Apart from a few (i.e. a lot) of dunderheads in Washington, we can see climate change is taking place at a formidable rate. It's typically regarded as a global phenomenon so there hasn't been a whole lot of personal accountability but, thanks to the glory of science, now each of us can own a piece of climatic destruction. (Science Daily: How each one of us contribute to Arctic sea ice melt)
Yep, now it's true that I can know in advance if I do this thing then it will kill twelve innocent penguins.
Ed: there are no penguins in the Arctic!
Oh, you're thinking the Earth only melts on one end, are you? Tell that to these poor little, hungry and innocent, lost in the snow baby penguins.
What will you do when they show up on your doorstep and say, "You melted my home!"
Ed: I'll cook them for dinner.
Let me guess ... your favorite show on television is the "Shark Tank?"
For each tonne of carbon dioxide (CO2) that any person on our planet emits, three square metres of Arctic summer sea ice disappear. This is the finding of a study that has been published in the journal Sciencethis week by Dirk Notz, leader of a Max Planck Research Group at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology and Julienne Stroeve from the US National Snow and Ice Data Centre. These figures enable us for the first time to grasp the individual contribution to global climate change. The study also explains why climate models usually simulate a lower sensitivity than can be detected in observations. It concludes that the two degrees Celsius global warming target agreed on in the most recent UN Climate Conference will not allow Arctic summer sea ice to survive.
- Science Daily
Most of us probably get it that world leaders are singing something of a Climatic Kumbaya just now but there is little chance any of them will reach the stated goals in reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. There's no need for clairvoyant revelations of the future when there are too many of those already and the science is clear enough on such things anyway.
Now the science is clear on how much you own of it.
"So far, climate change has often felt like a rather abstract notion. Our results allow us to overcome this perception," says co-author Julienne Stroeve. For example, it is now straight-forward to calculate that the carbon dioxide emissions for each seat on a return flight from, say, London to San Francisco causes about five square metres of Arctic sea ice to disappear."
- Science Daily
Ed: before I cancel a flight to see the Queen, I need to see their numbers.
Right you are, Bucko, and we saw that too ... insofar as we did not see any numbers in the article. We don't know what algorithms were used to derive these conclusions so you may wish to review the original journal article which the Science Daily article summarizes.
Ed: do you question their numbers?
Not much since 'x' amount of carbon dioxide is emitted so average that out to the number of humans and the researchers will undoubtedly be more clever than that but something of that nature should get at least a fair idea of the individual scope of it.
Yep, now it's true that I can know in advance if I do this thing then it will kill twelve innocent penguins.
Ed: there are no penguins in the Arctic!
Oh, you're thinking the Earth only melts on one end, are you? Tell that to these poor little, hungry and innocent, lost in the snow baby penguins.
What will you do when they show up on your doorstep and say, "You melted my home!"
Ed: I'll cook them for dinner.
Let me guess ... your favorite show on television is the "Shark Tank?"
For each tonne of carbon dioxide (CO2) that any person on our planet emits, three square metres of Arctic summer sea ice disappear. This is the finding of a study that has been published in the journal Sciencethis week by Dirk Notz, leader of a Max Planck Research Group at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology and Julienne Stroeve from the US National Snow and Ice Data Centre. These figures enable us for the first time to grasp the individual contribution to global climate change. The study also explains why climate models usually simulate a lower sensitivity than can be detected in observations. It concludes that the two degrees Celsius global warming target agreed on in the most recent UN Climate Conference will not allow Arctic summer sea ice to survive.
- Science Daily
Most of us probably get it that world leaders are singing something of a Climatic Kumbaya just now but there is little chance any of them will reach the stated goals in reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. There's no need for clairvoyant revelations of the future when there are too many of those already and the science is clear enough on such things anyway.
Now the science is clear on how much you own of it.
"So far, climate change has often felt like a rather abstract notion. Our results allow us to overcome this perception," says co-author Julienne Stroeve. For example, it is now straight-forward to calculate that the carbon dioxide emissions for each seat on a return flight from, say, London to San Francisco causes about five square metres of Arctic sea ice to disappear."
- Science Daily
Ed: before I cancel a flight to see the Queen, I need to see their numbers.
Right you are, Bucko, and we saw that too ... insofar as we did not see any numbers in the article. We don't know what algorithms were used to derive these conclusions so you may wish to review the original journal article which the Science Daily article summarizes.
Ed: do you question their numbers?
Not much since 'x' amount of carbon dioxide is emitted so average that out to the number of humans and the researchers will undoubtedly be more clever than that but something of that nature should get at least a fair idea of the individual scope of it.
6 comments:
The flat to negative carbon footprint has been around for a long time. Plant green. Oh yeah quit cutting down the rainforest as it is the only air purifier we have.
The authors calculations are wrong.
An average flight is only about .67 tonnes per seat so the footprint for ice degradation would only be 2 square meters and that is a subjective amount as it doesnt take into consideration the thickness of the ice.
Most carbin footprint sites do not tell you what you can do to reduce yourfootprint but give you a dollar value for them to spend to refuce your footprint. Such as that flight is a $12 donation to help reforest Kenya.
Far better that everyone plants trees in thier space or bushes or God forbid walk more and drive less. But the simple solutions never work because no one makes money from them
Not a reason to bark at any of that and we have talked about planting things quite a bit here.
The big vulnerability is whacking rain forests because more farmers than the land can support so they whack the forest to make more land. That needs economic / sociological change so better opportunities are elsewhere doing something else.
We should be paying thier farmers not to farm instead of the farmer welfare in this country. Then allow the super farms to produce then send it thier way.
There has to be an economic benefit ot to cut down the trees.
Ask Elon to build his next battery plant in one of those countries instead of Nevada
Well, the world wanted a global economy and global problems come with it. Washington sees that as a cop thing but, as you say, planting some factories around will shift economies quite a bit ... but ... that costs this economy in jobs so now what. Likely it will take a long time for this to settle out.
The more they develop the more they can buy from us. Thus becoming realistic trade partners. What Nafta was,supposed to do with Mexico. And as thier economy increased thier desire to immigrate becomes less as Mexico becomes desirable.
Yes it is a long term project
Watch Cuba without Castro go full blown travel destination and watch factories move there
The conceptual basis for NAFTA was straight-up and still is but in practice it hasn't behaved like it did in the lab. I do believe in the concept and I've pitched that leveling aspect previously but it hasn't done so well that in application. At least it hasn't so far.
I'm loving it with Cuba and it would sure be on my travel list if I were a wee bit more spritely.
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