Category: global warming

  • Global Weirding for a Hot n Heating Planet

    Global Weirding for a Hot n Heating Planet

     

    Global Weirding for a Hot n Heating Planet

    Q: Write an article that addresses these questions/topics…
    What do you call it when the hottest day recorded in centuries is exceeded by…
    the hottest day. When many months each year meet or exceed the hottest month in
    human history? When was a month of lower than “average” temperatures,
    and what do you call it when the extremes, planet-wide, are only on the hot
    side?

    Gemini Advanced (2024, July)

    Earth’s Fever Spike: Redefining ‘Normal’ in a Warming
    World

    In a stark reminder of the accelerating climate crisis,
    Earth has recently experienced a series of alarming temperature records.

    The hottest day in recorded history has been surpassed
    multiple times within a matter of weeks. Months once considered exceptionally
    hot are now commonplace, raising questions about what constitutes
    “normal” in a rapidly changing climate.  

    A New Era of Extremes

    Scientists are grappling with terminology to describe these
    unprecedented events. The phenomenon of the hottest day being repeatedly broken
    has been dubbed a “fever spike” by some, reflecting the planet’s
    escalating temperature. The frequency with which monthly averages meet or
    exceed the hottest month in recorded history is indicative of a fundamental
    shift in climate patterns.

    The Vanishing ‘Normal’

    Historically, global temperatures have fluctuated within a
    relatively predictable range, with periods of warmer and cooler months
    balancing out over time. However, recent trends have shattered this balance.
    The concept of a “normal” temperature range is becoming increasingly
    obsolete as extremes on the hot side become the norm.

    The term “climate weirding” has emerged to
    describe this unsettling trend, encompassing not only record-breaking heat but
    also other unusual weather events, such as extreme rainfall, prolonged
    droughts, and intensifying storms. These anomalies are attributed to the
    accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, primarily from human
    activities like burning fossil fuels and deforestation.  

    The Implications

    The implications of these escalating temperatures are
    profound and far-reaching. Rising sea levels threaten coastal communities,
    while droughts and floods disrupt agriculture and jeopardize food security.
    Heatwaves pose serious health risks, particularly for vulnerable populations,
    and ecosystems struggle to adapt to the rapid pace of change.  

    A Call for
    Action

    Scientists and
    climate activists are sounding the alarm, emphasizing the urgent need for
    drastic action to curb greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the worst impacts
    of climate change. The transition to renewable energy sources, sustainable land
    management practices, and international cooperation are essential components of
    a comprehensive climate action plan.   

    Q: What are the
    10 most distinct symptoms of global warming over the last 10-20 years. Bullet
    items please.

    Gemini
    Advanced
    (2024, July)

    10 Distinct
    Symptoms of Global Warming over the Last 10-20 Years:

    • Rising global average temperatures: The
      planet’s average temperature has been steadily increasing, with the last
      decade being the hottest on record.
    • More frequent and intense heat waves:
      Heatwaves are becoming more common and lasting longer, leading to health
      risks and stress on ecosystems.
    • Melting glaciers and polar ice caps: The loss
      of ice is contributing to rising sea levels and disrupting habitats for
      Arctic wildlife.
    • Rising sea levels: As ice melts and warmer
      water expands, coastal communities are facing increased flooding and
      erosion.
    • Changes in precipitation patterns: Some areas
      are experiencing more intense rainfall and flooding, while others are
      facing prolonged droughts.
    • More extreme weather events: Hurricanes,
      storms, and wildfires are becoming more frequent and severe due to the
      changing climate.
    • Ocean acidification: The absorption of excess
      carbon dioxide by the oceans is making them more acidic, harming marine
      life.
    • Loss of biodiversity: Climate change is
      contributing to the extinction of species and disrupting ecosystems around
      the world.
    • Shifts in plant and animal ranges: As
      temperatures change, species are forced to migrate to find suitable
      habitats, impacting food chains and ecosystems.
    • Increased risk of wildfires: Warmer
      temperatures and droughts create ideal conditions for wildfires to start
      and spread rapidly.

