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Runaway Daily
Archive for March, 2010
Commented on “The Atlantic”
Posted on March 22, 2010 in Miscellaneous
Let’s see – this is the only large representative, rather than parliamentary, democracy; and, it’s the greatest country in the world. Coincidence?
The Dems were brave today. Whether they were also smart remains to be seen. But if you note the vociferous defence of every last dime of Medicare and Medicaid spending by Republicans (!) just lately, you have to guess they were smart indeed.
Originally posted as a comment
by floydsm8
on The Atlantic using DISQUS.
Ecology Emerges
Posted on March 19, 2010 in Attended
Tonight was #1 in the Ecology Emerges series
held in Oakland, led by Chris Carlsson and his SF history project, Shaping San Francisco. This is a great series; see upcoming dates here.
The theme was the Evolution of Eco-Activism, “Following the compelling shift from conservation to environmentalism to environmental/social justice over the last half-century”, with Jerry Mander (International Forum on Globalization), Karen Pickett (Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters), and Carla Pérez (Movement Generation).
Chris showed an evocative new 10-minute film, then there was a valuable panel talk. Jerry Mander said that things have gone so far that we need systemic changes and worldview changes, but that localization and sufficiency will be crucial. Karen Pickett talked about the Headwaters campaign and the importance of direct action.
Arctic Methane Leak: But I Feel Fine*
Posted on March 5, 2010 in Hotspots
The world has had a hard time accepting the dangers of global warming, let alone the possibility of tipping points, whose exact characteristics need further research. But scientists and advocates have also mentioned, somewhat tentatively, that there might well be other risks we incur as the world warms – “unknown unknowns”, in Rumsfeldian terms.
Now a large “unknown unknown” has reared its very ugly head. The oceans of the world routinely release methane, from a variety of processes, as do the soils. A new paper, published today in the journal Science, reports that the East Siberian Arctic Ice Shelf, a 2 million square mile area of the Arctic Sea north of Siberia, is releasing as much methane as the rest of the world’s oceans combined. According to Dr. Natalia Shakhova, lead author of the paper, the release is about 7 teragams, or about 7 million tonnes, of methane annually.
Why “Runaway”?
in What is RCC“Runaway climate change” is what happens when global warming becomes self-sustaining. A global warming spiral kicks in if:
- The environment absorbs less CO2. About 50% of our current emissions are absorbed by the environment – roughly half of that by the oceans, the other half by plants on land. This uptake of CO2 by the environment may already be in decline.
- Reflection of sunlight drops. As snow and ice cover retreat – as cover is smaller in geographic extent, or seasonal cover lasts for less of the year – dark ground and even darker water are exposed, which absorb sunlight, further warming the earth.
- More CO2 and methane are emitted from nature. Soils, forests, peat, the seas, organic deposits in permafrost, and methane clathrates all emit some CO2 and methane. As the environment warms, “natural” emissions increase.
