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Coming
Soon to Us All: The Choice Worse Than Sophie’s
By
Tom Lewis
Sophie had to choose which child would live and which would die. Now multiply that problem by a couple orders of magnitude. (Photo by Bill Strain/Flickr)
4
June, 2015
In
the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, desperate citizens of New Orleans
seeking water, food and shelter began streaming by the thousands out
of the city on foot over the Interstate 90 bridge across the
Mississippi River and into to the city of Gretna, Louisiana. The city
had no electricity, no water, no medical services and little in the
way of a functioning government. It had been this way for three days
when the refugees began streaming in, and unless conditions improved
almost immediately, the people of Gretna were looking at severe
privation. So they closed the city. Put
a line of armed police across the Interstate Bridge and turned the
refugees back. Sorry.
Can’t help you.
The
story has haunted me for nearly ten years. Not just because it is one
of the gnarliest ethical problems I have ever come across. But also
because in the aftermath of the crash of the Industrial Age —
perhaps well before the crash, during the current preliminary
stresses — every one of us is going to face the kind of decision
Gretna had to make. We will be asked to give help to distressed
neighbors when giving that help will endanger our own survival. How
will we answer?
Right
now, Greece is trying to answer. With its people struggling to
survive under a government that is broke and threatening to fly
apart, its shores and islands are besieged by a tidal wave of
refugees from North Africa. Italy and Spain are similarly afflicted.
In many cases they have to rescue the refugees from disable, swamped
and/or capsized boats just to get them to dry land, after which no
one has any idea what to do with them, at whose expense.
How
long will it be, do we think, before the scant armed forces of these
Euro-strapped countries will be used not to rescue, but to form a
line, like they did across the Interstate at Gretna? Very sorry.
Can’t help you. And before we condemn the very idea as a crime
against humanity, is it not incumbent upon us to define a workable
alternative?
The
problem is spreading like a California wildfire. As The
Atlantic reported
just yesterday (look
at the pictures, you will not forget them) the world may never have
seen so many refugees as are in flight right now:
“The United Nations announced last year that forced displacement had topped 50 million globally, and early tracking indicates that number may increase yet again this year. Multiple crises worldwide are driving the record migrations, which include Africans and Middle Easterners entering Europe, Rohingya Muslims fleeing Burma, Central Americans traveling to the U.S., civilians escaping violence in Syria, Yemen, Burundi, Somalia, Iraq, and more—all undertaking risky journeys to find better lives.”
The
under-appreciated fact is that most of these movements have as their
root cause, climate change: chronic drought leading to hunger and
thirst, leading to revolution and civil war and chaos.
All
of which, hideous as it is, seems comfortably far away. It is,
surely, their end of the boat that is sinking. This is America.
Where
the states of California, Nevada and Arizona. among others, are toast
in the summer sun, their snow packs long gone, their lakes and
streams withering away, their crops crisping in the merciless heat.
How long will it be before lines of desperate people begin trudging
along Interstate 5 into Oregon (nobody in their right mind is going
to trudge south, or straight east). And how long before Oregon says,
out of the direst of necessities, “Sorry, can’t help you.”
And
how long do we suppose it will be before one day, with the power out
and the water off and the phones down and the food running out, our
neighbor comes to our gate and says, “I’m hungry and I’m
thirsty and I need your help.” Okay, that’s one question and it’s
fairly easy to handle. Now the next question: what if, in a line
behind him, there are a couple dozen more neighbors?
What
do we decide, and how do we make the decision?
By
comparison, Sophie’s Choice was pretty straightforward.
Global
warming could overheat and suffocate some marine animals, according
to a new study
acquired May 30, 2015download large image (4 MB, JPEG, 4400x3400)
On
May 30, 2015, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer
(MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this image of smoke from
wildfires in northern Canada. Red outlines indicate areas where MODIS
detected unusually warm surface temperatures associated with fire.
The
seemingly endless and often torrential rains that deluged Texas and
Oklahoma in May are in some ways a harbinger of what the South
Central states can expect to see as the world warms. But the region
also could be in store for just the opposite – more long bouts of
hot, dry days that could cause the Southern Plains to be even more
susceptible to drought than they already are.
