On September 16, 2012, “Arctic ice covered just
1.32 million square miles—the lowest extent ever recorded. ‘The loss of summer
sea ice has led to unusual warming of the Arctic atmosphere, that in turn
impacts weather patterns in the Northern Hemisphere, that can result in
persistent extreme weather such as droughts, heat waves and flooding,’ NSIDC
scientist Dr. Julienne Stroeve noted in a press release. ‘There's a huge gap
between what is understood by the scientific community and what is known by the
public,’ NASA scientist James Hansen said, adding that he believed, ‘unfortunately,
that gap is not being closed.’ What the scientific community understands is
that Arctic ice is melting at an accelerated rate -- and that humans play a
role in these changes. According to the panel, humans are ‘really running out
of time’ to prevent atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations from reaching
levels that would precipitate runaway climate change. Hansen warned that even
maintaining current concentrations of approximately 390 parts per million for
several centuries ‘guarantees disaster.’”[1] Nevertheless, record amounts of carbon dioxide were emitted into the atmosphere in 2016 to at least 2018, and 2016 was the hottest year on the planet as of 2019.[2] What makes an intelligent species, homo sapiens, go in the wrong direction even from the outset of an announced, guaranteed disaster? Timing and mentality have a lot to do with it.
The full essay is at "Believing in Climate Change."
The full essay is at "Believing in Climate Change."
1. Joanna Zelman and James Gerken, “Arctic Sea IceLevels Hit Record Low, Scientists Say We’re ‘Running Out Of Time,” The Huffington Post, September 19, 2012.
2. Kelly Levin, "New Global CO2 Emissions Numbers Are In. They're Not Good," World Resources Institute, December 5, 2018 (accessed October 21, 2019).
