Union of Concerned Scientists’ Post

As we witness the impact of climate change on these majestic glaciers, it becomes clear that our actions today will shape the future of this treasured landscape. My latest Substack reflects on our National Parks. Read more: https://lnkd.in/geaFfceK

Long-term climate change projects will include the rebuilding of the coral reefs, reforesting the Amazon and repowering the world’s energy system among other long-term initiatives. Should we be taking notes from the great cathedral builders of the Middle Ages who spent their lives building parts of the cathedral knowing that it would require future generations to finish the project?   Though the world has yet to mobilize globally around climate solutions the way cities once rallied around cathedrals, this article makes the case that solutions are technically and financially feasible, but need the world’s communities to be inspired to build a better future.   As an amateur student of the great cathedrals in Europe, this Washington Post article has stayed with me the past few months. Though we are in a 'break the glass moment' now, we will also need to play the long game. Check it out here. Courtesy of the Michael J. Coren, Washington Post #deforestation #coralreef #sustainability #reforesting #cleanenergy #nxtgen #cathedral #climate #environment #climatechange

Edited MAR 03, 2024 @10:03 AM EST: QUOTE: ". . .. Thanks to the record-setting rain that has washed over California during the last six months, Lake Manly — which dried up thousands of years ago — has reformed on the floor of Badwater Basin the lowest point in North America. This unlikely and exceedingly rare comeback is a message from the warming climate, which baked the region in a years-long megadrought and has now flooded it with rain.. . . ." UNQUOTE ACTUALLY, IT IS NOT THAT SURPRISING. AS THE PLANET AND ITS ATMOSPHERE CONTINUE TO WARM, THE AIR CAN HOLD MORE WATER VAPOR. THAT'S "ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE 101". THE INCREASED WATER VAPOR CAN COME DOWN AS EITHER RAIN OR SNOW. CALIFORNIA HAS RECEIVED A LOT OF RAIN, FROM, WHAT IS IT _____THREE_____"ATMOSPHERIC RIVERS" IN ABOUT 30 DAYS. IN ALASKA (AS OF FEB 6TH, 2024) -- THAT STATE HAD RECEIVED 100 (ONE HUNDRED) INCHES OF SNOW THIS WINTER AND WAS ON TRACK TO BREAK ITS RECORD OF 132 INCHES OF SNOW IN A SINGLE WINTER. ################## SO WHAT IS DRIVING THIS GLOBAL WARMING? ON "co2.earth", YOU SEE THE ATMOSPHERIC CO2 LEVEL IN PPM (PARTS PER MILLION), AS FOLLOWS: JAN 2024 = 422.80 PPM JAN 2023 = 419.80 PPM ANNUAL CHANGE = 3.32 PPM AN ANNUAL INCREASE OF "ONLY" 3.32 PPM DOES NOT SEEM VERY LARGE. IT IS ONLY DECIMAL 0.0079 (OR 0.79%), SO WHY DO WE SEE AN INCREASE IN WILDFIRES, FLOODS, DROUGHTS, HEAT WAVES, ATMOSPHERIC RIVERS, ETC. FROM SUCH A TINY INCREASE? WE SHOULD PUT THE ABOVE INCREASE INTO HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE, WHICH THE NEWS MEDIA ____NEVER____DOES. 3.32 PPM IS 664 TIMES THE HISTORICAL ANNUAL RATE OF CO2 INCREASE OF 0.005 PPM. SOURCE: "The Role of Long-Lived Greenhouse Gases as Principal LW Control Knob that Governs the Global Surface Temperature for past and future Climate Change"  By ANDREW A. LACIS* PHD, JAMES E. HANSEN PHD, GARY L. RUSSELL, VALDAR OINAS and JEFFREY JONAS, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, 28 September 2013) QUOTE: "ABSTRACT The climate system of the Earth is endowed with a moderately strong greenhouse effect that is characterized by non-condensing greenhouse gases (GHGs) that provide the core radiative forcing. Of these, the most important is atmospheric CO2. The significance of the non-condensing GHGs is that once they have been injected into the atmosphere, they remain there virtually indefinitely because they do not condense and precipitate from the atmosphere, their chemical removal time ranging from decades to millennia. . . . This leaves atmospheric CO2 as the effective control knob driving the current global warming trend. "The problem at hand is that human industrial activity is causing atmospheric CO2, to increase by 2 ppm yr, whereas the interglacial rate has been 0.005 ppm yr . [ "ONLY" 400 TIMES THE HISTORICAL RATE IN 2013 VS 664 TODAY]   "This is a geologically unprecedented rate to turn the CO2 climate control knob. This is causing the global warming that threatens the global environment.. . ." UNQUOTE

About one-tenth of Iceland is covered by glaciers, which are retreating rapidly, with some even disappearing entirely. The total surface area of Icelandic glaciers decreases by about 40 square kilometers annually. To slow or prevent glacier retreat, the most effective strategy is to reduce global warming. #Arctic #Iceland #glaciers #climatechange 

Another devastating year for Swiss glaciers. Despite heavy winter snow and a cool spring, 2024 saw above-average ice loss due to soaring summer temperatures. Climate change is reshaping our planet faster than we can react, with Swiss glaciers losing 2.5% of their volume this year alone. Let’s act now, before it’s too late for the Alps. 🌍❄️ #vortexuniverse #nooceannofuture #ClimateChange #SwissGlaciers #Sustainability #ActNow Isaac Shweky Kevin Pelletier

https://lnkd.in/eEuA2CqT Nearing a climate tipping point - with little understanding of the follow-on impacts.

https://lnkd.in/dXS6WuTn A-68, a code that reminds me of Android 18/19 from the extraordinary DragonballZ series, however this BBC News report of an Iceberg melting is nothing short of extraordinary which has resulted in reduction of Greenhouse emissions!! Climate Change is a Complex Concussion. #climatechange #emissionsreduction #bbc #contravension

An interesting climate adaptation experiment in my home US state https://lnkd.in/eVs6p2Gw

Today is World Seagrass Day - a plant that is vital to regulating the world's climate and the health of the ocean. But it's under threat from bottom trawling - we need to restore these habitats and stop trawling the bottom of the ocean.

I'm thrilled to share that my latest article, "Sharks are not the problem – we are," has been published in The Invading Sea! In this piece, I explore how climate change impacts shark migration patterns and the delicate balance of our ocean ecosystems. I’m passionate about contributing to this conversation and would love for you to check it out and share your thoughts! 🔗 https://lnkd.in/esWwWYt3 #TheInvadingSea #Sustainability #ClimateChange