Studies add to concern about climate tipping. Two model studies document the probability of climate tipping in Earth subsystems.
The findings support the urgency of restricting CO2 emissions as abrupt climate changes might be less predictable and more widespread in the climate system than anticipated. The work is part of the European TiPES project, coordinated by the University of Copenhagen, Denmark but was conducted by Professor Michael Ghil, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France and coauthours from The Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium and Parthenope University of Naples, Italy.
Tipping could be imminent It is often assumed climate change will proceed gradually as we increase the amounts of CO2 in the atmosphere. Over the last 15 years, however, it has become increasingly clear that the Earth's climate system or subsystems thereof - such as sea ice cover, monsoon systems, and ocean currents - might shift abruptly and with little warning as CO2 levels go up. El Ninõ tips weather-system Tipping the Gulf Stream A real risk.
The Anthropocene Myth. Last year was the hottest year ever recorded.
And yet, the latest figures show that in 2013 the source that provided the most new energy to the world economy wasn’t solar, wind power, or even natural gas or oil, but coal. The growth in global emissions — from 1 percent a year in the 1990s to 3 percent so far this millennium — is striking. It’s an increase that’s paralleled our growing knowledge of the terrible consequences of fossil fuel usage. Are You Deep-in-the-Gut Worried About Climate Change? Take Our Survey. Yet another survey of public opinion about climate change has confirmed what was already well-understood.
Most people believe that the climate is changing. Fewer, roughly half, think humans have anything to do with it. Climate Change and Intergenerational Evil. TEDxTheEvergreenStateCollege - David Roberts - Climate Change is Simple. James Hansen: Why I must speak out about climate change. As Climate Change Worsens, A Cascade of Tipping Points Looms. Some of the most alarming science surrounding climate change is the discovery that it may not happen incrementally — as a steadily rising line on a graph — but in a series of lurches as various “tipping points” are passed.
And now comes a new concern: These tipping points can form a cascade, with each one triggering others, creating an irreversible shift to a hotter world. A new study suggests that changes to ocean circulation could be the driver of such a cascade. A group of researchers, led by Tim Lenton at Exeter University, England, first warned in a landmark paper 11 years ago about the risk of climate tipping points. Back then, they thought the dangers would only arise when global warming exceeded 5 degrees Celsius (9 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels. But last week, Lenton and six co-authors argued in the journal Nature that the risks are now much more likely and much more imminent.
The “climate emergency” is not just political rhetoric, they argue. Is Your Carbon Footprint BS? Dr.
Ayana Elizabeth Johnson: This is How to Save a Planet. I'm Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson. Alex Blumberg: And I'm Alex Blumberg. Johan Rockström: 10 years to transform the future of humanity.
Sciency. Oil and Power. The truth about climate change? A recent article by Naomi Klein raises all kinds of disturbing questions.
Things are so bad from the perspective of climate change, she claims, that climate scientists are beginning to sound alarm bells. This in itself speaks volumes. By temperament scientists prefer to search for truth whether in the lab or the field, not engage in propaganda wars - which have little to do with truth. In war, truth is always the first casualty.
Global food production may be adversely affected by climate change and global warming in the near future, raising the specter of geopolitical chaos and genocidal wars over land and access to resources. Why global water shortages pose threat of terror and war. On 17 January, scientists downloaded fresh data from a pair of Nasa satellites and distributed the findings among the small group of researchers who track the world's water reserves.
At the University of California, Irvine, hydrologist James Famiglietti looked over the data from the gravity-sensing Grace satellites with a rising sense of dread. The data, released last week, showed California on the verge of an epic drought, with its backup systems of groundwater reserves so run down that the losses could be picked up by satellites orbiting 400km above the Earth's surface. "It was definitely an 'oh my gosh moment'," Famiglietti said. "The groundwater is our strategic reserve. Considering Extinction: Are We Falling Off the Climate Precipice? Jamail explores what climate scientists just beyond the mainstream are thinking about how climate change will affect life on this planet.
What, in other words, is the worst that we could possibly face in the decades to come? The answer: a nightmare scenario.I grew up planning for my future, wondering which college I would attend, what to study, and later on, where to work, which articles to write, what my next book might be, how to pay a mortgage, and which mountaineering trip I might like to take next. Now, I wonder about the future of our planet. During a recent visit with my eight-year-old niece and 10- and 12-year-old nephews, I stopped myself from asking them what they wanted to do when they grew up, or any of the future-oriented questions I used to ask myself. I did so because the reality of their generation may be that questions like where they will work could be replaced by: Where will they get their fresh water?
