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Re: Miocene Anthropocene Future

Unread postPosted: Thu 25 Jul 2019, 20:40:25
by dohboi
Amazon Deforestation Accelerating Towards Unrecoverable 'Tipping Point'


https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/ ... ping-point
Deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon has surged above three football fields a minute, according to the latest government data, pushing the world’s biggest rainforest closer to a tipping point beyond which it cannot recover.

The sharp rise – following year-on-year increases in May and June – confirms fears that president Jair Bolsonaro has given a green light to illegal land invasion, logging and burning.

The steady erosion of tree cover weakens the role of the rainforest in stabilising the global climate. Scientists warn that the forest is in growing danger of degrading into a savannah, after which its capacity to absorb carbon will be severely diminished, with consequences for the rest of the planet.

...There are a number of tipping points which are not far away,” said Philip Fearnside, a professor at Brazil’s National Institute of Amazonian Research. “We can’t see exactly where they are, but we know they are very close. It means we have to do things right away. Unfortunately that is not what is happening. There are people denying we even have a problem.”

Re: Miocene Anthropocene Future

Unread postPosted: Tue 10 Sep 2019, 11:20:55
by Subjectivist
dohboi wrote:Amazon Deforestation Accelerating Towards Unrecoverable 'Tipping Point'


https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/ ... ping-point
Deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon has surged above three football fields a minute, according to the latest government data, pushing the world’s biggest rainforest closer to a tipping point beyond which it cannot recover.

The sharp rise – following year-on-year increases in May and June – confirms fears that president Jair Bolsonaro has given a green light to illegal land invasion, logging and burning.

The steady erosion of tree cover weakens the role of the rainforest in stabilising the global climate. Scientists warn that the forest is in growing danger of degrading into a savannah, after which its capacity to absorb carbon will be severely diminished, with consequences for the rest of the planet.

...There are a number of tipping points which are not far away,” said Philip Fearnside, a professor at Brazil’s National Institute of Amazonian Research. “We can’t see exactly where they are, but we know they are very close. It means we have to do things right away. Unfortunately that is not what is happening. There are people denying we even have a problem.”


The whole reason I started this thread is we are already past the tipping points. Face it, the future Earth climte is not going to be like the climate of the 20th century where most of us grew up.

Oh sure, if you live in Tibet or the Andes mountain tropics you might not see much change, but pretty much everyone else won't be so lucky.

The Amazon will become a grassland instead of being a forest, based on climate projections. Whether humas rush the removal of the remaining forest at this point isn't going to change the ultimate situation. The same is probably true of the California Sequoia National Forest, as well as Alaska/Siberia/Canada. It really really can depress you if you love trees, but you have to think further ahead. Just as the current forests will go away or vastly change so will the vast areas now known as Tundra. In almost all of current Tundra lands forests used to prosper. On the yet another hand the great North American Breadbasket from Ohio to the Rocky Mountains is likely to convert to desert just as it was a few million years ago.

Re: Miocene Anthropocene Future

Unread postPosted: Tue 10 Sep 2019, 14:19:12
by Ibon
Subjectivist wrote:
The Amazon will become a grassland instead of being a forest, based on climate projections. Whether humas rush the removal of the remaining forest at this point isn't going to change the ultimate situation. .


Pollen analysis of lake bed sendiments in the Amazon reveal that during the maximum glacial advance of past ice ages the Amazon was savanna grasslands with tropical forest remaining only in the riparian habitat of waterways.

The pulse back and forth between grassland and forest was part of a natural cycle. Whats happening now is a forced grassland during a time when we are at a glacial minimum. Who the hell knows what impacts this will have.

Biodiversity loss enormous, rainfall patterns greatly altered. Certain regions in Brazil and beyond suffering drought. Crop failures. What's missing is a rogue pathogen coming out of the Amazon, air born like the flu, lethality of Ebola and with the mutation rate of AIDS.

Come on Overshoot Predator, time for a witch's brew...............

Re: Miocene Anthropocene Future

Unread postPosted: Tue 10 Sep 2019, 16:19:23
by EnergyUnlimited
Ibon wrote: What's missing is a rogue pathogen coming out of the Amazon, air born like the flu, lethality of Ebola and with the mutation rate of AIDS.

