Slog
News & ArtsWednesday, November 28, 2012
Panic Our Worsening World
Posted by Charles Mudede on Wed, Nov 28, 2012 at 8:50 AM
All the bad news from Science Daily:
Sea levels are rising 60 per cent faster than the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) central projections, new research suggests.
And...
The shells of marine snails — known as pteropods — living in the seas around Antarctica are being dissolved by ocean acidification according to a new study published this week in the journal Nature Geoscience. These tiny animals are a valuable food source for fish and birds and play an important role in the oceanic carbon cycle.
And...
Permafrost covering almost a quarter of the northern hemisphere contains 1,700 gigatonnes of carbon, twice that currently in the atmosphere, and could significantly amplify global warming should thawing accelerate as expected, according to a new report released November 27 by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
It's not Earth that's in trouble. This planet is doing just fine and will continue to do just fine. What's seriously (and most likely irrevocably) fucked is our little world.
2
The shells of baby oysters are being dissolved by ocean acidification RIGHT HERE IN PUGET SOUND. Some growers are starting them over IN HAWAII and then moving them here. It's all screwed 10 ways to Sunday.
http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2…
http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2…
3
Large brains are the antithesis of intelligence. The really smart animals live in harmony with the planet.
6
@3,5 - Whales have larger brains, and dolphins have more brain convolutions than us (which is indicative of high intelligence, so we're told). So I don't think it's brains that are the problem, it's opposable thumbs that are the big problem.
Just to pile on with the doom-n-gloom, here's this fun fun fun set of graphs detailing the features of our manufactured (ha!) crisis.
So I'm with larf2k @1... it's either mass suicide, or the Erf will knock our populations down to size on it's own.
Just to pile on with the doom-n-gloom, here's this fun fun fun set of graphs detailing the features of our manufactured (ha!) crisis.
So I'm with larf2k @1... it's either mass suicide, or the Erf will knock our populations down to size on it's own.
7
@5 No, brain.... I can go out and kill a great white if you want me to prove our superiority as a species. We may manage to kill of ourselves but we will make damn sure where not going down without taking some others with us!
8
Whales and dolphins eat their share of things with smaller brains too. Hey, it's not their fault they live underwater, and never were able to invent gunpowder.
9
Scientists have said that IPCC sea level rise previsions were too conservative from the moment they were published in 2007 because they didn't account for ice sheet dynamics. Of course, it was hard for the public to hear among the cacophony of denial.
More immediate though for Americans is the exceptional drought that is hitting the Midwest for the last 7 months now. It is almost certain to have a major impact on GDP as water levels in the Mississippi are at an historic (?) low hampering transfer of goods in the process. It appears that one standard avenue of denial (Bjorn Lomborg's "Global warming is real but too expensive to do anything about while there are many more damaging problems to address") is increasingly being debunked for the sham it is as the tab for extreme weather events goes up. US drought monitor: http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/
More immediate though for Americans is the exceptional drought that is hitting the Midwest for the last 7 months now. It is almost certain to have a major impact on GDP as water levels in the Mississippi are at an historic (?) low hampering transfer of goods in the process. It appears that one standard avenue of denial (Bjorn Lomborg's "Global warming is real but too expensive to do anything about while there are many more damaging problems to address") is increasingly being debunked for the sham it is as the tab for extreme weather events goes up. US drought monitor: http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/
10
When people are talking about "saving the earth" they're not referring to the orb itself, or the crust. They're referring specifically to the biosphere. People always say "well the earth isn't going away," but that's just a glib distraction from what is actually meant by "saving the earth": saving life on earth.
11
Went from 2mm to 3.5 mm (according to them)..and they've pretty much indicated their models are inaccurate.
Also, if true, isn't this a call to stop the coal train?
Or to build the hydrogen economy?
Also, if true, isn't this a call to stop the coal train?
Or to build the hydrogen economy?
12
@10, ..and by "saving life on earth" we mean "saving OUR life --and lifestyle-- on earth".
The latter is almost certainly fucked, but humans have a good chance of making it.
