowing down or even reversing summer ice loss and, in doing so, help to tackle the human-caused climate crisis.
Some Arctic scientists and experts have criticized Real Ice’s methods as unproven at scale, ecologically risky and a distraction from tackling the root cause of climate change: fossil fuels.
But the company says its project is inspired by natural processes and offers a last chance to protect a disappearing ecosystem as the world fails to act swiftly on climate change.
Arctic sea ice is shrinking as humans continue to heat up the world by burning fossil fuels. Since the mid-1980s, the amount of thick, multi-year ice has shrunk by 95%. The ice that remains is young and thin. Some scientists predict the Arctic could have an ice-free summer as early as the 2030s.
The loss of sea ice is a global problem. Its bright white surface reflects the sun’s energy back into space, cooling the planet. When it melts, the darker ocean exposed beneath is able to absorb more of the sun’s rays. It’s a doom loop — global warming melts the ice and melting ice supercharges global warming.
Real Ice’s plan for protecting this icy ocean landscape involves inserting electric-powered, submersible pumps under sea ice to pump seawater onto the surface. The water freezes as it pools across the ice like a huge puddle, creating an extra layer of ice.
The process also removes snow from the top of the ice, stripping it of an insulating layer and triggering extra growth on the underside of the sea ice, said Andrea Ceccolini, co-CEO of Real Ice.
The startup has been conducting field tests in the Arctic for almost two years. The first were in Alaska last year, mostly to check that the equipment worked and could stand up to the brutal cold.
The group started tests in Cambridge Bay in Canada in January this year. They covered around 44,000 square feet of ice and added an average of 20 inches of additional thickness between January and May compared to the control area, Ceccolini said.
A new round of tests in Cambridge Bay began in November and they have so far covered 430,000 square feet. In the first 10 days of the trial, the ice was already 4 inches thicker in the places they were testing, said Ceccolini.
They will return in the new year and again in May to measure how much ice has been created. Based on previous results, they expect between around 16 to 31 inches of ice gain, Ceccolini said.
“It is early days,” said Shaun Fitzgerald, director of the Centre for Climate Repair at the University of Cambridge, which has been working with Real Ice on the trials. But early results have been encouraging, he told CNN. “I am optimistic, but we need more experiments and more data.”
The ultimate plan is to automate the process using underwater drones, each about 6.5 feet long and powered by green hydrogen. These will melt holes in the ice from below using heated drills.
Ceccolini estimates around 500,000 drones would be used at full scale, and would be deployed carefully to avoid animal migration paths or shipping lanes, he said.
If all goes to plan, he expects they can scale up within eight to 10 years.
won’t be cheap. Real Ice estimates the cost to be between $5 billion and $6 billion a year to thicken ice over 386,000 square miles, an area it believes is large enough “to be effective in slowing down and even reversing the losses of summer sea ice in the Arctic,” Ceccolini said.
Real Ice is mostly self funded with some money from investors. Eventually, they see a global fund or governments stepping in to pay. They also envision selling “cooling credits,” where polluters pay toward ice refreezing in order to “offset” their own pollution.
It’s a compelling vision but many scientists remain doubtful it could work at scale.
‘Extremely questionable’
The science is sound, said Jennifer Francis, a senior scientist at Woodwell Climate Research Center, “ice will be made measurably thicker and brighter in local areas surrounding the pumps.” But a big question, she told CNN, is whether enough sea ice can be grown over a long enough period to make any difference to the climate crisis. “I have serious doubts,” she said.
The scalability of Real Ice’s solution is “extremely questionable,” said Liz Bagshaw, associate professor in polar environmental change at the University of Bristol. She also warned of potentially wide-ranging ecological impacts on a vulnerable region. “Such interventions are morally dubious at best, and at worst, ethically irresponsible,” she told CNN.
Dozens of scientists expressed concerns in a recent report about polar geoengineering projects, including ice thickening. They warned of “the possibility of grave unforeseen consequences,” including the environmental impact of “an unprecedented level of human presence” in the Arctic.
Ceccolnini does not deny the project could cause changes to the marine environment – for example, they are looking at algae growth that can be affected by ice thickness – but believes overall impacts will be limited.
