Comments due by March 28, 2015
Scientists are now mapping a world that is changing rapidly in often-terrifying ways. Climate disruption and world leaders' unwillingness to act have put us at risk of experiencing mega-droughts, the disappearance of coral reefs and other ecological impacts of an anthropogenically warming planet.
The UN World Meteorological Organization recently announced that 14 of the 15 hottest years ever recorded have occurred since 2000. Ponder that for a moment before reading further.
In what is perhaps eerily prophetic timing, this February marked the 50th anniversary of US President Lyndon B. Johnson's warning about carbon dioxide. In a 1965 special message to Congress, he warned about the buildup of carbon dioxide and said, in what would become the harbinger warning of anthropogenic climate disruption (ACD):
Air pollution is no longer confined to isolated places. This generation has altered the composition of the atmosphere on a global scale through radioactive materials and a steady increase in carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels.
The potential consequences of this warming are also multiplying, as witnessed by a recent NASA study that shows that the United States is "at risk of [a] mega-drought future." The research shows that the Southwest and Central Plains are both on course for super-droughts, which have not been witnessed in over 1,000 years.
In this month's climate dispatch, we document a wide range of research along similar lines: Scientists are now mapping a world that is changing rapidly in often terrifying ways.
Earth
After the single worst mountaineering accident in history took place last summer on Mount Everest, the standard climbing route for that mountain has become off limits. Many mountaineers, including this writer, credit ACD with making the section of the route where the deadly accident occurred more dangerous than ever before.
An increasing number of reports now demonstrate that ACD is leading to new disease outbreaksaround the world. In fact, many scientists fear that ACD is already creating the ecological basis for infectious deadly diseases to spread to both new places and new hosts as the planet's atmosphere changes.
Other scientists are warning of a coming "climate plague," and say that exotic diseases like Ebola, SARS and West Nile virus will become "increasingly common" as ACD progresses. Less dramatically but equally pertinent, recent studies are already linking ACD to longer and more intense hay fever seasons in the United States.
Wildlife is reflecting the changes to the climate as well. Grizzlies in Yellowstone National Park emerged several weeks early from their winter hibernation due to the arrival of spring-like weather, with warmer temperatures and rain falling instead of the usual snow, according to a park spokesperson.
Dramatic acceleration of ACD and its impacts on agriculture mean that "profound" societal changes are needed in order to feed the world's ever-growing population.
Madagascar's lemur species, most of them already imperiled, are now being severely impacted by the effects of ACD, which will cause an average of half of their current habitats to be removed over the next 70 years.
Although it's not as though we needed any further evidence that ACD is real and progressing rapidly, a study recently published in Nature, drawn from evidence taken from ancient plankton fossils drilled from the ocean floor, supports current predictions about ACD, as it verifies what we are seeing today, and where it will lead, since it has happened in the past.
On the human front, a recent report shows how disasters resulting from ACD are pushing India's poorest children further into poverty and sometimes human trafficking, as parents are displaced.
Lastly, researchers at an annual American Association for the Advancement of Science conference in the United States reported that the dramatic acceleration of ACD and its impacts on agriculture mean that "profound" societal changes are needed in order to feed the world's ever-growing population. One example of these changes is the fact that, according to one of the scientists at the conference, in order to feed the planet between 2000 and 2050, agricultural output would have to produce the same amount of food as was produced in the last 500 years.
Water
As usual, the impact of ACD is extremely clear when it comes to water and water-related issues around the globe.
In Alaska, the annual Iditarod sled dog race is in increasing jeopardy, as warmer temperatures and dwindling snow cover are making it more challenging to run the race. Mushers are having to skirt open-water sections of previously frozen rivers, run their teams and sleds over long sections of bare ground, and run their dogs at night because daytime temperatures are sometimes too warm.
In the Pacific Northwest, a possibly record-setting bad snow year is in full swing, as mountain snowfalls remain at record low levels, and forecasts for the rest of the season are calling for more of the same. By way of example, the snowpack in the Olympic Mountains is at only 8 percent of its usual level.
The planet is experiencing "unabated planetary warming" when one includes the vast amounts of greenhouse-trapped heat in the oceans.
A recent report revealed that anthropogenic air pollution in the northern hemisphere is reducing rainfall over Central America. Scientists explained that sun-masking pollution cools the northern hemisphere where most global industry is based. This then pushes the intertropical convergence zone (a rain band that encircles the globe) south because it moves toward the warmer hemisphere.