6.0 magnitude earthquake rattles Malaysia’s tallest mountain – killing 13 climbers
https://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2015/06/06/6-0-magnitude-earthquake-rattles-malaysias-tallest-mountain-killing-two-climbers/
June 2015 – MALAYSIA – Two people have died and more than 100 have been left stranded after an earthquake near Malaysia’s highest peak, officials say. The bodies of a local guide and a 12-year-old Singaporean girl were recovered from Mount Kinabalu, on the island of Borneo, local media say. The 6.0 magnitude earthquake triggered landslides, trapping 137 climbers on the mountain. Many have been trying to descend with the help of park rangers and guides. Police chief Jalaluddin Abdul Rahman confirmed the two fatalities but would not give any further details.
Initial attempts to rescue the survivors, some of whom are trapped under rocks, had to be abandoned because of bad weather. Helicopters were unable to land and the climbing route was made dangerous by rocks and boulders. Several of those injured have successfully made it down and many more are expected to reach base camp by Saturday morning, according to Sabah Parks director Jamili Nais. The earthquake was so powerful it also snapped off one of Mount Kinabalu’s “Donkey’s Ear” peaks. The tourism minister for Sabah state said that 32 guides were assisting the climbers on their way down, with the group moving “cautiously due to (a) damaged trail. Other than ongoing rescue efforts, our priority is to send food, drinks and warm clothing to those still stranded on the mountain,” he said. Some of the group had climbed to the summit to watch the sunrise as the earthquake struck.
The US Geological Survey said the quake happened at around 07:15 local time (00:15 BST), at a depth of 10km (32,800ft). The epicenter was 54km (33 miles) from Mount Kinabalu, which stands at 4,095m. Many climbers are attracted to the challenging “via ferrata” climbing route, where cables, metal rungs and bridges are set into the rocks on the steep terrain to help people ascend. All activity on the mountain has now been suspended. –BBC
Heatwave
in the Arctic
A
temperature of 29.4°C (84.92°F) is forecast for the location at the
green circle for June 6, 2015. The location is close to the Arctic
Ocean and to rivers ending in the Arctic Ocean. The location, at a
latitude of 66.48°N, is approximately on the Arctic Circle, which
runs 66°33′45.8″ north of the Equator. North of the Arctic
Circle, the sun is above the horizon for 24 continuous hours at least
once a year. The many hours of sunshine make that, during the months
June and July, insolation in the Arctic is higher than anywhere else
on Earth.
While
Andres has now weakened into a tropical storm, Blanca continues to
strengthen and is now a major hurricane centered well southwest of
Mexico.
This
is the earliest on record, since 1971, that two major hurricanes have
formed in the Eastern Pacific. There have
been four other seasons that have had two major hurricanes develop
before the end of June.
Perhaps New Zealand was too small to be noticed?
Australia
has become a climate change "free-rider", dropping off the
list of nations taking credible"
action to curb greenhouse gas emissions, according to a panel led by
former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.
In
the Africa Progress Panel's 2015 report, Australia is named along
with Canada, Japan and Russia as appearing "to have withdrawn
from the community of nations seeking to tackle dangerous climate
change".
Two
types of bacteria, which are normally benign, found in the gut of the
endangered Saiga antelope, have turned deadly. It has resulted in the
death since May 10 of half of the world’s Saiga antelope population
found in Kazakhstan.
Hours
after the antelopes show symptoms such as depression, diarrhea and
mouth frothing, the animals die. Since the ailment hit the antelopes
during calving season, it caused the decimation of herds of the
female antelope and their newborns, reports BBC.
An
international team is in Kazakhstan to study the phenomenon. Richard
Kock, wildlife veterinarian of the Royal Veterinary College in London
who joined the team, said the animals had respiratory problems,
causing it to have breathing difficulty. This caused the female adult
antelopes to stop eating and become extremely depressed. After the
mothers die, their calves follow within one or two days.
60%
of China’s underground water 'not fit for human contact' - Beijing
6
June, 2015
About
60 percent of underground water in China, and one-third of its
surface water, have been rated unfit for human contact last year,
according to the environment ministry in Beijing.