     

    ·How
    scientists are sounding the alarm on climate change – Earth Day   

    ·        
    www.earthday.org  
    The Earth’s escalating
    temperature is a stark reminder that we are living in a time of unprecedented
    climate change. The terminology used to describe these events may evolve, but
    the underlying message remains clear: Urgent action is needed to safeguard the
    planet’s future.

    Sources and
    related content

    ·        
    trygreenforall.com

    ·        
    trygreenforall.com

    ·        
    Global temperature record streak continues, as
    climate change makes heatwaves more extreme – World Meteorological Organization
    WMO

    ·        
    wmo.int

    ·        
    Earth just experienced its hottest day ever
    recorded

    ·        

    ·        
    www.earth.com

    ·        
    Climate Change-induced Sea-Level Rise Direct
    Threat to Millions around World, Secretary-General Tells Security Council

    ·        
    press.un.org

    ·        
    How scientists are sounding the alarm on climate
    change – Earth Day

    ·        
    www.earthday.org

     

    #GlobalWarming #ClimateChange #RecordHot #ExtremeHeat #GenAI #GenerativeAI #RegenerativeAI

     

  • Environment wins with reduced human activity

    There’s a silver lining, of sorts, in the reduced human activity related to the coronavirus shutdown. Nice visuals from space and discussion here:

    https://truththeory.com/2020/03/19/in-the-midst-of-a-tragic-human-pandemic-the-environment-is-flourishing/

    Move from lots of pollution to a beautiful clean sky. Very ugly way to get there, but the earth is getting a breather from the humans torturing the land and sky.

  • Amazon? Lungs of the world? Sinking feeling?

    I got into this debate, related to Global Warming, on the “Amazon is sometimes referred to as the Lungs of the world.”
    Here’s a very readable discussion in Newsweek on how much oxygen comes from the Amazon: https://www.newsweek.com/how-much-oxygen-amazon-rain-forest-1456274
    Much like Global Freezing, I don’t know that I have ever heard/seen an actual scientist say this, but the Lungs of the World is still a pretty well circulated myth. Some times it says 20% of the oxygen in the world is produced by the Amazon Rain Forest. Actually, this is probably true, however the rainforest consumes most of the oxygen it produces. Plants (decomposition) consume it, animals in the forest, not so much so. Oxygen in the atmosphere is about 21% (20.95%, actually). And that’s not going to change much, even if the Amazon was burned to the ground… Carbon Dioxide (CO2) on the other hand, that’s not so pretty.
    There’s massive amounts of carbon stored in the trees and peat. That would all get moved from a stored state into the active environment (air and ocean). Same as chopping down 500 year-old native trees and burning them without replanting the same. Same as digging up coal that took 500m years to form and burning it (except that there’s no way to return the coal in coal back to the sync from whence it came).
    So, when the amazon is converted to grassland and ranching, the original carbon store is released into the atmosphere and the ability to store carbon (sync) is broken. Yes, grass is green, but it does a horrible job related to carbon sequestering compared to trees. Plus cows have a habit of belching and farting that releases a wicked amount of methane (32 to 64 times as potent a greenhouse gas as CO2).
    Of course, there horrific impact on the environment. You could easily call this a crime against humanity and against the environment when native populations are killed and displaced and the rainforest with all it inhabitants of plants and animals are killed and destroyed forever.
    National Geographic talks about the same issue, but follows on to discuss biodiversity: Why the Amazon doesn’t really produce 20% of the world’s oxygen: Of the many important reasons to worry about the thousands of fires raging in the world’s largest rainforest, oxygen supply is not one of them.

  • Those Sneaky Climate Alarmists

    A video came cycling around to me that provided gleeful evidence that the Climate Alarmists use sneaky methods to distort the information and make everyone shake in their boots because the world will end in less than 12 years. This guy, Tony Heller (aka Steven Goddard), even went so far as to create a tool to find the best point in any trend graph for best (mis)representing data.
    As with many such reports, I would always like to find myself wrong, and to discover that I’ve become a Climate Alarmist for nothing. All that lost sleep, spending time developing business ideas and models that are both sustainable, politically viable, and profitable.
    Sadly, Heller is simply a fraud. He used his own tool to make fun of activists, and to distract people from facts. Here is a great video by Mallan Baker that takes on a couple of Heller’s debunk graphs to debunks the junk.
    Why is Heller talking Continental US and pointing at specific US cities when we are talking GLOBAL warming. The US had some wicked hot years during the Dust Bowl, for example.