Researchers from the University of Arizona have shown that melting ice is causing the land to rise up in Iceland, and possibly elsewhere. The result of this could be a dramatic increase in the number of volcanic eruptions around the globe - yet another unintended consequence of ACD.
While it's no secret that glaciers are melting in Antarctica and Greenland, a recently published study provided new evidence that the carbon from melting glaciers is impacting the downstream food chains and having a significant impact on those ecosystems. This means substantial changes to the base of the food web, changes that will have clear ramifications for global fisheries and ultimately, humans' ability to feed themselves.
A recent study published in the journal PLOS ONE, titled "Smothered Oceans: Extreme Oxygen Loss in Oceans Accompanied Past Global Climate Change," revealed that abrupt, extensive loss of oxygen occurred in the oceans when the global ice sheets melted approximately 10,000 to 17,000 years ago. These findings explain similar changes that are already occurring in the oceans right now.
New analysis of thousands of temperature measurements taken during deep ocean probes confirmed that the planet is experiencing "unabated planetary warming" when one includes the vast amounts of greenhouse-trapped heat in the oceans.
Life in the oceans is being impacted in what are increasingly obvious ways. Rutgers University professor Malin Pinsky, who studies the effects of ACD on fisheries, recently announced a study showing species redistribution (having to move to new areas due to temperature changes) of fluke, which are being pushed north toward cooler waters. Pinsky has already studied a similar phenomenon happening with flounder.
In California, nearly 1,000 sea lions have been washed ashore this year in what rehabilitation centers state is a growing crisis for the animals. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials are blaming warming ocean temperatures for the problem.
ACD-fueled drought continues to plague the planet, as the major vacillations between extreme dryness and floods grow increasingly common.
It's important to place this distressing news for the planet's oceans in a larger - and even more distressing - context. Now is a good time to recall an alarming 2011 report, in which the International Program on the State of the Ocean warned of mass extinction, based on the then-current rate of marine distress. The expert panel of scientists warned that a mass extinction event "unlike anything human history has ever seen" was coming, if the multifaceted degradation of the world's oceans continues.
Since 2011, destruction of the oceans has not only continued, but it has increased dramatically. A World Resources report states that all coral reefs will be gone by 2050 "if no actions are taken," a study published in BioScience states that oysters are already "functionally extinct" since their populations are decimated by overharvesting and disease, and the "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico, and others around the globe, continue to break size records.
Other water-related effects of climate disruption abound.
The massive snowfall in Boston this winter set all-time records for snow within 14, 20, and 30-day periods, and has been tied to ACD.
ACD-fueled drought continues to plague the planet, as the major vacillations between extreme dryness and floods grow increasingly common.
Sao Paulo, Brazil's largest and wealthiest city that typically has access to one-eighth of the fresh water on the planet, is now seeingits taps run dry as the region struggles to cope with "an unprecedented water crisis." And in the United States, California's drought continues to make front-page news, as usual. The state suffered one of its driest Januarys on record, indicating that, without a doubt, the state is headed into a fourth straight year of drought.
Also in California, scientists are seeing that state's shrinking snowpack as a harbinger of things to come. They are expecting the snowpack to shrink by at least one-third as the climate continues to warm in the coming decades, and expect that by the end of this century, more than half of what now functions as a massive natural freshwater reservoir could be gone.
Indeed, a recent NASA study warns us of an "unprecedented" North American drought, and shows that California is currently in the midst of its worst drought in more than 1,200 years. The study also shows how things are only going to get worse.
Meanwhile, the distress signals from the Arctic continue to make themselves known, in the form of melting ice.
A study recently published in the Journal of Climate shows that the amount of ice already lost in the Arctic dwarfs any of the ice gains that have occurred around Antarctica. ACD deniers had pointed toward increasing ice buildup in parts of the Antarctic as a sign that ACD was not happening, but this study blows that "argument" out of the water. "I hope that these results will make it clear that, globally, the Earth has lost sea ice over the past several decades, despite the Antarctic gains," wrote study author Claire Parkinson, a sea ice researcher at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland.
Seattle-based urban planner Jeffrey Linn produced a series of maps that show what is going to occur as sea levels continue to rise and major cities are submerged in hundreds of feet of water. They are worth looking at closely.
A study just published in the journal Nature Communications shows that sea levels north of New York City "jumped by 128mm (5 inches)" in just two years. This is an unprecedented rate in the history of tide gauge records. The US scientists who authored the study warned that coastal areas now need to prepare for "short term and extreme sea level events."
