Climate

Greta Thunberg’s new book urges the world to take climate action now
The best shot we have at minimizing the future impacts of climate change is to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Since the Industrial Revolution began, humankind has already raised the average global temperature by about 1.1 degrees. If we continue to emit greenhouse gases at the current rate, the world will probably surpass the 1.5-degree threshold by the end of the decade.
By BURN BRIGHT3 years ago in Earth
50 years ago, researchers discovered a leak in Earth’s oceans
Oceans may be shrinking — Science News, March 10, 1973 The oceans of the world may be gradually shrinking, leaking slowly away into the Earth’s mantle…. Although the oceans are constantly being slowly augmented by water carried up from Earth’s interior by volcanic activity … some process such as sea-floor spreading seems to be letting the water seep away more rapidly than it is replaced.
By BURN BRIGHT3 years ago in Earth
‘Jet packs’ and ultrasounds could reveal secrets of pregnant whale sharks
How do you know if the world’s largest living fish is expecting babies? Not by her bulging belly, it turns out. Scientists thought that an enlarged area on the undersides of female whale sharks was a sign of pregnancy. But a technique used for the first time on free-swimming animals showed only skin and muscle. These humps might instead be a secondary sex characteristic on mature females, like breasts on humans, researchers report in the March 23 Endangered Species Research.
By BURN BRIGHT3 years ago in Earth
"Seraphina" by Rachel Hartman
"Seraphina" is a young adult fantasy novel that follows the adventures of a young woman named Seraphina Dombegh. Set in the kingdom of Goredd, where humans and dragons have an uneasy truce, Seraphina is a gifted musician who also has a dangerous secret: she is half-dragon. In a world where dragons are despised and feared by humans, Seraphina must keep her true nature hidden in order to avoid persecution and danger.
By BURN BRIGHT3 years ago in Earth
The Rise of Eco-Anxiety
Climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing our planet today, and it is having a profound impact on our mental health. The term "eco-anxiety" is used to describe the feelings of fear, worry, and stress related to climate change and its consequences. As the impacts of climate change become more evident and severe, the prevalence of eco-anxiety is increasing.
By Melodic Narrator3 years ago in Earth
"Unleashing the Power of the Sun: Is Sunlight Reflection the Key to Cool Our Planet?"
Unleashing the Power of the Sun: Is Sunlight Reflection the Key to Cool Our Planet? The eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines in 1991 was one of the largest volcanic eruptions of the 20th century. Its ash plume rose above the atmosphere and spread a layer of aerosol particles across the globe, creating a solar umbrella that reflected sunlight and caused global temperatures to drop by almost half a degree Celsius for nearly two years. This phenomenon was not unique to Mount Pinatubo, as other large volcanic eruptions have also had a cooling effect on global temperatures. Major volcanic eruptions such as El Chichón in 1982 have also caused significant drops in global temperatures by about half a degree Celsius, similar to other major eruptions in the past century. Today, scientists are investigating the possibility of replicating this phenomenon using a technology called solar geoengineering to combat global warming. Proponents argue that given the worsening effects of climate change, it is important to explore all potential solutions to alleviate suffering. However, opponents contend that the risks associated with this technology are too great and should not be considered as a viable response to global warming. While technological advancements have undoubtedly brought about many benefits, there are also inventions that some may wish had never been created. This raises an important question when it comes to solar geoengineering: should we be exploring this option? Given the high stakes of the survival of humanity on Earth, I interviewed a range of experts, including scientists, lawyers, and indigenous leaders, who hold strong opinions on both sides of the debate. Despite differing views, scientists agree that solar geoengineering has the potential to cool down the planet by reflecting sunlight away from the Earth and preventing heat from becoming trapped in the atmosphere. One approach involves injecting aerosols into the stratosphere, mimicking the effects of volcanic eruptions. This approach is currently the most commonly researched method. Scientists are exploring various methods for solar geoengineering, including brightening marine clouds and deploying reflective shields in outer space. However, these technologies are still in the research phase and would require massive intervention in our complex climate system to achieve large-scale cooling effects. Solar geoengineering is supported by some scientists because we are currently on a concerning path with rising carbon dioxide emissions. While reducing emissions is essential in the long run, it is not sufficient to eliminate climate risk because the risk stems from accumulated emissions. University of Chicago Professor David Keith argues that in order to mitigate the worsening impacts of climate change, we must move beyond just reducing emissions. Extreme weather has already resulted in a significant percentage of global deaths, and heat-related deaths are on the rise. Supporters suggest that we should explore climate processes, use computer modeling, and develop technologies to determine if and how we could safely deploy them globally, alongside other solutions. However, meddling with the global climate is a complicated issue as the whole