Why not with delayed onset of symptoms like AIDS?
Try imagine airborne Ebola like disease with latent period of 2-5 years. No cure and no vaccine.
Only faulty BRCA1 would provide natural protection. :-D

If such a pathogen came out most of people would believe that it was designed regardless of facts.

Re: Miocene Anthropocene Future

Unread postPosted: Thu 12 Sep 2019, 10:45:29
by Revi
Really scary post on Arctic News.

The thing is it may very well be true.

http://arctic-news.blogspot.com

Re: Miocene Anthropocene Future

Unread postPosted: Thu 12 Sep 2019, 17:26:27
by jawagord
Ibon wrote:
Subjectivist wrote:
The Amazon will become a grassland instead of being a forest, based on climate projections. Whether humas rush the removal of the remaining forest at this point isn't going to change the ultimate situation. .


Pollen analysis of lake bed sendiments in the Amazon reveal that during the maximum glacial advance of past ice ages the Amazon was savanna grasslands with tropical forest remaining only in the riparian habitat of waterways.

The pulse back and forth between grassland and forest was part of a natural cycle. Whats happening now is a forced grassland during a time when we are at a glacial minimum. Who the hell knows what impacts this will have.

Biodiversity loss enormous, rainfall patterns greatly altered. Certain regions in Brazil and beyond suffering drought. Crop failures. What's missing is a rogue pathogen coming out of the Amazon, air born like the flu, lethality of Ebola and with the mutation rate of AIDS.

Come on Overshoot Predator, time for a witch's brew...............


Likely it will have no effect/impact because it is not a cause of climate change. The tail doesn’t wag the dog, climate change can cause deforestation, it’s difficult for a small amount of deforestation to result in any measurable climate change. The 3 football fields (soccer) per second of deforestation is 12,000 sq km per year. The Amazon rain forest is 5,500,000 sq km, the earth’s surface is 510,000,000 sq km. Amazon deforestation is minuscule to the solar energy absorbing surface of the earth and the CO2 exchange. It is also insignificant compared to the amount of reforestation happening around the world, we have a net increase in green.

A new study using data from NASA satellites shows that China and India, the two most populous countries in the world, are leading the increase in greening on land and concludes that the "effect comes mostly from ambitious tree-planting programs in China and intensive agriculture in both countries." The study was published on Monday in the journal Nature Sustainability.

The researchers found that the global green leaf area has increased by 5 percent since the early 2000s, an area equivalent to the Amazon rainforests. At least 25 percent of that gain came in China.


http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1139006.shtml

Re: Miocene Anthropocene Future

Unread postPosted: Thu 12 Sep 2019, 19:53:11
by asg70
Revi wrote:Really scary post on Arctic News.

The thing is it may very well be true.

http://arctic-news.blogspot.com


Cid may laugh last with his methane-bomb predictions (in spirit at least).

Re: Miocene Anthropocene Future

Unread postPosted: Thu 12 Sep 2019, 21:21:03
by dohboi
Thanks for the laugh, jaw. Nothing like Chinese propaganda for a good chuckle! :)

"Global Times... is a daily Chinese tabloid newspaper under the auspices of the People's Daily newspaper, focusing on international issues from the Chinese government's perspective" (wiki) i.e. Chinese Communist mouth piece. I didn't realize you had such a deep love and respect for commies these days, jaw. That's kinda sweet! :) :)

Meanwhile, back on planet earth:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... port-finds


World losing area of forest the size of the UK each year, report finds


Chance of ending deforestation by 2030 seems lower than when pledge was made five years ago


...The New York declaration on forests was signed at the UN in 2014, requiring countries to halve deforestation by 2020 and restore 150m hectares of deforested or degraded forest land.

But the rate of tree cover loss has gone up by 43% since the declaration was adopted, while the most valuable and irreplaceable tropical primary forests have been cut down at a rate of 4.3m hectares a year...

Re: Miocene Anthropocene Future

Unread postPosted: Thu 12 Sep 2019, 22:10:36
by dissident
Humans will get the climate they deserve.

Re: Miocene Anthropocene Future

Unread postPosted: Fri 13 Sep 2019, 20:30:43
by dohboi
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-49679883

World 'losing battle against deforestation'


A historic global agreement aimed at halting deforestation has failed, according to a report.


An assessment of the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF) says it has failed to deliver on key pledges.

Launched at the 2014 UN climate summit, it aimed to half deforestation by 2020, and halt it by 2030.