Lastly, on the subject of rising sea levels, researchers recently reported that rising sea levels are already impacting Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where the historic and iconic launch pads 39A and 39B are under threat as nearby beachfront is washing away at an alarming rate.
Fire
A recent state-commissioned study in the US projects between a 2.5 to 5.5-degree Fahrenheit temperature increase by 2050, which would bring more disease, crop damage and wildfires to the state of Colorado, along with other states in the center of the country.
To make matters worse, another recent report makes it clear that wildfire season in the United States, which used to be confined to the months of July and August, has grown two and a half months longer in the last 40 years - and continues to expand.
Beyond the US, a recent study in the New Scientist revealed that ACD-augmented wildfires could begin releasing radioactive material locked in contaminated forest soils around Chernobyl, allowing them to spread all over Europe.
Air
A recent study published in Scientific Reports reveals that the forests' ability to suck carbon from the atmosphere is likely slowing down. The ramifications for this are obvious: With forests' ability to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere compromised, the impacts of ACD speed up dramatically.
Climate Central recently published an interactive tool called Winter Loses Its Cool, which allows you to see how daily low temperature projections for US cities are being impacted by ACD.
A modeling study published in LiveScience in February shows how ACD is spawning even more tornadoes in the US Southeast.
Another report - which shouldn't surprise anyone living in the frigid northeastern US - shows how ACD is clearly shifting the jet stream that drives the weather for that region. This has been evident throughout most of February, where record-breaking bitterly cold air from Siberia wracked the region, along with the eastern half of Canada, with incredibly low temperatures and record snowfalls. It is obvious that something is amiss with the planet's atmosphere when the US Northeast is getting weather, regularly now, that used to be found only within the Arctic Circle. As global temperatures slowly equalize as a result of ACD, the jet stream is no longer contained to its previous patterns.
January 2015 showed that worldwide temperatures are showing little sign of relenting from 2014's record high levels, as January matched the warmest records for the month in 125 years of data records, according to Japan's Meteorological Agency.
Lastly, the giant craters in Siberia that are believed to have been caused by methane gas eruptions in melting permafrost are now sparking fears of the unfolding of an Arctic natural disaster. That disaster would look like increasingly escalating temperatures that cause self-reinforcing feedback loops to kick in, and cause the permafrost in the Arctic to continue melting, hence releasing the rest of the trapped methane.
Denial and Reality
There is some big news on the ACD-denial front this month, as it was recently revealed how the deniers' favorite scientist, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics' Wei-Hock Soon, has been taking cash from corporate interests - and the documents are there to prove it. He has accepted more than a cool $1.2 million in money from the fossil fuel industry, and opted not to disclose that minor conflict of interest in the vast majority of his so-called scientific papers.
Nevertheless, others who are taking massive amounts of cash from the fossil fuel industry, like the infamous Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Oklahoma), continue to spout on about how only God can cause climate change.
A recently published op-ed in LiveScience asks the question, "Is it safe to be a climate scientist?" given how aggressive and even dangerous the pushback has been against scientists for simply doing their jobs.
It's a legitimate question because given the fact that 2014 was the hottest year on record and all the other overwhelming evidence that ACD is in full swing and accelerating by the day, the denial movement has began to reach new heights of lying and propagandizing. By way of example, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott's top business advisor Maurice Newman says that he believes ACD is a "myth."
"We are conditioning ourselves to ignore the information coming into our ears."
Meanwhile, talk of "geoengineering" as a "solution" for ACD continues to grow in frequency and volume, to the extent that the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) recently issued two firmly pessimistic reports on the subject. The NAS refused to call it "geoengineering," however, instead calling it "climate intervention." The NAS panel rejects the use of the term "geoengineering" because, "We felt 'engineering' implied a level of control that is illusory," according to Dr. Marcia McNutt, who led the report committee.
Another, little-noticed factor that may be driving denial: noise pollution. A senior US scientist recently expressed concerns about how human-created noise is making us oblivious to the sound of nature. Rising background noise in some areas threatens to make people deaf to the sounds of birds, flowing water and wind blowing through trees, and the problem is exacerbated by people opting to use iPods during their hikes. "We are conditioning ourselves to ignore the information coming into our ears," the scientist said. Along with the fact that the majority of the global population now lacks regular access to wilderness, it is becoming ever easier for people to avoid thinking about ACD, since they are out of touch with the planet.
There have been important recent developments on the reality front for this section.
As a mitigation option, a recent Reuters story reminds us, "Giving more women who want it access to birth control to limit their family size, in both rich and poor countries, could be a hugely effective way to curb climate change, according to experts."
