Worry About This Glacier

Antarctica’s remote Thwaites Glacier is the size of Florida. This “Doomsday Glacier” could be on the verge of a rapid collapse. A Vox video by Sam Ellis, Dion Lee, Joss Fong, and Melissa Hirsch.

Related:

“Italian homes evacuated over risk of Mont Blanc glacier collapse,” Angela Giuffrida, The Guardian

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Saving the Amazon’s Soul

Brazil backed out of hosting UN climate talks after the election of reactionary President Jair Bolsonaro, an alternative climate conference is taking place In the heart of the Amazon rainforest, in a region known as Middle Earth. A Guardian video.

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Scientists aren’t the best champions of climate science

Dr. M. Sanjayan explains why scientists usually aren’t so good at explaining climate science to the public. A Vox video.

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Misconceptions About Global Warming

“13 Misconceptions About Global Warming,” corrected by Derek Muller of Veritasium.

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Wildfire Strategy: Let It Burn

Every year since the dawn of time, the Santa Ana winds lash Southern California’s dry autumn brushlands into explosive, blazing infernos. Every year since the dawn of the last century, Southern Californians express surprise as they are engulfed in a sea of flame. With climate change, things won’t get better.

“We will never be able to control wildfire,” explains Tania Schoennagel of the Institute for Alpine and Arctic Research, “We have to learn to live with it and adapt, just like we do with droughts and flooding. Our current wildfire policies can’t protect people and homes.”

More:

“The Future of Fighting Wildfires in the Era of Climate Change,” Bob Berwyn, Pacific Standard

“Adapt to more wildfire in western North American forests as climate changes,” Tania Schoennagela, Jennifer K. Balcha, Hannah Brenkert-Smith et al., PNAS

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Climate Change: Trump Golf Expands Water Hazard

President Donald J. Trump has announced that the United States is withdrawing from the Paris Climate Accord — not to protect American jobs (it won’t) or to help U.S. industry (it won’t) but because he can. Actually, it will take 4 years for the U.S. to fully withdraw from the agreement, unless Mr. Trump ignores its terms and makes the USA seem even more unreliable to other nations.

Mr. Trump’s determination to ignore climate change will come at personal sacrifice, since the resulting sea level rise will engulf his golf courses in Florida and Ireland. Hey, maybe Eric, Don Jr., and Jared can promote water polo. Ivanka can make the bathing suits!

More:

“5 claims Trump used to justify pulling the US out of the Paris agreement — and the reality,” Dana Varinsky, Dave Mosher and Ariel Schwartz, Business Insider

“Paris Climate Deal’s Demise Means Bannon Wins—And The Planet Loses,” Lachlan Markay and Asawin Suebsaeng, Daily Beast

“Bill Nye hits Trump: ‘You can’t build a border wall against CO2 emissions,'” Brandon Carter, The Hill

“The entire Trump presidency, in 1 mind-blowingly stupid announcement,” Paul Waldman, The Week

“Donald Trump has now pissed off the damn Weather Channel,” Clayton Purdom, A.V. Club

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Less-Gassy Grass Cuts Cow Burps, Eases Global Warming

Scientists at Denmark’s Aarhus University and the DLF seed corporation are using DNA technology to develop a type of grass that is easier for cows to digest, meaning less gas builds up in bossy’s belly. Bovine burps are a major source of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that promotes climate change.

The project, funded by Denmark’s Ministry of Environment and Food, uses genomic selection to determine promising grass strains for breeding. The project is expected to take about 5 or 6 years, so you’ll have to excuse bovine belching until then. Environmentally-anxious cowboys and cowgirls can follow the project here.

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Arctic Elegy

Italian pianist Ludovico Einaudi performs one of his compositions on a platform floating near the Wahlenbergbreen glacier at Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Norway for the Save the Arctic campaign.

Ludovico Einaudi website

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Don’t Say ‘Climate Change’ in Florida

Florida officials have a strategy for fighting climate change: don’t talk about it. Employees at the state’s Department of Environmental Protection were warned not to used the terms “climate change” or “global warming” after Republican Governor Rick Scott took office in 2011. That won’t stop the warming world’s rising seas from swallowing Miami, but mum’s the word until Mr. Scott leaves office.

Climate Change and Surfing: It’s a Bummer, Dude.

Climate change means extreme weather. When it’s stormy there will be some monster waves, but there will also be long periods of flat water. The really bad news is that climate warming causes sea level rise:

“Even a foot change in the tide line can mean the difference between great and mediocre waves…. Researchers believe sea levels could rise six inches by 2030, and a foot by 2050, or more.”

Except in North Carolina, of course, where sea level change is against the law.

At beaches where the water has a sandy bottom, there will still be some slope and maybe some decent wave formation. Where the bottom is rocky or made of coral, the outlook is not so good.

More:

“Will Climate Change Wipe Out Surfing?” Sam Kornell, Pacific Standard

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Image (“The Great Wipeout Off Kanagawa, after Hokusai”) by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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