The project’s future depends on whether they can prove ice thickening is effective and that it creates no significant side effects, he said.
“Everything we do has an impact,” Ceccolini said. “The problem is there is a much more dramatic impact in just letting things go on like this.”
The whole thing sounds very iffy to me.
But here's the thing- climate change in here and it's in a feedback loop that's being exacerbated by welting permafrost which releases methane gas which pushes climate change, and around and around we go. So what the hell? There's not much to lose at this point and maybe this crazy idea of pumping sea ice to the surface where it will freeze might work. At least someone is doing something besides yet another fucking study.
Thanks for posting that article, bud!
"Pretty cookies, heart squares all around, yeah!" -Eddie Vedder, "Smile"
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
0
brianlux
Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 42,522
how about that. you know theres loads of opportunity for solar on existing/new structures. Roofing, windows, office parking lot carports etc without the need to take up vast swaths of vacant land/habitat....
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
huh. among other uses...... we can reduce reliance on trees for building applications. leaving forests to expand, absobing more co2 , releasing more oxygen.
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
by Al Shaw, Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica, and Jeremy W. Goldsmith, Special to ProPublica, September 15, 2020.
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published.
According to new data from the Rhodium Group analyzed by ProPublica and The New York Times Magazine, warming temperatures and changing rainfall will drive agriculture and temperate climates northward, while sea level rise will consume coastlines and dangerous levels of humidity will swamp the Mississippi River valley.
Taken with other recent research showing that the most habitable climate in North America will shift northward and the incidence of large fires will increase across the country, this suggests that the climate crisis will profoundly interrupt the way we live and farm in the United States. See how the North American places where humans have lived for thousands of years will shift and what changes are in store for your county.
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
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
0
brianlux
Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 42,522
Whether or nor you are a Bernie fan or not isn't important here (personally, I'm mixed, good, not always so good). But what he said in his letter today is spot on. Not everyone will agree with Sanders here, some will make lame arguments, but anyone with half a brain, a basic understanding of how science works, and a modicum of observation skills knows this is true:
"In
America today, large and devastating wildfires that were once relatively
uncommon have become an increasingly common occurrence.
In
California, five of the largest wildfires in the history of the state
have happened in the last five years. And, as you read this, one of the
most destructive wildfires the state has ever seen is taking place in
Los Angeles. That fire is still going, and with high-winds in the
forecast today and tomorrow, this horrific level of destruction is far
from over.
And we have not even entered the so-called "fire season."
8
months without rain. 24 people dead. 12,000 structures damaged or
destroyed. 150,000 people evacuated. $150 billion in damages.
Overall, the wildfires have burned about 62 square miles, an area larger than Paris.
The
frightening reality is: what we're seeing in Los Angeles today, unless
we fundamentally change our energy policies, is likely what we will see
in the future in the United States and throughout the world. There is no
more "fire season." Not in America. Not anywhere.
What
we are watching on the news in California is precisely what we mean when
we talk about the "existential threat" of climate change.
According
to the U.S. Drought Monitor, almost all of Southern California is in
either moderate or severe drought. It is the second-driest period in
almost 150 years. Combine that with hurricane force winds — winds that
blow embers and carry fire; winds so strong it makes it difficult to
fight those fires from the air — and you have a recipe for disaster.
It is
extremely dangerous that Republicans in Washington and California are
politicizing this issue and attacking Democratic officeholders.
This
is Trumpism at its worst. And is nothing more than an effort to distract
attention away from the underlying cause of this crisis.
No, President-elect Trump, climate change is not a "hoax." It is all too real. It is playing out now in Los Angeles.
It was
not government incompetence that caused recent wildfires to blaze
through Republican states like Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nevada, and
Utah.
It was
not government incompetence when Hurricane Helene caused 219 deaths and
almost $80 billion dollars of damage in North Carolina, South Carolina,
Virginia, and West Virginia.
It was
not government incompetence when devastating tornadoes ripped through
Oklahoma, Kansas, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, North
Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.
No.
All of this, as well as drought, the warming of our oceans, the melting
of the Arctic ice caps, the heat waves throughout the world, are
directly related to the fact that the last ten years have been the
warmest ten years ever recorded.