Truthout also recently published an analytical piece on this topic, noting that there are 225,000 people at the dinner table tonight who weren't there last night - and that the vast majority of carbon emissions are coming from so-called developed countries, rather than poorer "developing" countries.
In an action geared toward raising global awareness, Catholics in 45 countries aim to send an ACD message through their Lenten chain of fasting this year. In addition, Pope Francis' scheduled address to a joint session of Congress this fall is aiming to put Republican lawmakers who are ACD deniers square on the hot seat.
Given recent reports and events, let us remember the shockwaves caused in the global scientific community when, in 2010, Australian emeritus professor of microbiology Frank Fenner, who helped eradicate smallpox from the planet, predicted the human race would be extinct within the next 100 years. Believing humans will be unable to survive the ongoing twin-headed dragon of unbridled population explosion and overconsumption, Fenner stated unequivocally, "It's an irreversible situation. I think it's too late. I try not to express that because people are trying to do something, but they keep putting it off."
On that note, researchers at Oxford University recently compiled a "scientific assessment about the possibility of oblivion" that predicts various scenarios of how human civilization will most likely end.
With ACD listed as the No. 1 most likely way we perish, the list goes on to include other possibilities like global thermonuclear war, a global pandemic, ecological catastrophe and global system catastrophe. Only two of the 12 scenarios - major asteroid impact and a super volcano - were not anthropogenic.
Regarding ACD, the researchers believe the possibility of global coordination to mitigate the impacts to be the largest controllable factor in whether or not catastrophe can be prevented. However, they also warned that the impact of ACD would be strongest in poorer countries, and that large human die-offs stemming from migrations and famines would cause major global instability.
The changes on Earth are demonstrated by scientists. However, these changes occur in terrifying ways. We witness this climate disruption and we just see that world leaders are unwilling to act against this. And we will more likely experience mega drought if the terrifying changes keep going like that. The hottest years are recorded by UN World Meteorological Organization since 2000. This year has been the 50th anniversary of US President Lyndon B. Johnson’s alarm about carbon dioxide. I just analyze what precautions have been taken since that time, but I see nothing to prevent it at all. Air pollution is everywhere and there is not any place that we can breathe healthily. There are important consequences of warming as demonstrated a recent NASA study. It is shown that Southwest Central Plains are possible to have super droughts which are not witnessed in over 1,000 years. All of these results show the possible consequences of global warming for the whole world. Earth, water, air and all other elements are affected by this uncontrolled warming. It is seen that the number of reports showing the ACD’s leading to new disease outbreaks around the world. The scientists fear that ACD creates ecological basis for contagious diseased to spread to new places and new hosts when the atmosphere of the planet changes. The effects of water should be discussed as well. It is noted that the annual Iditarod sled dog race is in jeopardy at important amount as the temperature becomes warmer and the snow dwindles because this situation makes is more challenging to run the race. There is also fire issue. There is a recent commissioned study in US projects which show that there is temperature increase between a 2.5 to 5.5 degree Fahrenheit by 2050. The effects on air are also important. There is a recent study showing that forests can suck carbon from the atmosphere and it slows down. All of these results are important to note because these consequences harm the world and we face mega drought as noted by the writer.
ReplyDeleteThe impacts of ACD are alarming. As supported by the reading above, humans have been “putting off” having to deal with these major issues for far too long. The reading states that there are severely negative impacts on our Earth’s water, fire, air. Our anthropogenically warming planet is causing terrifying damage to our ecosystem’s animals and natural resources.
ReplyDeleteImpacting the human population, the warming planet has led to a deficiency of fisheries, clean water, and other natural resources such as clean air and disease free surroundings. Adding to the issues, the rapid warming has led to poverty levels, especially levels within “developing” areas, to increase. With poverty rising with birthrates, according to the reading studies have shown that in order to properly provide humans with food to eat for 50 years, “agricultural output would have to produce the same amount of food as was produced in the last 500 years.”
Extreme weather has led to extreme water issues. Because the rapid warming has left many cold areas to melt, the decreasing levels of oxygen, which has impacts on oceanic food chains, fisheries, and essentially the way humans are able to provide seafood for themselves.
It is clear that these issues are extensive and that all humans need to be more aware of these issues at a global perspective for themselves and for future generations. Governmental issues involving corruption have occurred, but more efforts towards a greener economy must be taken. Measures such as the encouragement of widely available contraceptives to women around the world and specifically in developing areas are steps in the right direction. As awareness grows, we can only hope for more measures to be taken to ensure the safety of future generations.
