Climate Crisis :: Global heating: London to have climate similar to Barcelona by 2050

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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jul/10/global-heating-london-similar-climate-barcelona-2050

Nearly 80% of cities to undergo dramatic and potentially disastrous changes, study finds

London will have a similar climate in three decades’ time to that of Barcelona today, according to research – but if that seems enticing, a warning: the change could be accompanied by severe drought.

Madrid will feel like present-day Marrakech by 2050, and Stockholm like Budapest, according to a report on the likely impacts of the climate crisis. Around the world, cities that are currently in temperate or cold zones in the northern hemisphere will resemble cities more than 600 miles (1,000km) closer to the equator, with damaging effects on health and infrastructure.

Among other analogues, the study suggests Moscow will resemble Sofia, Seattle will feel like San Francisco and New York will be comparable to Virginia Beach. The researchers have created an interactive map showing hundreds of cities and their 2050 counterparts.

Water shortages will affect scores of cities now in temperate climates as a result of the global heating, which is forecast to be by as much as 3.5C in European cities in summer and 4.7C in winter.

Continue ReadingClimate Crisis :: Global heating: London to have climate similar to Barcelona by 2050

Climate Crisis: Arctic ice loss is worrying, but the giant stirring in the South could be even worse

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Arctic ice loss is worrying, but the giant stirring in the South could be even worse

Field camp on the East Antarctic ice sheet. Nerilie Abram

Nerilie Abram, Australian National University; Matthew England, UNSW, and Matt King, University of Tasmania

A record start to summer ice melt in Greenland this year has drawn attention to the northern ice sheet. We will have to wait to see if 2019 continues to break ice-melt records, but in the rapidly warming Arctic the long-term trends of ice loss are clear.

But what about at the other icy end of the planet?

Antarctica is an icy giant compared to its northern counterpart. The water frozen in the Greenland ice sheet is equivalent to around 7 metres of potential sea level rise. In the Antarctic ice sheet there are around 58 metres of sea-level rise currently locked away.

Like Greenland, the Antarctic ice sheet is losing ice and contributing to unabated global sea level rise. But there are worrying signs Antarctica is changing faster than expected and in places previously thought to be protected from rapid change.

The threat from beneath

On the Antarctic Peninsula – the most northerly part of the Antarctic continent – air temperatures over the past century have risen faster than any other place in the Southern Hemisphere. Summer melting already happens on the Antarctic Peninsula between 25 and 80 days each year. The number of melt days will rise by at least 50% when global warming hits the soon-to-be-reached 1.5℃ limit set out in the Paris Agreement, with some predictions pointing to as much as a 150% increase in melt days.

But the main threat to the Antarctic ice sheet doesn’t come from above. What threatens to truly transform this vast icy continent lies beneath, where warming ocean waters (and the vast heat carrying capacity of seawater) have the potential to melt ice at an unprecedented rate.


Read more: New findings on ocean warming: 5 questions answered


Almost all (around 93%) of the extra heat human activities have caused to accumulate on Earth since the Industrial Revolution lies within the ocean. And a large majority of this has been taken into the depths of the Southern Ocean. It is thought that this effect could delay the start of significant warming over much of Antarctica for a century or more.

However, the Antarctic ice sheet has a weak underbelly. In some places the ice sheet sits on ground that is below sea level. This puts the ice sheet in direct contact with warm ocean waters that are very effective at melting ice and destabilising the ice sheet.

Scientists have long been worried about the potential weakness of ice in West Antarctica because of its deep interface with the ocean. This concern was flagged in the first report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) way back in 1990, although it was also thought that substantial ice loss from Antarctica wouldn’t be seen this century. Since 1992 satellites have been monitoring the status of the Antarctic ice sheet and we now know that not only is ice loss already underway, it is also vanishing at an accelerating rate.

The latest estimates indicate that 25% of the West Antarctic ice sheet is now unstable, and that Antarctic ice loss has increased five-fold over the past 25 years. These are remarkable numbers, bearing in mind that more than 4 metres of global sea-level rise are locked up in the West Antarctic alone.

