Permafrost Loss Greater Threat Than Deforestation 272
Pierre Bezukhov writes "Emissions from thawing permafrost may contribute more to global warming than deforestation this century, according to commentary in the journal Nature. Arctic warming of 7.5 degrees Celsius (13.5 degrees Fahrenheit) this century may unlock the equivalent of 380 billion tons of carbon dioxide as soils thaw, allowing carbon to escape as CO2 and methane, University of Florida and University of Alaska biologists wrote today in Nature. Two degrees of warming would release a third of that, they said. The Arctic is an important harbinger of climate change because the United Nations calculates it's warming at almost twice the average rate for the planet. The study adds to pressure on United Nations climate treaty negotiators from more than 190 countries attending two weeks of talks in Durban, South Africa that began Nov. 28."
Clathrate gun hypothesis (Score:5, Interesting)
I don't even read these stories anymore (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:I don't even read these stories anymore (Score:4, Interesting)
Yup.
Came to this conclusion a long time ago. Humanity ain't gonna get off its collective backside and do anything, least of all when there's profit in breaking any collective agreements, so I may as well just sit back and enjoy the ride.
Re:And half the Arctic countries don't care (Score:3, Interesting)
Say, why don't you try looking at a map or a globe and comparing the size of Germany to the size of the US. Now factor in moving goods across each country. What country would suffer more if the cost of gas goes up?
Charge $10/gallon at the pump and then sit back and watch unemployment go from 9% to 19% or more.
I'm not convinced that the dismantling of modern civilization will be less devastating that the affects of climate change.
Re:And half the Arctic countries don't care (Score:4, Interesting)
I'm neither a politician or an industrialist...
1. There have been reports that we really can't stop global warming anyways. It is "too late".
2. In as much as there are downsides to global warming (floods, heat deaths...), there are benefits (more usable land up north, easier shipping, fewer cold deaths...)
It might be a good idea to just start dealing with a warmer planet. Embrace the good effects. Try to counter the bad ones (build levies/flood protection, move from low lying area...) and address our pollution as technology and time permits.
What will happen to the planet 100 years from now? I really don't think the planet will be in devastating shape... even with a few degrees warming. Life will go on. Don't think I'm underestimating here. I"m sure many parts of the world will feel the huge impacts, especially coastal cities when sea levels rise. But life will go on and we will adapt, even if we have to evacuate Miami.
Re:And half the Arctic countries don't care (Score:4, Interesting)
A goodly portion of the reason gasoline is so cheap is because the industry is heavily subsidized to keep voters happy enough to stay away from the polls.
Keep in mind that in the US, gasoline taxes raised about $25 billion per year and that most things considered subsidies for oil are really subsidies for ground vehicles (which happen to burn oil products, but can run on other things) or US defense contractors (who happen to be getting paid lots of money to make weapon systems and provide services to the US military.
Re:And half the Arctic countries don't care (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:And half the Arctic countries don't care (Score:2, Interesting)
It's a little silly to assume that because the US is larger that it MUST ship goods across its entire breadth. We are divided into states, after all, most of which on a scale similar to European countries. Even Texas, the largest of the contiguous states, has the option (spelled out in its annexation treaty) to split up into 5 states.
Besides, in a global economy with most industrialized nations expanding free trade with their neighbors, is transporting something from Turkey to Germany so different from transporting from CA to NY?
That said, I do agree that a sudden jump to $10/gal will strangle the economy, and anyone suggesting that it wouldn't is unfamiliar with economics. The problem is that we don't have any long term energy policy, short of the occasional destabilization of central and south America and the middle east. If such a policy was put in place that in 10 years our gas prices reached parity with European gas prices, our economy would not only adapt and tolerate it, but would flourish. The harshest stifling factor for any economy is uncertainty, and a clear energy policy would go a long way toward reducing uncertainty.
Corduroy fabric in Danish is Jernbanefløjl (Score:5, Interesting)
Apropos "corduroy roads", corduroy fabric in Danish is Jernbanefløjl, which translated literally means - railway velvet! :)
Re:I don't even read these stories anymore (Score:2, Interesting)
There is political and social will most places, just not in the US. Most other countries signed up to Kyoto and are making headway, not to mention the EU's affect on the amount of dangerous chemicals in products (and thus in landfill). The rest of us are cleaning up our act, with only the US and China still pissing in the pool. At least China is trying.