Geoengineering: Can We Save the Planet by Messing with Nature? Guests Clive Hamilton professor of public ethics at Charles Sturt University in Canberra, Australia.
James Lovelock: 'enjoy life while you can: in 20 years global warming will hit the fan' In 1965 executives at Shell wanted to know what the world would look like in the year 2000.
They consulted a range of experts, who speculated about fusion-powered hovercrafts and "all sorts of fanciful technological stuff". When the oil company asked the scientist James Lovelock, he predicted that the main problem in 2000 would be the environment. "It will be worsening then to such an extent that it will seriously affect their business," he said. "And of course," Lovelock says, with a smile 43 years later, "that's almost exactly what's happened. " Climate Change 2013: Where We Are Now - Not What You Think. The flats on Padre Island National Seashore, Texas, are only inches above sea level. This year, sea level rise could have taken these flats, forever, in time frames that matter.Click here to support news free of corporate influence by donating to Truthout. Help us reach our fundraising goal so we can continue doing this work in 2014!
We are in the midst of an era of frightening contradictions, when it comes to public understandings of climate change. While climate changes are occurring more quickly than scientists have ever predicted, most people’s knowledge of these realities remains hazy and clouded by political overtones. What bike helmets can teach about climate change — Howie Chong : Howie Chong. My previous post on bike helmets seems to have garnered a lot of interest. My little blog went from a handful of visits a day to several hundred visits an hour. According to my web host, my week to week page views are up a projected 62,000%. Someone even linked my post on Reddit. I'm not sure if this counts as going viral (33,000 viewers is far short of millions of viewers), but for some reason my post seems to have struck a chord. Many have found my reasoning to be counter-intuitive. Two reasons climate change is not like other environmental problems. Rationally Speaking, We Are All Apocalyptic Now.
(Photo: thierry ehrmann / Flickr)If we are rational and consider objective scientific evidence of environmental collapse including groundwater depletion, topsoil loss, chemical contamination, ocean dead zones, species extinction, bio-diversity reduction and climate disruption, we need to be apocalypticists, argues Robert Jensen. We are all apocalyptic now, or at least we should be, if we are rational. Because "apocalyptic" is typically associated with religious fanaticism and death cults - things that rational people tend not to take literally or seriously - this claim requires some explanation. Modern green movement: Eco-pragmatists are challenging traditional environmentalists over scope of nature. Photo by Harley Soltes. In 2005, two renegade greens tried to kill off environmentalism in broad daylight. The environmental movement, they said in a provocative essay, had grown stale and ineffectual. It’s Not Easy Being Green by Joseph Heath - The Literary Review of Canada.
A couple of years ago, while contemplating the dandelions running riot alongside the road in front of my house, I decided it was time to get a weed whacker. I went down to my local Canadian Tire to see what was available. Andrew Simms - 50 months to avoid climate disaster – and a change is in the air. Sandy puts climate change back on the US election agenda. Sandy forces climate change on US election despite fossil fuel lobby. Chasing Ice movie reveals largest iceberg break-up ever filmed - video. Why the 'Idle No More' Movement Is Our Best Chance for Clean Land and Water. Photo Credit: Caelie Frampton January 13, 2013 | Clarifying My Views about Anthropogenic Climate Change. Nuclear Fusion and the Great Global Gamble. Isaac Newton was pondering how to test the hypothesis that colour is created through pressure on the optical nerves when, suddenly, he had an epiphany. MAN. Climate Change and Intergenerational Evil.
Sustainability is destroying the Earth. Don’t talk to me about sustainability. Facing-Climate-Change-Resources. When Will Climate Change Make the Earth Too Hot For Humans? To read an annotated version of this article, complete with interviews with scientists and links to further reading, click here. Peering beyond scientific reticence. Mapped: Climate change laws around the world. There has been a 20-fold increase in the number of global climate change laws since 1997, according to the most comprehensive database of relevant policy and legislation. The great climate silence: we are on the edge of the abyss but we ignore it. How Psychology Can Save The World From Climate Change : 13.7: Cosmos And Culture. Are You Deep-in-the-Gut Worried About Climate Change? Take Our Survey. The Anthropocene Myth.
George Marshall. Why geoengineering can be only part of the climate solution. We are deluding ourselves: The apocalypse is coming — and technology can’t save us.