system is interconnected. Adding new elements into our atmosphere or stratosphere could create unpredictable changes in the way the climate system responds and potentially exacerbate extreme weather events caused by climate change. Despite the risks, there is a need to understand the benefits and risks of solar geoengineering. Nevertheless, we cannot answer the most significant questions about the climate system response unless we undertake a full-scale deployment, which would require unprecedented global cooperation in terms of scale and time. Moreover, even if we stop emitting greenhouse gases, the warming effect of the carbon dioxide we have emitted since the industrial revolution will persist for thousands of years. The proposed solar geoengineering techniques have a short lifetime in the atmosphere and require constant deployment for continued cooling effect, which poses an unprecedented burden on future generations to adhere to treaties and institutions for thousands of years. In case of an international disagreement, war, or sudden termination, the world could face rapid warming known as termination shock. Critics view solar geoengineering as ungovernable and unsustainable, given the unpredictability and drastic changes it might awaken in climate, weather, and biodiversity. Sweden's rejection of a solar geoengineering project in 2021 highlights concerns raised by environmental and indigenous groups. Most solar geoengineering research takes place in labs with models and simulations due to opposition like this, turning the debate into one about the extent of research. In January 2022, 400 scientists called for a non-use agreement on solar geoengineering The proposed solar geoengineering techniques have a short atmospheric lifespan, which means they would need to be continuously deployed for centuries to have a long-term cooling effect. This would require future institutions and treaties that can be upheld for thousands of years, an unprecedented burden on future generations. In the event of war, global depression, or sudden termination of solar geoengineering, rapid warming, also known as termination shock, could occur, posing a significant risk to the planet. Despite the opposition from environmental and indigenous groups, some scientists are in favor of low-risk research, such as fundamental climate processes, computer simulations, and modeling. However, research that develops technology leading to full-scale deployment is opposed by many scientists, as they fear it could be ungovernable and unsustainable. Some scientists call for a robust international scientific assessment that includes experiments to advance solar geoengineering technology. Still, they stress that research does not imply support for its use and that we cannot prevent future generations from using the technology. I spoke with Sarah Doherty, a researcher at the University of Washington who studies marine cloud brightening, about the significance of ongoing research in this area. According to her, it is crucial to conduct this research now to make informed and equitable decisions in the future, as the knowledge about these options is already widespread. Some advocate for immediate deployment of these technologies, indicating the likelihood of their use in the future. However, both sides agree that solar geoengineering could negatively impact efforts to reduce carbon emissions, as it may serve as an excuse for continued fossil fuel use. While there is a political concern that these technologies may be exploited, it should not serve as an ethical basis to restrict potentially risk-reducing research. Mexico is currently the only country that has banned solar geoengineering experiments, whereas the US is developing a research plan in this area. Climate-focused global organizations are now conducting assessments and issuing recommendations, but there is no clear consensus on the path forward. Despite this, everyone I spoke to on both sides of the issue is deeply invested in preserving our planet's future. The tension between opposing views can lead to more thoughtful and rigorous solutions to the problems we face. For instance, volcanic eruptions like Mount Pinatubo's in 1991 have shown that aerosol particles in the stratosphere can lower global temperatures by half a degree Celsius for almost two years, as was the case with other eruptions in the past century. Scientists have been investigating the possibility of replicating the cooling effects of massive volcanic eruptions through solar geoengineering, a technology that some believe could help mitigate the impacts of global warming. While some see solar geoengineering as a valuable tool in the fight against climate change, others argue that its potential risks outweigh its benefits. The benefits and risks of solar geoengineering were explored by speaking with scientists, lawyers, and indigenous leaders who hold opposing views on the matter. While solar geoengineering could potentially cool the planet by reflecting sunlight away from Earth through the injection of aerosols into the stratosphere or brightening marine clouds, its large-scale deployment could interfere with the complex climate system and lead to unintended consequences. Nevertheless, some scientists argue that we must explore solar geoengineering as we currently face a dire situation with rising emissions and continued climate change impacts, which could worsen even if emissions are cut to zero. According to a recent study, extreme weather is responsible for almost 10% of global deaths, with an increase in heat-related deaths. Supporters of mitigating these effects argue that we need to explore climate processes, use computer modeling, and develop technology to safely deploy solutions. However, solar geoengineering, which involves interfering with our global climate, is