Climate Change: Greenland's ice sheets have passed the point of no return

[Tambourine]

Greenland's melting ice sheet has 'passed the point of no return,' scientists say, dooming it to disappear


Greenland's ice sheet may have hit a tipping point that sets it on an irreversible path to completely disappearing.

Snowfall that normally replenishes Greenland's glaciers each year can no longer keep up with the pace of ice melt, according to researchers at Ohio State University. That means that the Greenland ice sheet — the world's second-largest ice body — would continue to lose ice even if global temperatures stop rising.

In their study, published Thursday in the journal Nature, the scientists reviewed 40 years of monthly satellite data from more than 200 large glaciers that are draining into the ocean across Greenland.

"What we've found is that the ice that's discharging into the ocean is far surpassing the snow that's accumulating on the surface of the ice sheet," Michalea King, the study's lead author and researcher at Ohio State University's Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center, said in a press release.

So, we have reached our first point of no return in terms of climate change. The Arctic ice sheets are now melting faster than they can freeze, causing sea levels to rise. From this point on, things are only going to get worse:

There are more points of no return

The amount of ice Greenland loses each year has steadily increased in the last two decades. Before 2000, the researchers found, the ice sheet had an equal chance of gaining or losing mass each year. But in the climate of the last 20 years, it will only gain mass one in every 100 years, the researchers found.

Greenland dumped an unprecedented amount of ice and water into the ocean during the summer of 2019, when a heat wave from Europe washed over the island. The ice sheet lost 55 billion tons of water over five days — enough to cover the state of Florida in almost five inches of water.

Melt brings about more melt, as water pooling across the ice sheet absorbs more sunlight and further heats everything around it. That's why tipping points like Greenland's accelerate ice loss so much.

Rising global temperatures and certain human activities can bring about tipping points in other parts of the world, too.

In the Arctic, ice melt is exposing permafrost — frozen soil that releases powerful greenhouse gases when it thaws. If warming thaws enough permafrost, the gases released will trap heat faster than humans' fossil-fuel emissions.

In the Amazon rainforest, humans have been cutting and burning trees for years, allowing moisture to escape the ecosystem. Enough deforestation could trigger a process called "dieback," in which the rainforest would dry up, burn, and become a savanna-like landscape, releasing up to 140 billion tons of carbon into the atmosphere. Last year, leading rainforest scientists warned that the Amazon is "teetering on the edge" of that threshold.

I'm sure some of you are already giddy about the coming apocalypse, convinced to be among the few Righteous that will be Saved By God or whatever.


Of course, the reality will look quite different from those religious empowerment fantasies: Instead of a spectacular apocalypse that brings the fear of god in all those evolutionists and scientists you dislike so much, but for the majority of Earth's population, there will be no end point, no doomsday, no antichrist, no lake of fire.

Instead, what we are going to get is a long, slow, tedious march towards ever greater misery, over several generations, each one more deprived of necessary resources and quality of life than the last.



And all because us humans were collectively kicking our heels for the past 30 years instead of making even minimal changes and implementing even tiny steps of reforms that could have prevented this.

 

[Secret Chief]

All true. All depressing. All our fault.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

I'm sure some of you are already giddy about the coming apocalypse, convinced to be among the few Righteous that will be Saved By God or whatever.

I really doubt that anyone here is happy about it.

 

[Quintessence]

While the outlook is not promising (to add another piece of great news, "president" dumpster fire is trying to permit fossil fuel extraction in Alaska as we speak), let's not get overly grim here.

Humans as a species survived for tens of thousands of years without all of the technologies that got the planet into this mess to begin with. The "quality of life" we enjoy today is obesely extravagant and unnecessary. As a species, we will do fine without it once all these needless toys of mass ecological destruction are gone. We did perfectly fine without it for the vast majority of our existence.

 

[sun rise]

I really doubt that anyone here is happy about it.

I wouldn't say that. Why climate change is good for the world | The Spectator for example

 

[Shadow Wolf]

I really doubt that anyone here is happy about it.

My last church taught global warming was nothing to be concerned about because it's just the way the world will end because Jesus did say the world will be burnt up before starting anew.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

I'm talking about on this forum.

 

[Left Coast]

While the outlook is not promising (to add another piece of great news, "president" dumpster fire is trying to permit fossil fuel extraction in Alaska as we speak), let's not get overly grim here.

