tagged w/ Moral Responsibility
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"Accelerating melting on the world’s ice sheets and other new observations have scientists concluding that even a two-degree Celsius rise in temperatures – a benchmark long seen as safe in global climate talks and other emissions reductions scenarios – could lead to an 80-foot rise in sea levels.
“The dangerous level of global warming is less than what we thought a few years ago,” said James Hansen, director of NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies. “It was natural to think that a few degrees wasn’t so bad…. (But) a target of two degrees is actually a prescription for long-term disaster.”
Antarctica and Greenland are losing ice at a surprising clip, Hansen said, and methane hydrates – a potent source of greenhouse gas frozen beneath the seas – are starting to bubble up.
The key question for climatologists: How sensitive is the climate to increasing amounts of fossil fuel emissions. Last year humanity pumped almost 10 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, a half-billion tons more than 2009 and the largest jump in any year since the Industrial Revolution, according to the Global Carbon Project.
See also Biggest Jump Ever in Global Warming Pollution in 2010, Chinese CO2 Emissions Now Exceed U.S.’s By 50%.
The problem, those researchers said, is the “hang time” for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Even if greenhouse gas emissions stopped tomorrow, “climatically important” amounts of carbon dioxide and other compounds emitted today would continue to influence the atmosphere for thousands of years, Caldeira said.
See also Fossil CO2 impacts will outlast Stonehenge and nuclear waste
That kind of pressure, or “forcing,” on the atmosphere could be devastating, he cautioned.
About 55 million years ago a tremendous amount of methane was released into the atmosphere over a period of about 1 million years, and the planet heated by five degrees to eight degrees Celsius, or 10 degrees to 14 degrees Fahrenheit. The result was an ice-free planet with sea levels 230 feet higher than they are today.
In the eons since, carbon dioxide levels dropped and the ice reformed. But humanity’s emissions have the potential to send the globe back to those conditions, Caldeira and Hansen said.
“If you doubled CO2, which practically all governments assume we’re going to do, that would eventually get us to the ice-free state,” Hansen said.
Scientists don’t expect that ice to melt quickly. Assuming the current accelerated melting continues on the world’s ice sheets and glaciers, various climate models predict the ocean would rise between 1.5 feet and 2.3 feet by century’s end, said Tad Pfeffer, a glaciologist with the University of Colorado.
But the ice melted with atmospheric carbon dioxide levels at about 1,000 parts per million, Caldeira said. And he suspects that even 750 ppm, or about double today’s levels, could send the globe spiraling toward an ice-free state. Current emissions trends suggest the globe could reach that by the end of the century.
“We can’t double CO2,” Hansen added. “We would be sending our climate back to a state we haven’t adjusted to as a species.”
The time to act was a while ago, but now is much, much better than later."
Related Posts:
•A detailed look at climate sensitivity
•Climate Experts Warn Thawing Permafrost Could Cause 2.5 Times the Warming of Deforestation
More at the link
Around 28:00 minutes into the video is information on CO2."Accelerating melting on the world’s ice sheets and other new observations... more
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Thousands of demonstrators have marched through the South African city of Durban demanding faster action on climate change.
The annual UN climate summit is being held at the city's convention centre.
Protesters were particularly angered by the stance of rich countries such as the US and Canada.
In London. former UK Deputy Prime Minister Lord Prescott said the approach of these nations was "appalling".
Halfway through this summit, some progress has been made, but a few countries including the US, Canada and Saudi Arabia are holding out on important issues such as the future of the Kyoto Protocol.
Fourteen years ago, Lord Prescott played a leading role in the UN summit in Kyoto that brought the protocol into existence.
Speaking to the BBC, he was scathing about nations trying to delay progress now.
"Let's have a reassessment of it by 2015." he said. "But if you don't finish in time for the ending of Kyoto Two, which is next year, 2012, then, you know, it will actually wither on the vine and that's what Canada and America wants - and one or two other rich countries.
"It's a conspiracy against the poor. It's appalling. I'm ashamed of such countries not recognising their responsibilities."