The
ministry said in a statement that water quality is getting worse, and
the ministry classified 61.5 percent of underground water at nearly
5,000 monitoring sites as “relatively
poor” or “very
poor.” In
2013, the figure stood at 59.6 percent.
The
fact that the water is unfit for human contact means that it can only
be used for industrial purposes or irrigation.
The water supplies are classified into six grades, with only 3.4 percent of 968 monitoring sites of surface water meeting the highest “Grade I” standard.
A
total of 63.1 percent was reported to be suitable for human use,
rated “Grade
III” or
above.
China
is currently carrying out a “war
on pollution” campaign,
to deal with environmental issues.
China mulls using human-like fish to test for water qualityhttp://t.co/URLYiaUR0jpic.twitter.com/HwVHp9SsVc
— RT (@RT_com) November 10, 2014
In
particular, in April, the government in Beijing pledged to increase
the percentage of good quality water sources up to 70 percent in
seven main river basins, and to more than 93 percent in urban
drinking supplies, by 2020.
Also,
a prohibition on water-polluting plants in industries – such as oil
refining and paper production – is set to come into effect by the
end of 2016.
Air
pollution also remains one of the most serious issues in China, the
ministry said in its statement.
Just
16 of the 161 major Chinese cities satisfied the national standard
for clean air in 2014, statistics demonstrated, local news agencies
reported.
The
other 145 cities – over 90 percent all in all – failed to meet
the requirements.
Also,
acid rain was detected in about 30 percent out of 470 cities.
Deputy
Environment Minister Zhai Qing admitted that the fight was far from
over. The problem is so challenging that "reducing
pollution by a few percentage points is not enough," he
said. Also, he said that only several key pollutants, such as
chemical oxygen demand, are now monitored.
"We
are fighting a protracted, uphill battle," Environment
Minister Chen Jining said, echoing Zhai’s comments.
Saturday and Sunday will be the hottest days of this spell
NASA Climate Predictions Show Serious Threat To Humanity
These items are from the Extinction Protocol
Heat wave spreads from Pakistan to the Gulf
https://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2015/06/06/heat-wave-spreads-from-pakistan-to-the-gulf/
June 2015 – MIDDLE EAST – The highest daytime temperature in the world on Wednesday was recorded at Sweihan, Abu Dhabi, where the temperature climbed to 50.5C (122 F) at 12pm local time. The UAE has recently been enduring a heat wave, which started many thousands of kilometers away. A week ago, while India was suffering an official heat wave, it was hotter still in the middle of Pakistan. In the Indus Valley, temperatures were daily at 48C and 49C. Nawabshah, north of Hyderabad, registered at least 49C for four days in a row. May 24 saw the highest temperature of Pakistan’s heat wave: 49.5C in Nawabshah.
This heat did not just go away, it has been blown gently south, through the Indus delta, over Gwadar, into the Arabian Sea. Indeed, as June came in, Gwadar’s temperature shot up ten degrees to 48C for two days in a row. This hot air, loaded with dust which is visible by satellite, has now reached Oman and the United Arab Emirates. Temperatures here have risen three to five degrees since the start of June. On Wednesday, Khasab, Sunayah and Fahud, all in Oman, each measured 49C. This looks like a record-equalling high for Khasab, on the Musandam peninsula. This region is known as Oman’s ‘Norway of Arabia’, with its fjord-like inlets and cliffs overlooking the Strait of Hormuz.
The UAE’s heat wave also affected Ras al-Khaimah, recording two successive days at 47C, while Sharjah notched up 46C and the city of Dubai 45C. The heat has been rising in Qatar too with Doha reaching 45.8C, 45.5C and 46.1C in the first three days of this month. A gathering Shamal should reduce the heat on Thursday throughout the Gulf but that will soon ease and temperatures will rise again. –Al Jazeera
Insane heat wave in Alaska put temperatures higher than in Arizona
June 2015 – ALASKA – Alaska, along with the rest of the Arctic, has been warming even faster than other regions of the world due to climate change. That was the findings of a report this spring from the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, which found that the rate of warming will only continue to increase in the coming decades. The signs of rapid warming in Alaska were everywhere this past winter. The Iditarod was moved north 300 miles to Fairbanks because Anchorage had record low snowfall. A ski resort outside of Juneau had to close because of low snowfall and warm temperatures that inhibited snow-making.
