At the rate things are going, the Earth in the coming decades could cease to be a “safe operating space” for human beings. That is the conclusion of a new paper published Thursday in the journal Science by 18 researchers trying to gauge the breaking points in the natural world.
The paper contends that we have already crossed four “planetary boundaries.” They include the extinction rate; deforestation; the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere; and the flow of nitrogen and phosphorous (used on land as fertilizer) into the ocean [my bold].
“What the science has shown is that human activities — economic growth, technology, consumption – are destabilizing the global environment,” said Will Steffen, who is the lead author of the paper.
These are not future problems, but rather urgent matters, according to Steffen, who said that the economic boom since 1950 and the globalized economy have accelerated the transgression of the boundaries. No one knows exactly when push will come to shove, but he said the possible destabilization of the “Earth System” as a whole could occur in a time frame of “decades out to a century.”Today, the National Climate Data Center released this finding: 2014 was the hottest year on record. Global land temperatures reached 1.80 F above average, while ocean surface temperatures were 1.03 F above average. Land temperatures alone were the fourth warmest on record, but ocean temperatures were the warmest, which made 2014 the warmest - and the worst - year to date. Furthermore, the rate of sea level rise is approximately 25% higher than previous estimates, according to this reassessment reported in Nature.
In other news this week, the anti-science, anti-climate change senator from Texas, Ted Cruz, was named chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Space, Science and Competitiveness, which oversees NASA and all science programs. Fellow climate change denier Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) will chair the Senate Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and the Coast Guard.
Ecce Homo! Behold the most destructive species that has ever walked on Earth. And behold the new stewards of science - emperors without clothes. Humanoids are determined to doom themselves ... and cephalopods shall inherit the Earth.
Also sprach der Krakken.
Cephalopods shall inherit the Earth? I am good with that....as long as they save me a beer. The Post, though, does remind me of and old quote....
ReplyDelete“If you think this Universe is bad, you should see some of the others.”
― Philip K. Dick
I'm off for a beer......and checking on other universes just in case.
"Enjoy it while it lasts" may not be the attitude to take on this one, and, most people with a modicum of common sense realize this. Puzzling as it may be the engines of economics have more horsepower than the engines of science or common sense. Unfortunately the dudes heading up the responsible committees looking at this stuff in congress or neither scientist or loaded up with a lot of common sense.
ReplyDeleteA bit off topic but at least Rubio has THIS.
Somehow Rubio has alienated me to the point where I don't pay any attention to him, but I guess that isn't something to be proud of. But just looking at human history, I don't think there's a ghost of a chance the real powers in the world will forego the chance to steal a buck from the future. Here's my prediction: no one will do a damned thing to keep the planet habitable until its far too late. We are incapable of acting in our own best interests, incapable of resisting the leadership of the greedy, unable to plan for the future and incapable of any kind of thing one might call enlightenment. This little planet has seen billions of years of calamity and recovery and it will recover once again once we are gone. We are the disease, our demise is the cure.
ReplyDeleteUntergang, Düsternis ruft uns die Stimme und so spreche ich.
You quite possibly are right Capitan. Having thought along these lines myself I wonder if and when the earth regenerates and intelligent life blossoms again if their god(s) will have become any wiser.
ReplyDeleteHope springs eternal.