Humans as a species survived for tens of thousands of years without all of the technologies that got the planet into this mess to begin with. The "quality of life" we enjoy today is obesely extravagant and unnecessary. As a species, we will do fine without it once all these needless toys of mass ecological destruction are gone. We did perfectly fine without it for the vast majority of our existence.

I am confident that human beings, as a species, will survive climate change. However, I expect in the process that many people will suffer and die, areas of the planet will become uninhabitable to us (either because of heat or because of rising sea levels), causing millions of people to be displaced, and conflict/war will erupt over shortage of resources. Advancement of renewable energy technology or other tech to reverse the damage we've done is really the only way I see out of this mess.

 

[Secret Chief]

While the outlook is not promising (to add another piece of great news, "president" dumpster fire is trying to permit fossil fuel extraction in Alaska as we speak), let's not get overly grim here.

Humans as a species survived for tens of thousands of years without all of the technologies that got the planet into this mess to begin with. The "quality of life" we enjoy today is obesely extravagant and unnecessary. As a species, we will do fine without it once all these needless toys of mass ecological destruction are gone. We did perfectly fine without it for the vast majority of our existence.

But many of the millions today couldn't survive a week without a supermarket.

 

[TransmutingSoul]

And all because us humans were collectively kicking our heels for the past 30 years instead of making even minimal changes and implementing even tiny steps of reforms that could have prevented this.

I see there are many that are trying and offer to others the required path to a lasting change.

The change will happen.

Regards Tony

 

[Quintessence]

I am confident that human beings, as a species, will survive climate change. However, I expect in the process that many people will suffer and die, areas of the planet will become uninhabitable to us (either because of heat or because of rising sea levels), causing millions of people to be displaced, and conflict/war will erupt over shortage of resources. Advancement of renewable energy technology or other tech to reverse the damage we've done is really the only way I see out of this mess.

I guess as a student of ecology, I see many other "ways out" though that is probably the wrong way to frame it. I think that kind of escapist thinking problematic, whether it is hoping for some technological savior or some divine savior. Escapist narratives deny the basic nature of our universe - that change or creation/destruction is constant. Humans are not immune from this, but this runs contrary to what the widely-beloved myth of progress tells so many look to escapist myths so they can keep holding to the myth of progress too.

I suppose this is another way of saying that the "way out" is to accept that change will happen and there is no escape. Instead, one can focus on adapting change. Letting go. Realizing that "civilization" may not actually be all that after all. And so on. Maybe take a lesson from religions that teach non-attachment.

 

[metis]

I think we should take all the climate change deniers and put them in Death Valley but without any AC.

 

[Eyes to See]

The Bible, thousands of years ago, foretold a time that humankind would be bringing the earth to ruin. There is no way the prophet could have known then during the end that is exactly what would be happening:

"But the nations became wrathful, and your own wrath came, and the appointed time came for the dead to be judged and to reward your slaves the prophets and the holy ones and those fearing your name, the small and the great, and to bring to ruin those ruining the earth.”-Revelation 11:18.

The fact that we see humankind ruining the earth as they are today, along with many other signs is proof Bible prophecy is reliable and true. And is an indication that the time to "bring to ruin those ruining the earth" is very very close at hand.

 

[Left Coast]

I guess as a student of ecology, I see many other "ways out" though that is probably the wrong way to frame it. I think that kind of escapist thinking problematic, whether it is hoping for some technological savior or some divine savior. Escapist narratives deny the basic nature of our universe - that change or creation/destruction is constant. Humans are not immune from this, but this runs contrary to what the widely-beloved myth of progress tells so many look to escapist myths so they can keep holding to the myth of progress too.

I suppose this is another way of saying that the "way out" is to accept that change will happen and there is no escape. Instead, one can focus on adapting change. Letting go. Realizing that "civilization" may not actually be all that after all. And so on. Maybe take a lesson from religions that teach non-attachment.

For me, as someone who works in healthcare/public health, I don't see it as fulfilling some destiny of progress. I see it as a pragmatic and ethical question of how to reduce suffering and death. "Non-attachment" should not be an excuse for fatalism or inaction, when we know for a fact that what we do/don't do can literally save people's lives and leave the planet a better place. Change is certainly inevitable, but the direction of that change is, to some degree, in our control as individuals and as a society.