Now the 49th state experienced a heat wave at the end of May. Over Memorial Day weekend, while Texas was being inundated with floods, parts of Alaska were warmer than Arizona. On May 23 in Fairbanks, the temperature reached 86 degrees Fahrenheit, while Phoenix topped out at 83 for the day, reports Al Jazeera. Even the town of Bettles, which is north of Fairbanks and falls within the Arctic Circle, recorded a temperature of 82. That same day, Eagle, Alaska hit 91 degrees Fahrenheit, marking the earliest 90-degree day in state history, according to NASA Earth Observatory. And it wasn’t just one unusually warm day. “Between May 16 and May 24, Eagle hit 27 degrees Celsius (80 degrees Fahrenheit) or higher daily—its second longest such streak on record for any time of the year,” says Al Jazeera.
Even America’s northernmost city, Barrow, Alaska, set record high temperatures for four out of the six days between May 17-22, topping out at 47 degrees on May 21 (nearly 18 degrees above normal), The Weather Channel reports. This may sound like nothing compared to the current heat wave in India, “but north of the Arctic Circle, this is extreme warmth for late May,” says The Weather Channel. This particular heat wave in Alaska and northwestern Canada has to do with two typhoons altering the jet stream pattern.”A series of two western Pacific super typhoons—Noul and Dolphin—have done a number on the (jet stream) pattern across the north Pacific following their extratropical transition,” says Dr. Michael Ventrice, operational scientist at The Weather Channel Professional Division.
This “persistent high-pressure system … is but one consequence of a developing El Niño in the eastern Pacific,” says Al Jazeera. While El Niño may be exacerbating the warmth, the long term trend shows the Arctic will continue to warm from climate change. It has warmed faster than anywhere else in the world over the last 30 years. The effects of the warming are many-fold. Anchorage recorded its warmest April and it will probably be its least snowy season on record with only 25.1 inches of snow to date (its prior least snowy season was in 1957-1958 with 30.4 inches), according to The Weather Channel. The rapid snowmelt led to flooding in some areas and fire danger is already high in what experts worry might be the worst wildfire season yet. –Ecowatch
Heat wave coming to Vancouver – city braces for “rare” early bout of record high temperatures
June 2015 – VANCOUVER, Canada – Record-breaking temperatures are on the way for B.C. this weekend. CBC meteorologist Johanna Wagstaffe says it will feel like 30 degrees or warmer on Saturday and Sunday across the southern part of the province. That is rare for this time of year, she says, and will likely break some records.
“This is pretty early on in the season to see these kinds of temperatures,” said Wagstaffe. For the next few days, onshore sea-breezes will cap temperatures in the mid-20s near the ocean, according to Environment Canada. Slightly inland, temperatures will hover near 30 degrees. The warm spell is not expected to last past mid-next week. Wagstaffe says it’s important people prepare themselves for the heat and watch for signs of heat stroke. “Because this is so much hotter than what we’re used to at this time of year, watch for symptoms of heat illness,
dizziness, nausea, fainting and make sure to stay hydrated all weekend long.”
The B.C. Wildfire Management Branch says fires larger than a campfire are not permitted in mosts part of the province. “We’re just asking people to be very careful with fire use,” said Navi Saini, a spokeswoman with the Wildfire Management Branch. “It’s really important we do keep the human-caused wildfires down, just so we do have resources to respond to the naturally occurring wildfires.” –CBC
Parts of Europe see hottest day of the year so far in early-season heat wave
https://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2015/06/06/parts-of-europe-see-hottest-day-of-the-year-so-far-in-early-season-heat-wave/
June 2015 – EUROPE – Parts of Europe are sizzling on Friday as an early-season heat wave sweeps across the continent. The heat is not particularly intense or dangerous, but it’s pretty early the season for temperatures of this magnitude in northern Europe. