New litigation aims to bring Govt & interests to account

Several major legal actions to be taken to court this year hope to bring Australian governments & special interests to account for climate failures

by Kieran Pender 12/02/2022 in The Guardian
The environmental activists bringing the climate crisis to the courtroom: There’s a growing trend of climate litigation around the world. Here’s a look at the Australian cases likely to make headlines this year

Views expressed in this post are those of its author(s), not necessarily all Vote Climate One members.

Rising sea-level risk: can’t know when or how much

Melting polar glaciers are main contributors to rising sea level. The melting process is highly non-linear and thus inherently unpredictable

At least since the 1800s, world sea levels have been rising gradually but at a slowly accelerating rate. Since in the last 140 years it has risen around 17 cm, with around 6 cm of that in the 20 years between 2000 and 2020. And this is only a small part of the hugely complex planetary climate system that has an inherently unpredictable capacity to produce abrupt and catastrophically large changes in climate conditions.

Shows a slow acceleration in the rate of sea level rise.

The rising sea-level has two sources: runoff from the land (mostly glacial melt water) and thermal expansion of the ocean itself due to warming from excess solar energy accumulating from the global warming process.

Sourced from East Coast flooding is a reminder that sea level is rising as the climate warms – here’s why the ocean is pouring in more often – by Jianjun Lin, 07/11/2021 in the Conversation.

The melt water in the rising sea-level comes from two primary sources, melting glaciers and ice cap on Greenland that has increased 6-fold over the last couple of decades; and melting glaciers and ice cap on Antarctica which has more than doubled over the same time. This is measured by the loss of mass variable – representing the weight of the water that has been added to the oceans.

As described in the feature article below, the melting rate of a glacier is determined by its speed as it is creeping/sliding down the continental slope into the ocean. This in turn is determined by a complex set of interacting factors, e.g., temperature, angle of slope, width and roughness of the bed, how much meltwater is in the bed to lubricate/float the ice, where and how the ice may crack and crumble, how many bends there are in the valley, ocean conditions at the foot, whether and to what extent warm and salty (salt lowers the melting temperature of ice) ocean water penetrates into the glacier bed under its foot, thickness and extent of the floating ice shelf at the glacier’s foot and so on. Simply stated, melt rates are inherently unpredictable. However, one thing we can be sure of is that the melt rate will speed up as ambient temperatures increase the rate of ice melting, and rain replaces snow as the main form of precipitation.

The geological record provides good evidence that episodes of abrupt ice melting can cause raise sea-levels a lot faster than they are now, perhaps even showing large changes in rate over a few decades.

See Wikipedia: Meltwater pulse 1A: Meltwater pulse 1A (MWP1a) is the name used by Quaternary geologists, paleoclimatologists, and oceanographers for a period of rapid post-glacial sea level rise, between 13,500 and 14,700 years ago, during which global sea level rose between 16 meters (52 ft) and 25 meters (82 ft) in about 400–500 years, giving mean rates of roughly 40–60 mm (0.13–0.20 ft)/yr…. This rate of sea level rise was much larger than the rate of current sea level rise, which has been estimated to be in the region of 2–3 mm (0.0066–0.0098 ft)/yr.

There may well be enough ice in the West Antarctic Ice Sheet — especially if combined with an equally rapid melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet to support an equivalent amount of melting to the Meltwater Pulse 1A. It is notable that the land surface underlying very large areas of both West Antarctica and Greenland are below sea level – giving ample opportunities for warm ocean water to help speed the melting and collapse of the ice sheets.

Glacier front meets the sea

Why Melting Ice in Antarctica is Making Waves: Scientists recently discovered that the Thwaites Ice Shelf, a floating ice shelf that supports the Florida-sized Thwaites Glacier, could collapse in as little as five years because of global warming.

Climate Reality Project, 28/01/2022

This past December, the massive Thwaites Glacier in Western Antarctica made headlines for all the wrong reasons. Specifically, because new research revealed that the ice shelf preventing it from sliding into the ocean and drastically raising sea levels could collapse well within the next decade.

This Florida-sized glacier had already worried experts for years, going as far as to regularly be called the “Doomsday Glacier”. And yet, this update from the scientific community was still groundbreaking. 

It’s news that the world — particularly low-lying island and coastal communities — should understand and act on. So, what exactly is Thwaites Glacier, what does the latest research about it say, and what consequences could come from its decline?

FIRST THINGS FIRST, WHAT IS THWAITES GLACIER?