We can all recognize the dramatic change in our earth’s climate, whether it’s the constant heat, the constant snow or constant cold. I remember when I was young living in Sydney Australia, when winter came; it was cold, and when summer came; it was hot, but now the whether is constantly random and the heat is just unbearable around 30-40C° (86-104F°). All the warning signs of anthropogenic climate disruption is there, but yet we ignore them because the facts are too frightening to think about and/or each individual believes that there’s other people who will worry about it so there’s no reason for us to.
ReplyDeleteEnvironmental funding should come into place at this point, as I believe that more needs to be done to protect and regenerate our land, sea and air before the year 2050 as studies are showing that by than we will see drastic damage to our earth. I am inspired by men like Steve Irwin who’s dream was to buy as much land as possible so that he could turn that land into parks, more parks mean more wildlife, less pollution, and cleaner air.
Anthropogenic Climate Disruption (ACD) continues to outstrip the ability to model the worst-case scenarios, since it is happening so much faster than was ever anticipated. There have been studies that show that almost 63 percent of all human-generated carbon emissions were produced in the last 25 years, but scientist have shown that there is actually a 40-year lag between the global emissions that are actions are causing, and the climate impacts that occur. So it can be said that we haven’t experienced the worst of our emissions until many decades later.
ReplyDeleteHumans have never lived on a planet that has had temperatures 3.5 degrees Fahrenheit above the baseline. Many scientists believe that this is something that is impossible to occur. An increasing number of climate change scientists now fear that the situation is already extremely serious, and so many self-reinforcing feedback loops are already in play, that we are in the process of causing our own extinction!
Studies have shown that around 55 million years ago, there was a 5 degree Fahrenheit increase in global temperatures that only occurred 13 years, but a report was published saying that the earth’s climate will change 10 times faster than at any other moment in the last 65 million years.
ACD is something that won’t be going away anytime soon. We need to be aware of this pressing issue, as it affects future generations to come but the current generations too. ACD has too many impacts on our air, water, and land that it is something that cannot be ignored. Focusing on ways to rehabilitate our earth is the next step we need to take.
In recent decades, climate change has had an impact on all continents and oceans. Access to resources and price stability are threatened, while global demand will increase. The South is the most exposed. Map of fishing areas should be redesigned with more numerous marine species in middle and high latitudes and decreased around the tropics with strong extinction rate at the local level.
ReplyDeleteLower overall resources of the oceans by the end of the century, whatever the level of warming. On land, the production of wheat, maize and rice should be set to a local increase of the thermometer 2 ° C compared to the levels of the late 20th century, although some regions could benefit from it, the report said. But nothing is gained, the situation worsens after 2050. Climate change will slow economic growth, making it harder to reduce poverty and create new pockets, especially in cities.
Experts predict more displacement, and increased fear of risk of violent conflict with "an aggravation of conventional factors such as poverty and economic shocks. The risk of conflict between states with rivalries over scarce resources is increased . various diplomatic sources: water or fish stocks or new opportunities generated by the melting ice.
Health problems are also feared. The increase in health problems seems inevitable in many areas, especially the developing countries (increase in intense heat waves, poor nutrition or diseases associated with contaminated water or food).
Maxime Merian
Anthropogenic Climate Disruption (ACD) is a serious issue. The baffling thing is that no matter how real and how often we see it on a day to day basis scientist, politicians etc.. not only are oblivious to it but refuse to see the facts. Everything from bizarre heat waves in the middle of winter or bizarre snow waves in the middle of spring. California has had its longest drought in history and we are still arguing about whether or not it effects our environment.
ReplyDeleteThe leaders of the world need to start addressing this issue immediately, the longer they brush it off as a third or fourth priority the more ignorance will revolve around the subject. World leaders need to do just what their job description says and that "Lead".
Now attending to the question at hand, would I be okay with nuclear energy. I think that our lack of being prepared shouldn't constitute something so drastic and dangerous, action needs to be taken now and not later so that our next generation doesn't pay the piper.
By:Yeison Gomezzarzuela
All of these studies are eye opening and terrifying. They are terrifying not only because of the damage that has been made and we continue to make, but the fact that people, specifically those in power turn a blind eye to it. As with most issues this world faces, we will not take this problem head on until literally it is or almost is too late.