Yet deforestation continues at an alarming rate and threatens to prevent the world from preventing dangerous climate change, experts have said.

The critique, compiled by the NYDF Assessment Partners (a coalition of 25 organisations), painted a bleak picture of how the world's forests continue to be felled.

Deforestation 'accelerating'

"Since the NYDF was launched five years ago, deforestation has not only continued - it has actually accelerated," observed Charlotte Streck, co-founder and director of Climate Focus, which co-ordinated the publication of the report.

The report says the amount of annual carbon emissions resulting from deforestation around the globe are equivalent to the greenhouse gases produced by the European Union.

On average, an area of tree cover **the size of the United Kingdom was lost every year between 2014 and 2018.

Re: Miocene Anthropocene Future

Unread postPosted: Sun 05 Jul 2020, 12:12:25
by Tanada
Now that we have firmly passed the 415 ppmv CO2 level this spring we have slid right into the late Miocene/mid-miocene transition level where some serious climate impacts can be expected. For example, the last time the climate experienced these CO2 levels the east Antarctic ice sheet was substantially smaller than it is today and the Arctic was ice free in summer and possibly in winter as well. A few more years of this growth rate and we will hit the Miocene climate optimum level where the Arctic was ice free year around and West Antarctica had almost no ice. That would drive world sea levels up about 12 meters from where it is today.

Re: Miocene Anthropocene Future

Unread postPosted: Mon 06 Jul 2020, 05:41:59
by REAL Green
“Heatwave trends accelerate worldwide”
https://phys.org/news/2020-07-heatwave- ... dwide.html

“The first comprehensive worldwide assessment of heatwaves down to regional levels has revealed that in nearly every part of the world heatwaves have been increasing in frequency and duration since the 1950s…"Cumulative heat shows a similar acceleration, increasing globally on average by 1°C-4.5°C each decade but in some places, like the Middle East, and parts of Africa and South America, the trend is up to 10°C a decade."

Re: Miocene Anthropocene Future

Unread postPosted: Mon 06 Jul 2020, 11:48:30
by rockdoc123
Now that we have firmly passed the 415 ppmv CO2 level this spring we have slid right into the late Miocene/mid-miocene transition level where some serious climate impacts can be expected. For example, the last time the climate experienced these CO2 levels the east Antarctic ice sheet was substantially smaller than it is today and the Arctic was ice free in summer and possibly in winter as well. A few more years of this growth rate and we will hit the Miocene climate optimum level where the Arctic was ice free year around and West Antarctica had almost no ice. That would drive world sea levels up about 12 meters from where it is today.


but using a reality check....the amount of ice in Antarctica as a whole is estimated at 70 metres of sea level equivalent. Western Antarctica makes up ~10% of that so we are talking about 7 metres of sea-level equivalent. What's significant is that for the past couple of decades where measurements have been available the overall losses from Antarctica are ~0.3 mm sea-level equivalent/annum. Of that total loss, Western Antarctica makes up somewhere from 90% - 100% depending on the various methodologies applied in calculating out net mass balance. So at that rate, all of the ice from Antarctica would be gone in 233,333 years or just West Anatarctica ~ 23,000 years to remove all the ice. In order for it to happen in 2 years the acceleration in ice loss would have to be completely astounding and given average temperatures across the continent have not risen appreciably (the only place with recorded significant temperature increase is on the peninsula and that actually stopped a few years back). A considerable amount of magical thinking is required to expect that much loss, that quickly.

Re: Miocene Anthropocene Future

Unread postPosted: Mon 06 Jul 2020, 13:24:10
by Tanada
rockdoc123 wrote:
Now that we have firmly passed the 415 ppmv CO2 level this spring we have slid right into the late Miocene/mid-miocene transition level where some serious climate impacts can be expected. For example, the last time the climate experienced these CO2 levels the east Antarctic ice sheet was substantially smaller than it is today and the Arctic was ice free in summer and possibly in winter as well. A few more years of this growth rate and we will hit the Miocene climate optimum level where the Arctic was ice free year around and West Antarctica had almost no ice. That would drive world sea levels up about 12 meters from where it is today.


but using a reality check....the amount of ice in Antarctica as a whole is estimated at 70 metres of sea level equivalent. Western Antarctica makes up ~10% of that so we are talking about 7 metres of sea-level equivalent. What's significant is that for the past couple of decades where measurements have been available the overall losses from Antarctica are ~0.3 mm sea-level equivalent/annum. Of that total loss, Western Antarctica makes up somewhere from 90% - 100% depending on the various methodologies applied in calculating out net mass balance. So at that rate, all of the ice from Antarctica would be gone in 233,333 years or just West Anatarctica ~ 23,000 years to remove all the ice. In order for it to happen in 2 years the acceleration in ice loss would have to be completely astounding and given average temperatures across the continent have not risen appreciably (the only place with recorded significant temperature increase is on the peninsula and that actually stopped a few years back). A considerable amount of magical thinking is required to expect that much loss, that quickly.