Thwaites Glacier is a massive body of dense ice located in Western Antarctica. Measuring about 80 miles (120 km) across, it’s the widest glacier on Earth.

Decline of West Antarctic Glaciers Appears Irreversible

Thwaites Glacier in Western Antarctica. Credit: NASA

The glacier has an ice shelf — a permanent piece of floating ice connected to it — that branches out into the Amundsen Sea. Now, understanding what exactly an ice shelf does is crucial.

Read the complete article….

As long as the world continues to warm and large amounts of snow and ice remain lying on the land, sea levels will continue to rise. The risk of an abrupt sea-level rise is real. The human and economic costs of such an event would be catastrophic if it happens. It therefore makes very good sense that mitigation works should begin soon with planning in place at federal, state and local levels to accelerate the work if we have any clear early warning signs that abrupt melting is actually beginning.

It is also clear that our present LNP COALition governments deeply deny the risks Australia faces from global warming and the climate emergency, and should be replaced with rational people who put action on the climate emergency at the top of their to do lists if they should be elected to Parliament.

The puppets show and tell
Captain Humbug (A.K.A. Scotty from Marketing) showing the parliamentary puppet troop what it is all about behind his then PM, “Don’t be afraid, don’t be scared, it won’t hurt you. It’s coal.” With these words Australia’s Treasurer Scott Morrison taunted the Opposition, attempting to ridicule its commitment to renewable energy.” – Picture from The Conversation (15-02-2017). See also Katherine Murphy in The Guardian on 09/02/2017 for the live video — “Scott Morrison brings coal to question time: what fresh idiocy is this? What a bunch of clowns, hamming it up – while out in the real world an ominous and oppressive heat just won’t let up.”

Also, from the official transcript dated 20/12/2019 from the PM’s own office, Scotty made it abundantly clear to John Stanley on 2GB Radio that HE doesn’t fight fires… “But I know Australians understand… that, you know, I don’t hold a hose, mate, and I don’t sit in a control room. That’s the brave people who do that are doing that job. But I know that Australians would want me back at this time out of these fatalities. So I’ll happily come back [from his secret holiday in Hawaii] and do that.”

Sixteen year-old Greta tells us and everyone at the 2019 World Economic Forum in Davos how we and our governments should actually respond to the climate emergency:

greta-act-as-if-the-house-was-on-fire
Listen to Greta’s speech live. Except for her reliance on the IPCC’s overoptimistic emissions budget, everything she says is spot on that even she, as a child, can understand.

In other words, smell the smoke, see the reality, and fight the fire that is burning up our only planet so we can give our offspring a hopeful future. This is the only issue that matters. All Capt. Humbug and his troop of wooden-headed puppets are doing is rearranging the furniture in the burning house to be incinerated along with anything else we may care about. In Greta’s words, “even a small child can understand [this]”. People hope for their children’s futures. She doesn’t want your hope. She wants you to panic enough to wake up and fight the fire…. so she can have some hope for her future. Vote Climate One’s Traffic Light Voting System will help you use your vote wisely on behalf of our offsprings’ futures.

Views expressed in this post are those of its author(s), not necessarily all Vote Climate One members.

Western Australia cops heat & wildfires this year

Despite La Nina, widespread lightning has started many fires in with the loss of homes in the southern part of Western Australia

By Liam Croy 11/02/2022 in the Albany Advertiser
Fire alarm: Homes feared lost as lightning sparks bushfire emergencies across southern WA: The entire region — including Jerramungup, Lake Grace, Newdegate and Hopetoun — was under a storm warning on Friday afternoon with damaging weather expected. Wind gusts of 137km/h was recorded in Jacup at 2.27pm.

Views expressed in this post are those of its author(s), not necessarily all Vote Climate One members.

Southern California’s NB4 record high winter temps

Record high mid-winter temps from 28 to 31 °C and wildfires hit Southern California suggesting drought may continue for another year

By Jan Wesner Childs 11/02/2020 in The Weather Channel:
Homes Burned, Evacuations Ordered Amid Southern California Wildfires: Southern California is experiencing unusually hot weather, combined with Santa Ana winds and an ongoing drought. Temperatures soared into the mid- to upper 80s in some areas Thursday with daily record highs noted by the National Weather Service in Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Los Angeles counties.

See also:
By Madeline Scheinost 09/02/2022 in The Weather Channel
Does California’s Dry Start to 2022 Mean the Drought Is Locked in Until Next Winter?: California started the year with a dent in a multi-year drought thanks to a wet December, but a dry spell to start the year threatens to counteract the progress that was made and prolong the drought well into 2022.

