[✔️] April 26, 2021 - Daily Global Warming News Digest

[Richard Pauli]

/*April 26, 2021*/

[NYTimes report]
*Halting the Vast Release of Methane Is Critical for Climate, U.N. 
Says*A major United Nations report will declare that slashing emissions 
of methane, the main component of natural gas, is far more vital than 
previously thought.
- -
The global methane assessment, compiled by an international team of 
scientists, reflects a growing recognition that the world needs to start 
reining in planet-warming emissions more rapidly, and that abating 
methane, a particularly potent greenhouse gas, will be critical in the 
short term.

It follows new data that showed that both carbon dioxide and methane 
levels in the atmosphere reached record highs last year, even as the 
coronavirus pandemic brought much of the global economy to a halt. The 
report also comes as a growing body of scientific evidence has shown 
that releases of methane from oil and gas production, one of the biggest 
sources of methane linked to human activity, may be larger than earlier 
estimates.

The report, a detailed summary of which was reviewed by The New York 
Times, singles out the fossil fuel industry as holding the greatest 
potential to cut its methane emissions at little or no cost. It also 
says that — unless there is significant deployment of unproven 
technologies capable of pulling greenhouse gases out of the air — 
expanding the use of natural gas is incompatible with keeping global 
warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, a goal of the international Paris 
Agreement...
- -
The U.N. report, which is expected to be published next month by the 
Climate and Clean Air Coalition and the United Nations Environment 
Programme, signals a shift in the global discussion of climate change, 
which has focused on reducing carbon dioxide, the largest long-term 
driver of climate change...
- -
The flip side is that, with no action, methane emissions may help push 
the world to the brink of catastrophic climate change. If left 
unchecked, methane emissions are projected to continue rising through at 
least 2040, the U.N. report predicts.

“We’re still going wildly in the wrong direction, but we can turn that 
around very, very quickly,” Dr. Shindell said. “We could all use a 
climate success story.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/24/climate/methane-leaks-united-nations.html



[water disappears everywhere]
*A warmer, drier world’s deeper wells spell trouble*
April 26th, 2021, by Tim Radford

Falling water tables mean deeper wells, and scarcer supplies of water. 
Image: By Kritzolina, via Wikimedia Commons

A warmer world could for billions be drier. The resultant deeper wells 
spell trouble for those reliant on groundwater.

LONDON, 26 April, 2021 − As many as one fifth of the world’s wells could 
be about to run dry, as levels of the subterranean water table continue 
to fall. And if they do, the resultant deeper wells spell trouble for 
billions of people who will face diminishing supplies of clean water, 
and water for their crops.

Most of the world’s freshwater is truly out of sight: 96% of all 
available water is held in aquifers, rock and sediment layers just 
below, and sometimes well below, the Earth’s surface. It sustains almost 
half of global agriculture. The world’s drylands are also home to more 
than a third of all humanity.

All this is at risk because in many places water tables are falling. 
According to a new study in the journal Science, if groundwater levels 
decline a few metres more, then the wells will run dry. Somewhere 
between 6% and 20% of the world’s wells are no more than five metres 
deeper than the water table.

And water levels almost certainly will decline. Researchers have for 
years been warning about global demand for groundwater. In urban areas 
the demand has been so great that many cities are literally going 
downhill: throughout the 20th century Tokyo sank by four metres, 
Shanghai in China and New Orleans in the US by two to three metres.

“Wells are already running dry because of groundwater level declines”

Climate change − which promises to distort global rainfall patterns 
still further − is steadily scorching the world’s already parched 
regions and as a consequence groundwater is being extracted at an 
accelerated rate.

And that means more water stress for millions. All the evidence is that, 
as greenhouse gas emissions rise as a consequence of profligate fossil 
fuel use, things could get a lot worse.

Californian scientists report that they compiled 39 million records of 
groundwater well locations, along with their depths, the reasons they 
were sunk, and the dates they were dug, in 40 countries that 
collectively make up 40% of all the lands free of ice. This landscape 
accounts for probably half of all groundwater extraction.

To test their simulations of overall groundwater availability, they 
compiled and analysed 100 million measurements made in a million wells 
monitored individually, and they found that in half of these there were 
seasonal fluctuations of around a metre or more.

Newer means deeper

They checked the big picture of water table decline against 15 years of 
data from the US space agency Nasa’s Gravity Recovery and Climate 
Experiment satellites.

They also looked at the age data of their sample, to find that in many 
areas, the newer the well, the more likely it was to be deeper than an 
old well. That alone was evidence of gradually falling water tables.

