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<font size="+1"><i>August 20, 2018</i></font><br>
<br>
[Cough, cough - I live in Seattle]<br>
<b><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/smokestorm-is-imminent-for-puget-sound-says-uws-cliff-mass/281-585436225">'Smokestorm
is imminent' for Puget Sound, says UW's Cliff Mass</a></b><br>
The air is considered unhealthy for everyone, according to the <a
moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://www.pscleanair.org/">Puget
Sound Clean Air Agency</a>. They recommend everyone to stay
indoors as much as possible.<br>
Smoky air has returned to Western Washington in a major way. The air
is now considered unhealthy for everyone, according to the Puget
Sound Clean Air Agency. They recommend everyone to stay indoors as
much as possible.<br>
The National Weather Service issued an<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="https://twitter.com/NWSSeattle/status/1031218710269157376">
Air Quality Alert</a> through 5 p.m. Wednesday. Unhealthy air is
anticipated to stick around until mid-week.<br>
The smoke even prompted ground delays up to 90 minutes at Sea-Tac
International Airport Sunday afternoon.<br>
A 'smokestorm is imminent,' according to University of Washington
professor of Atmospheric Sciences Cliff Mass. He anticipates an
accelerated movement of smoke settling to the surface as the day
goes on.<br>
Mass explained the term 'smokestorm' <a
class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2018/08/a-smokestorm-is-imminent-for-western.html?spref=fb&m=1">https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2018/08/a-smokestorm-is-imminent-for-western.html?spref=fb&m=1</a><br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://www.king5.com/video/news/smoky-skies-return-to-puget-sound/281-8225130">https://www.king5.com/video/news/smoky-skies-return-to-puget-sound/281-8225130</a><font
size="-1"><br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/smokestorm-is-imminent-for-puget-sound-says-uws-cliff-mass/281-585436225">https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/smokestorm-is-imminent-for-puget-sound-says-uws-cliff-mass/281-585436225</a><br>
</font><br>
<br>
[more smoke] <br>
<b><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="https://wtop.com/local/2018/08/how-smoke-from-california-wildfires-made-it-to-dc-area/">How
smoke from California wildfires made it to DC area</a></b><br>
By Liz Anderson <br>
August 18, 2018<br>
WASHINGTON - Smoke from at least three California wildfires is
blowing through the mid-Atlantic region, but lingering haze and
scents likely won't stick around for much longer.<br>
"It's typically not something you see quite often around here," said
Brandon Fling, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.<br>
The jet stream, or strong upper level winds, steered the smoke to
the mid-Atlantic region, some 3,000 miles away from its origin,
Fling said.<br>
<font size="-1"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://wtop.com/local/2018/08/how-smoke-from-california-wildfires-made-it-to-dc-area/">https://wtop.com/local/2018/08/how-smoke-from-california-wildfires-made-it-to-dc-area/</a></font><br>
<br>
<br>
[methane from us]<br>
<b><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.climatechangenews.com/2018/08/13/us-methane-problem/">The
US' hidden methane problem</a></b><br>
Unregulated, unnoticed coal mines across the US are leaking a potent
greenhouse gas with the same greenhouse effect as 13 million cars<br>
(Climate Home News) - Across the US, a major, uncontrolled leak of a
potent greenhouse gas is going unregulated and largely unnoticed.<br>
Climate Home News analysis of government data has identified roughly
300 active and 200 abandoned coal mines, which are the source of
almost one-tenth of US methane pollution.<br>
Methane has 34 times the long-term warming effect of carbon dioxide
and accounts for 10 percent of US greenhouse gas emissions. Its
emissions from the oil and gas industry and the efforts of the Trump
administration to roll back regulations on them have been widely
publicised.<br>
- - - -<br>
Meanwhile, U.S. coal mines released 60.5 MMTCO2e of methane in 2016,
with roughly the same warming impact as 13 million cars. Efforts to
control the problem are being hampered despite those with the
technical expertise claiming a whole industry could be built on
capturing these emissions and turning them into electricity.<br>
- - - -<br>
Data collected by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA),
shows Warrior Met Coal Mining's No 7 Mine in Alabama emits the most
methane of any mine in the US.<br>
"The coal seams Warrior Met Coal mine contain high levels of methane
gas. Much of the gas is captured prior to, during and after active
mining operations and distributed into commercial pipelines,"
Warrior spokesperson Bill Stanhouse said in an emailed statement.
