Huge Antarctic ice chunk collapses

So what's the impact of this?? The article doesn't say and now I'm really freaked out ...

there's no stopping it.

Umm...something tells me that CAN'T be good.

"Vaughan had predicted the Wilkins shelf would collapse about 15 years from now."

That means that we're in much worse shape that we thought. I think most of the figures and predictions are 10 to 15 years in the future, but in reality, it is happening much faster. We need action NOW!!

Million year old ice breaks off, melts, becomes flooding water that eventually evaporates. New ice won't suddenly show up to restart the process. That's it.
If you aren't doing something yet to correct this decline because you still don't believe it, you're taking the rest of us with you.
There's been enough death at the hands of fools.
Wake up!

perfectly put, huntre.

And so it begins.

I think the time is here to stop asking people nicely to change their lightbulbs. After An Inconvenient Truth and all the information that has been disseminated to the public in this country, if they can't understand the urgency yet, then it is plain to see that the majority of them are simply lazy, comfortable, selfish people who would rather sacrifice the future for their children just so they can continue to live in excess. Well said, Huntre. Simply FOOLS.

80% by 2050 is NOT enough. Hear that candidates?

Things like this keep me up at night....

well put Jan. regulation is obviously necessary. NEW RULES.

People adapt really well. Market it like a "curfew" if you must, tell them it's just for a short time, that as soon as industry figures out how to exploit solar power they can all go back to their oppulent lifestyles. People are willing to bend if it's just for a short time. And before they know it, they'll have forgotten about the days of hummers and frequent flyer miles.

Unfortunately, the response to this urgent problematic situation, which seriously began at least ten years ago, will continue to be too little too late. So, when the time comes, we will all have to be prepared for the biggest flood that any of us can imagine...know where is the high ground. The tidal waves could be enormous...any speculation on maybe 200 feet high..? Maybe higher...

We can't expect any cooperation from the present administration...too busy trying to get tat oirl...

this feels like a cancer diagnosis.

For what we've paid just on Iraq we could've built enough windmills and solar plants to power all of the US and China!

I mean, we could have actually come in and just built it for them (who would turn down that deal?). Told them to turn off their coal burning monstrosities and use wind and solar.

Of course there is hope in this, but how many times can you tell people about this and get no response? The time between movement to mitigate this and the tipping point is getting mighty close if they haven't met already.

twodee are my heroes. 'unravelling into sustainability'
bravo!

but for every one to who takes it upon himself, there are 100 who don't. So I share Jan's frustration with not seeing anything happen at the top where it needs to.

Regina - you are pretty accurate on that cancer diagnosis. Been there, done that and this does feel as over-whelming and scary as that did. Hopefully, we can treat this as successfully as my cancer was treated. A lot of us are doing what we can but until our government gets involved and does more than talk about it, we are in a bind. Even my local government is just 'talking'. It is driving me crazy. I just want to shout at them -" Quit talking and DO SOMETHING." Maye, this will motivate them.

We have been at this for a while and it does get frustrating. We have seen good friends and family turn away from us when we get too pressing on the issue. Come on too strong and people shut down fast. In the end that just does a disservice to the whole point. It is a very difficult balance. We get angry. We get outright pissed at people who should know better. We also know what we can do and decided to just go do as much as we can. We have also seen people make big changes because of what we are doing. This keeps us going.

Bravo to all of you. Even if you are shouting in the wilderness and no one hears...know that your voices are carrying on the winds of change and eventually the collective mind of man will come to its senses...where there is reason there is hope...therein lies change...

(humor me)

Fools are those who arrogantly believe that we humans have the power to alter the course our mother earth have chosen for us. She survived even larger catastrophes than what we humans can possibly concieve. Mother earth is moving to get rid of us. Fools are those who resist and fail to adapt to these rapid changes.

Punctuated equilibrium.

Hellz yeah ! i wanna be able to surf a break right off the east slope of the appalachian mts. ! how's that for adapting to climate change ?

Twodee: I have great respect for you and for what you are doing. I too have gotten my carbon footprint down tremendously and intend to keep it that way, and know others have done the same. I surely didn't mean to imply I did not. Of course there are those who are doing good things to keep up the fight as well. It is just that I do feel the urgency of this and see where we are headed unless we make drastic changes within the next five to ten years to mitigate the very worst of it. So to see people be so stubborn and arrogant to think they don't have any effect whatsoever on what is now happening just boggles my mind. Maybe the ad campaign being launched by The Alliance for Climate Protection will reach more people to bring them to a higher consciousness... Maybe all those running for office will understand then that they cannot keep pushing this aside or making goals that are illogical based on scientific models... Maybe... but until then?