Antarctic ice loss 1992–2019, European Space Agency.


Read more: Antarctica has lost nearly 3 trillion tonnes of ice since 1992


Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica is currently the focus of a major US-UK research program as there is still a lot we don’t understand about how quickly ice will be lost here in the future. For example, gradual lifting of the bedrock as it responds to the lighter weight of ice (known as rebounding) could reduce contact between the ice sheet and warm ocean water and help to stabilise runaway ice loss.

On the other hand, melt water from the ice sheets is changing the structure and circulation of the Southern Ocean in a way that could bring even warmer water into contact with the base of the ice sheet, further amplifying ice loss.

There are other parts of the Antarctic ice sheet that haven’t had this same intensive research, but which appear to now be stirring. The Totten Glacier, close to Australia’s Casey station, is one area unexpectedly losing ice. There is a very pressing need to understand the vulnerabilities here and in other remote parts of the East Antarctic coast.

The other type of ice

Sea ice forms and floats on the surface of the polar oceans. The decline of Arctic sea ice over the past 40 years is one of the most visible climate change impacts on Earth. But recent years have shown us that the behaviour of Antarctic sea ice is stranger and potentially more volatile.

The extent of sea ice around Antarctica has been gradually increasing for decades. This is contrary to expectations from climate simulations, and has been attributed to changes in the ocean structure and changing winds circling the Antarctic continent.

But in 2015, the amount of sea ice around Antarctica began to drop precipitously. In just 3 years Antarctica lost the same amount of sea ice the Arctic lost in 30.


Read more: Why Antarctica’s sea ice cover is so low (and no, it’s not just about climate change)


So far in 2019, sea ice around Antarctica is tracking near or below the lowest levels on record from 40 years of satellite monitoring. In the long-term this trend is expected to continue, but such a dramatic drop over only a few years was not anticipated.

There is still a lot to learn about how quickly Antarctica will respond to climate change. But there are very clear signs that the icy giant is awakening and – via global sea level rise – coming to pay us all a visit.

Nerilie Abram, ARC Future Fellow, Research School of Earth Sciences; Chief Investigator for the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes, Australian National University; Matthew England, Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow; Deputy Director of the Climate Change Research Centre (CCRC); Chief Investigator in the ARC Centre of Excellence in Climate System Science, UNSW, and Matt King, Professor, Surveying & Spatial Sciences, School of Technology, Environments and Design, University of Tasmania

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Continue ReadingClimate Crisis: Arctic ice loss is worrying, but the giant stirring in the South could be even worse

Climate Crisis :: EXTINCTION REBELLION Monday 15 July – ‘Summer Uprising: ACT NOW’ begins

Read more about the article Climate Crisis :: EXTINCTION REBELLION Monday 15 July – ‘Summer Uprising: ACT NOW’ begins
From Monday 15 July Extinction Rebellion’s ‘Summer Uprising – ACT NOW!’ to cause major disruption across five UK cities - Extinction Rebellio
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https://rebellion.earth/2019/07/10/from-monday-15-july-extinction-rebellions-summer-uprising-act-now-to-cause-major-disruption-across-five-uk-cities/

… [S]tarting Monday 15 July Extinction Rebellion UK will return to block streets day after day creating open public spaces for creative resistance in five cities in England, Wales and Scotland – Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds and London. People are coming together through a set of UK wide regional acts of nonviolent civil disobedience to demand the Government ACT NOW to halt biodiversity loss and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025.

Marking the beginning of preparations for Extinction Rebellion’s next International Rebellion which will begin on Monday 7 October 2019, the Summer Uprising will follow on from this weekend’s East London Uprising.

Each site will have family-friendly spaces, live music, print workshops, speeches and more. Everyone is invited to join this exciting coordinated Summer Uprising in the city of their choosing:

Sea Levels Are Rising and So Are We – Bristol (XR South-West England)

In Bristol the focus will be on rising sea levels. This reflects the city’s maritime history and its risk of floods, which NASA research warns are likely to be a regular occurrence by 2050 if climate breakdown isn’t urgently addressed. 22,300 residential Bristol properties will be at risk, and flooding is likely to affect power stations.

