Month: December 2023

As Al Gore has pointed out, a lot of stuff got jammed in to the Inflation Reduction Act, like carbon capture and sequestration projects, that was more of a concession to fossil fuel shill Senator Joe Manchin than any actual climate solution.
Still, most of the scenarios for a livable planet going forward do include some kind of carbon drawdown process.
Video above is an intro to the idea, and does mention some of the pitfalls.

Running out of runway.

New Scientist (paywall):

The climate has warmed so much that we are already at risk of triggering five global “tipping points” that would have catastrophic effects worldwide and couldn’t be reversed easily if at all, according to a major report. As the world goes past 1.5°C of warming, it will be increasingly likely that we will cross these tipping points, and there will be a growing risk of this resulting in others as well.

“Triggering one tipping point could trigger another in a kind of dangerous domino effect,” says Tim Lenton at the University of Exeter in the UK, the report’s lead author. “But also these tipping points in the Earth system could, in turn, trigger damaging tipping points in societies, things like food security crises, mass displacement and conflicts. Stopping these threats is possible, but it’s going to require urgent global action.”

A tipping point is where a small alteration in a system can cause abrupt changes that are hard to reverse or are irreversible, because of amplifying feedback processes. Lenton says this is like leaning back on a chair: when it is near the balance point, just a small nudge can make the chair fall over.

According to the report, the five major tipping points we are near to crossing are: the loss of the Greenland ice sheet, the demise of the West Antarctic ice sheet, the die-off of tropical coral reefs, the abrupt thaw of large areas of Arctic permafrost and the slowing of an ocean current known as the North Atlantic subpolar gyre.

The subpolar gyre is a circular current south of Greenland where salty water cools and sinks. It is linked to the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC), but there is growing evidence that the current could slow or stop separately from and sooner than the AMOC, says David Armstrong McKay, also at the University of Exeter.

If you are counting on a bulletproof getaway car for the zombie apocalypse, just remember, the door panels are bulletproof, but the windows are not. Yet.
I’m waiting for the version with rocket launchers.

Will I need Deck shoes on a Dead Planet?

COP28.com:

The discussion will focus on a variety of technical solutions developed to make the yachting experience more responsible and sustainable. Sunreef Yachts Eco representatives will share an insight into the R&D activity of the company and practical solutions that can be implemented to ensure cleaner boating. This will include a conversation about electric, hybrid and hydrogen propulsion, battery technology, plant-based composites, bottom paints, modern photovoltaics, sustainable interior finishing, water management, energy management, air conditioning. The focus will also be on the evolution of technology and future trends.

Maybe like this?

Below, Self proclaimed Sadguru has gotten involved in extensive spiritual support efforts at the COP28 meeting.
Above, turns out he has a long running, apparently well thought out, tree planting program in India – video by Oregon State Permaculture instructor Andrew Millison.

New York Times:

Among the hubs for climate scientists, activists and fossil fuel lobbyists at the United Nations climate summit is a new addition this year: a place to pray.

The first-ever Faith Pavilion, inaugurated by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed Al-Tayeb, in a video message on Sunday, offers a space for meditation, daily prayers and even a chanting session led by the Indian mystic and yogi Jaggi Vasudev, who goes by Sadhguru.

The pavilion is also a place for pastors, imams, rabbis and other spiritual leaders to exchange ideas about how to guide people through the effects of climate change.

The Rev. James Bhagwan, the general secretary of the Pacific Conference of Churches, spoke on a panel on Monday in Dubai about how to comfort people in the Pacific islands who have been displaced from their ancestral and spiritual homelands because of rising sea levels and climate disasters.

Mr. Bhagwan cited Psalm 137, “How do I sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?”, and emphasized the importance of faith-based support for displaced people who face challenges in adjusting to their new homes. Parts of some low-lying island nations in the Pacific, like Tuvalu, are already being swallowed by rising seas.

All religions are based in a recognition that nature is an act of divinity, according to the U.N. Environment Program. In the Baha’i faith, nature reflects both the divine and the oneness of humanity. In Buddhism, karma involves taking responsibility for future generations. According to the Shinto faith in Japan, spirits correspond to wind, rocks and water, and forests are sacred.

More than 300 religious leaders representing Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Unitarian Universalism and Indigenous faiths are expected to participate in discussions at the pavilion during the two-week climate summit.

The pavilion is not just a space for faith leaders to share ideas. They are offering their counseling services to any of the tens of thousands of attendees from nearly 200 nations at the climate talks, known as COP28.

On several mornings and evenings over the coming week, spiritual leaders from different faiths are scheduled to lead sessions of moral support.