This is really alarming, and there are three major feedback loops that contribute to and accelerate warming in the Arctic: and the primary cause is fossil fuel emissions, which are driving the initial unnatural warming in the Arctic.
As the ice then melts, and as soot and pollution accumulates on the ice, the surface of the Earth becomes relatively darker and warming increases, because sea ice can reflect as much as 90% of solar radiation back into space, but the ocean surface only reflects about 6% of the solar radiation, and it absorbs the other 94%.
So long as there is ice floating in the water, the sea water below will stay at a constant 0 degrees Celsius, just like a water cooler in the summer will stay at 0 degrees Celsius so long as there's even just one tiny ice cube still floating in it.
But once that last little bit of ice melts, the water below starts rapidly warming up, because it takes 334 Joules of heat to melt one gram of ice, but once that ice melts into water, it only takes about 42 Joules of heat to warm the water by another TEN degrees Celsius.
Professor Peter Wadhams estimates that the disappearance of summer ice in the Arctic would result in the equivalent of an additional 1.3 watts of energy for every square meter of surface area, which would nearly double the net warming from fossil fuel emissions.
And there is a very real existential danger that, as the oceans warm and warmer waters reach the ocean floor, frozen methane hydrates on the seafloor will release huge amounts of gaseous methane, fueling another feedback loop that could trigger runaway global warming and threaten planetary mass extinctions, including humanity.
It's impossible to know when we'll hit the tipping point, or whether we might have already.
But we know where this complex chain of events begins: the irresponsible and insatiable addiction to burning fossil fuels to power the global economy.
But there are some who don't want you to know about this.
According to recent investigations, one of the biggest contributors to climate change, ExxonMobil, knew about the risks of its business model nearly 40 years ago.
But instead of adjusting their business model or informing the public, they funded a campaign to sow doubt while the company pillaged the planet, reaped massive profits, and kicked the costs down the line to future generations.
The Democratic platform unfortunately falls short of calling for a RICO investigation into ExxonMobil and the other fossil fuel conspirators for their deceitful pursuit of profits.
But, we applaud the Democratic Party platform for including a price on carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases, and for paving the way for a 21st century labor movement in America based on the transition to a renewable energy infrastructure.
If we're going to keep our planet inhabitable for humans for generations to come, the debate is over on climate change.
The language in the Democratic platform is good, and now the Party needs to quickly translate that language into aggressive action.
As the ice then melts, and as soot and pollution accumulates on the ice, the surface of the Earth becomes relatively darker and warming increases, because sea ice can reflect as much as 90% of solar radiation back into space, but the ocean surface only reflects about 6% of the solar radiation, and it absorbs the other 94%.
So long as there is ice floating in the water, the sea water below will stay at a constant 0 degrees Celsius, just like a water cooler in the summer will stay at 0 degrees Celsius so long as there's even just one tiny ice cube still floating in it.
But once that last little bit of ice melts, the water below starts rapidly warming up, because it takes 334 Joules of heat to melt one gram of ice, but once that ice melts into water, it only takes about 42 Joules of heat to warm the water by another TEN degrees Celsius.
And there is a very real existential danger that, as the oceans warm and warmer waters reach the ocean floor, frozen methane hydrates on the seafloor will release huge amounts of gaseous methane, fueling another feedback loop that could trigger runaway global warming and threaten planetary mass extinctions, including humanity.
It's impossible to know when we'll hit the tipping point, or whether we might have already.
But we know where this complex chain of events begins: the irresponsible and insatiable addiction to burning fossil fuels to power the global economy.
But there are some who don't want you to know about this.
According to recent investigations, one of the biggest contributors to climate change, ExxonMobil, knew about the risks of its business model nearly 40 years ago.
But instead of adjusting their business model or informing the public, they funded a campaign to sow doubt while the company pillaged the planet, reaped massive profits, and kicked the costs down the line to future generations.
The Democratic platform unfortunately falls short of calling for a RICO investigation into ExxonMobil and the other fossil fuel conspirators for their deceitful pursuit of profits.
But, we applaud the Democratic Party platform for including a price on carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases, and for paving the way for a 21st century labor movement in America based on the transition to a renewable energy infrastructure.
If we're going to keep our planet inhabitable for humans for generations to come, the debate is over on climate change.
The language in the Democratic platform is good, and now the Party needs to quickly translate that language into aggressive action.
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