Russell Arnott, 38, Oceanographer, University of Bath
“We are taking action in Bristol to tell the Government to act now on climate change and ecological breakdown. Average sea levels have risen by 23cm since 1880 with devastating consequences. This is causing destructive erosion, flooding, more frequent hurricanes and powerful storms, killing and displacing millions worldwide. We have to wake up to the facts. This is a crisis to deal with, here and now.”

For updates on Bristol, follow Extinction Rebellion Bristol on facebook, twitter and their website.

The Sixth Mass Extinction is Already Here – Cardiff (XR Wales)

Cardiff will be transformed by the arrival of concerned citizens from across Wales who are determined to highlight the need for the Welsh Government to dramatically accelerate its actions in tackling the climate crisis and ecological emergency. 

They will be occupying a central space in Cardiff – meeting from 11am Monday outside Cardiff National Museum. Dressed in yellow, protestors will represent dead canaries inspired by the words of Irish President Michael D Higgins, “If we were coal miners we’d be up to our knees in dead canaries”. The sixth mass extinction is here and it’s time to act now.

Stephen Lingwood, 37, Extinction Rebellion Cardiff
“People are dying right now of climate chaos in places like India. It’s only going to get worse. We’re at the beginning of the sixth mass extinction and a climate genocide and the government’s inaction is, in my view, criminally irresponsible.”

For updates on Cardiff, follow Extinction Rebellion Cardiff on facebook and their twitter.

The Future You Fear is Already Here: Glasgow (XR Scotland) #Justice4ClimateRefugees

Glasgow / Scotland’s focus for the Summer Uprising is solidarity with climate refugees. Climate crisis and ecological breakdown are not distant threats: all around the world people are already dying and being displaced. The future effects of the Climate and Ecological Emergency that we in the UK are terrified about – floods, food shortages, droughts and resulting conflicts – are already a reality for millions of people in the Global South/Majority World. The Glasgow event will have live music, a ceilidh, speakers on climate justice and refugee solidarity, and family activities with Wee Rebellion.

Daniel Armstrong, 24, Extinction Rebellion Scotland
“As the climate continues to break down, more and more parts of the world will become uninhabitable. Immigration is already seen as a big issue but it will only increase as more people are displaced. But if you’re faced with unlivable conditions due to extreme weather, food shortages and drought, you have no choice but to leave. From the perspective of my hometown Glasgow, where refugees are welcomed, we stand in solidarity with those affected not just by climate chaos but also those displaced by this global crisis.”

For updates on Glasgow, follow Extinction Rebellion Glasgow on facebook and their twitter.

Planet Before Profit: Leeds (XR North England)

Rebels will target Leeds’ financial sector, which is the biggest and fastest growing outside London, to draw attention to the links between banking and the climate and ecological emergency. Demands will be made for the finance industry to radically clean up its act and invest to be part of the solution, not the problem. 

Rev’d Jon Swales (B.A Hons, M.A, MLitt), 41, Leeds 
“Too often we remain silent in the face of injustice, oppression and extinction. I will not be silent for the sake of the world’s most poor.

“The Extinction Rebellion protests in Leeds will allow the alarm bell to ring loud and clear in the City in which I live and work. If this call is heeded perhaps we can avert the worst of what is yet to come. I intend to play my part in non-violent and love shaped protest.”

For updates on Leeds, follow Extinction Rebellion Leeds on facebook and their twitter.

We Are Nature Defending Itself: London (XR South-East England and National)

People are invited to gather outside the Royal Courts of Justice (time TBC) in solidarity with all climate activists defending our planet around the globe. We demand climate justice for all and call on Government to make ecocide law. We stand with those laying their bodies on the line to defend the natural world and commend their courage. We are nature defending itself!