very complex and could create unpredictable changes in the way the climate system responds. Adding new elements to our atmosphere or stratosphere could worsen the extreme weather caused by climate change. Additionally, a full-scale deployment of solar geoengineering would require unprecedented global cooperation and commitment for thousands of years, which is a burden to put on future humanity. Critics argue that solar geoengineering is ungovernable and unsustainable due to the risk of rapid warming caused by termination shock. Opposition to solar geoengineering has led to most research taking place in labs with simulations, and in 2022, 400 scientists called for a non-use agreement on solar geoengineering. They supported low-risk research on fundamental climate processes that doesn't lead to deployment. Critics of solar geoengineering are concerned that increased modeling could lead to full-scale deployment, but they admit that some simulations are useful and cannot be eliminated. They are opposed to research that could lead to technology development and deployment. However, some scientists support research into solar geoengineering, including experiments that could advance technology, but they do not support the use of the technology itself. They acknowledge that we cannot prevent people from using these technologies in the future, but we can make more informed and equitable decisions through research. Solar geoengineering could have negative impacts on decarbonization efforts and may be used as an excuse for continuing fossil fuel sales. However, restricting research based on political concerns is not an ethical approach. Mexico has banned solar geoengineering experiments, while the US is developing a research plan. Climate organizations are making assessments and recommendations, but there is no clear path forward. Both sides of the issue care deeply about the future of our planet, and the tension between them can lead to more thoughtful and rigorous solutions to our current environmental challenges.
By John Lewis 3 years ago in Earth
Climate change
Climate change has brought and will continue to bring extreme environmental events that will be difficult to prepare for, experience, and recover from with effects that will continue to layer upon our world's existing inequalities but scientists have been studying our climate for decades and have come to one inescapable conclusion greenhouse gases are driving up Earth's average temperature and unchecked that's going to make our planet a lot harder to live on. Countries worldwide in 2015 In the historic Paris Agreement, parties agreed to take strong action to cut greenhouse gas emissions and slow climate change. For many nations, this effort resulted in a goal to achieve Net Zero carbon emissions by 2050. the goal of these pledges is to limit how much the average global temperature rises, specifically to limit warming by the end of the century to less than two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial Revolution levels and ideally to stop at 1.5 degrees that half a degree might not sound like much, but it is a significant amount in the context of global warming. However, if warming is limited to 1.5 degrees, the situation is much less dire, with some areas experiencing half as many water shortages as in the worst-case scenario. That's just one example; everything from the vegetables you eat to the coral reefs you want to visit someday would have a better chance of survival with just 1.5 degrees of warming. This translates to better food security and a higher standard of living for millions of people and for all life on planet Earth. It is feasible to achieve Net Zero carbon emissions by 2050 and so prevent global warming. The International Energy Agency, a body responsible for formulating policy, has even provided us with a roadmap filled with potential checkpoints. It calls for measures including ceasing the sale of gasoline-powered cars by 2035 and the sale of fossil fuel boilers used to heat our houses and water by 2025. By 2040, 50% of all buildings would have technologies in place to operate without emitting greenhouse gases, and the entire world would be powered by electricity with net zero emissions. By 2045, we would be using efficient, low-carbon heat pumps for half of our energy needs, and by 2050, even industry would undergo a significant change. When comparing the effects of what you can do with the effects of large firms, it's difficult to beat just one person trying to make a difference, especially since from 1965 to 2017 just 20 companies responsible for over 35% of all greenhouse gas emissions. Where do people like you and me fit into that part of the story? Well, companies, governments, and research centers developing new technologies all have one thing in common they're made by people, supported by people, and can be changed by people. And in a lot of big ways, young people are leading this charge. You've probably heard of Greta Tunberg, a Swedish environmental activist who has led strikes and spoken at global climate conferences. At the age of 12, Rwandan student Joseline Irocose saw stacks of electronics dumped in a nearby landfill and was inspired to create an app that directs users to local recycling facilities. Emirati Canadian student kakashabasu founded a business to engage youth in neighborhood sustainability initiatives, and at the age of 16, she now guides individuals in planting mangrove plants in Tidal ecosystems that have seen deforestation. In Florida, Delaney Reynolds established a program to inform local youngsters about the risks posed by sea level rise. These are just some of the initiatives that young people are making towards making the world a better place. United efforts could even further our influence in making the world a better place one day at a time.
