Climate Change - Impacts, Part II

Not all bad news.

I was just thinking yesterday, whatever happened to the ozone layer problem?

Singapore is preparing for and calculating the actual costs of climate change

1 Like

They fixed it, more-or-less. A lot of activists and well-qualified scientists made a lot of noise. It was fairly easy to phase out the chemicals that were causing the problem, and everyone agreed to do so (except, predictably, India and China, although I believe both of them have now finally got with the programme). Problem solved, and nobody went out of business.

Climate change is a bit more complicated, in that everyone is doing an India and China, for basically the same reasons: they don’t understand it, they think it’s all a big conspiracy, and they can’t grasp the idea that it’s an opportunity to move forward and make lots of money.

Not cool

2 Likes

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure…looks like we are beyond that already

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/greenhouse-gases-new-record-2018-climate-change-united-nations-12124074

1 Like

Move along…nothing to see here
https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2019/12/10/arctic-may-have-crossed-key-threshold-emitting-billions-tons-carbon-into-air-long-dreaded-climate-feedback/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2019/12/10/greenland-ice-losses-have-septupled-are-pace-sea-level-worst-case-scenario-scientists-say/

Perhaps the term “climate change” is too neutral and benign. “Complete Environmental Collapse” or “Global Environmental Degradation” would be more appropriate and take into account other impacts.

1 Like

Interesting articles, even though the facts don’t support the claim.

Happy 2020!

1 Like

What the big challenge now folks?
Apart from animal husbandry and transport.
Anybody ?

Its air conditioning. Specifically the uptick in places like India. And if I was Indian I would be getting AC too. This is a tech problem we really need to tackle.

Unsustainable land use and urban/suburban sprawl are enormous environmental problems.

On a somewhat positive note …

4 Likes

AC is a no-brainer. The main point here is that AC demand is highest when the sun is strongest. It’s ideally matched to the output of PV generation. Solar thermal + absorption cycle machines would also work, of course, with about the same overall efficiency. A more low-tech approach (which would bring AC to the masses) would be to have refrigeration plants near large solar installations, bringing big lumps of ice to the locals … just like in the early 1900s.

There are ways and means. But the politicians (and the right-wing commentators) don’t know enough about physics to understand the alternatives to fossil fuels.

2 Likes

It is also a fact that more greenery, even in dense housing developments, reduces the need for AC. Some governments are working on this approach together with alternative power sources.


More dense housing/work arrangements also can reduce the need for transportation infrastructure and reduce the resulting emissions.

2 Likes

Follow the money…

The US is very far behind in efficient and environmentally viable transportation systems. At least now data on transportation climate impact is now being collected

Article from last year. Relevant now.

and a notable quote:
“The climate is changing so rapidly,” he said. “Understanding how diseases and the ecology of diseases are changing in wildlife and marine mammals will give us insight into the future, and how we need to be prepared for a new paradigm of disease transmissions in animals and in humans.”

1 Like
1 Like

I remember way back when, some people were arguing in favor of Richard Lindzen and expressing skepticism about climate models. Wish I could say they had been right… this has never been about tribes or ideology for me.

Climate Models Got it Right on Global Warming

4 Likes