Global Warming Archives - Page 9 of 12

Weeks ago, the extent of ice in the arctic had already reached record lows and was continuing to melt as we reported here. Now, the melting has stopped (as expected for this time of year). So, how bad was it? According to the NY Times, the low point was about 1.32 million square miles, or 24 percent of the Arctic Ocean (the previous low was 29%, set back in 2007). It used to be around 50% when satellite-based ice tracking began back in the 70’s.

The question is, what’s it going to take before people get serious about halting global warming?

It seems to me that every year or so for the past decade, I’d see a story in the news reporting on the minimum extent of arctic sea ice, comparing it to previous years, etc. Sometimes it’d be reaching a new minimum, sometimes it’d be the second or third worst on history. This usually occurs around late September or early October, when arctic sea ice usually hits its minimum for the year. So, it’s too soon to be hearing doom and gloom about the arctic this year, right, since we’re still in August?

Nope.

As the graph above shows, we probably haven’t reached the 2012 arctic sea ice minimum point yet…but we have already set a new record for minimum sea ice extent in the arctic. If historic trends prove true, we have another month of so of melting before we reach the actual minimum for this year. 2012 is, unfortunately, providing global evidence of the impact our species is having on this planet through CO2 emissions and global warming. While the technology exists to halt this slide into oblivion, we so far lack the willpower to do something about it. On the contrary, the Republican party is in outright denial of the issue, and a very large percentage of Americans are blindly following along.

What will it take to convince people that preserving this awesome planet for future generations to enjoy is worth a bit of personal sacrifice?\

(via climatecrocks.com)

More bad news on climate change…a prominent scientist in the UK (Sir Robert Watson) is now saying that the goal of a 2C global temperature rise is ‘largely out of the window’ and that 5C is a more realistic expectation. This is bad…it’ll affect food and water supplies, not to mention increasing sea levels and population displacement. This doesn’t have to be our fate…we have the technologies needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions dramatically, let’s us them!
Read more about this and what he has to say over at the BBC.

Have we passed the point of ‘acceptable’ climate change, if there can be such a thing? It’s a difficult question to answer, for climate is a complex system and our impact on it takes some time to realize. More and more though, I’m hearing scientists speak up with concern about where we’re at now. It would be easy to downplay that if our species was making significant progress towards reducing CO2 emissions to zero, but when you see those emissions increasing instead, you can’t help but be concerned.

The latest article I’ve found is in Scientific American, and basically talks about how the CURRENT levels of CO2 in the atmosphere are going to lead to really bad changes (‘catastrophic’ is the word used, but I like to remain at least a LITTLE optimistic…). The scientifically agreed upon ‘goal’ for atmospheric CO2 concentration has been 350ppm (parts per million). The problem is we’ve already passed that, currently sitting at about 390ppm with only increases in the forecast. (read more here) The group 350.org is a great source to follow for more information about this goal, too.

The most frustrating part? It doesn’t need to be like this. We don’t need a revolution in technology to reduce our CO2 emissions dramatically (cutting CO2 to zero probably would require some radical new technology, but we can benefit a lot just by going after the low hanging fruit, so to speak). The technologies already exist to provide most of our energy in clean forms…we just lack the political and social willpower to do anything about it. Perhaps that can change…and it’s that hope that leads me to keep posting to this blog, in a perhaps futile attempt to influence others globally and enact change.

I really like this TED speech from David Roberts, called ‘Climate is Simple‘. Well I like how he presents the facts…but I don’t like hearing the conclusions (though I don’t dispute them). He sums up where the climate has been, where we’re at now, and where we’re headed. It’s that last part that scares me…we’re on the verge of ruining this planet for future generations. What gives us the right to do that? I believe we should preserve this planet for future generations to enjoy…not alter it for future generations to suffer and face a lesser quality of life than us. If you agree, it’s worth watching this video:

Category: Global Warming

Arctic Ice Reaches New Minimum

Arctic Sea Ice Vanishing

More bad news on the climate

Are we past the point of ‘acceptable’ climate change?

Climate Change is Simple