Fletcher Horobin-Worley, 45, Extinction Rebellion London:
“The time to debate climate change is over. Now we must talk of climate justice. Now we must talk of moral obligations. Right now thousands suffer and die every year in the global south due to climate change. Entire island nations are being wiped of the map. Now we must meet our duty to shoulder the burden of adapting to climate breakdown. ”

For updates on London, follow Extinction Rebellion London on facebook, twitter and their website.

Continue ReadingClimate Crisis :: EXTINCTION REBELLION Monday 15 July – ‘Summer Uprising: ACT NOW’ begins

38degrees: Increase the fines for breaking electoral law

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https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/enforce-the-laws-of-our-democracy?utm_campaign=Electoral+Commission+petition

Right now, you can be fined more for touting tickets at a football match than you can for subverting British democracy, with the max fine being £20k. The Electoral Commission imposed the maximum fine on Vote Leave – just 0.003% of its £7m budget.

Whichever way you voted on Brexit, it can’t be right that political machines with millionaire donors can break our electoral laws with impunity. The Electoral Commission has repeatedly asked for the maximum fines they can impose to be increased. But our political leaders don’t like being held to account. And so far, they’ve refused.

We could have another election or referendum at any moment – so the Electoral Commission urgently needs more power now to guard our democracy. We must make sure fines are proportionate to how much campaigns actually spend, so they act as a real deterrent. Please sign openDemocracy’s petition today and sign up to hear more about our investigations.

Continue Reading38degrees: Increase the fines for breaking electoral law

Climate Crisis :: One climate crisis disaster happening every week, UN warns

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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jul/07/one-climate-crisis-disaster-happening-every-week-un-warns

Climate crisis disasters are happening at the rate of one a week, though most draw little international attention and work is urgently needed to prepare developing countries for the profound impacts, the UN has warned.

Catastrophes such as cyclones Idai and Kenneth in Mozambique and the drought afflicting India make headlines around the world. But large numbers of “lower impact events” that are causing death, displacement and suffering are occurring much faster than predicted, said Mami Mizutori, the UN secretary-general’s special representative on disaster risk reduction. “This is not about the future, this is about today.”

This means that adapting to the climate crisis could no longer be seen as a long-term problem, but one that needed investment now, she said. “People need to talk more about adaptation and resilience.”

Continue ReadingClimate Crisis :: One climate crisis disaster happening every week, UN warns

A few issues

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I would point out that it is a legitimate political perspective – although expressed rather directly – to object to upper-class twats having political power. It is actually totally logical to believe that rich twats who have been born rich and have attended public schools (actually private private schools with ridiculously expensive fees that only the filthy rich can afford) are so ignorant that they are effectively alien from reality.

I need to finish THE STATE WE’RE IN short series although it hardly needs to be said. The main point is that business as usual is unsustainable. How is that so difficult to understand? There is a climate emergency, a crisis. We can’t carry on in the same way. It’s not enough to issue platitudes and carry on regardless. That’s going to kill the planet.

Jeremy Corbyn is annoyed that civil servants have been briefing against him. I am also pissed off with civil servants acting in a partisan way. I understand that Nosey Parker’s job is to be a fking nosey parker. I don’ t agree that he and his gang should be taking such an interest in me but I think that it’s totally unjust that the blond upper-class twat gets to know my business.

[8/7/19 Hey Nosey Parker, I’m sure you’ll agree that I’m getting better at it (although I might have been pretty good when that fat-arsed Home Secretary was moaning about OpenBSD? What was that acronym I used? Something about him being a fat b’stard?)

I was looking forward to open-source mobile devices. Not sure that it will happen now. C’mon, open-source mobile devices please, that would be great.

[8/7/19 later. I really enjoyed that one Hey Charlie, I’ve got a preacher of hate for you …. ;)

[I remember now. It was SIUYBFA.

Can we get those c’nuts locked up? Those New-Labour evil shits? Reid, Blunkett, Clarke, Ian Blair, Tonee Blair, et al. There is cabinet responsibility so that they’re all guilty

Continue ReadingA few issues