 

[Tambourine]

While the outlook is not promising (to add another piece of great news, "president" dumpster fire is trying to permit fossil fuel extraction in Alaska as we speak), let's not get overly grim here.

Humans as a species survived for tens of thousands of years without all of the technologies that got the planet into this mess to begin with. The "quality of life" we enjoy today is obesely extravagant and unnecessary. As a species, we will do fine without it once all these needless toys of mass ecological destruction are gone. We did perfectly fine without it for the vast majority of our existence.

The vast majority of humanity's existence was a miserable struggle against starvation and disease.
I really don't look forward to living in those glory days.

 

[Mitty]

I really doubt that anyone here is happy about it.

And they'll be even happier when the perma-frost thaws and releases all that methane to help increase greening of Greenland and Antarctica. Antarctica is going green

Which is why our bureau of meteorology added another colour band to their temperature maps for shade temperatures above 45 degrees C.
http://www.bom.gov.au/web03/ncc/www/awap/temperature/maxave/daily/colour/latest.loop.gif

 

[Milton Platt]

So, we have reached our first point of no return in terms of climate change. The Arctic ice sheets are now melting faster than they can freeze, causing sea levels to rise. From this point on, things are only going to get worse:



I'm sure some of you are already giddy about the coming apocalypse, convinced to be among the few Righteous that will be Saved By God or whatever.


Of course, the reality will look quite different from those religious empowerment fantasies: Instead of a spectacular apocalypse that brings the fear of god in all those evolutionists and scientists you dislike so much, but for the majority of Earth's population, there will be no end point, no doomsday, no antichrist, no lake of fire.

Instead, what we are going to get is a long, slow, tedious march towards ever greater misery, over several generations, each one more deprived of necessary resources and quality of life than the last.



And all because us humans were collectively kicking our heels for the past 30 years instead of making even minimal changes and implementing even tiny steps of reforms that could have prevented this.

On grand things which are difficult and carry high political and monetary cost, action is never taken until catastrophe is imminent.

 

[Kenny]

So, we have reached our first point of no return in terms of climate change. The Arctic ice sheets are now melting faster than they can freeze, causing sea levels to rise. From this point on, things are only going to get worse:

I'm sure some of you are already giddy about the coming apocalypse, convinced to be among the few Righteous that will be Saved By God or whatever.

Of course, the reality will look quite different from those religious empowerment fantasies: Instead of a spectacular apocalypse that brings the fear of god in all those evolutionists and scientists you dislike so much, but for the majority of Earth's population, there will be no end point, no doomsday, no antichrist, no lake of fire.

Instead, what we are going to get is a long, slow, tedious march towards ever greater misery, over several generations, each one more deprived of necessary resources and quality of life than the last.

And all because us humans were collectively kicking our heels for the past 30 years instead of making even minimal changes and implementing even tiny steps of reforms that could have prevented this.

So, wouldn't it going back to what it used to be a good thing? If not, why?

Ancient Greenland Was Actually Green | Live Science

 

[Twilight Hue]

So, we have reached our first point of no return in terms of climate change. The Arctic ice sheets are now melting faster than they can freeze, causing sea levels to rise. From this point on, things are only going to get worse:



I'm sure some of you are already giddy about the coming apocalypse, convinced to be among the few Righteous that will be Saved By God or whatever.


Of course, the reality will look quite different from those religious empowerment fantasies: Instead of a spectacular apocalypse that brings the fear of god in all those evolutionists and scientists you dislike so much, but for the majority of Earth's population, there will be no end point, no doomsday, no antichrist, no lake of fire.

Instead, what we are going to get is a long, slow, tedious march towards ever greater misery, over several generations, each one more deprived of necessary resources and quality of life than the last.



And all because us humans were collectively kicking our heels for the past 30 years instead of making even minimal changes and implementing even tiny steps of reforms that could have prevented this.

Its got me wondering if Greenland had this happen before.

 

[Revoltingest]

Its got me wondering if Greenland had this happen before.

The planet has gone thru a bunch'o climate changes.
Our current climate is the only correct one.

Seriously though, the real problem is all the upheaval
that change will cause...not that there is any climate
that Earth is supposed to have.
I'd rather see it remain as it is for a whole host of reasons.