Even with these efforts, the mine emits at least 262,700 cubic
meters of methane into the atmosphere per day.<br>
The remainder of the top five methane-emitting coal mines, according
to MSHA's data, are:<br>
Alliance Resource Partners' recently closed Pattiki mine in Illinois
- more than 113,300m3 per day<br>
ERP Compliant Fuels' Pinnacle Mine in West Virginia - more than
111,700m3 per day<br>
Sunrise Coal's Oaktown Fuels Mine No 1 in Indiana - more than
86,600m3 per day<br>
Txoma Mining's P8 North mine in Oklahoma - more than 81,900m3 per
day...<br>
<font size="-1"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="http://www.climatechangenews.com/2018/08/13/us-methane-problem/">http://www.climatechangenews.com/2018/08/13/us-methane-problem/</a></font><br>
<br>
<br>
[National Geographic]<br>
<b><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2018/08/news-arctic-permafrost-may-thaw-faster-than-expected/">Permafrost
May Thaw Faster Than Expected and Accelerate Climate Change</a></b><br>
"I think it's safe to say that things are happening faster than we
were expecting."<br>
<br>
For example, scientists have long known that loss of sea ice and
rising temperatures will lead to more Arctic snow over time, which
models are able to incorporate. But those same simulations are far
less reliable when trying to track the cascading shifts in soil
types, surface vegetation, melting ice, and the flow of water that
will come from rising temperatures and all that snow, all of which
could substantially hasten permafrost thaw.<br>
<br>
"The models can't handle those landscape-scale changes, all of the
processes that could lead to rapid change," says David Lawrence, a
permafrost modeler with the National Center for Atmospheric Research
in Boulder. "And it's going to be a long time before they can."<br>
<br>
By the time some changes are detected, a significant transition may
be underway, he says. That means the public and policymakers may not
grasp the real risks.<br>
<br>
"Most models don't project major carbon releases until beyond 2100,"
Walter Anthony says. That may be the case. But it's also possible,
she says, that they "could actually happen in my children's lifetime
- or my own."<br>
<font size="-1"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2018/08/news-arctic-permafrost-may-thaw-faster-than-expected/">https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2018/08/news-arctic-permafrost-may-thaw-faster-than-expected/</a></font><br>
<br>
<br>
[Politico.eu does some science]<br>
<b><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="https://www.politico.eu/article/climate-change-gobal-warming-freak-weather-explained/">Europe's
freak weather, explained</a></b><br>
Climate change is not only hiking up temperatures, but changing the
dynamics of weather itself.<br>
By STEFAN RAHMSTORF <br>
BERLIN - We've all become increasingly used to reports of extreme
weather over the past few years. But this summer's raft of dramatic
weather events is significant: Not only does it show what warming
can do, it points to the potential large-scale trouble that lurks in
the disruption of the planet's winds and ocean currents.<br>
In the past few months alone, we've seen extreme heat in Western
Europe, Canada, Alaska, the western United States, Texas, Japan and
Algeria, which set a new temperature record for Africa. Greece,
Scandinavia, California and Siberia all suffered through drought and
wildfires, while Japan, the U.S., Europe and India were hit with
devastating floods. The human toll and harvest losses are still
being tallied.<br>
That global warming leads to more heat extremes is not rocket
science and has been confirmed by global data analysis. We're seeing
five times more monthly heat records - such as "hottest July on
record in California" - now than we would in a stable climate.<br>
- - - -<br>
But there is something more interesting going on here too.<br>
It's not just that the weather is doing what it always does, except
at a higher temperature level. Rather, there is growing evidence
that the dynamics of weather itself are changing.<br>
Let's take a look at a concrete example. In my home town Potsdam,
near Berlin - which boasts a high-quality weather station with
uninterrupted homogeneous data since 1893 - April was the warmest
April since measurements began, and May was the warmest May.
Although June and July did not set any new records - those were
recorded in 2003 and 2006 - they were also among the warmest. Just
how extraordinary the current hot weather anomaly really is can best
be seen when looking at the period between April and July.<br>
We see a steady climate warming of around 2 degrees Celsius in the
smooth climate curve since 1980, in parallel to global warming but
twice as fast. This is typical of continental areas; ocean areas
warm less due to heat storage and evaporation. We also see that 2018
was a whopping 4.3 degrees above the average value of the first 30
years in which data was measured, and nearly 2 degrees above the
smoothed climate curve. This is by far the largest outlier relative
to the climate curve. What's going on?<br>
A naive way to estimate the contribution of climate change to the
high temperatures goes something like this: The smoothed curve shows
the effect of global warming, and the scattering of the grey bars
around this curve is the random variations of the weather.