Climate
change does not care if you live in a "red state," a "blue state" or a
"purple state." It does not care if you live in a rural area or urban
area. It does not care if you are a working class person struggling to
get by or live in a multi-million dollar home in the Pacific Palisades.
Climate
change is what we are talking about when we are talking about more
floods, more extreme weather, more ocean acidification, more drought,
more famine, more disease, more mass migration, and more human
suffering.
And
for Republicans who like to whine and moan about the deficit and the
debt, climate change is what we are talking about when the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the cost of climate
disasters has cost the United States almost $3 trillion since 1980.
And,
unless we have the courage to take on the greed, lies and
irresponsibility of the fossil fuel industry, the worst is yet to come.
We
have a fundamental choice to make. We can listen to the fossil fuel
industry, the climate deniers and their representatives on Capitol Hill,
and ignore the reality of climate change.
Or, we
can listen to the scientists who have made it abundantly clear that we
must act boldly and aggressively to prevent a climate catastrophe, to
prevent what is happening in Los Angeles today from becoming an everyday
occurrence.
In my
view, we have spent far too long and wasted too much time discussing
whether or not climate change is real. This debate was not driven by
science but by a decades-long campaign of lies, distortion and deceit
funded by the fossil fuel industry.
And to
do that, we need to send a message to people across this country — in
so-called “red states,” “blue states,” and “purple states” — that a
changing climate impacts us all.
Bottom
line: we must bring the global community together to act aggressively
to protect humankind. Nothing less than the habitability of our planet
for future generations is at stake.
In solidarity,
Bernie Sanders"
"Pretty cookies, heart squares all around, yeah!" -Eddie Vedder, "Smile"
Whether or nor you are a Bernie fan or not isn't important here (personally, I'm mixed, good, not always so good). But what he said in his letter today is spot on. Not everyone will agree with Sanders here, some will make lame arguments, but anyone with half a brain, a basic understanding of how science works, and a modicum of observation skills knows this is true:
"In
America today, large and devastating wildfires that were once relatively
uncommon have become an increasingly common occurrence.
In
California, five of the largest wildfires in the history of the state
have happened in the last five years. And, as you read this, one of the
most destructive wildfires the state has ever seen is taking place in
Los Angeles. That fire is still going, and with high-winds in the
forecast today and tomorrow, this horrific level of destruction is far
from over.
And we have not even entered the so-called "fire season."
8
months without rain. 24 people dead. 12,000 structures damaged or
destroyed. 150,000 people evacuated. $150 billion in damages.
Overall, the wildfires have burned about 62 square miles, an area larger than Paris.
The
frightening reality is: what we're seeing in Los Angeles today, unless
we fundamentally change our energy policies, is likely what we will see
in the future in the United States and throughout the world. There is no
more "fire season." Not in America. Not anywhere.
What
we are watching on the news in California is precisely what we mean when
we talk about the "existential threat" of climate change.
According
to the U.S. Drought Monitor, almost all of Southern California is in
either moderate or severe drought. It is the second-driest period in
almost 150 years. Combine that with hurricane force winds — winds that
blow embers and carry fire; winds so strong it makes it difficult to
fight those fires from the air — and you have a recipe for disaster.
It is
extremely dangerous that Republicans in Washington and California are
politicizing this issue and attacking Democratic officeholders.
This
is Trumpism at its worst. And is nothing more than an effort to distract
attention away from the underlying cause of this crisis.
No, President-elect Trump, climate change is not a "hoax." It is all too real. It is playing out now in Los Angeles.
It was
not government incompetence that caused recent wildfires to blaze
through Republican states like Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nevada, and
Utah.
It was
not government incompetence when Hurricane Helene caused 219 deaths and
almost $80 billion dollars of damage in North Carolina, South Carolina,
Virginia, and West Virginia.
It was
not government incompetence when devastating tornadoes ripped through
Oklahoma, Kansas, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, North
Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.
No.
All of this, as well as drought, the warming of our oceans, the melting
of the Arctic ice caps, the heat waves throughout the world, are
directly related to the fact that the last ten years have been the
warmest ten years ever recorded.
