WTF Climate Change News

[Free]

Should I be bothered that they spell Ice Berg as 2 words?

 

[Soen Eber]

Should I be bothered that they spell Ice Berg as 2 words?

What even is Berg (in English)? I know what it means in Norwegian because it's part of my last name, and in German because people kept spelling it that way (means something entirely different). But English?

EDIT I searched, and found a rather interesting, short read

 

[Beebo Brink]

The thing about electrical vehicles is that they are not a solution to the problem of traffic jams everywhere...

Say wut? My reference to mass transit has nothing to do with "traffic jams." Mass transit is a solution to resource-intensive, inefficient personal transportation and distribution of goods.

Construction of an EV still requires mining materials of all kinds and even the use of fossil fuels for all the plastic parts, and that's before you even get to the rare/toxic metals and minerals that create environmental damage to remove from the earth and at the all-too-soon end of the vehicle life-cycle. It is only a solution to a very narrowly defined problem, and just as much of an issue as ICE vehicles in all other respects.

Overshoot -- the consumption of resources at a faster pace than they can be replaced by nature (assuming the even can be replaced) -- is what will bring down our global industrial complex. Climate change is simply one of the problems caused by overshoot; it's the result of waste products as we plunder millions of years worth of petroleum resources in a few hundred years, faster than nature can degrade CO2 emissions.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

‘All ice could disappear’: Europe’s heatwaves threaten to wipe out glaciers in the Alps

A lack of snowfall and repeated heatwaves are eating away at glaciers across the world, with Europe's Alps on course to follow the Tropics in losing all of its glaciers

inews.co.uk

 

[Noodles]

What even is Berg (in English)? I know what it means in Norwegian because it's part of my last name, and in German because people kept spelling it that way (means something entirely different). But English?

EDIT I searched, and found a rather interesting, short read

What even is Berg (in English)? I know what it means in Norwegian because it's part of my last name, and in German because people kept spelling it that way (means something entirely different). But English?

EDIT I searched, and found a rather interesting, short read

I always assumed it was a synonym for "city."

Though its interesting that a mountain and a "fortified castle" actually kind of have overall similar feels.

 

[Kamilah Hauptmann]

Say the line, Bart.

Faster than expected.

Yay!

 

[Katheryne Helendale]

Say the line, Bart.

Faster than expected.

Yay!

Sounds like California.

Truth be told, from an ecological standpoint, humans shouldn't be intervening in wildfires, as fires are nature's way to manage forest and wilderness growth. Prematurely extinguishing wildfires results in more intense wildfires later.

 

[Essence Lumin]

Sounds like California.

Truth be told, from an ecological standpoint, humans shouldn't be intervening in wildfires, as fires are nature's way to manage forest and wilderness growth. Prematurely extinguishing wildfires results in more intense wildfires later.

Yes, though people don't like their houses burning down.

 

[WolfEyes]

Sounds like California.

Truth be told, from an ecological standpoint, humans shouldn't be intervening in wildfires, as fires are nature's way to manage forest and wilderness growth. Prematurely extinguishing wildfires results in more intense wildfires later.

Not true, if done properly.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_American_use_of_fire_in_ecosystems

 

[Beebo Brink]

Truth be told, from an ecological standpoint, humans shouldn't be intervening in wildfires, as fires are nature's way to manage forest and wilderness growth. Prematurely extinguishing wildfires results in more intense wildfires later.

Unfortunately, changing conditions due to climate change make old methods more dangerous than before. With increasing heat, water evaporates and leaves both ground and vegetation drier; spreading insect infestations also weaken tries, and dead trees add even more flammable materials. So fires that once were part of the natural cycle of regeneration become more intense and damaging than they were 100 years ago.

 

[Beebo Brink]

This article on the challenges of providing an infrastructure of EV charging stations ties in with some of my comments upthread. Government and industry efforts are focused solely on matching the ease and convenience of traveling with ICE vehicles. It is understood that EVs won't replace ICE if there is a perceived loss of convenience.

And therein lies the crux of our societal problems in mitigating against resource overshoot and climate change: people are resistant to loss of currently held conveniences and comfort. It's a guaranteed failure to trumpet a message like "We just have to get used to inconveniences and a lower standard of living. The future will require an escalating number of sacrifices to prevent the worst of climate change and other problems caused by resource overuse."