The European Union wants talks on a new global agreement covering all nations to start as soon as possible.
It is backed by most of the world's poorest countries and small island states vulnerable to rising sea levels.
But even if resistance from the US and others can be overcome, it is hard to envisage anything being agreed that can start to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions before 2020.
And that is the timeframe science suggests is necessary if the most dangerous climate impacts are to be avoided.Thousands of demonstrators have marched through the South African city of Durban... more
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COPAKE, N.Y. - Officials say a New York dairy farmer who methodically slaughtered 51 cows before taking his own life may have been trying to spare his family the burden of caring for the animals.
Dean Pierson was found dead Thursday on the floor of his barn in Copake.
Nearby, half his heard lay in their milking stalls, also dead of gunshot wounds.
Pierson left no explanation for what he’d done, just a note on the barn door warning whoever found it not to come in and to call the police.
But there appeared to be a method to his bloody work. He killed only the cows that required frequent milking.
Pierson’s wife says she wants to figure out how to keep the farm going.
She says she doesn’t want "all that work he put into it to go to nothing."
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WTF?
AM I ACTUALLY SUPPOSED TO FEEL SORRY FOR THIS AWLFUL EXCUSE FOR A HUMAN BEING?
IT IS FRIGHTENING TO THINK THAT OUR SOCIETY IS REALLY THIS SICK.
I FAIL TO SEE HOW THE ABSOLUTE EVIL OF BRUTALLY SLAUGHTERING THESE DEFENSLESS ANIMALS WOULD "SPARE" ANYTHING...
OH, EXCUSE ME... UNLESS IT'S A 'BURDEN'.
THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS! A COMPLETE LACK OF EMPATHY AND COMPASSION.
THE ONLY "BURDEN" IS THE CRUEL NARCISISTIC PSYCOPATHS TAKING UP SPACE ON OUR PLANET, CAUSING DEATH PAIN AND SUFFERING.
http://www.nonviolenceunited.org/veganvideo.html
http://www.nonviolenceunited.org/pdf/alifeonnected.pdf
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/national/northeast/view.bg?articleid=1227731COPAKE, N.Y. - Officials say a New York dairy farmer who methodically slaughtered 51... more
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Today marks 25 years since phosphene gas killed thousands in Bhopal due to negligence on the part of Union Carbide. Still today there is no justice as this horror now spreads to new generations. It is time for JUSTICE. Stop the cover up.
My heart goes out to the brave and strong people of Bhopal.Today marks 25 years since phosphene gas killed thousands in Bhopal due to negligence... more
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The Bush administration is proposing new rules that would weaken species protections and eliminate independent scientific review of development projects that could threaten species habit.
The changes ("tweaks") that the President Bush and the Bush Administration are proposing would weaken Section 7 of the landmark Endangered Species Act.
For more than three decades, this key provision of the ESA has safeguarded imperiled species from the impacts of potentially harmful federal projects.
Key to the success of this provision has been the requirement for interagency consultation between "action agencies" that build dams or highways, issue oil and gas leases or timber cutting contracts, etc., and the "conservation agencies" that have the primary responsibility for protecting endangered species (the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service).
The conservation agencies have always had the opportunity and responsibility to take a second look at the projects proposed by the action agencies. As a result of taking that independent look, the conservation agencies have often been able to suggest project modifications that avoid harmful impacts to rare species.
The proposed regulatory changes would eliminate the requirement for an independent review by the conservation agencies. The result will almost certainly mean that both harmful impacts on rare wildlife, and opportunities to avoid those impacts, will be overlooked.
Conservation is not the mission of federal action agencies like the Army Corps of Engineers, the Federal Highway Administration, and others. To make sure that their projects (and the projects of many other federal agencies as well) do not cause needless harm to rare species, the existing requirement for independent review by federal conservation agencies should not be abandoned.
Please follow the link for the petition to President Bush. If these regulatory changes are made, it will be as if the Endangered Species Act does not exist... not to mention the horrific impact on the environment.