Climate
change does not care if you live in a "red state," a "blue state" or a
"purple state." It does not care if you live in a rural area or urban
area. It does not care if you are a working class person struggling to
get by or live in a multi-million dollar home in the Pacific Palisades.
Climate
change is what we are talking about when we are talking about more
floods, more extreme weather, more ocean acidification, more drought,
more famine, more disease, more mass migration, and more human
suffering.
And
for Republicans who like to whine and moan about the deficit and the
debt, climate change is what we are talking about when the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the cost of climate
disasters has cost the United States almost $3 trillion since 1980.
And,
unless we have the courage to take on the greed, lies and
irresponsibility of the fossil fuel industry, the worst is yet to come.
We
have a fundamental choice to make. We can listen to the fossil fuel
industry, the climate deniers and their representatives on Capitol Hill,
and ignore the reality of climate change.
Or, we
can listen to the scientists who have made it abundantly clear that we
must act boldly and aggressively to prevent a climate catastrophe, to
prevent what is happening in Los Angeles today from becoming an everyday
occurrence.
In my
view, we have spent far too long and wasted too much time discussing
whether or not climate change is real. This debate was not driven by
science but by a decades-long campaign of lies, distortion and deceit
funded by the fossil fuel industry.
And to
do that, we need to send a message to people across this country — in
so-called “red states,” “blue states,” and “purple states” — that a
changing climate impacts us all.
Bottom
line: we must bring the global community together to act aggressively
to protect humankind. Nothing less than the habitability of our planet
for future generations is at stake.
In solidarity,
Bernie Sanders"
Maga understands none of this. To them the fires were devastating, not because there were multiple massive fires at once that would required about 26000 fire trucks to effectively handle, but due to the mayor and Gov not knowing how to get more water.
Remember the Thomas Nine !! (10/02/2018) The Golden Age is 2 months away. And guess what….. you’re gonna love it! (teskeinc 11.19.24)
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago 2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy 2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE) 2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston 2020: Oakland, Oakland:2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana 2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville 2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana; 2025: Pitt1, Pitt2
0
brianlux
Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 42,522
Whether or nor you are a Bernie fan or not isn't important here (personally, I'm mixed, good, not always so good). But what he said in his letter today is spot on. Not everyone will agree with Sanders here, some will make lame arguments, but anyone with half a brain, a basic understanding of how science works, and a modicum of observation skills knows this is true:
"In
America today, large and devastating wildfires that were once relatively
uncommon have become an increasingly common occurrence.
In
California, five of the largest wildfires in the history of the state
have happened in the last five years. And, as you read this, one of the
most destructive wildfires the state has ever seen is taking place in
Los Angeles. That fire is still going, and with high-winds in the
forecast today and tomorrow, this horrific level of destruction is far
from over.
And we have not even entered the so-called "fire season."
8
months without rain. 24 people dead. 12,000 structures damaged or
destroyed. 150,000 people evacuated. $150 billion in damages.
Overall, the wildfires have burned about 62 square miles, an area larger than Paris.
The
frightening reality is: what we're seeing in Los Angeles today, unless
we fundamentally change our energy policies, is likely what we will see
in the future in the United States and throughout the world. There is no
more "fire season." Not in America. Not anywhere.
What
we are watching on the news in California is precisely what we mean when
we talk about the "existential threat" of climate change.
According
to the U.S. Drought Monitor, almost all of Southern California is in
either moderate or severe drought. It is the second-driest period in
almost 150 years. Combine that with hurricane force winds — winds that
blow embers and carry fire; winds so strong it makes it difficult to
fight those fires from the air — and you have a recipe for disaster.
It is
extremely dangerous that Republicans in Washington and California are
politicizing this issue and attacking Democratic officeholders.
This
is Trumpism at its worst. And is nothing more than an effort to distract
attention away from the underlying cause of this crisis.
No, President-elect Trump, climate change is not a "hoax." It is all too real. It is playing out now in Los Angeles.
It was
not government incompetence that caused recent wildfires to blaze
through Republican states like Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nevada, and
Utah.
It was
not government incompetence when Hurricane Helene caused 219 deaths and
almost $80 billion dollars of damage in North Carolina, South Carolina,
Virginia, and West Virginia.