You could be correct, if the entire West Antarctic Ice Sheet were grounded and melting in place were the only pathway for reducing the ice loads on the continent. Unfortunately somewhere on the order of 65% of the WAIS is not grounded on land above sea level. Quite the contrary in fact with the depressed continental area at the edge of current sea intrusion has demonstrated that the WAIS is actually on the edge of huge potential ice loss.

The mechanism of action is stark in its simplicity. Bare glacier ice can extend thousands of feet up in altitude so long as the base is supported by land. However if that same column of ice is instead supported by sea water instead of land it can only support an ice column of about 250-300 feet altitude maximum before mechanical sheer forces cause the front to cleve apart in a calving action. The computer models suggest that if or when water infiltrates below the WAIS into the deep depressed region the ice will no longer be frozen to the bed but will instead become floated off the rock and vulnerable to sheer forces the same as icebergs and ice shelves do currently.
https://youtu.be/BsVNwqWgXI0?t=241

Re: Miocene Anthropocene Future

Unread postPosted: Mon 06 Jul 2020, 23:34:59
by rockdoc123
The mechanism of action is stark in its simplicity. Bare glacier ice can extend thousands of feet up in altitude so long as the base is supported by land. However if that same column of ice is instead supported by sea water instead of land it can only support an ice column of about 250-300 feet altitude maximum before mechanical sheer forces cause the front to cleve apart in a calving action. The computer models suggest that if or when water infiltrates below the WAIS into the deep depressed region the ice will no longer be frozen to the bed but will instead become floated off the rock and vulnerable to sheer forces the same as icebergs and ice shelves do currently.


yes I'm aware of the "theory" but nothing of the sort has been evidenced to have happened in the past decade. Instead the reduction in size of the ice sheet has been fairly continual with spurts of glacial speed followed by slowdowns. In IPCC AR5 using their best views of ice sheet models and incorporating the extremes for ice calving still ended up with no more than ~0.1 m of sea-level rise attributed to Antarctica by 2100.

Re: Miocene Anthropocene Future

Unread postPosted: Tue 07 Jul 2020, 07:12:09
by REAL Green
Regarding human civilization this climate change induced process is more alarming than rising sea levels:

“Climate change impacts on agriculture”
http://energyskeptic.com/2020/agricultu ... ed-states/

“One critical period in which temperatures are a major factor is the pollination stage; pollen release is related to development of fruit, grain, or fiber. Exposure to high temperatures during this period can greatly reduce crop yields and increase the risk of total crop failure. Plants exposed to high nighttime temperatures during the grain, fiber, or fruit production period experience lower productivity and reduced quality. These effects have already begun to occur; high nighttime temperatures affected corn yields in 2010 and 2012 across the Corn Belt. With the number of nights with hot temperatures projected to increase as much as 30%, yield reductions will become more prevalent…Current loss and degradation of critical agricultural soil and water assets due to increasing extremes in precipitation will continue to challenge both rainfed and irrigated agriculture unless innovative conservation methods are implemented. Wind erosion could also increase in areas with persistent drought because of the reduction in vegetative cover. Several processes act to degrade soils, including erosion, compaction, acidification, salinization, toxification, and net loss of organic matter. Several of these processes, particularly erosion, will be directly affected by climate change. Rainfall’s erosive power is expected to increase as a result of increases in rainfall amount in northern portions of the United States, accompanied by further increases in precipitation intensity. Projected increases in rainfall intensity that include more extreme events will increase soil erosion in the absence of conservation practices. Precipitation and temperature affect the potential amount of water available, but the actual amount of available water also depends on soil type, soil water holding capacity, and the rate at which water filters through the soil…Many agricultural regions will experience declines in crop and livestock production from increased stress due to weeds, diseases, insect pests, and other climate change induced stresses. The growth of atmospheric CO2 concentrations has a disproportionately positive impact on several weed species. This effect will contribute to increased risk of crop loss due to weed pressure. Weeds, insects, and diseases already have large negative impacts on agricultural production, and climate change has the potential to increase these impacts. Current estimates of losses in global crop production show that weeds cause the largest losses (34%), followed by insects (18%), and diseases (16%). Further increases in temperature and changes in precipitation patterns will induce new conditions that will affect insect populations, incidence of pathogens, and the geographic distribution of insects and diseases. Increasing CO2 boosts weed growth, adding to the potential for increased competition between crops and weeds. Several weed species benefit more than crops from higher temperatures and CO2 levels.”