Views expressed in this post are those of its author(s), not necessarily all Vote Climate One members.

$101 million would help fight climate emergency

Time’s up for the COALition that spent more than $500,000 per person last year to incarcerate less than 200 unwanted refugees on Nauru Island

by Ben Doherty & Ben Butler 12/02/2022

Nauru detention centre operator makes $101m profit – at least $500,000 for each detainee: Canstruct International’s holding company has more than $340m in cash and investments, according to accounts filed with regulator

Views expressed in this post are those of its author(s), not necessarily all Vote Climate One members.

Biden’s climate incentives may show us how it’s done

Biden’s new climate incentives have a good chance to pass Congress, to work in practice, and to give great value for money

by Robinson Meyer 10/02/2022 in The Atlantic

Biden’s Biggest Idea on Climate Change Is Remarkably Cheap: It’s one of the most cost-effective climate policies the U.S. has ever considered, according to a new analysis…. The researchers’ study, which has not been peer-reviewed, finds that the policy’s benefits will be three to four times larger than its costs, creating as much as projected $1.5 trillion in economic surplus while eliminating more than 5 billion tons of planet-warming carbon pollution through 2050.

Views expressed in this post are those of its author(s), not necessarily all Vote Climate One members.

New liquid-based CO₂ capture tech for industrial emissions

Shows capacities for high CO2 capture under power plant operating conditions, minimizing energy-intensive temperature swings of other techs

by Mohen S. Yeganeh, et al. 11/02/2022 in Science Advances
Solid with infused reactive liquid (SWIRL): A novel liquid-based separation approach for effective CO2 capture: Economical CO2 capture demands low-energy separation strategies. We use a liquid-infused surface (LIS) approach to immobilize reactive liquids, such as amines, on a textured and thermally conductive solid substrate with high surface-area to volume ratio (A/V) continuum geometry…. [The technology] shows stable, high capture capacities at power plant CO2 concentrations near flue gas temperatures, preventing energy-intensive temperature swings needed for other approaches.

VC1 Editor’s comment: The science behind this technology appears to be valid, but implementing it will be too costly and engineering intensive for applications other than mitigating already concentrated carbon emissions from power plant flue gases and other large-scale industrial emitters. However, in this application the technology described here would seem to have significant advantages over other proposed technologies.

Views expressed in this post are those of its author(s), not necessarily all Vote Climate One members.

Wrapping ice and snow to slow/stop melting

Amazing breakthrough technology: cover ice and snow with ‘green’ radiative cooling foil to slow/stop melting and even help freezing

by Jinlei Li et al. 11/02/2022 in Science Advances
Protecting ice from melting under sunlight via radiative cooling: Here, we demonstrate that a hierarchically designed radiative cooling film based on abundant and eco-friendly cellulose acetate molecules versatilely provides effective and passive protection to various forms/scales of ice under sunlight. This work provides inspiration for developing an effective, scalable, and sustainable route for preserving ice and other critical elements of ecosystems.

VC1 Editor’s comment: The cost-effectiveness of this technology remains to be proven in practice. However, the the science appears to be sound, cooling effects of ultra-white paint have been proven in shopping center-scale commercial application, and the acetate film is made from renewable materials and should be safely biodegradable in application.

Views expressed in this post are those of its author(s), not necessarily all Vote Climate One members.

Global warming sets Australia for worse NB4 bushfires

ANU experts say continuing climate change increases bushfire threats of more than ‘worst case’ scenarios to never before (NB4) seen levels

by Michael Mazengarb 10/02/2022 in Renew Economy
Australia’s bushfire threat already beyond worst-case scenarios, thanks to climate change: Australia will continue to experience more extreme impacts of climate change, with the bushfire threat already exceeding the ‘worst case’ scenarios, experts have told the Australian National University’s 2022 Climate Update event.

Views expressed in this post are those of its author(s), not necessarily all Vote Climate One members.

Global warming sets Australia for worse NB4 bushfires

ANU experts say continuing climate change increases bushfire threats of more than ‘worst case’ scenarios to never before (NB4) seen levels

by Michael Mazengarb 10/02/2022 in Renew Economy
Australia’s bushfire threat already beyond worst-case scenarios, thanks to climate change: Australia will continue to experience more extreme impacts of climate change, with the bushfire threat already exceeding the ‘worst case’ scenarios, experts have told the Australian National University’s 2022 Climate Update event.

Views expressed in this post are those of its author(s), not necessarily all Vote Climate One members.