Reflecting on near-term extinction of humans

Countdown to extinction

Seemorerocks

I am coming up to the 4th anniversary of "Seemorerocks" in the next month. During that time I have had lots of time to find information that I regard as important for people to know and relay it out to those who are willing to read that information.

I came to a realisation about this yesterday - and that was by busying myself with this information I was able to actually void, to some extent, truly internalising the true horror of what we are witnessing.

Of course, I am acutely aware of our collective human predicament and feel it. But when one is just reading this information it somehow remains at an abstract level until one has personal experiences that help one truly internalise it.

That has partially happened by researching and chronicling what is happening literally at our front gate - that is the drought here in Wellington and the state of our own Hutt river, which is something that most people don't want to see. Even after the publication of the recent article that went out in local papers throughout the entire Wellington area, people have commented about my picture appearing in the paper, and almost no one has addressed the content, or has failed to notice the most important parts of it.

Then, I realise I have been experiencing considerable grief as a result of some information that I have become privy to, but am not yet at liberty to divulge, but also by travelling out to witness the devastation caused by an attack on the living stream with Roundыup herbicide.

I went to a seminar last weekend about telling truth to power, in which one person talked about her activist friends or acquaintances: they were all either dead or chronically ill.  That seems to be the price of being honest enough not to keep quiet in the face of Evil.

I am convinced (and I know most people reading this probably will not disagree) that this species is facing a perfect storm, created by ourselves and are certainly facing, not just the collapse of human, industrial society, but extinction of the species - within ten, twenty, thirty, forty years? Almost certainly within one human lifetime.

Just have a look at articles and reports that have come through in the last few days and it is not difficult to see that we are on a runaway train that is gaining speed and momentum.

DROUGHT

Just think of the drought in California, now in its 4th year.

Just this week NASA has come out this week and said that the state has one year of water left

NASA scientist: California has one year of water left

It does not take much imagination to realise how this will affect a state with 38 million people inhabiting an area of and that has been able to feed the whole of the rest of the country.

Just have a look at this infographic

Here are a few of the other headlines from the last day or so:

California tightens water restrictions amid historic drought

North California farmers ditching crops to sell water to south

Some rice farmers in Northern California are skipping planting their crop this year and choosing instead to sell their water rights to Southern California. The Metropolitan Water District is desperately searching for water to add to its low supply.

This water is simply NOT going to come back. Once the aquifers are gone (used to produce shale oil or bottles water by Nestle), that's it.

11 trillion gallons of water to relieve California drought - NASA

California is pumping water that fell to Earth 20,000 years ago

"As California farms and cities drill deeper for groundwater in an era of drought and climate change, they no longer are tapping reserves that percolated into the soil over recent centuries. They are pumping water that fell to Earth during a much wetter climatic regime – the ice age.

"Such water is not just old. It’s prehistoric. It is older than the earliest pyramids on the Nile, older than the world’s oldest tree, the bristlecone pine. It was swirling down rivers and streams 15,000 to 20,000 years ago when humans were crossing the Bering Strait from Asia."

And the situation goes far beyond California to the entire US south-west. Expect in short order what Guy McPherson calls "the Dustbowl without end"

The Other Big Drought Story You Need to Pay Attention To 
 

With California’s scary, record-breaking drought capturing so much attention lately, an important bit of news about the dearth of water across a much larger region has gotten short shrift.

I’m talking about the Colorado River Basin, which supplies water to 40 million people in seven states — including Californians

Apart from California and many other areas of the globe that are seeing drought, it is Brazil that has attracted the most headlines recently,

Taps run dry in Brazil's biggest city as drought bites

It may have the world's biggest water supply and the seventh biggest economy, but that's not enough to keep water running during the country's worst dry stretch since the 1930s

In New Zealand drought (and certainly its underlying causes) is scarcely mentioned, and instead we see asinine headlines like the following.

Think the decline of the Roman empire

Sweet summer helps Wellington shatter records

Wellington may be renowned for being wet and windy but it looks set to become a holiday destination after a record breaking summer for tourism.

Accommodation guest nights for January hit a 15-year high in the capital, increasing by 10 per cent compared with the previous year, Statistics NZ figures show.

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I had to find out from an American-based publication that last winter (in June, at east) there was little or no snow on the Southern Alps, at least in July, the warmest on record.

No one (but no one) writes about this, but, with a "weak" el-Nino coming during our southern autumn and winter, it is not difficult to join the dots and come to some conclusions about what this might mean for Canterbury's snow-fed rivers, already low because of summer drought and the looting for irrigation to feed the dairy monster.

There is already evidence that climate change and drought was the ultimate cause of the war in Syria and generally the water situation in those parts of the world looks particularly dire.