Because without question LIFE on earth with continue without us. Sure, we're going through the biggest extinction event since the K-T (now K-Pg) 65m yrs ago, but hey, life rebounded quite happily in 65m years! It'll certainly do it again. No question there.
The only questions are: 1. will humans actually survive in some functioning remnant of modern culture, and 2. will we not fuck this up again?
Considering that we've burnt most of the oil and coal, and will probably come close to polishing it off before we're reduced to subsistence farming in small enclaves, we probably won't be able to do the global warming thing again. So, that's a plus. I guess.
The latter is almost certainly fucked, but humans have a good chance of making it.
Because without question LIFE on earth with continue without us. Sure, we're going through the biggest extinction event since the K-T (now K-Pg) 65m yrs ago, but hey, life rebounded quite happily in 65m years! It'll certainly do it again. No question there.
The only questions are: 1. will humans actually survive in some functioning remnant of modern culture, and 2. will we not fuck this up again?
Considering that we've burnt most of the oil and coal, and will probably come close to polishing it off before we're reduced to subsistence farming in small enclaves, we probably won't be able to do the global warming thing again. So, that's a plus. I guess.
13
Uh oh, sea levels are rising 60 per cent faster than the projections of the unapologetic, caught-red-handed, lying data manipulators over at the I.P.C.C! Quick, get Goldman Sach's on the phone, tell 'em to hurry up with the carbon taxes they plan on getting us to pay 'em to make us all safe.
14
@3 thru 8 - It is interesting, though, that it all comes down to those damn thumbs. The ability to manipulate our environment. The lack thereof keeps dolphins and elephants in check. All our most wonderful and horrible creations. The source of our rise and demise. Thumbs. And a little luck, of course.
15
@11: "hydrogen economy"
1. HYDROGEN IS NOT A FUEL SUPPLY
2. HIBRODEN IS NOP A FEUL SPPLUY
3. HARGOBLEM LD NIY E VULL ZUBLY
4. MIDROHEM SI WOB DA FEWL ESPLAY
5. GYDROHEM NIZ TON A FWELL PUSPLY
1. HYDROGEN IS NOT A FUEL SUPPLY
2. HIBRODEN IS NOP A FEUL SPPLUY
3. HARGOBLEM LD NIY E VULL ZUBLY
4. MIDROHEM SI WOB DA FEWL ESPLAY
5. GYDROHEM NIZ TON A FWELL PUSPLY
16
I am 41 now so as long as Earth can support life for another 40 or so years that's all I care about at this point. I used to care but really, what is the point?
17
Hydrogen is, of course, the only fuel supply. What the hell do you think coal and petroleum are? But yeah, in its elemental state, probably not in our lifetime. If ever.
19
Coal and Petroleum are certain not hydrogen, but I get your point, as does venomlash, I'm sure. Still, anything at all that might get Bailo to SHUT THE FUCK UP ABOUT HYDROGEN ALREADY is good in my book.
Bailo, you worthless piece of trash, if you're not going to go away and die in despair now that your boy lost, can you at least read a book so once in a while you stand a chance of saying something that isn't complete bullshit?
Bailo, you worthless piece of trash, if you're not going to go away and die in despair now that your boy lost, can you at least read a book so once in a while you stand a chance of saying something that isn't complete bullshit?
20
@16 - The point is the consequences of a 2degC rise are very different than that of 6degC rise. For example, it could be the difference between having or not a collapse of the West Antarctic ice sheet and attending meters of sea level rise. But, I am sure you knew that and were being flippant.
22
@16 The sun is hydrogen,of course- mostly. And even racoons have opposable thumbs. Still, whales my have large brains but they live in harmony with the planet.
24
Hey, I know, let's build an underwater Deeply Borrowed Tunnel instead of a Viaduct or Surface Highway, and QUADRUPLE the global warming emissions - due to digging, pumping, lights, ventilation (the last 3 24/7/365) - instead.
It's like listening to the UK complain about global warming when their own projections show their "green GDP" would INCREASE global warming emissions from the UK by 26 percent by 2020.
Cognitive Dissonance? Or not putting your money where your values are?
