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<p><i><font size="+1"><b>April 26, 2021</b></font></i><br>
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[NYTimes report]<br>
<b>Halting the Vast Release of Methane Is Critical for Climate, U.N.
Says</b>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.<br>
- -<br>
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.<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
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...<br>
- -<br>
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...<br>
- -<br>
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.<br>
<br>
“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.”<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/24/climate/methane-leaks-united-nations.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/24/climate/methane-leaks-united-nations.html</a><br>
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<p><br>
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[water disappears everywhere]<br>
<b>A warmer, drier world’s deeper wells spell trouble</b><br>
April 26th, 2021, by Tim Radford<br>
<br>
Falling water tables mean deeper wells, and scarcer supplies of
water. Image: By Kritzolina, via Wikimedia Commons<br>
<br>
A warmer world could for billions be drier. The resultant deeper
wells spell trouble for those reliant on groundwater.<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
“Wells are already running dry because of groundwater level
declines”<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
Newer means deeper<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
“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…”<br>
<br>
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<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://climatenewsnetwork.net/a-warmer-drier-worlds-deeper-wells-spell-trouble/">https://climatenewsnetwork.net/a-warmer-drier-worlds-deeper-wells-spell-trouble/</a><br>
<p><br>
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<p><br>
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[get ready say scientists]<b><br>
</b><b>Experts Say Humanity Faces a Grim and “Ghastly Future” –
State of Planet Is Much Worse Than Most People Understand</b><br>
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.<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<b>Environmental Ponzi Scheme – We’re on Track for a Ghastly Future
</b><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l57-Hwgfb9Y">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l57-Hwgfb9Y</a><br>
Apr 24, 2021 SciTech Daily<br>
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.<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l57-Hwgfb9Y">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l57-Hwgfb9Y</a><br>
- -<br>
<b>Expert Prognosis for the Planet – We’re on Track for a Ghastly
Future </b> <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeUykSy4z6Y">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeUykSy4z6Y</a><br>
Flinders University Professor Corey Bradshaw summarizes the
perspective paper "Underestimating the challenges of avoiding a
ghastly future."<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeUykSy4z6Y">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeUykSy4z6Y</a><br>
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.<br>
<br>
“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.<br>
<br>
“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.<br>
<br>
“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.<br>
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.<br>
<br>
“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.<br>
<br>
“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.<br>
<br>
“Humanity is running an ecological Ponzi scheme in which society
robs nature and future generations to pay for short-term economic
enhancement today.”<br>
<br>
“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.<br>
Professor Dan Blumstein from UCLA says the scientists are choosing
to speak boldly and fearlessly because life literally depends on it.<br>
<br>
“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.<br>
<br>
“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.<br>
<br>
“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.<br>
<br>
“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.<br>
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.<br>
<br>
For more on this research, read Humans Face a “Ghastly Future”
Unless Extraordinary Action Is Taken Soon on Sustainability.<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://scitechdaily.com/experts-say-humanity-faces-a-grim-and-ghastly-future-state-of-planet-is-much-worse-than-most-people-understand/">https://scitechdaily.com/experts-say-humanity-faces-a-grim-and-ghastly-future-state-of-planet-is-much-worse-than-most-people-understand/</a><br>
- -<br>
[Source material]<br>
<b>Underestimating the Challenges of Avoiding a Ghastly Future</b><br>
Front. Conserv. Sci., 13 January 2021<br>
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.<br>
- -<br>
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...<br>
more at -
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcosc.2020.615419/full">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcosc.2020.615419/full</a><br>
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[returning to the Nathaniel Rich interview - hour audio]<br>
<b>Glowing bunnies and climate change denial. What could go wrong?</b><br>
APR 22, 2021 <br>
BY Johnobrien John O'Brien<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://kuow.org/stories/what-could-go-wrong-glowing-bunnies-climate-change-denial-and-the-post-natural-world">https://kuow.org/stories/what-could-go-wrong-glowing-bunnies-climate-change-denial-and-the-post-natural-world</a><br>
<p>- -</p>
[extended video interview]<br>
<b>Nathaniel Rich with Claire Vaye Watkins: What Does It Mean to
Live in a Post-Natural World?</b><br>
Streamed live on Apr 5, 2021<br>
Town Hall Seattle<br>
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.<br>
<br>
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?<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
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...<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GLnczzJCf0">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GLnczzJCf0</a>
<p><br>
</p>
<br>
[Digging back into the internet news archive]<br>
<font size="+1"><b>On this day in the history of global warming -
April 26, 1998 </b></font><br>
<p>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.<br>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.nytimes.com/1998/04/26/us/industrial-group-plans-to-battle-climate-treaty.html">http://www.nytimes.com/1998/04/26/us/industrial-group-plans-to-battle-climate-treaty.html</a><br>
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