Electric cars have a road trip problem: slow and unreliable charging : NPR

 

[Katheryne Helendale]

Yes, though people don't like their houses burning down.

Oh, I get that. But one could argue that it's not a good idea to build houses where wildfires happen.

 

[Katheryne Helendale]

Unfortunately, changing conditions due to climate change make old methods more dangerous than before. With increasing heat, water evaporates and leaves both ground and vegetation drier; spreading insect infestations also weaken tries, and dead trees add even more flammable materials. So fires that once were part of the natural cycle of regeneration become more intense and damaging than they were 100 years ago.

*sigh*

Yes, that is true.

What have we done with this planet?

 

[Cindy Claveau]

Climate Change Is Effecting the Occurrence of Infectious Diseases

Key takeaways

• A Europe-wide study on birds and bats revealed that the prevalence of pathogenic microbes is linked to temperature and rainfall, with pathogenic bacteria favoring warm and dry climates while viruses thrive in moist conditions.
• Climate change affects the distribution of pathogens and their hosts, as observed with bird ranges shifting northwards. This could lead to an increase in thermophilic pathogens in northern Europe.
• Rainfall influences the occurrence of certain pathogens, such as mosquito-borne viruses, like Usutu and Sindbis, and bacteria like salmonella, emphasizing the complex relationship between climate and infectious diseases in wildlife.

 

[Free]

The flooding was caused "by a release of water from Suicide Basin."

What is Suicide Basin?

Suicide Basin is a side basin of the Mendenhall Glacier above Juneau, Alaska. Since 2011, Suicide Basin has released glacier lake outburst floods that cause inundation along Mendenhall Lake and Mendenhall River.

Current Status: 09/6/2023: Suicide Basin released water for the third time this season from September 2 to 3rd which produced a rise on Mendenhall Lake/River with a crest around 8.07ft. The basin is filling again after the recent release with the current water levels much lower than the major release at the beginning of August. Monitoring of Suicide Basin will continue into the fall for additional releases.

Major flood outburst from Mendenhall Glacier in Alaska not possible without climate change

The gush of water that poured down the Mendenhall River near Juneau on August 4-6 did "decades worth" of erosion in a single weekend.

www.climate.gov

 

[Beebo Brink]

Helicopter-based observations uncover warm ocean flows toward Totten Ice Shelf in Southeast Antarctica | Hokkaido University (hokudai.ac.jp)

The Totten Glacier has attracted global attention because of the sheer scope of the environmental impacts if the glacier were to melt entirely: global sea levels could be raised by nearly four meters. It is thus necessary to observe the entire continental shelf region to understand the pathways and mechanisms of warm water mass inflow. However, such observations have been historically hindered by the region’s intense sea ice and icebergs.

The team found that broad ocean heat—stretching across the 150-kilometer range between the longitudes of 116.5° east and 120.5° east—was intruding toward the shelf. Seawater with a temperature of about 1 °C higher than the freezing temperature was observed between 50 and 100 meters above the seabed. This showed, for the first time, the overall picture of warm water mass flowing toward the Totten Ice Shelf.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

‘Beginning of the end’ of fossil fuel era approaching, says IEA

 

[Beebo Brink]

Based on current predictions, on a variety of fronts, the decade from 2030-2039 promises to be quite... interesting. I'm sure 2040 will be even more so, but that's a bit beyond my anticipated expiration date.

 

[Cindy Claveau]

Based on current predictions, on a variety of fronts, the decade from 2030-2039 promises to be quite... interesting. I'm sure 2040 will be even more so, but that's a bit beyond my anticipated expiration date.

Right now I'm just going to be happy I might see 2024.

I got an update for a game I've owned for years, offering the "2030" edition. I'm holding off.

 

[Beebo Brink]

I got an update for a game I've owned for years, offering the "2030" edition. I'm holding off.

We just adopted a rescue dog that probably has a lifespan of 14-15 years. This will be a problem eventually, but we'll worry about that later. Part of the way I cope with climate change catastrophe looming on the horizon is spending more time savoring the now and less time worrying about the future. Roll with the punches and don't borrow trouble.