Women working in fields in northeastern Syria in 2013

New age of water wars portends “bleak future”

The world is already in the throes of an epidemic of local and regional water shortages, and recent scientific studies show that unless this trend is reversed, escalating water scarcity will lead to more forced migrations, civil unrest, and outbreaks of conflict 

Extreme weather and sea level rise in the Pacific

The last week has seen the worst weather ever seen in the South Pacific devastate Vanuatu. It is difficult to imagine how a country with 65 inhabited islands, is going to ever recover in time for the next devastating cyclone.

One island experienced a 6.5 earthquake, a volcano and a cyclone - all within a short period of time

This is just the beginning.

Meanwhile the plight of islands such as Tuvalu and Kiribati that are succumbing to sea level rise, goes unmentioned in the world's media - and it is not hard to see why.

Why mention the elephant in the room?

A storm surge associated with Cyclone Pam inundated low-lying Tuvalu last week

Climate change- related tragedy in Tuvalu ignored by world media

Meanwhile in Arorae (Kiribati)

King Tide 17th March 2015

Arorae is a tiny island in the southern part of the Republic of Kiribati in the middle of the Pacific Ocean

Locate Arorae on google map at: 

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/New+York,+NY/Arorae,+Kiribati/@-2.5320881,176.9327409,3z/data=!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0x89c24fa5d33f083b:0xc80b8f06e177fe62!2m2!1d-74.0059413!2d40.7127837!1m5!1m1!1s0x6fee31e079620f6d:0x8fde7467ea9185!2m2!1d176.802104!2d-2.616248

THE ARCTIC ICE MELT AND RAPID CLIMATE CHANGE

A we all know by now it is to the Arctic that we need to look to see where the greatest changes are occuring which are determining the future fate of humans on this planet.

I would like to acknowledge those people who have been responsible for me learning the true state of the world climate: Guy McPherson, without whom I would not be able to write these words; Paul Beckwith and other scientists from the Arctic Methane Emergency Group (AMEG); Natalia Shakhova and Oleg Semiletov and their group of scinetists studying methane releases from the East Siberian Sea; and,last but not least Sam Carana, Malcolm Light, Robertscribbler and others, who keep us informed of developments.

Right through the northern winter we have seen anomalous conditions where cold air from the Arctic has been brought into the mid latitudes of North America and Europe by the Jet Stream while the Arctic itself sees warm conditions because of warm air from the south and water coming through from the south through the Fram and Bering Straits.

Arctic sea ice extent hits record low for winter maximum 

Arctic sea ice has hit a record low for its maximum extent in winter, which scientists said was a result of climate change and abnormal weather patterns.

This winter has seen the Arctic sea ice extent reach a record low for winter and in recent days warm storms have battered the Arctic sea ice, further weakening it.

Strong Winds And Waves Batter Arctic Sea

Not only are levels of greenhouse gases (predominantly CO2, but also methane and other gases) risen, but we have seen a drop-off in the oxygen content (of the very stuff we need to survive) of the atmosphere, from above 21 % down to 17% and below.

Atmospheric Oxygen Levels Are Dropping Faster Than Atmospheric Carbon Levels Are Rising

"Evidence from prehistoric times indicates that the oxygen content of pristine nature was above the 21% of total volume that it is today. It has decreased in recent times due mainly to the burning of coal in the middle of the last century. 

Currently the oxygen content of the Earth’s atmosphere dips to 19% over impacted areas, and it is down to 12 to 17% over the major cities. 

At these levels it is difficult for people to get sufficient oxygen to maintain bodily health: it takes a proper intake of oxygen to keep body cells and organs, and the entire immune system, functioning at full efficiency. 

At the levels we have reached today cancers and other degenerative diseases are likely to develop. And at 6 to 7% life can no longer be sustained".

....

Reinforcing the process of warming on the planet are 49 positive, self-reinforcing feedbacks, identified by Guy McPherson and detailed here:

Guy McPherson - Climate-Change Summary and Update

In addition to new ones we are getting further confirmation coming through of positive feedbacks identified by Guy some time back.
 

One of the major ones is that the Amazon, the lungs of the planet, is turning from a carbon sink to a net emitter of carbon.

Amazon rainforest losing capacity to fight climate change as trees die

The Amazon rainforest has been absorbing about 2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually

The Amazon rainforest is losing its ability to absorb carbon dioxide in the atmosphere as trees are dying, which could have negative implication on climate change across the globe

Meanwhile, in the midst of a climate change- caused drought in the midst of its wet season Brazil wants to fell millions of trees for aluminum

THE SIXTH GREAT EXTINCTION

Before our very eyes the Pacific is dying. Those who are following the Fukushima catastrophe will tell us that it is solely due to radiation; others point to the warming of the ocean as well as acidification while ignoring Fukushima radiation.