It was
not government incompetence when devastating tornadoes ripped through
Oklahoma, Kansas, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, North
Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.
No.
All of this, as well as drought, the warming of our oceans, the melting
of the Arctic ice caps, the heat waves throughout the world, are
directly related to the fact that the last ten years have been the
warmest ten years ever recorded.
Climate
change does not care if you live in a "red state," a "blue state" or a
"purple state." It does not care if you live in a rural area or urban
area. It does not care if you are a working class person struggling to
get by or live in a multi-million dollar home in the Pacific Palisades.
Climate
change is what we are talking about when we are talking about more
floods, more extreme weather, more ocean acidification, more drought,
more famine, more disease, more mass migration, and more human
suffering.
And
for Republicans who like to whine and moan about the deficit and the
debt, climate change is what we are talking about when the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the cost of climate
disasters has cost the United States almost $3 trillion since 1980.
And,
unless we have the courage to take on the greed, lies and
irresponsibility of the fossil fuel industry, the worst is yet to come.
We
have a fundamental choice to make. We can listen to the fossil fuel
industry, the climate deniers and their representatives on Capitol Hill,
and ignore the reality of climate change.
Or, we
can listen to the scientists who have made it abundantly clear that we
must act boldly and aggressively to prevent a climate catastrophe, to
prevent what is happening in Los Angeles today from becoming an everyday
occurrence.
In my
view, we have spent far too long and wasted too much time discussing
whether or not climate change is real. This debate was not driven by
science but by a decades-long campaign of lies, distortion and deceit
funded by the fossil fuel industry.
And to
do that, we need to send a message to people across this country — in
so-called “red states,” “blue states,” and “purple states” — that a
changing climate impacts us all.
Bottom
line: we must bring the global community together to act aggressively
to protect humankind. Nothing less than the habitability of our planet
for future generations is at stake.
In solidarity,
Bernie Sanders"
Maga understands none of this. To them the fires were devastating, not because there were multiple massive fires at once that would required about 26000 fire trucks to effectively handle, but due to the mayor and Gov not knowing how to get more water.
I question whether or not they really believe what they say. Any more, think their m.o. is to break down democracy, cause chaos, troll the world, and turn it all over to billionaires. Eventually it will all collapse and civilization will be left with the long, arduous task of rising from the dust, just as it has over and over since the beginning of historical time.
"Pretty cookies, heart squares all around, yeah!" -Eddie Vedder, "Smile"
Comments
-Eddie Vedder, "Smile"
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https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/12/climate/refreeze-arctic-real-ice/index.html
-EV 8/14/93
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-EV 8/14/93
Deep in the Canadian Arctic, scientists and entrepreneurs brave sub-zero temperatures, whipping winds and snowstorms to drill holes through the sea ice to pump out the seawater below and freeze it on the surface.
The group from the UK start-up Real Ice is in Cambridge Bay, a tiny coastal village in Nunavut, to try to prove they can grow and restore Arctic sea ice.
Their ultimate plan is to thicken ice over more than 386,000 square miles of the Arctic — an area more than twice the size of California — with the aim of slowing down or even reversing summer ice loss and, in doing so, help to tackle the human-caused climate crisis.
It’s a bold plan, and one of many controversial geo-engineering proposals to save the planet’s vulnerable polar regions that range from installing a giant underwater “curtain” to protect ice sheets, to sprinkling tiny glass beads to reflect away sunlight.
Some Arctic scientists and experts have criticized Real Ice’s methods as unproven at scale, ecologically risky and a distraction from tackling the root cause of climate change: fossil fuels.
But the company says its project is inspired by natural processes and offers a last chance to protect a disappearing ecosystem as the world fails to act swiftly on climate change.
Arctic sea ice is shrinking as humans continue to heat up the world by burning fossil fuels. Since the mid-1980s, the amount of thick, multi-year ice has shrunk by 95%. The ice that remains is young and thin. Some scientists predict the Arctic could have an ice-free summer as early as the 2030s.
The loss of sea ice is a global problem. Its bright white surface reflects the sun’s energy back into space, cooling the planet. When it melts, the darker ocean exposed beneath is able to absorb more of the sun’s rays. It’s a doom loop — global warming melts the ice and melting ice supercharges global warming.