“From India to the United States, wells are already running dry because 
of groundwater level declines,” the authors write. “In California’s 
Central Valley and several other agricultural hubs around the globe, 
typical agricultural wells are deeper than domestic wells; as a result, 
domestic wells are running dry…”

Where wells are already running dry, that decline will continue, and 
even expand into areas that have not yet seen any depletion. And, they 
warn, it may not help to simply sink even deeper wells: the costs would 
become prohibitive and the water quality at greater depth might anyway 
be not good enough. − Climate News Networ
https://climatenewsnetwork.net/a-warmer-drier-worlds-deeper-wells-spell-trouble/



[get ready say scientists]*
**Experts Say Humanity Faces a Grim and “Ghastly Future” – State of 
Planet Is Much Worse Than Most People Understand*
The state of the planet is much worse than most people understand and 
that humans face a grim and “ghastly future” unless extraordinary action 
is taken soon.

A loss of biodiversity and accelerating climate change in the coming 
decades coupled with ignorance and inaction is threatening the survival 
of all species, including our very own, according to the experts from 
institutions including Stanford University, UCLA, and Flinders University.

The researchers state that world leaders need a ‘cold shower’ regarding 
the state of our environment, both to plan and act to avoid a ghastly 
future.
*Environmental Ponzi Scheme – We’re on Track for a Ghastly Future 
*https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l57-Hwgfb9Y
Apr 24, 2021 SciTech Daily
Flinders University Professor Corey Bradshaw describes how humanity is 
running an ecological Ponzi scheme in which society robs nature and 
future generations to pay for short-term economic gain today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l57-Hwgfb9Y
- -
*Expert Prognosis for the Planet – We’re on Track for a Ghastly Future * 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeUykSy4z6Y
Flinders University Professor Corey Bradshaw summarizes the perspective 
paper "Underestimating the challenges of avoiding a ghastly future."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeUykSy4z6Y
Lead author Professor Corey Bradshaw of Flinders University in Australia 
says he and his colleagues have summarised the state of the natural 
world in stark form to help clarify the gravity of the human predicament.

“Humanity is causing a rapid loss of biodiversity and, with it, Earth’s 
ability to support complex life. But the mainstream is having difficulty 
grasping the magnitude of this loss, despite the steady erosion of the 
fabric of human civilization” Professor Bradshaw says.

“In fact, the scale of the threats to the biosphere and all its 
lifeforms is so great that it is difficult to grasp for even 
well-informed experts.

“The problem is compounded by ignorance and short-term self-interest, 
with the pursuit of wealth and political interests stymying the action 
that is crucial for survival” he says.
Professor Paul Ehrlich of Stanford University says that no political or 
economic system, or leadership, is prepared to handle the predicted 
disasters, or even capable of such action.

“Stopping biodiversity loss is nowhere close to the top of any country’s 
priorities, trailing far behind other concerns such as employment, 
healthcare, economic growth, or currency stability.

“While it is positive news that President Biden reengaged the US in 
Paris Climate accord within his first 100 days of office, it is a 
minuscule gesture given the scale of the challenge.

“Humanity is running an ecological Ponzi scheme in which society robs 
nature and future generations to pay for short-term economic enhancement 
today.”

“Most economies operate on the basis that counteraction now is too 
costly to be politically palatable. Combined with disinformation 
campaigns to protect short-term profits it is doubtful that the scale of 
changes we need will be made in time” Professor Ehrlich says.
Professor Dan Blumstein from UCLA says the scientists are choosing to 
speak boldly and fearlessly because life literally depends on it.

“What we are saying might not be popular, and indeed is frightening. But 
we need to be candid, accurate, and honest if humanity is to understand 
the enormity of the challenges we face in creating a sustainable future.

“Without political will backed by tangible action that scales to the 
enormity of the problems facing us, the added stresses to human health, 
wealth, and well-being will perversely diminish our political capacity 
to mitigate the erosion of the Earth’s life-support system upon which we 
all depend.

“Human population growth and consumption continues to escalate, and 
we’re still more focused on expanding human enterprise than we are on 
devising and implementing solutions to critical issues such as 
biodiversity loss. By the time we fully comprehend the impact of 
ecological deterioration, it will be too late.

“Without fully appreciating and broadcasting the scale of the problems 
and the enormity of the solutions required, society will fail to achieve 
even modest sustainability goals, and catastrophe will surely follow” 
Professor Blumstein concludes.
The experts say their ‘perspective’ paper, which cites more than 150 
studies, seeks to outline clearly and unambiguously the likely future 
trends in biodiversity decline, mass extinction, climate disruption, 
planetary toxification, all tied to human consumption and population 
growth to demonstrate the near certainty that these problems will worsen 
over the coming decades, with negative impacts for centuries to come. It 
also explains the impact of political impotence and the ineffectiveness 
of current and planned actions to address the ominous scale of 
environmental erosion.