This seems daft to me.  It is clear that we are facing a perfect storm where all these factors, as well as pollution and overfishing come into play.

2014 - Is Radiation From Fukushima Causing Massive Die-Off Of Oysters And Scallops - B.C. And Pacific Ocean Coast?

Starving Sea Lion Pups and Liquified Starfish — How We’ve Turned the Eastern Pacific into A Death Trap for Marine Species

10,000 baby sea lions dead on one California island

• Experts: “It’s getting crazy… This is a crisis… Never seen anything like it… Very difficult to see so much death”
• TV: “Numbers skyrocketing at alarming rates”
• “Woman is burying the rotting mammals” after digging graves at beach 

Mysterious Sea Lion Die-Off Strikes Again on California Coast

Mysterious affliction in Alaska polar bears suffering baldness and lesions; Rate spiked nearly 1,000% after Fukushima began

• Gov’t: Ongoing reports of unusual number of ‘hairless seals’ with sores
• “Seals continue to be reported with hair loss… it makes us nervous”

A Tiny California Fish Is On Brink Of Extinction And The Ramifications Are Huge

Delta smelt, Hypomesus transpacificus.

"Life for the Delta smelt has gone from bad to worse.

"This three-inch fish, which has played a central role in California’s efforts to manage its precious water resources, is on the verge of extinction according to the latest trawl survey in areas of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta where the fish normally congregate.

"University of California-Davis fish biologist Peter Moyle recently told a group of scientists with the Delta Stewardship Council to “prepare for the extinction of the Delta Smelt in the wild.”

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A Christian group End Times Prophecy has been doing a singular job in recordign and chronicling the mass die-off of bees, birds, doplphins, whales and other creatures on a month -to- month basis

Mass Animal Deaths for 2015

"We have reached a stage now is this earth's history where everything is dying. Our planet is groaning and aching under the burden of sin. The oceans and the air are polluted, and man, in his quest for power and wealth is destroying this world like never before in history. And if you read Revelation 11:18, you will see what God is going to do to those who destroy His beautiful creation."

Mass Bee Die-offs 2013 – 2015

On this page you will see a list of the mass bee die offs that are happening all around the world. The bees are dying in such great numbers all over the globe that we had to start this new page to show you how perilous this situation is for the bees and for the many crops that they help to pollinate. We will update this list as and when we get new reports of mass bee deaths.

THE METHANE CLATHRATE GUN AND PLANETARY OMNICIDE

Based on one positive feedback only, the release of methane from the melting of the permafrist and from methane clathrates in the Arctic and elsewhere, retired earth scientist, Malcolm Light has made his latest prediction of human extinction some time between 2023 and 2031.

If we were, for example to see a "burp" of methane from the East Siberian Arctic Shelf, as postulate by Natalia Shakhova why could we not see this even earlier than this?

WARNING - Planetary Omnicide between 2023 and 2031

Dr. Malcolm Light interview on climate change: 'Extreme national emergency'

Methane Erupting From East Siberian Arctic Shelf

This scenario of the possible runaway release of methane seems to be confirmed by the discovery of up to 30 craters in Siberia that have been induced by the melting of permafrost and the explosive release of methane

Siberian Permafrost Methane Shows Growing Eruption: Number of Global Warming-Induced Craters Now Estimated at 20-30

Here is the most recent report from Arctic News March 4, 2015 - Arctic Sea Ice Extent Hits Record Low 

Methane extent has been especially high over the Arctic Ocean.....as the Gulf Stream keeps carrying ever warmer water into the Arctic Ocean, methane gets released in large quanties

This has only just occurred to me.

If you look at the  chart below, it shows, as part of an exponential increase in methane levels, levels of almost 1830 ppb methane. 

However, if you look at levels measured in early 2015 (on the second chart below), thre was a mean peak methane level of 2372 ppb.

That has to be characterised as an exponential increase.

I wonder what the next measurements will show.

The scenario of runaway global warming is illustrated here



Taken in isolation, (which is what we are always asked to do), each of these factors listed above (including the Fukushima catastrophe, which I have largely left out of the equation) and human population overshoot, would in themselves indicate a long slow decline of the human species leading to extinction some time in the future.

Taken together the process becomes inevitable

With just the methane clathrate gun, this becomes a near-term possibility.

The response to this, for each us is, as Guy McPherson says, is to live each day as if it mattered,  to look to ethical and compassionate action and to look away from the hatred and denial that is taking over en masse,  and find within ourselves the human potential to be kind to ourselves and to other humans and fellow inhabitants of this Living Planet.


Postscript

I have one the following rough, handwritten graph to reflect increases in methane levels in 2015