2024: Leas snow than normal

[TomK]

Maybe the seaweed of choice can be used to guide genetic engineering for producing large quantities of whatever ingredients are necessary to reduce methane-burping in cattle?

That is certainly worth investigating! And possibly combining with:

There's a lot of interesting things going on with hydroponics that look extremely encouraging for growing a lot of produce items with 90% less water, no pesticides, using solar for energy, etc, etc. Possible seaweed, or another plant with comparable benefits, may fall under that umbrella in the future?

I have a vision of giant tanks full of seawater located near or on cattle ranches, producing mutant seaweed for the cows. No telling what amazing things might happen in the future!

TomK

 

[Grey J]

It's hard to ignore reports like this. "There's something happening here."

The loss of an estimated 4 million common murres during the marine heatwave known as the “Blob” was the biggest bird die-off in recorded history, and seven or eight years later, the population has not recovered, biologists report.

The findings, in a newly published study led by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Heather Renner, show that the toll on common murres killed 4 million, about half the Alaska population.

It was not only the largest bird die-off in the modern era but also appears to be the largest wildlife die-off, said the study, which described the effect as “catastrophic” for the species.

 

[skiguy]

That is certainly worth investigating! And possibly combining with:



I have a vision of giant tanks full of seawater located near or on cattle ranches, producing mutant seaweed for the cows. No telling what amazing things might happen in the future!

TomK

You never know. You might be on to something. All kidding aside. Brain storming. Solutions not problems. As a skier I would like to see less lifts. They take a lot of energy to run.

 

[TomK]

It's hard to ignore reports like this. "There's something happening here."

On the brighter side (I think):

Eradication of northern giant hornet (AKA "Murder Hornet") from the United States

Score 1 for the scientists!

TomK

 

[B the Hiker]

Is anyone making this claim? (Not directed at you specifically or anyone on VFTT. I mean it generically).

Of all the reading I have done on the subject I don't think I've seen anyone predict the extinction of the human race or anything catastrophic like that. Significant changes to crop growth and some food sources like fish and other animals (which is already happening), growing regions moving, issues with potable water, people relocating to new places as habitable areas go from prime seaside properties to popular scuba diving destinations, etc, etc. Major disruptions to be sure that will create major discomfort and likely fighting between countries but not end of the world type stuff.

We're definitely going to make life harder on ourselves but I don't think we're going away altogether.

I am! The displacement of populations from rising water levels will alter the lives of everyone else.

The United States has already had to relocate a community. In Florida it is a massive—and current—concern.
https://climatecenter.fsu.edu/topics/sea-level-rise

This isn’t an “it might get a warmer” kind of thing. This is a “large amounts of land where people live will become uninhabitable” kind of thing. Native plant populations are shifting. Native fish populations are shifting. With trees, they cannot move fast enough to populate the new areas, which is a problem for national forests where staff cannot introduce new trees.

Hottest years on record. Hottest consecutive years on record. Wildfires at alarming frequencies and sizes.

Yes, life will change for everyone if this is not addressed. That is absolutely what i am saying.

 

[DayTrip]

I am! The displacement of populations from rising water levels will alter the lives of everyone else.

The United States has already had to relocate a community. In Florida it is a massive—and current—concern.
https://climatecenter.fsu.edu/topics/sea-level-rise

This isn’t an “it might get a warmer” kind of thing. This is a “large amounts of land where people live will become uninhabitable” kind of thing. Native plant populations are shifting. Native fish populations are shifting. With trees, they cannot move fast enough to populate the new areas, which is a problem for national forests where staff cannot introduce new trees.

Hottest years on record. Hottest consecutive years on record. Wildfires at alarming frequencies and sizes.

Yes, life will change for everyone if this is not addressed. That is absolutely what i am saying.

I get that and basically stated that. When I see the term "existential" that means something that threatens the existence or survival of humanity, i.e. if "x" happens we cease to exist. Life is definitely going to get harder but people will still be around.

 

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

I get that and basically stated that. When I see the term "existential" that means something that threatens the existence or survival of humanity, i.e. if "x" happens we cease to exist. Life is definitely going to get harder but people will still be around.

The term existential is not limited to humanity, but can apply to the existence of anything. Where humanity has been already involved as an existential threat is with the extinction of thousands of other species, many by direct over-killing, others by destruction of their habitats.

 

[KRooney]

What I think is inevitable over the next 50-100 years (maybe less) is that large parts/sections of land within X feet of sea level will be submerged due to global warming and the rise in sea level. In the US, that will mostly impact Florida. Hopefully there are groups of people in think tanks/our universities who are developing plans about how best to mitigate the impact of sea level rise.

For me, it's a waste of energy to argue whether or not global warming is occurring. It is, and it will continue.

 

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

This is just not true. He is not a climate denier. Have you read the book? He believes the climate is changing but explains why it is not an emergency and is overblown in the news. I read the book (Unsettled) a few years ago and found it refreshing. He writes occasionally in the WSJ. He is a very smart guy. Koonin points out how IPCC reports are exaggerated in the press and blown out of proportion.

And really, who doesn't believe in climate change? Hell, there used to be mile thick ice over where my house in Maine was located, and now it's gone, so the climate must have changed. People can believe the climate is changing and it is not an existential crisis.

I put “climate denier” in quotes because Koonin does indeed deny that we should attempt to do anything to reverse anthropogenic global warming (AGW), the more appropriate term for the impact of burning of fossil fuels that ramped up dramatically beginning with the Industrial Revolution in the 1800s. In the early 2000’s, BP rebranded itself as BP, Beyond Petroleum, but Koonin and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill ended that.

I tried to read Koonin’s book but was not able to get very far into it for the reasons that I already mentioned above, that he used too many “straw men” in his superficial, misleading, and over-generalizations about climate science. You also chose to use a straw man in your post about where your house was located in Maine being covered by a mile-thick ice sheet, which is true, but occurred over 20,000 years ago and is completely unrelated to AGW and the rapid rise in atmospheric CO2 and methane over the past two centuries. In my undergraduate logic class, these irrelevant conclusions were called “ignoratio elenchi,” a formal fallacy in logic meaning ignoring the refutation. My logic professor quizzed us weekly on formal fallacies in logic by bringing to class MUL editorials written by its publisher William Loeb at the time. Perhaps esoteric to some but important in scientific writing, which Koonin ignored in his book.

 

[sierra]

Sea levels are rising, and you don't have to look far to find the evidence. Strawberry Bank in Portsmouth has been dealing with the rising Portsmouth harbor and its impact on the historical structures in that community. They have and are going as far as raising structures, which goes against many of their principles regarding preservation, but they simply have no choice. They have multiple mitigation strategies planned, basement drainage systems and are even considering letting a pond form in the middle of the Bank to give the tides a place to go. I walk Portsmouth with my dog on a regular basis and the history is very interesting, it's a magnificent city. Many of the buildings are fascinating if you enjoy history.