Real Ice’s plan for protecting this icy ocean landscape involves inserting electric-powered, submersible pumps under sea ice to pump seawater onto the surface. The water freezes as it pools across the ice like a huge puddle, creating an extra layer of ice.
The process also removes snow from the top of the ice, stripping it of an insulating layer and triggering extra growth on the underside of the sea ice, said Andrea Ceccolini, co-CEO of Real Ice.
The startup has been conducting field tests in the Arctic for almost two years. The first were in Alaska last year, mostly to check that the equipment worked and could stand up to the brutal cold.
The group started tests in Cambridge Bay in Canada in January this year. They covered around 44,000 square feet of ice and added an average of 20 inches of additional thickness between January and May compared to the control area, Ceccolini said.
A new round of tests in Cambridge Bay began in November and they have so far covered 430,000 square feet. In the first 10 days of the trial, the ice was already 4 inches thicker in the places they were testing, said Ceccolini.
They will return in the new year and again in May to measure how much ice has been created. Based on previous results, they expect between around 16 to 31 inches of ice gain, Ceccolini said.
“It is early days,” said Shaun Fitzgerald, director of the Centre for Climate Repair at the University of Cambridge, which has been working with Real Ice on the trials. But early results have been encouraging, he told CNN. “I am optimistic, but we need more experiments and more data.”
The ultimate plan is to automate the process using underwater drones, each about 6.5 feet long and powered by green hydrogen. These will melt holes in the ice from below using heated drills.
Ceccolini estimates around 500,000 drones would be used at full scale, and would be deployed carefully to avoid animal migration paths or shipping lanes, he said.
If all goes to plan, he expects they can scale up within eight to 10 years.
won’t be cheap. Real Ice estimates the cost to be between $5 billion and $6 billion a year to thicken ice over 386,000 square miles, an area it believes is large enough “to be effective in slowing down and even reversing the losses of summer sea ice in the Arctic,” Ceccolini said.
Real Ice is mostly self funded with some money from investors. Eventually, they see a global fund or governments stepping in to pay. They also envision selling “cooling credits,” where polluters pay toward ice refreezing in order to “offset” their own pollution.
It’s a compelling vision but many scientists remain doubtful it could work at scale.
‘Extremely questionable’
The science is sound, said Jennifer Francis, a senior scientist at Woodwell Climate Research Center, “ice will be made measurably thicker and brighter in local areas surrounding the pumps.” But a big question, she told CNN, is whether enough sea ice can be grown over a long enough period to make any difference to the climate crisis. “I have serious doubts,” she said.
The scalability of Real Ice’s solution is “extremely questionable,” said Liz Bagshaw, associate professor in polar environmental change at the University of Bristol. She also warned of potentially wide-ranging ecological impacts on a vulnerable region. “Such interventions are morally dubious at best, and at worst, ethically irresponsible,” she told CNN.
Dozens of scientists expressed concerns in a recent report about polar geoengineering projects, including ice thickening. They warned of “the possibility of grave unforeseen consequences,” including the environmental impact of “an unprecedented level of human presence” in the Arctic.
Ceccolnini does not deny the project could cause changes to the marine environment – for example, they are looking at algae growth that can be affected by ice thickness – but believes overall impacts will be limited.
The project’s future depends on whether they can prove ice thickening is effective and that it creates no significant side effects, he said.
“Everything we do has an impact,” Ceccolini said. “The problem is there is a much more dramatic impact in just letting things go on like this.”
-EV 8/14/93
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
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memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
-EV 8/14/93
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
-EV 8/14/93
-Eddie Vedder, "Smile"
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
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"newly re-opened habitats" are three words I can definitely get behind.
-Eddie Vedder, "Smile"
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another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
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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you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
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another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
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
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
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another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
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another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
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by Al Shaw, Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica, and Jeremy W. Goldsmith, Special to ProPublica, September 15, 2020.
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published.
According to new data from the Rhodium Group analyzed by ProPublica and The New York Times Magazine, warming temperatures and changing rainfall will drive agriculture and temperate climates northward, while sea level rise will consume coastlines and dangerous levels of humidity will swamp the Mississippi River valley.