Re: Miocene Anthropocene Future

Unread postPosted: Tue 07 Jul 2020, 19:05:08
by Subjectivist
Many days lately I just wake up wishing the rapid climate shift would happen so we can move on to adaptation. As long as they keep talking about limiting change they are delaying the necessary adaptation. Nobody is going to close the thousands of coal burning power stations in the time necessary to prevent the change. Pretending they will just delays facing reality!

Re: Miocene Anthropocene Future

Unread postPosted: Tue 07 Jul 2020, 20:51:16
by jawagord
REAL Green wrote:Regarding human civilization this climate change induced process is more alarming than rising sea levels:

“Climate change impacts on agriculture”
http://energyskeptic.com/2020/agricultu ... ed-states/

“One critical period in which temperatures are a major factor is the pollination stage; pollen release is related to development of fruit, grain, or fiber. Exposure to high temperatures during this period can greatly reduce crop yields and increase the risk of total crop failure. Plants exposed to high nighttime temperatures during the grain, fiber, or fruit production period experience lower productivity and reduced quality. These effects have already begun to occur; high nighttime temperatures affected corn yields in 2010 and 2012 across the Corn Belt. With the number of nights with hot temperatures projected to increase as much as 30%, yield reductions will become more prevalent…Current loss and degradation of critical agricultural soil and water assets due to increasing extremes in precipitation will continue to challenge both rainfed and irrigated agriculture unless innovative conservation methods are implemented. Wind erosion could also increase in areas with persistent drought because of the reduction in vegetative cover. Several processes act to degrade soils, including erosion, compaction, acidification, salinization, toxification, and net loss of organic matter. Several of these processes, particularly erosion, will be directly affected by climate change. Rainfall’s erosive power is expected to increase as a result of increases in rainfall amount in northern portions of the United States, accompanied by further increases in precipitation intensity. Projected increases in rainfall intensity that include more extreme events will increase soil erosion in the absence of conservation practices. Precipitation and temperature affect the potential amount of water available, but the actual amount of available water also depends on soil type, soil water holding capacity, and the rate at which water filters through the soil…Many agricultural regions will experience declines in crop and livestock production from increased stress due to weeds, diseases, insect pests, and other climate change induced stresses. The growth of atmospheric CO2 concentrations has a disproportionately positive impact on several weed species. This effect will contribute to increased risk of crop loss due to weed pressure. Weeds, insects, and diseases already have large negative impacts on agricultural production, and climate change has the potential to increase these impacts. Current estimates of losses in global crop production show that weeds cause the largest losses (34%), followed by insects (18%), and diseases (16%). Further increases in temperature and changes in precipitation patterns will induce new conditions that will affect insect populations, incidence of pathogens, and the geographic distribution of insects and diseases. Increasing CO2 boosts weed growth, adding to the potential for increased competition between crops and weeds. Several weed species benefit more than crops from higher temperatures and CO2 levels.”


Seems to be some confusion here Orly, looks like a lot of record crop production again in 2020? Maybe instead of wallowing in bogus NCA predictions from 2014 we should look at the actual crop reports?

Turkey Winter Wheat: Near-Record Yield Forecast Due to Favorable Weather Conditions
USDA forecasts Turkey wheat production for 2020/21 at 19.5 million metric tons (mmt), up 1 mmt or 5 percent from last month and from last year. The area is forecasted at 7.3 million hectares (mha), up 0.3 mha or 4 percent from last month and last year. The yield forecast of 2.69 tons per hectare is at a near-record level.


