Climate Change Fatigue and Hope

I produce monthly news and entertainment audio show called GDAE Podcast. I recently received the following comment on Episode 23, to which I responded in late-December (Episode 24).

Alas I fear we are beginning to suffer from Climate Change fatigue. This of course plays into the hands of those who don't believe global warming is real or who have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo. Reports from the Copenhagen meeting on the subject make it seem like just another big corporate sponsored conference rather than a gathering to find a way to prevent a global disaster. Now there are some "experts" who say that no matter what we do we're doomed unless we deal with the population exponential growth problem. When I heard that I of course flashed back to my early environmental action days in 1968 when Paul Ehrlich's famous book, "The Population Bomb" was published. It's been some 40 years since then and nothing seems to have changed. Until Times Square starts to fill up with sea water I fear nothing will change. Sorry to be so pessimistic. I hope I'm wrong and suddenly the majority of people in the world become intelligent.

My Response: I'm not sure that a majority of people would make a difference, after watching the US Senate water down the healthcare legislation in order to secure 60 of 100 votes to pass a bill without a public option. That's inspite a solid majority of American people being intelligent enough to want a public option.

AH! but not all is lost, as we are reminded by Margaret Meade who said:

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." -- Margaret Meade

"Hope" means feeling that the effort that you put into a cause has a real prospect of making a positive change.

Sources:

GDAE Podcast

The Establishment Control in Copenhagen

What's the relationship between the Kyoto Protocol and the U.S. Articles of Confederation (the original U.S. Constitution?).

Read More.

Runaway Greenhouse Effect

Global climate change could spin out of control, that is, lead to the "runaway greenhouse effect." It's called "runaway" because it runs away from human control to do anything about it.

There are a variety of positive feedback mechanisms that could lead to this outcome. For example, as the earth warms, and permafrost melts. The organic matter in the frozen muck decays and methane gas is released. As more of this greenhouse gas is released, more solar radiation is trapped leading to more warming. This leads to further melting and decay of the frozen tundra in a positive feedback process.[1]

This is what some NASA scientists had to say about the phenomenon:

The phenomenon, called the ‘runaway greenhouse’ effect, occurs when a planet absorbs more energy from the sun than it can radiate back to space. Under these circumstances, the hotter the surface temperature gets, the faster it warms up [that is, it accelerates]... scientists believe Venus did experience a global runaway greenhouse effect about 3 billion to 4 billion years ago.

So, we hear a lot about sea level rise, disease, and other likely impacts of global climate change, but very little is said about the runaway greenhouse effect. Perhaps the popular media should stir people's imagination with a description of Venus, which is where the Earth could end up if we don't take action soon:

Water and water vapor are extremely rare on Venus due to its high surface temperature that can approach 758 K (900 °F). This extreme temperature is caused by the greenhouse effect. As sunlight heats Venus' surface, the surface radiates infrared energy that is kept from escaping the planet by dense carbon dioxide atmosphere.

The Earth is not Venus. The Earth is in a different orbit around the Sun, the planet sizes are different, the atmosphere of Venus is far more dense; however, the severity of outcome of a potential runaway greenhouse event on Earth subordinates all other considerations relative to taking action; even an economic depression like that of 1930s would be a cake walk compared to the alternative.

Notes and Sources:

[1] Another example, Tropical Runaway Greenhouse, is described in the paper below.

NASA, Ames Research Center, TROPICAL ‘RUNAWAY GREENHOUSE’ PROVIDES INSIGHT TO VENUS,
Kendall Powell, John Bluck, Release: 02-60AR, May 15, 2002