It's like listening to the UK complain about global warming when their own projections show their "green GDP" would INCREASE global warming emissions from the UK by 26 percent by 2020.
Cognitive Dissonance? Or not putting your money where your values are?
25
It depends if you take the planet to be just a giant piece of rock floating in space. The yes, it will be just fine, at least for the new 4 billion years till the sun explodes.
But if you, like me, take it to be the one piece of rock floating in space that we know for sure harbours life, that has enable the amazing evolution of millions of unique species, with individuals with dreams of their own, love and hope - then no, it's not going to be fine. And all of this is thrown down the crapper because fossil fuel lobbyists are blocking the renewable energy revolution that is actually already entirely possible with the technologies we have.
But if you, like me, take it to be the one piece of rock floating in space that we know for sure harbours life, that has enable the amazing evolution of millions of unique species, with individuals with dreams of their own, love and hope - then no, it's not going to be fine. And all of this is thrown down the crapper because fossil fuel lobbyists are blocking the renewable energy revolution that is actually already entirely possible with the technologies we have.
26
@25 Nothing we do will eliminate life. Single-celled life appeared incredibly early in the geologic record, and bacteria can be found in every horrible place on Earth that you can imagine that is not actually hotter than about 110° C. Multi-cellularity took a while, but once established, it quickly exploded into a wild variety of forms, only some of which survive today.
OUR SOCIETIES are fragile, and may not survive long. Many SPECIES of animals will probably become extinct due to our actions within the geologic eye-blink of the next millennium. If I had to bet, I would predict that virtually every ORDER (look it up) of animals will survive, and many or most FAMILIES. If humans all die off (unlikely) or collapse back to far smaller numbers of agrarians (somewhat likely) in the next millennium due to a self-inflicted disaster and do not rise again to higher technology, in a million years there will be roughly the same number of SPECIES of animal as today, most of which would look kinda familiar to us. They just won't be the SAME species. Terrestrial species tend to persist for only a million or two years anyway, so this is not THAT different from natural processes.
Cry for your great-great-grandchildren, not for the ducks of the distant future. Some ducks are probably gonna make it OK.
OUR SOCIETIES are fragile, and may not survive long. Many SPECIES of animals will probably become extinct due to our actions within the geologic eye-blink of the next millennium. If I had to bet, I would predict that virtually every ORDER (look it up) of animals will survive, and many or most FAMILIES. If humans all die off (unlikely) or collapse back to far smaller numbers of agrarians (somewhat likely) in the next millennium due to a self-inflicted disaster and do not rise again to higher technology, in a million years there will be roughly the same number of SPECIES of animal as today, most of which would look kinda familiar to us. They just won't be the SAME species. Terrestrial species tend to persist for only a million or two years anyway, so this is not THAT different from natural processes.
Cry for your great-great-grandchildren, not for the ducks of the distant future. Some ducks are probably gonna make it OK.
Advertisement
Most Commented on Slog
-
All You Motherfuckers Complaining That aPodments Are Too Small at 200 Square Feet by Dominic Holden
-
SL Letter of the Day: Did You Think I Was Going To Tell You Not To Come Out? (PLUS: Help Free Kate!) by Dan Savage
-
Rightwing Anti-Gay French Activist Commits Suicide at Notre Dame Cathedral by Dan Savage
-
Spoiled Rotten: Star Trek Into Darkness by Paul Constant
-
There Are No Atheists In Foxholes by Dan Savage
-
America's Epidemic of Toddler-on-Toddler Gun Violence Continues by Goldy
-
Well-Regulated Beaverton Militia Accidentally Fires Shot into Neighbor's Bedroom by Goldy
-
Saint Genet Re-Creates "Shoot" by Brendan Kiley
-
Dutch Artist Turns Dead Cat into Remote-Controlled Helicopter by Bethany Jean Clement
-
Puggle: Love It or Shove It by Grant Brissey
Stranger Personals
The Stranger
RSSSeattle Art & Performance Quarterly
A complete guide to Seattle's current art, film, dance, and theater season.
Facebook
Twitter
Comments (26) RSS