For more on this research, read Humans Face a “Ghastly Future” Unless 
Extraordinary Action Is Taken Soon on Sustainability.
https://scitechdaily.com/experts-say-humanity-faces-a-grim-and-ghastly-future-state-of-planet-is-much-worse-than-most-people-understand/
- -
[Source material]
*Underestimating the Challenges of Avoiding a Ghastly Future*
Front. Conserv. Sci., 13 January 2021
We report three major and confronting environmental issues that have 
received little attention and require urgent action. First, we review 
the evidence that future environmental conditions will be far more 
dangerous than currently believed. The scale of the threats to the 
biosphere and all its lifeforms—including humanity—is in fact so great 
that it is difficult to grasp for even well-informed experts. Second, we 
ask what political or economic system, or leadership, is prepared to 
handle the predicted disasters, or even capable of such action. Third, 
this dire situation places an extraordinary responsibility on scientists 
to speak out candidly and accurately when engaging with government, 
business, and the public. We especially draw attention to the lack of 
appreciation of the enormous challenges to creating a sustainable 
future. The added stresses to human health, wealth, and well-being will 
perversely diminish our political capacity to mitigate the erosion of 
ecosystem services on which society depends. The science underlying 
these issues is strong, but awareness is weak. Without fully 
appreciating and broadcasting the scale of the problems and the enormity 
of the solutions required, society will fail to achieve even modest 
sustainability goals.
- -
We summarize the state of the natural world in stark form here to help 
clarify the gravity of the human predicament. We also outline likely 
future trends in biodiversity decline (Díaz et al., 2019), climate 
disruption (Ripple et al., 2020), and human consumption and population 
growth to demonstrate the near certainty that these problems will worsen 
over the coming decades, with negative impacts for centuries to come. 
Finally, we discuss the ineffectiveness of current and planned actions 
that are attempting to address the ominous erosion of Earth's 
life-support system. Ours is not a call to surrender—we aim to provide 
leaders with a realistic “cold shower” of the state of the planet that 
is essential for planning to avoid a ghastly future...
more at - 
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcosc.2020.615419/full



[returning to the Nathaniel Rich interview - hour audio]
*Glowing bunnies and climate change denial. What could go wrong?*
APR 22, 2021
BY Johnobrien John O'Brien
https://kuow.org/stories/what-could-go-wrong-glowing-bunnies-climate-change-denial-and-the-post-natural-world

- -

[extended video interview]
*Nathaniel Rich with Claire Vaye Watkins: What Does It Mean to Live in a 
Post-Natural World?*
Streamed live on Apr 5, 2021
Town Hall Seattle
We live at a time in which scientists race to reanimate extinct beasts, 
our most essential ecosystems require monumental engineering projects to 
survive, chicken breasts grow in test tubes, and multinational 
corporations conspire to poison the blood of every living creature. No 
rock, leaf, or cubic foot of air on Earth has escaped humanity's clumsy 
signature. The old distinctions—between natural and artificial, dystopia 
and utopia, science fiction and science fact—have blurred, losing all 
meaning. So author Nathaniel Rich argues in his book Second Nature: 
Scenes from a World Remade.

With intimate stories from ordinary people making desperate efforts to 
preserve their humanity in a world that seems increasingly alien, Rich 
joins us to share from this deeply reported book. In conversation with 
fellow author Claire Vaye Watkins, he presents a beautifully told 
exploration of our post-natural world, one that helps us understand our 
place in a reality that resembles nothing human beings have known. 
Together, they wonder what it means to live in an era of terrible 
ecological responsibility. The question is no longer, How do we return 
to the world that we’ve lost?, they express, but rather What world do we 
want to create in its place?

Nathaniel Rich is the author of Losing Earth: A Recent History and the 
novels King Zeno, Odds Against Tomorrow, and The Mayor’s Tongue. He is a 
writer at large for The New York Times Magazine and a regular 
contributor to The Atlantic, Harper's, and The New York Review of Books.

Claire Vaye Watkins is the author of the novel Gold Fame Citrusand the 
short story collection Battleborn. A National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 
honoree, Watkins is a professor at the University of California Irvine...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GLnczzJCf0



[Digging back into the internet news archive]
*On this day in the history of global warming - April 26, 1998 *

April 26, 1998: The New York Times reports on an effort by the American 
Petroleum Institute to attack the Kyoto Protocol with lies about climate 
science.

http://www.nytimes.com/1998/04/26/us/industrial-group-plans-to-battle-climate-treaty.html


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