ReplyDeleteI know I have mentioned this before, but it still drives me crazy that unless I took this class, I would never have been made aware of these studies or climate affects. I have two children, and neither have learned anything about green economy, issues the world faces concerning water, air, fire, weather etc., and what they can do to help.
We are continuing to head down a dangerous path, and are not doing enough to educate people of these issues. We need to take this kind of information and shove it in peoples faces in order to get their attention because otherwise, nothing will change. How much more evidence does the world need to realize that immediate changes need to be made?
Anthropogenic Climate Disruption (ACD) is a serious problem today, one that grows worse every day. An even bigger problem is properly educating the population that this is a big problem that needs fixing ASAP. In 1965, President Johnson delivered a speech declaring that ACD was a problem and over the years it would get worse. He was right about that.
ReplyDeleteThe drought has effected the world in many ways - mainly effecting agriculture. According to a new report: in order to feed the planet between 2000 and 2050, agricultural output would have to produce the same amount of food as was produced in the last 500 years. This is a shocking statement, especially because every day the planet and its condition worsens, not improves.
The true solution is to continue to work to implement more sustainable solutions in terms of agriculture, and continue to rid dangerous emissions such as carbon dioxide that harm our planet.
ReplyDeleteAnthropogenic Climate Disruption is showing signs around us on a day-to-day basis and are being proven by scientists to be horrific on our environment. It is obvious that climate changes occur, but is alarming at the rates they are changing from now as opposed to a decade ago. The article focuses on how ACD affects water droughts and air pollution, despite the fact that humans are doing little to solve the issue. According to the article, there was a “dramatic acceleration of ACD and its impacts must mean that societal changes are needed in order to feed the worlds ever-growing population.”
Also, the ACD drought is continuing to plague the planet, which can also result in reduced crops for farmers in such areas. The most alarming issue is that those who control funds to combat such issues, choose to spend money elsewhere which leads us to believe these issues will only get worse, not better. Scientists are predicting even more dramatic changes in North America, specifically California who are currently in its worst drought in 1200 years.
The quote “We are conditioning ourselves to ignore the information coming into our ears,” really says a lot about our priorities as mankind. If we continue to deny the harm of ACD, the future of our worlds population will suffer the consequences.
There have been several warnings from various people about the significant effects of global warming. One made in 1965 by the 36th President of the United States, Lyndon B. Johnson, who warned congress about the buildup of carbon dioxide and anthropogenic climate disruption and a 2011 report made by the International Program on the State of the Ocean, who warned of a mass extinction unlike anything we've ever seen based off of marine distress. Anthropogenic climate disruption is the production of greenhouse gases emitted by human activity. ACD is believed to have cause many negative effects on the Earth, Water and Air and continues to do so day by day. Scientists have linked ACD to deadly disease outbreaks such as Ebola, SARS and West Nile virus. Most recently, the Ebola outbreak was brought to the United States after affecting multiple countries in West Africa. Although the risk of Ebola affecting the U.S. like it did in Africa is very low, it was still scary knowing that a few people in the US were contaminated and how deadly the disease is. As ACD progresses, scientist are warning how these deadly diseases will become increasingly common. Some animals such as Grizzlies and Lemurs are also in danger from climate disruption. Their behavior patterns are beginning to change and their habitats are being destroyed. The ice caps melting in the Arctic have also become a concern for a few years, however it seems nothing is being done to save them. The carbon from melting glaciers is impacting the food chain, which ultimately effect humans ability to feed themselves. We've also seen recorded breaking temperatures and snowfall in areas such as Boston while locations that are typically colder are seeing warmer temperatures. In a recent study, NASA has warned us of a North American drought in addition to California's current drought. As I mentioned in a previous blog post, my father owns his own produce company. He has talked about how the weather change has caused major issues with the quality of produce he buys and sells. There is now a limited amount of produce he can buy from California because of the drought they are experiencing. ACD is a very significant issue that needs to be dealt with and not ignored. There are many skeptics that do not believe ACD exists. There must be actions taken towards raising global awareness so everyone can due their part in saving the planet, especially government officials who have the power to implement strategies to reduce carbon emissions. If we do not take action, the planet faces consequences such as global thermonuclear war and global instability that will likely wipe us off the face of the earth.