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"In America today, large and devastating wildfires that were once relatively uncommon have become an increasingly common occurrence.
In California, five of the largest wildfires in the history of the state have happened in the last five years. And, as you read this, one of the most destructive wildfires the state has ever seen is taking place in Los Angeles. That fire is still going, and with high-winds in the forecast today and tomorrow, this horrific level of destruction is far from over.
And we have not even entered the so-called "fire season."
8 months without rain. 24 people dead. 12,000 structures damaged or destroyed. 150,000 people evacuated. $150 billion in damages.
Overall, the wildfires have burned about 62 square miles, an area larger than Paris.
The frightening reality is: what we're seeing in Los Angeles today, unless we fundamentally change our energy policies, is likely what we will see in the future in the United States and throughout the world. There is no more "fire season." Not in America. Not anywhere.
What we are watching on the news in California is precisely what we mean when we talk about the "existential threat" of climate change.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, almost all of Southern California is in either moderate or severe drought. It is the second-driest period in almost 150 years. Combine that with hurricane force winds — winds that blow embers and carry fire; winds so strong it makes it difficult to fight those fires from the air — and you have a recipe for disaster.
It is extremely dangerous that Republicans in Washington and California are politicizing this issue and attacking Democratic officeholders.
This is Trumpism at its worst. And is nothing more than an effort to distract attention away from the underlying cause of this crisis.
No, President-elect Trump, climate change is not a "hoax." It is all too real. It is playing out now in Los Angeles.
It was not government incompetence that caused recent wildfires to blaze through Republican states like Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nevada, and Utah.
It was not government incompetence when Hurricane Helene caused 219 deaths and almost $80 billion dollars of damage in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.
It was not government incompetence when devastating tornadoes ripped through Oklahoma, Kansas, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.
No. All of this, as well as drought, the warming of our oceans, the melting of the Arctic ice caps, the heat waves throughout the world, are directly related to the fact that the last ten years have been the warmest ten years ever recorded.
Climate change does not care if you live in a "red state," a "blue state" or a "purple state." It does not care if you live in a rural area or urban area. It does not care if you are a working class person struggling to get by or live in a multi-million dollar home in the Pacific Palisades.
Climate change is what we are talking about when we are talking about more floods, more extreme weather, more ocean acidification, more drought, more famine, more disease, more mass migration, and more human suffering.
And for Republicans who like to whine and moan about the deficit and the debt, climate change is what we are talking about when the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the cost of climate disasters has cost the United States almost $3 trillion since 1980.
And, unless we have the courage to take on the greed, lies and irresponsibility of the fossil fuel industry, the worst is yet to come.
We have a fundamental choice to make. We can listen to the fossil fuel industry, the climate deniers and their representatives on Capitol Hill, and ignore the reality of climate change.
Or, we can listen to the scientists who have made it abundantly clear that we must act boldly and aggressively to prevent a climate catastrophe, to prevent what is happening in Los Angeles today from becoming an everyday occurrence.
In my view, we have spent far too long and wasted too much time discussing whether or not climate change is real. This debate was not driven by science but by a decades-long campaign of lies, distortion and deceit funded by the fossil fuel industry.
And to do that, we need to send a message to people across this country — in so-called “red states,” “blue states,” and “purple states” — that a changing climate impacts us all.
Bottom line: we must bring the global community together to act aggressively to protect humankind. Nothing less than the habitability of our planet for future generations is at stake.
In solidarity,
Bernie Sanders"
-Eddie Vedder, "Smile"
-EV 8/14/93
The Golden Age is 2 months away. And guess what….. you’re gonna love it! (teskeinc 11.19.24)
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago
2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy
2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE)
2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston
2020: Oakland, Oakland: 2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana
2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville
2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana; 2025: Pitt1, Pitt2
I question whether or not they really believe what they say. Any more, think their m.o. is to break down democracy, cause chaos, troll the world, and turn it all over to billionaires. Eventually it will all collapse and civilization will be left with the long, arduous task of rising from the dust, just as it has over and over since the beginning of historical time.
-Eddie Vedder, "Smile"
-EV 8/14/93