By Yusrah Harry3 years ago in Earth
What If An Asteroid COLLIDED with Earth ?
If an asteroid were on a collision course with Earth, what would happen? While hundreds of space rocks fall through our atmosphere every year, most are small enough to burn up on entry, so there is little noticeable impact. However, throughout Earth's history, there have been several large strikes, and NASA has been conducting tests to see how prepared we are. Unfortunately, the results show that we are not ready. NASA estimates that every day, more than a hundred tons of dust and small particles fall to the Earth. On average, a car-sized object enters the atmosphere once a year and burns up, creating a fireball that streaks across the sky. Objects as large as a football field collide with Earth once every two thousand years, while a potential extinction-level collision is expected to happen every few million years.
By Bashir Ndawula3 years ago in Earth
Can We Built a Planet From SCRATCH ?
Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is one of the biggest events in the tech industry, and this year's edition, held virtually from June 7 to 11, was no exception. During the event, Apple announced updates to all of its operating systems, new features, and some exciting new products. Here’s a summary of the major announcements made at the event.
By Bashir Ndawula3 years ago in Earth
The Ozone Layer Relation To Earth
The ozone layer is a critical component of Earth's atmosphere, serving as a protective shield against the harmful effects of the sun's ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Without the ozone layer, life on Earth would be dramatically different, if not impossible.
By Anthony K. Bryan-KagintonPackage3 years ago in Earth
The invisible barrier keeping two world
In between two of the islands of Indonesia, there’s an ancient line that is both real and not real. You can’t see it, but it’s there all the same. If you stood on the coast of Bali and looked east to the shores of Lombok, you’d be staring right at the line’s narrowest point: a 32 km stretch of water that seems pretty unassuming. This invisible barrier weaves its way through the entire Malay Archipelago, the largest collection of islands on the planet. See, on the western side, the animal life is characteristic of Asia, featuring rhinos, elephants, tigers, and woodpeckers, to name a few. But cross the line, and things suddenly change. You won't find those same species on the eastern side. Instead, the islands have a different cast of ecological characters, including marsupials, Komodo dragons, cockatoos, and honeyeaters. This is what scientists call a biogeographic boundary, the meeting point of two regions of biodiversity that are highly distinct. And this particular line, called the Wallace Line, is perhaps the sharpest and most iconic of all. So how did this invisible line come to be? Why does it shape the distribution of so many species? How did we figure out the path it takes? And how can it be both real and imaginary? The Wallace line was first sketched out in 1859 by a guy named, wait for it, Wallace. Alfred Russel Wallace to be exact, is a British naturalist who you might have also heard of as the co-discoverer of natural selection. That concept came to Wallace in a literal fever dream as he lay bedridden with malaria during part of his eight-year trip around the Malay Archipelago. And while he’d end up being overshadowed by Darwin on that front, the second-best idea he had on that trip was the existence of the Wallace line. I mean…...you know, two good ideas in one trip. This idea helped to forever establish him as the father of biogeography, the study of the distribution of living things. He had spent his voyage observing and collecting as many species as he could, hopping from island to island across almost the entire archipelago. And it was as he moved east from Bali to Lombok that he first noticed something intriguing. Even though the islands were separated only by a narrow strait, the change in animal life wasn’t gradual and subtle, it was sudden and distinct. Wallace saw the differences in animal life between the two as being even more striking than between England and Japan! It was birds that initially caught his attention. Certain species that were plentiful on Java and Bali - like the yellow-headed weaver, coppersmith barbet, and the Javanese three-toed woodpecker - Few didn’t exist at all on Lombok. And this abrupt shift extended to mammals and even many insects, too. Almost as if an invisible barrier was separating two different worlds. But why? And how? The biogeographic line that he drew, which others would tweak in later years, didn't just reflect the proximity of the islands. Some islands on opposing sides of the line are closer to each other than many islands on the same side are to one another. So Wallace realized that other, more mysterious forces must be in play. Like, say, geology. He recognized that the geological past shapes the biological present. And, because the distribution of living species today partly reflects ancient geological events, he saw biogeography as a way to uncover epic chapters of the planet’s history that might otherwise have been unknowable. These concepts are easy to take for granted today - we talk about them all the time here on Eons - but they were still fairly new ideas in Wallace’s day. And by taking this perspective, he concluded that the western islands must have once all been connected to each other, and the Asian mainland. While today they are surrounded by shallow seas, this is only the result of a geologically recent rise in sea levels. How else could the