    Wikipedia can be the best overview source for highly active and rapidly updated pages like these: Global Warming, Climate Change, Sustainability in general, and Climate Change Denial.
    By now you know that everyone knows that there’s global warming. Thermometers tend not to lie.
    But I keep finding people who have been convinced that warming is not very much, or that it is a natural cycle to earth, or that humans are only responsible for a fraction of the warming we are experiencing.
    Even the oil companies now acknowledge that there’s global warming, but their business model is not conducive to any of the logical approaches to deal with the issue aggressively. In fact, according to internal documents, the oil companies have know for half a century that global warming was a byproduct of their product and hidden this from the public in order to protect their business-as-usual profits.

    With current technology, we can easily measure the energy that comes from the sun, and the amount that is reflected back into space. All evidence shows global warming is happening, and at an accelerating pace. You can use lots of good data sources related to land, ocean, air, ice coverage, etc. Statistically, solar flares, volcanoes, El Nino and other major factors can be isolated; warming can easily be primarily attributed to human factors.

    We don’t have time to debunk the deniers, people and lobbyists who are paid by deep fossil interests. We need to go about becoming more sustainable, like as if our collective lives depend on it. Business-as-usual (oil, gas, coal) is unsustainable. Being unsustainable is something that must change, sooner or later. Being unsustainable has a way of becoming more and more expensive, and coming to an ungraceful end.

    Fortunately, we will actually save money (i.e., more profits) from doing smart and sustainable things. Solar and Wind are now far cheaper than fossil fuels in most locations (even when combined with battery). Renewable energy is especially cheaper when considering all the externality costs of fossil fuels (pollution, health, national security).

    Energy efficiency offers a perpetuity of savings. The greenest gallon of gas is the one never pumped, refined, shipped and burned. The greenest electricity is the negawatt. We also like Teleworking, the greenest commute is zero-distance which consumes no time.

    Let’s all start with those things that can be done immediately (within weeks or a few months) and those that offer a perpetuity of savings. We need to start putting the magic of compounding to our advantage, not toward more non-sustainable practices.

    < * Notes & References * >
    Wikipedia is a great source on Climate Change. Start with the Global Warming Book.
    An excellent source for fact/fiction/myth is: SkepticalScience.com (I’ve never seen anything there that was not supported with sources and provable with current data.)

    The log entry for Baker video:
    A few days ago, noted Climate Change commentator Tony Heller released a
    new video with some killer facts that completely exposes the conspiracy
    over climate change.

    Or does it?

    Let’s discuss.

    The Mallen Baker Show is aimed at all people who see themselves as
    change makers, with commentary on issues and change movements with a
    particular focus on climate change and environment, social issues, free
    speech and corporate social responsibility.
    References in this video:
    Tony Heller’s original video
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8455K…
    The National Climate Assessment Report
    https://nca2018.globalchange.gov/down…
    Extreme heat and cold graphs
    https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicator…
    Wildfires analysis
    https://andthentheresphysics.wordpres…
    Interview with Dr Ottmar Endenhofer, IPCC (in German)
    https://www.nzz.ch/klimapolitik_verte…

    Integrated sea ice graph
    https://web.archive.org/web/201905241…
    Piecing together the arctic sea ice history
    https://www.carbonbrief.org/guest-pos…

  • What history suggests about +3 to +4 degrees in sea level rise!

    Study of ancient caves in Europe show how high sea levels should rise when temps go up 3 or 4 degree C.
    You can figure about 20 to 60 feet (7 to 20 meters).
    A study published in Nature looks at what water levels might look like in a +3 world.
    The article is summed up in Phys.org…. Scientists discover evidence for past high-level sea rise.
    Of course, you can always model the global warming on earth to see where we land with +2 or more degrees.
    A scary study just out finds that ice sheets are melting from below at between 10 and 200 times faster than originally expected!