I would just like to take this time to inform everyone of a very serious threat, one which threatens to destroy life on this planet as we know it, I am of course speaking of Manbearpig. Its half man, half bear, and half pig. He is known to live in very cold places such as antarctica, i propose that we send some of out biggest bombers complete with as much fuel as will fit and fly around the world a few times so he won't suspect we are after him and then after our 40th time circling the world and refueling a good 130 times we fly down and nuke that ice shelf out of existance. problem solved. manbearpig is gone for good and also we never have to worry about antarctica melting.

I seem to remember that Ted (of course I'm not drunk and didn't drowned that annoying bitch right before vehemently objected to waterboarding like the hypocrit that I am) Kennedy refusing to allow a windfarm to be built near his beloved home. Please tell YOUR candidates to practice what they preach.

Sincerely,

Liberal_Extinction

P.S. ROFLMAO @ wtoffler and thank you Al Bore for bringing to light the treachery of manbearpig.

don't read or download or listen to anything from this site... http://www.heartland.org/NewYork08/newyork08.cfm

if you do, don't believe any of it...

why?

".... it is impossible to reason people out of affiliations they have not been reasoned into." -- George Will, 01.10.2008

So, Al, "the debate is over"?

“people only insist that a debate stop when they are afraid of what might be learned if it continues.” -- George Will

oh, ps... if the polar bears in the Arctic are in danger, why not relocate some to the now-cooling-off Antarctic and see how they survive on a diet of seal and penguin?

hmmmm?

I had never heard of Eddie Izzard... that was hilarious!

Humans, sick masocists...

The beginning of the end. unless...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................?

I always find the climate-change 'skeptics' to be such a pitiful group of humans. For some reason, they've taken it upon themselves to protect the notion that our activities as humans are victimless. So, my enlightened skeptics, I am listening with open ears! What's your grand plan for the next hundred years? Shall I buy a new Corvette? Two, you say? Hot Damn, that's the ticket. My baby shouldn't use cloth diapers, you say? Plastic ones will do just fine? Splendid!

benV, ad hominem attacks don't bolster anything but your ego.

my first car was a 390hp, 7-liter corvette. [1969] i put 42,000 wonderful, enjoyable miles on that car at 12 mpg and 29.9 cents per gallon... $6.00 or so to take the 20-gallon tank from dry to full.

my current ride is an '04 prius with all the options. i average 44 mpg around town and nearly 35 when i tow my little travel trailer and drive my wife and two dogs cross-country.

your righteousness reeks. if i am part of the "skeptics" cult, you are a member of the Gorite/Warmite cult, and if my data have no basis in fact and are worthless to you, yours have the same lack of bases in fact and are worthless to me.

Sadly, benjaminV, the type of person whose answers you seek sees the world through economic lenses. Haves and have-nots.

One common argument: "Let the free market come up with solutions to these problems."

Another retort:: "The only effect I feel related to global warming is the effect on my wallet from save-the-earth types."

The ruthless economist criticizes the victims simply for being in the way.

Just like the dude above me.

I mean like everyone can get a Prius and that'll just solve the problem.

Every time i hear of things like this i do get really worried...maybe i should avoid articles like this. haha

b-dee b-dee b-dee... thats all folks!

greendigger, i sit falsely accused. you misrepresent me and i do take offense at that, not that you give a rat's butt about that.

the prius isn't the solution for everyone. what's your part? i drive a prius, and not many miles per year, either. as the saying goes, if i spill a cup of gas when filling my tank, i've committed more pollution than all the driving pollution the car would create in the next year.

i've replaced virtually all of the incandescents in my house with compact fluorescents. i took some time out of this "discussion" this afternoon to finish off part of the LED lighting for the steps off the deck in back of my house. no more 15w fluoresecent, which replaced the 60w incandescent to light the back steps. maybe 5 watts, spread over a dozen LED lamps now light both stairways for safety.

what you groupies don't get is that the free market, which you hate so much, is what has given you virtually all of the creature-comforts you're enjoying today.

don't like 'em? turn off your TV AND your PC and log off. cook over a wood fire and heat your bath water the same way.

all of the complaints and horror stories listed on this site can be traced to some government program that failed to do the job you wanted it to do, whether it's pumping radioactivity into France or lighting up a carbon [graphite]-moderated reactor in Chernobyl.

you all make the assumption and draw the conclusion that all technology is bad/evil, ALL companies employing more than five people are EVIL and out to screw everyone possible, and that it's totally impossible for any of them to be any good at all.

in some circles, that's referred to as a "religious belief" because you can't see any other side of the coin, even if it's held up to your face.

so, that's what i'm here for... to hold up facts and arguments in front of you and to jerk your chain and watch your knee-jerk reactions when someone disagrees with you.

victims can be helped. just not by the plans and controls you want to put in place. yes, you DO like control. that's part of the kick for you.

the part of the free-market you hate... the part where you can't dictate what other people do, buy, have.

but you never move to the countries that have those kinds of governments. gee, i wonder why? because you're selfish and love those creature comforts and ability to choose one brand of detergent from a selection of fifty instead of ONE?

woo-hoo.... you're FUN to play with!