Accordingly, slightly more than half of the 4.3 degrees would be due
to global warming, the rest to weather.<br>
That's not a bad first estimate, <b>but it likely underestimates
the contribution of climate change</b>.<br>
Not only is the current outlier by far the biggest, there is growing
evidence that the "rest of the weather" is not just random but has
already been altered by climate change too.<br>
This is currently one of the hottest topics in climate research. The
basic idea is that the jet stream - a band of high winds around the
Northern Hemisphere that significantly influences our weather in the
mid-latitudes - is changing.<br>
- - - -<br>
This phenomenon has been confirmed by data: Researchers showed in
2015 that the jet stream has actually slowed down significantly in
recent decades and undulates more. The cause is probably the strong
warming of the Arctic, as the jet stream is driven by the
temperature contrast between the tropics and the Arctic. Because
this temperature difference is getting smaller and smaller, the jet
stream is weakening and becoming less stable.<br>
The weaker summer circulation means fewer weather changes, so the
weather is becoming more persistent.<br>
A certain wave pattern in the jet stream, meandering from north to
south, settles for a long time and brings heat and drought or
continuous rain, depending on where you are in this pattern. Such a
persistent jet stream pattern has played an important role in the
weather extremes of recent weeks, connecting the extremes around the
Northern Hemisphere.<br>
But the atmosphere is not the only player that can change its flow
patterns. The ocean circulation may also have played a role, in
particular the Gulf Stream System.<br>
Researchers have shown that particularly cold surface water in the
subpolar North Atlantic favors summer heat in Europe, again by
changing the pattern of highs and lows in the atmosphere and thus
the undulations of the jet stream. This happened in the "summer of
the century" in 2003 and the heat wave of 2015.<br>
<b>The reality of global warming is catching up with us fast, and no
longer an issue for future generations.</b><br>
- - -<br>
That year even saw the coldest temperatures on record in the
subpolar Atlantic - the only region on Earth that has defied global
warming and cooled instead. Such cold in the North Atlantic is
occurring more and more frequently because the Gulf Stream System is
weakening, as has been predicted by climate models in response to
global warming.<br>
Climate change does not just mean that everything is gradually
getting warmer: It is also changing the major circulations of our
atmosphere and ocean. This is making the weather increasingly weird
and unpredictable.<br>
The reality of global warming is catching up with us fast, and no
longer an issue for future generations. We will need to prepare for
more unpleasant surprises in the coming years, and we need to
urgently cut down emissions to prevent further destabilizing our
climate system.<br>
<i>Stefan Rahmstorf is professor of physics of the oceans and head
of Earth System Analysis at the Potsdam Institute for Climate
Impact Research. He is the recipient of the 2017 Climate
Communication Prize of the American Geophysical Union.</i><br>
<font size="-1"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://www.politico.eu/article/climate-change-gobal-warming-freak-weather-explained/">https://www.politico.eu/article/climate-change-gobal-warming-freak-weather-explained/</a></font><br>
<br>
<br>
[name, shame and blame]<br>
<b><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/aug/19/observer-view-on-politicians-who-refuse-to-accept-blame-genoa-bridge-turkey-donald-trump">The
Observer view on politicians who refuse to accept blame</a></b><br>
Observer editorial<br>
<span style="font-size: 17px; font-style: normal;
font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-variant-caps:
normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align:
start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space:
normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;
background-color: rgb(254, 249, 245); text-decoration-style:
initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !
important; float: none; color: rgb(18, 18, 18);">"Our country is
dealing with an unprecedented disaster and we cannot play blame
game right now," said Kerala's chief minister, Pinarayi Vijayan.
That may suffice for a while. But once the immediate threat has
passed, politicians also need to explain why scientific studies
warning of<span> </span></span><a
href="https://www.news18.com/news/india/kerala-floods-live-updates-house-boats-out-on-the-streets-in-alappuzha-red-alert-back-in-11-districts-1848643.html"
title="" data-link-name="in body link" class="u-underline"
style="background: rgb(254, 249, 245) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;
touch-action: manipulation; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none
! important; border-bottom: 0.0625rem solid rgb(220, 220, 220);
transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out 0s; font-size: 17px;
font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;
font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing:
normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;
white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width:
0px; color: rgb(224, 94, 0);">a rising flood risk in Kerala</a><span
style="font-size: 17px; font-style: normal;
font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-variant-caps:
normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align:
start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space:
normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;
background-color: rgb(254, 249, 245); text-decoration-style:
initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !
important; float: none; color: rgb(18, 18, 18);"><span> </span>caused
by global warming and deforestation were not acted on. Those in
power must take responsibility not only for urgent disaster relief
but also for the long-term needs of millions of displaced flood
victims and the<span> </span></span><a
href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/what-is-behind-the-kerala-monsoon-fury/story-2NxvHfTDAmS10k9hHofiiO.html"
title="" data-link-name="in body link" class="u-underline"
style="background: rgb(254, 249, 245) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;
touch-action: manipulation; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none
! important; border-bottom: 0.0625rem solid rgb(220, 220, 220);
transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out 0s; font-size: 17px;
font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;
font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing:
normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;
white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width:
0px; color: rgb(224, 94, 0);">underlying neglect</a><span
style="font-size: 17px; font-style: normal;
font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-variant-caps:
normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align:
start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space:
normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;
background-color: rgb(254, 249, 245); text-decoration-style:
initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !
important; float: none; color: rgb(18, 18, 18);"><span> </span>that
caused, or at least exacerbated, the tragedy. Who truly believes
they will?...</span><br>
Donald Trump, a top contender for the title of world's most
irresponsible politician, was the ungrateful recipient last week of
a timely lesson in the duties, obligations and necessary qualities
of leadership. Denouncing Trump's cancellation of the security
clearance of<span> </span><a
href="https://edition.cnn.com/2018/08/17/politics/john-brennan-trump-security-clearance/index.html"
title="" data-link-name="in body link" class="u-underline"
style="background: transparent; touch-action: manipulation; color:
rgb(224, 94, 0); cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none
!important; border-bottom: 0.0625rem solid rgb(220, 220, 220);
transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out 0s;">John Brennan</a>, a
former CIA chief and fierce critic of the president, William
McRaven, a decorated retired admiral famous for overseeing the raid
that killed Osama bin Laden, came out with all guns blazing.<br>
<a
href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/aug/17/mccarthy-era-tactics-ex-spy-chiefs-round-on-trump-in-brennan-row"
title="" data-link-name="in body link" class="u-underline"
style="background: transparent; touch-action: manipulation; color:
rgb(224, 94, 0); cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none
!important; border-bottom: 0.0625rem solid rgb(220, 220, 220);
transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out 0s;">McRaven wrote</a>:
"Like most Americans, I had hoped that when you became president,
you would rise to the occasion and become the leader this great
nation needs. A good leader tries to embody the best qualities of
his or her organisation. A good leader sets the example for others
to follow. A good leader always puts the welfare of others before
himself or herself. Your leadership, however, has shown little of
these qualities. Through your actions, you have embarrassed us in
the eyes of our children, humiliated us on the world stage and,
worst of all, divided us as a nation."
<aside class="element element-rich-link element--thumbnail
element-rich-link--upgraded" data-component="rich-link"
data-link-name="rich-link-2 | 2" style="display: block; float:
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normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;
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0px; background-color: rgb(254, 249, 245); text-decoration-style:
initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">
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style="width: 140px; padding-bottom: 84px; position:
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src="https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a18b685f779d9efc56de5adecbeb7489f8bdca3c/0_732_3908_2345/master/3908.jpg?w=460&q=55&auto=format&usm=12&fit=max&s=6dd1cea86231b56e8b5af4ba50b35a37"
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line-height: 1.125rem; font-weight: 400; padding: 0.125rem
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2.25rem;">
<h1 class="rich-link__title" style="margin: 0px; font-style:
inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-size: inherit;
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font-synthesis: inherit; font-variant: inherit; padding:
0px;"><a class="rich-link__link" style="background:
transparent; touch-action: manipulation; color: inherit;
cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Berat Albayrak:
the Jared Kushner of Turkey tackles its crisis</a></h1>
</div>
<div class="rich-link__read-more" style="padding-left:
0.3125rem;">
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class="inline-arrow-in-circle inline-icon " style="fill:
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11.153v.685l-6.79 7.157" fill-rule="evenodd"></path></svg></span></div>
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</aside>
Even by the fractious norms of contemporary American political
discourse, this is an extraordinary rebuke. Yet Trump thoroughly
deserves the admiral's thundering broadside. The<span> </span><a
href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/aug/18/mafia-style-government-trump-role-autocrats"
title="" data-link-name="in body link" class="u-underline"
style="background: transparent; touch-action: manipulation; color:
rgb(224, 94, 0); cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none
!important; border-bottom: 0.0625rem solid rgb(220, 220, 220);
transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out 0s;">leadership example</a><span> </span>he
sets is one of bullying, threats, mendacity, political cowardice and
constant blame-shifting. Its effect is corrosive of democracy
everywhere. Following Trump's latest threat to ostracise and silence
more senior officials who don't agree with him, his rogue presidency
slipped further into outright authoritarianism.<br>
Perhaps, as we suggested at the start, politicians have always
tended to dodge responsibility and blame. And perhaps modern-day
pressures, such as 24-hour news and the instant judgments of social
media, encourage superficial political reactions and simplistic,
black-and-white problem analysis. Rightwing populism does not "do"
complexity. Experts are scorned, conspiracy theories involving
malevolent outsiders are embraced. Policy is for nerds. Its
political mouthpieces cannot countenance nuance, let alone failure.