big animals of that side, like tigers and rhinos and tapirs, have ended up on the islands? Because they’re now separated by expanses of water that are way too wide for those species to cross. He had a similar thought about how the islands east of Java and Borneo had formed - at least some of them were the remnants of a former Australian continent. Wallace had a hunch that, throughout all of that change, deeper waters with strong currents between the two regions must have prevented many species from crossing from continent to continent when sea levels were lower. And this is still preventing many species from crossing today when sea levels are higher and the continents are fragmented into neighboring groups of islands. Even many flying bird and insect species obey the line, ones that aren't capable of crossing those stretches of open ocean. Wallace had pulled together many pieces of the puzzle, but he and other scientists at the time were missing one key idea to complete the picture… Plate tectonics. The surface of the planet is not static, of course, it’s dynamic. It’s made up of individual large sections or plates that move and collide over vast stretches of geologic time. It’s yet another concept that’s easy for us to take for granted, but which is a relatively recent addition to our understanding of the world. Plate tectonics only became widely accepted in the late 1960s – more than half a century after Wallace’s death. And also, around the time when I was this which means, I'm…...I'm as old as plate tectonics…We now know that plate tectonics shapes our planet in many ways, including forming and deforming continents, raising island chains, and building mountain ranges. And studies have shown the Malay Archipelago to be one of the most complex tectonic regions in the world, a meeting point of multiple plates all jostling for space. And this is responsible for not only the area’s many volcanoes and frequent seismic activity but also the peculiar contrasts of its animal life. Because by the 1980s, scientists were able to say with confidence that the Wallace line is, at its core, a result of plate tectonics. Wallace had correctly identified that two former continuous land masses had existed on either side of this line in the deep past. Today, we know them as the paleo continents of Sunda in the west and Sahul in the east, both of which existed during the ice ages when more water was locked up in ice and sea levels were lower. Wallace didn't know it, but while they’re pretty close now, the two partly-sunken continents used to be much, much further apart. The Sahul continent of the eastern side of the line, encompassed Australia, Tasmania, New Guinea, and the Aru islands. And it only approached the Asian Sunda continental shelf in the west around 20 to 25 million years ago in the late Oligocene or early Miocene epoch. This was a result of the Australian plate slowly drifting north over tens of millions of years after breaking away from Antarctica in the south, bringing its distinctive community of birds, reptiles, and marsupials with it. So even though the species of each side are neighbors now, they’d been evolving separately for eons, their two worlds only colliding fairly recently in evolutionary terms. And in between them, immediately east of the line, a complex force of plate tectonics created a chain of new islands in an area of the archipelago that’s now called Wallacea. These oceanic islands differ from the continental islands that flank them in that they were never connected to either of the greater land masses. They were ecological blank slates waiting to be filled in with whatever creatures could make it there. And those ended up being mostly species from the Australian side, seeing as the Wallace line acted as a barrier to Asian species moving east. Take, for instance, the Komodo dragon, a giant monitor lizard that today lives on a handful of islands in eastern Indonesia. Their fossils first appear in mainland Australia more than 3 million years ago in the Pliocene epoch, only reaching their current Indonesian island homes in the Wallacea region around 1 million years ago. And even now, the deep waters with strong currents that weave between the two regions, including the strait between Lombok and Bali, still limit the dispersal of many species across the line, keeping the differences in their evolutionary history so strikingly visible. This is what created the stark contrast bisecting the jungle of islands that Wallace first sketched out in 1859, and that still fascinates biogeographers today. Wallace’s invisible line may not be real in a physical sense, but it shows just how loudly ancient geological events can echo through time, and how they shape the diversity and distribution of life in strange and contrasting ways. And while Darwin might get virtually all the credit as the guy who figured out how species came to be, Wallace is still recognized as a pioneer in figuring out how species came to be where they are.
By Muokelo Charles3 years ago in Earth
Understanding Climate Change
If you've ever spoken about climate change anywhere on the internet, you've probably heard something along the lines of "Smarty Pants" like this. Changes in the climate are inevitable. Do you know what an Ice-Age is? I was told once that Antarctica had palm trees. Climate change caused by humans has been proven false. Presently assuming you're like me, this remark makes your eye jerk in that specific manner that possibly appears to happen while you're thinking about exactly the way in which hard you can smack your own brow without giving yourself a blackout.
By Mary_Online3 years ago in Earth