PLEASE TAKE ACTION!
http://action.edf.org/campaign/esa_action
I will be posting more news release on this issue.The Bush administration is proposing new rules that would weaken species protections... more
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Last week’s decision by a York County water board to delay a vote on whether to sell municipal water to Nestle Corp., the owner of Poland Spring, did not happen in a vacuum.
* Last month in McCloud, Calif., after encountering opposition to what would have been the largest water bottling plant in the country, Nestle announced plans to significantly reduce the plant’s size.
* Earlier this month in Enumclaw, Wash., the city council rejected a proposal to allow Nestle to build another such plant.
* And last Monday, the U.S. Conference of Mayors voted to phase out use of bottled water for municipal employees.
Across the country, opposition to bottled water is building, amid growing concerns about the industry’s environmental impact and rising fears about private control of public water supplies.
“There’s no question that there is a groundswell,” said Ruth Caplan, coordinator of Defending Water for Life, a Washington, D.C.-based campaign that opposes the bottled water industry.
There are several reasons for the backlash to bottled water. Some of it is driven by fears about global warming - given the amount of oil needed to bottle and transport the water.
Some stems from concerns about the chemical makeup of plastic water bottles.
Some of the opposition is a byproduct of the huge price disparity between bottled water and the kind of water that comes from the tap for free.
Here in Maine, some of the local opposition to Poland Spring’s operations has stemmed from the traffic generated by the trucks that transport the water.
Perhaps the biggest factor, though, is a fear that as bottled water becomes more popular, private corporations are gaining more control over a natural resource that is central to life.
“The fundamental issue is, who owns the water?” said Jim Olson, an attorney for Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation, which has been engaged in a legal battle with Nestle. “If this company gets to do it, all companies get to do it, and you’re not going to be able to say no in the future.”
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We need to stop the commoditization of this resource which is the lifeblood of the Earth. Water is a human right. It cannot be bought by Nestle at the expense of the poor in countries where water is already scarce. It is a good sign to see people finally standing up to these companies.
Last week’s decision by a York County water board to delay a vote on whether to... more
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Amazing that this was the song that turned me and many others on to the environmental movement about thirty years ago, and here we all sit thirty years later still fighting to keep mercury out of our air and water... radiation out of our ground and skies, and toxic waste out of our water. To me that doesn't speak well of the human species even for all the strides we have made. And no one sings this song like Marvin Gaye did, and it saddens and inspires me everytime I hear it. We need to do better.Amazing that this was the song that turned me and many others on to the environmental... more
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Amen, Mr. Gore. It seems only logical to me that if you are religious or even a spiritual being who does not associate with organized religion, that you have a bond to this Earth and a charge to keep as its steward. Although, I do not think a moral responsibility for preserving this planet is reserved for religious people alone. Atheists as well that I know also have a deep abiding love for this Earth and for keeping it whole. Therefore, they as well should not be excluded from this message, but it is ironic in particular that we see those who claim to be religious to be the biggest hypocrites when it comes to preserving this planet. So it is good to see this message resonating across all boundaries.Amen, Mr. Gore. It seems only logical to me that if you are religious or even a... more
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"It is not until the well runs dry, that we know the worth of water." Ben Franklin. ///////The population explosion in the Southwest is causing the one thing we up to now have only seen in third world underdeveloped countries.The Southwest is running out of water due to population increase, waste, and climate change. The time has come for evasive action to conserve water resources, provide for more water storage, and to invest in irrigation methods that save water, along with doing something about the tremendous population increase in this area. Those who move there to have huge swimming pools in the desert and water their fake lawns need to understand what calamity they are precipitating by their actions. Will it have to come down to fines? And notice in Las Vegas when you pass a casino all you see are huge fountains, pools, and water displays. Are they truly necessary at a time like this? This study is a red flag that should lead people to truly think of the consequences of their actions. The water problems we are facing now in this country will not go away if we pray for rain. We must be the catalyst in taking a moral responsibility for conserving water."It is not until the well runs dry, that we know the worth of water." Ben... more
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