China’s 2020/21 wheat production is estimated at a record 136.0 million metric tons (mmt), up 1.0 million or approximately 1 percent from last month, and up 2 percent from last year and the 5-year average. The previous record production was set in 2017/18 at 134.3 mmt when planted area was significantly higher at 24.5 million hectares (mha).


India Wheat: Production at Record Levels
USDA estimated 2020/21 India wheat production at 107.2 million metric tons (mmt), up 3 percent from 2019/20’s record production.
Despite some late-season wet weather and the limited availability of farm workers due to COVID-19 restrictions across India, 30.5 million hectares (mha) of wheat was harvested at the end of April 2020. Harvested area was up 4 percent with favorable market prices and with support pricing 5 percent higher than the previous year. Yield averaged 3.51 tons per hectare (t/ha), down slightly from the 2019/20 record, but up about 12 percent above the 5-year average.


EU 27+ UK* Barley: Production Up 1.4 mmt, Driven by UK Spring Barley Increase
USDA estimates barley production in the European Union (EU27 + UK) for 2020/21 at 64.1 million metric tons (mmt), up 1.4 mmt or 2 percent above last month, 2 percent above last year, and 7 percent above the 5-year average.
Harvested area is estimated at 12.6 million hectares (mha), 0.3 mha or 2 percent above last month, 0.2 mha or 1 percent above last year, and 2 percent above the 5-year average. Yield is nearly unchanged from last month and last year at 5.11 tons per hectare, but 5 percent above the 5-year average.


Brazil Corn: 2019/20 Record Production due to Second-Season Crop
Brazil’s 2019/20 corn production is estimated at 101 million metric tons (mmt), unchanged from last month and equal to last year’s record crop.
Area is estimated at a record 18.4 million hectares (mha), up 0.2 mha (1 percent) from last month, and up 1 mha (5 percent) from last year. Yield is estimated at 5.49 tons per hectare, down 1 percent from last month, down 5 percent from last year, and 5 percent above the 5-year average.


Tanzania Cotton: Bumper Harvest Expected from Abundant Rains
Tanzania 2020/21 cotton production is forecast at 550,000 480-lb bales, up 110,000 bales from last month but down 45,000 bales from last year’s record crop. Cotton area is forecast at 580,000 hectares, up 140,000 hectares from last month but down 20,000 hectares from last year’s record. Yield is forecast at 206 kilograms per hectare which is 28 percent above the 5-year average yield



https://apps.fas.usda.gov/psdonline/cir ... uction.pdf

Re: Miocene Anthropocene Future

Unread postPosted: Tue 07 Jul 2020, 21:20:57
by REAL Green
jawagord wrote:Seems to be some confusion here Orly, looks like a lot of record crop production again in 2020? Maybe instead of wallowing in bogus NCA predictions from 2014 we should look at the actual crop reports?


Ah, you are being a bit prejudiced aren't you. Where are the reports that show decline? LOL. My reference stands going forward. If you like you can cherry pick your numbers and feel safe. Jaw, have you ever raised anything let alone farmed? I doubt it. If you had then you would see all these optimistic projections for crop productivity going up are not legit even with a stable climate. Add in the things I referenced and there are some serious food issues ahead. When will these happen? That is difficult to tell but the facts are that food production is stalling out not the other way around. The forecast are it needs to do something like double by 2050 to accommodate all the new people and the increased affluence of places like Asia. BTW, so it was a good wheat year. There is a lot more to global food production than wheat. OH, Jaw, tell me how the oceans are doing. That was not even mentioned in my reference but there the news is horrible.

Re: Miocene Anthropocene Future

Unread postPosted: Wed 08 Jul 2020, 09:32:19
by Ibon
Subjectivist wrote:Many days lately I just wake up wishing the rapid climate shift would happen so we can move on to adaptation. As long as they keep talking about limiting change they are delaying the necessary adaptation. Nobody is going to close the thousands of coal burning power stations in the time necessary to prevent the change. Pretending they will just delays facing reality!


Your sentiment is shared almost universally by all who feel entrapped by the inertia that wont budge. And so this impulse to wish to burn the house down and have a renaissance rise from the ashes of those who come out on the other end.

There is a biblical narrative to this wish. Some great flood or fire or plague or war that cleanses the masses who have gone astray, the survivors to once again yield under the fold of a merciful god.

I entertain this narrative and find myself willing to yield to this merciful god, an imperfect and not all knowing god who has to study a bit more about ecology before unleashing his new and revised commandments.