ReplyDeleteThis article explains how terrifying the effects of climate disruption are. According to a recent study by NASA, the potential consequences of this warming is multiplying, therefore, it is important acknowledge this issue. Unlike people who are taking massive amounts of cash from the fossil fuel industry, society needs to find a way to not ignore information coming our way. Even though the article only stressed placing the distressing news for the planet’s ocean in a larger, more distressing context, I believe we should all news relevant to climate distribution in a larger context. We need to make it known that there is a dramatic acceleration of anthropogenic climate disruption. For agriculture, societal changes are needed in order to feed the world’s growing population. Also, the planet is experiencing unabated planetary warming, which is when one, includes the vast amounts of greenhouse-trapped heat in the oceans. In addition, according to a recent state- commissioned study, the US projects a 2.5 to 5.5- degree Fahrenheit temperature increase by 2050, which would bring more disease, crop damage and wildfires to the state of Colorado, along with other states in the center of the country. There are also many harmful effects to our air due to the fact that the forests' ability to suck carbon from the atmosphere is likely slowing down.
ReplyDeleteEarth is going through changes, we know that, but we have not seen any acts that are really fighting against this climate and environmental changes. Is not a new warning, we know about our planet Earth going through changes through a lot a years now, but leaders, politicians and people in power have not act in a satisfying way. The ACD is showing us that our planet is going through serious climate problems and is also is being proven by scientist to be true. This article is more talking about the problem with air pollution and how is creating droughts and humans are not giving all of their effort to solve it.
ReplyDeleteNot only this problem is affecting our climate, it is also affecting our environment as a whole. Our crops and farmers are being affected and same as all humans, every day and every year we have less clean air and clean water; which being this two factors the most important resources for humans to live. In my opinion, I think leaders and politicians are the ones that can really attack this problem into its roots. They have the resources and the way to teach humans how we all can work for a better, clean World.
ADC is not only affecting the environment, but also pushing India’s poorest children into poverty, human trafficking, dramatic increase in natural disasters, disease out break, and loss of agriculture.
ReplyDeleteWarmer temperatures are causing the glaciers to melt in places like Antarctica and Greenland. Carbons from the glaciers are impacting the food chains and the ecosystem. Ocean temperatures are raising damaging ocean animals’ lives. The world will experience a mass extinction of animals if the destruction of the world continues. Also, Coral reefs will be completely gone in year 2050 if nothing is done.
ACD also ties in with the large amount of snowfall in Boston. “There is [a] direct relationship between the surface warmth of the ocean and the amount of moisture in the air. What that means is that this storm will be feeding off these very warm seas, producing very large amounts of snow as spiraling winds of the storm squeeze that moisture out of the air, cool, it and deposit it as snow inland.”(Mooney).
Brazil, who has the eighth of the fresh water on the planet, is coping with a water crisis. California is added to the list. Being from California I have experienced this first hand. Fines are being pushed on to people for over using water. People are not able to use their sprinklers for their lawn, but manually hoe it down. Restaurants do not offer free water, unless asked for. There are sign on freeways telling everyone to be cautious about the over use of water.
The past couple of years the winters have been unexpectedly hot, in comparison to the years before. Fires have also increase because of rising temperatures. California could stand alone as a country because of access of agriculture. Soon this true statement no longer will be true. As the drought worsens so will the state.
Our earth is rapidly deteriorating because of ACD, and I find it absolutely disgusting that people of power, such as scientist and senators are denying the matter for micro amount of payments from fossil fuel industries. For Senator Jim Inhofe to claim, “Only God can cause climate change,” is ridiculous. Even Pope Francis is scheduled to address Republican senators who deny ACD. That alone says a lot.
We are coming close to a global instability cause irreversible situation. As citizen of the world we have to take it upon ourselves to make a difference in our own homes and communities so that our children do not have to suffer for our carless wrong doings.
A recent study by NASA mentions that the potential consequences of global warming are increasing. The acceleration of anthropogenic climate disruption and its impacts on the earth are terrifying. It really puts everything into perspective. ACD has been liked to deadly disease outbreaks like Ebola, SARS, and West Nile. The Ebola outbreak originated in West Africa and was brought to the United states via people who traveled from that region. The scare that Ebola caused in the United States and the amount of people that Ebola killed in Africa is terrifying. According to this study, ACD will only progress and continue to make infectious diseases more common. This climate disruption will also endanger animals. Grizzlies are waking up earlier from their hibernations and Lemurs in Madagascar are becoming extinct because of their habitats are being destroyed. California has been experiencing a drought and if it continues, the drought will spread to the entire continent. This will eventually cause agriculture to wither and the population to dwindle to nothing. The world can expect global thermonuclear war and global instability if they do not implement laws and strategies that will reduce carbon emissions and slow down anthropogenic climate disruption.
