End of World Round-Up
As I prepare to move, I am dumping several stories here for you. Stories which I had wanted to get to and explore more in depth, perhaps. At least some of them. (If you don't like the apocalyptic bent to this batch, don't worry - I have even more articles offering solutions or adaptations to climate change - like new kinds of batteries, super white paint, and all that). Here is one very important story that bears repeating...
Scientists Spot Warning Signs of Gulf Stream Collapse (theguardian.com) (8/6/21)
Climate scientists have detected warning signs of the collapse of the Gulf Stream, one of the planet's main potential tipping points. The research found "an almost complete loss of stability over the last century" of the currents that researchers call the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC). The currents are already at their slowest point in at least 1,600 years, but the new analysis shows they may be nearing a shutdown.
Such an event would have catastrophic consequences around the world, severely disrupting the rains that billions of people depend on for food in India, South America and West Africa; increasing storms and lowering temperatures in Europe; and pushing up the sea level in the eastern North America. It would also further endanger the Amazon rainforest and Antarctic ice sheets. The complexity of the AMOC system and uncertainty over levels of future global heating make it impossible to forecast the date of any collapse for now. It could be within a decade or two, or several centuries away. But the colossal impact it would have means it must never be allowed to happen, the scientists said. The researchers published their findings in the journal Nature Climate Change.
Climate change threatens three key stony corals, Atlantic reef ecosystems
Carbon emissions from wild pigs uprooting soil equal to more than 1M cars
Thawing permafrost releases greenhouse gas from depth
Massive Mysterious Craters Appearing Again In Siberia
Potentially the worst drought in 1,200 years’: scientists on the scorching US heatwave
JUNE19 2021 New Wildfires Are At A 10-Year High In The Hot, Dry Western US (npr.org)
SEPT17 2021 Sequoias Are Being Wrapped In Foil Blankets To Protect Against Wildfires (nytimes.com)
The Internet Eats Up Less Energy Than You Might Think
Global Computing's Carbon Footprint Is Bigger Than Previously Estimated (upi.com)
After 47 Years, US Power Company Abandons Still-Unfinished $6 Billion Nuclear Power Plant (yahoo.com)
Earth’s solid metal inner core is growing more on one side than the other
Scientists Spot Warning Signs of Gulf Stream Collapse (theguardian.com) (8/6/21)
Climate scientists have detected warning signs of the collapse of the Gulf Stream, one of the planet's main potential tipping points. The research found "an almost complete loss of stability over the last century" of the currents that researchers call the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC). The currents are already at their slowest point in at least 1,600 years, but the new analysis shows they may be nearing a shutdown.
Such an event would have catastrophic consequences around the world, severely disrupting the rains that billions of people depend on for food in India, South America and West Africa; increasing storms and lowering temperatures in Europe; and pushing up the sea level in the eastern North America. It would also further endanger the Amazon rainforest and Antarctic ice sheets. The complexity of the AMOC system and uncertainty over levels of future global heating make it impossible to forecast the date of any collapse for now. It could be within a decade or two, or several centuries away. But the colossal impact it would have means it must never be allowed to happen, the scientists said. The researchers published their findings in the journal Nature Climate Change.
Climate change threatens three key stony corals, Atlantic reef ecosystems
Carbon emissions from wild pigs uprooting soil equal to more than 1M cars
Thawing permafrost releases greenhouse gas from depth
Massive Mysterious Craters Appearing Again In Siberia
Potentially the worst drought in 1,200 years’: scientists on the scorching US heatwave
JUNE19 2021 New Wildfires Are At A 10-Year High In The Hot, Dry Western US (npr.org)
SEPT17 2021 Sequoias Are Being Wrapped In Foil Blankets To Protect Against Wildfires (nytimes.com)
The Internet Eats Up Less Energy Than You Might Think
Global Computing's Carbon Footprint Is Bigger Than Previously Estimated (upi.com)
After 47 Years, US Power Company Abandons Still-Unfinished $6 Billion Nuclear Power Plant (yahoo.com)
Earth’s solid metal inner core is growing more on one side than the other