They are asked for, and provide, immediate gut answers - which are
almost invariably wrong.<br>
It may be that what we are currently witnessing around the world is
no one-week blip, but accumulating evidence of a serious falling
away of standards of conduct in public life, as delineated by
McRaven. At a time of great global disharmony and deep divisions at
home, we need, more than ever, to be able to trust our leaders. And
we need leaders worthy of our trust.<br>
<font size="-1"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/aug/19/observer-view-on-politicians-who-refuse-to-accept-blame-genoa-bridge-turkey-donald-trump">https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/aug/19/observer-view-on-politicians-who-refuse-to-accept-blame-genoa-bridge-turkey-donald-trump</a></font><br>
<br>
<br>
[Opinion]<br>
<b><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/aug/19/its-the-end-of-the-earth-as-we-know-it-read-all-about-it">It's
the end of the Earth as we know it. Read all about it!</a></b><br>
Lucy Siegle - Sun 19 Aug 2018 <br>
Continued emissions could reach a tipping point that will drive the
planet into an irreversible, self-reinforcing hothouse state<br>
- - - <br>
Achieving "cut through" is a nightmare for climate change science.
It's notoriously hard to get the mainstream engaged by changes in
the concentration of an atmospheric gas, even if they're
life-or-death matters. So hats off to the crack team of Earth
scientists, led by climate change professor Will Steffen, whose<span> </span><a
href="http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2018/08/07/1810141115"
title="" data-link-name="in body link" class="u-underline"
style="background: transparent; touch-action: manipulation; color:
rgb(224, 94, 0); cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none
!important; border-bottom: 0.0625rem solid rgb(220, 220, 220);
transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out 0s;">peer-reviewed report</a><span> </span>on
how emissions are driving the Earth into an irreversible hothouse
state has been downloaded more than 270,000 times to date.<br>
Wow. Academics are on holiday, so this means that people are
probably reading this stuff on the beach. At this rate, the report
could make the<span> </span><a
href="https://www.altmetric.com/top100/2017/#list" title=""
data-link-name="in body link" class="u-underline"
style="background: transparent; touch-action: manipulation; color:
rgb(224, 94, 0); cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none
!important; border-bottom: 0.0625rem solid rgb(220, 220, 220);
transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out 0s;">Altmetric Top 100</a>.