ReplyDeleteThe article, “Mega Drought” by Dahr Jamail, introduces the concept of anthropogenic climate disruption (“ACD”), essentially how changes in nature are brought about by humans. According to Jamail, ACD is one of the major contributors to global warming. Climate disruption upsets various levels of our planet including such as hydrological, air, biologic, and ecological systems.
ReplyDeleteWater is the most basic need of our environment. Yet, we continue to pollute our air through fossil fuel burning and the release of emissions. A significant illustration of air pollution is that of the state of California, which for the past three years has consistently experienced the heaviest of droughts and wild fires. Most incredibly, Brazil, which has access to one of the largest bodies of fresh water, is experiencing a water crisis. Further, the lack of rain in Central America caused by the polluted Northern Hemisphere is witnessing a reduction of rain level. Unpredictable climate patterns affects agriculture as well as global fisheries. Farmers and fishermen rely on predictable weather patterns and/or seasons to cultivate and distribute crops to urban and less developed areas. Unprecedented weather conditions result in damaged crops. These consequences can be seen in the local supermarkets when we question the high price of fruits, vegetables and fish.
The human race seems to be out of touch with their planet. If we are major contributors to the destruction of our earth, water, and air, certainly we need to be educated and guided so we can avoid the unintended consequences of global warming in our near future and for generations to come.
The article mentions a few interesting points besides the theme of the impacts of ACD. Firstly, LBJ warned of the threats of the steady build up of carbon dioxide a half century ago. Its incredible to think that this threat has been know for so long and yet we are in the position to face some of the most dangerous results of ACD. As a nation, the United States is experiencing massive droughts that have not been seen in some 1,000 years. Because of this, municipal, agrarian, and commercial water systems are straining to meet the demands of the market place. Unpredictable climate patterns expedites this problem. How are people suppose to make a living, how are people suppose to have access to clean water and the basic needs of survival when we continue to strain our ecological system? This is the real result of ACD, and our governmental failing to address the problems that threaten the public health and security. These massive droughts are at its essence a failure of our government, in both its technical ability and ideological ability to compromise for the common good of the people. Sooner then later, their will be repercussion of the natural feedback loops of the are being disrupted that will go beyond the powers of our government to force change. This radical shift of climate and social paradigms will cause instability, unless we are able to come together and pursue the changes necessary to move to a green economy.
ReplyDeleteLast year marked the 37th consecutive year of above-average global temperature, according to data from NASA. There is increasing evidence showing the relation between Anthropogrnic Climate Disruption and disastrous ecological events. Specifically, the chronic drought going on up and down the coast of California is causing major problems. California is home to the United State’s most important agricultural regions. It has gotten so bad that the California Department of Water Resources has decided to cut of water supply to local public water agencies that serve 25 million residents and about 75,000 acres of farmland. In addition, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife limited fishing in certain areas of lower water levels; outdoor fires have been restricted due to extremely dry conditions. According to Westlands Water District, without more H2O, an estimated 200,000 acres of prime agricultural land will go unplanted in Fresno County, California.
ReplyDeleteMuch of the water supply comes from the Sierra Nevada, a mountain range between the Central Valley of California and the Basin and Range Province. The Sierra Nevada are reporting record low amounts of snow fall levels. According to a NY Times article, Severe Drought Grows Worse in California, the Sierra Nevada supplies water to more than 25 million people and the 44.7 billion agricultural industry. With the lack of snowfall, the lack will of water supply with drastically affect the millions of people that rely on the Sierra Nevada snowcaps.
With the rapid development of industrialization, human use fossil fuels such as coal and oil, and besides human’s other activities, which cause a large number of pollutants and greenhouse gases, climate change is more and more outstanding. Global climate change influences on the social and natural systems, it has been increasingly attracting the attention of governments and the public around the world. The disasters of global climate change bring losses to human life and property, social and ecological systems seem to be increasingly fragile. Ozone depletion, acid deposition, global warming are the main manifestation of climate anomalies. Ozone depletion that causes great harm to human, plant and animal. Acid deposition which endangers people’s health, makes the soil and water acidification. Global warming causes glaciers melting, rising sea levels, low coastal areas are flooded. The article refers that through Japan's Meteorological Agency, “January 2015 showed that worldwide temperatures are showing little sign of relenting from 2014's record high levels, as January matched the warmest records for the month in 125 years of data records”. In fact, A lot of countries have formulate a series of policy, and for each one of us, we can start from little things in our daily life, such as save electricity, save water, use green product, reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, use public transport, and plant trees.
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