This is the list of the most discussed journal articles of the year
and is usually dominated by research on grabby subjects such as the
possibility of life on other planets, but definitely not
emissions-generated feedback loops. Until now.<br>
In a nutshell, the findings suggest that emissions drive climate
changes that trigger abrupt changes to Earth systems when they cross
certain thresholds. Ten of these feedback loops are identified in
the report, including the release of methane trapped in Siberian
permafrost and the impact of melting ice in Greenland on the
Antarctic. They essentially switch from "friends" that store carbon
to "foes" that belch more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and
raise the temperature. The researchers describe these "tipping
elements" as falling dominoes, a chaotic cascade that flips the
Earth into a new way of operating that is not predictable.<br>
Not only is this complex science, but it's scary as hell. And it
goes against received wisdom about climate change communication -
that you must dress up like a clown to talk about it or put stuff
into animations and make everything super-relatable and friendly to
attract people.<br>
Apparently, we can handle a frightening degree of complexity. So why
not go the whole hog? Let's talk about the real title of the report
(barely mentioned) - Trajectories of the Earth System in the
Anthropocene. OK, on first reading, it's a little dry, but what
we're talking here is the fact that we've exerted such an impact on
planetary processes that we humans have become a geological force in
our own right. We've propelled ourselves out of the Holocene, where
we experienced friendly conditions for 12,000 years, and have dumped
ourselves in a new geological era, the Anthropocene, where
conditions are likely to be bad news.<br>
We. Shifted. Geological. Epoch. Subjected day after day to
internecine wrangling over Brexit (a smaller, human-caused
transition), surely this very hard exit merits some attention?<br>
<span class="bullet" style="font-size: 0.00625rem; line-height:
0.00625rem; color: transparent;">•</span><span> </span>Lucy Siegle
is a journalist who writes about ethical living<br>
<font size="-1"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/aug/19/its-the-end-of-the-earth-as-we-know-it-read-all-about-it">https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/aug/19/its-the-end-of-the-earth-as-we-know-it-read-all-about-it</a></font><br>
<br>
<br>
[Comic relief - light sarcasm, from the Onion]<br>
<b><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="https://www.theonion.com/climate-experts-say-only-hope-for-saving-planet-lies-wi-1819579500">Climate
Experts Say Only Hope For Saving Planet Lies With People Who
Save Napkins From Takeout Order</a></b><br>
1/02/17<br>
GENEVA-Explaining that global warming trends were close to passing a
dangerous and irreversible tipping point, a report released Monday
by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change stated that
humanity's sole hope for saving the planet now lies with people who
save napkins from their takeout orders. "According to our research,
our only chance of averting a worldwide catastrophe rests entirely
in the hands of individuals who keep the stacks of napkins that come
in their takeout bag alongside their burrito or Thai food orders,"
said IPCC researcher Ellen Chen, who explained that by stockpiling
these loose napkins instead of throwing them out, these people
offered the lone remaining path to avoiding devastating superstorms,
pan-continental droughts, and increases in global sea levels that
pose an existential threat to human life. "We can only pray that
these key men and women continue holding on to their extra takeout
napkins and piling them up in a kitchen drawer beside the plastic
silverware with which they're packed. Our fate-and, indeed, the fate
of all future generations-depends on it." Chen warned, however, that
if any such individuals began throwing out the little conjoined
packets of salt and pepper that come with their orders, the planet
was in all likelihood doomed.<br>
<font size="-1"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://www.theonion.com/climate-experts-say-only-hope-for-saving-planet-lies-wi-1819579500">https://www.theonion.com/climate-experts-say-only-hope-for-saving-planet-lies-wi-1819579500</a></font><br>
<br>
<br>
<font size="+1"><b><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://mediamatters.org/blog/2013/08/21/what-al-jazeera-america-didnt-say-about-climate/195510">This
Day in Climate History - August 20, 2013</a> - from D.R.
Tucker</b></font><br>
August 20, 2013 - includes video<br>
Al Jazeera America debuts, featuring a critically-acclaimed
discussion of climate change featuring climate scientists Heidi
Cullen and Michael Mann.<br>
<blockquote>During its first day on the air, Al Jazeera America gave
climate change nearly half as much coverage as network news
programs did during the year 2012, all while avoiding common
pitfalls like providing false balance to those that deny the
science and leaving the crisis' manmade origins ambiguous.<br>
<br>
The fledgling network's first climate report comprised the
entirety of Tuesday's edition of Inside Story, a half-hour news
discussion program that promises to "take an in-depth look at the
story behind the headlines." Indeed, the inaugural show featured a
meaningful dialogue on -- in guest Heidi Cullen's words -- "coming
to terms with the fact that we're all part of the problem ...
[and] the solution" to manmade global warming, and discussed
consequences like extreme weather and rising sea levels. It never
wavered on the veracity of the issue:<br>
<br>
Al Jazeera America's 30 minutes of climate coverage (about 24
minutes not including commercial breaks) represented nearly half
of what was seen on all network nightly news programs in 2012, and
more than what was featured by CNN's Erin Burnett OutFront and
Anderson Cooper 360 and Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor and Hannity
combined in the past four and a half months:<br>
<br>
While the network's early attention to climate change is a breath
of fresh air, it may not qualify as a surprise. After all, network
heads promised serious, in-depth reporting with "less opinion,
less yelling and fewer celebrity sightings," and commentators have
held out hope for a new source of solid TV journalism ever since
the sale of Current TV was finalized early this year.<br>
</blockquote>
<font size="-1"> <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2013/08/21/what-al-jazeera-america-didnt-say-about-climate/195510">https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2013/08/21/what-al-jazeera-america-didnt-say-about-climate/195510</a></font><br>
<br>
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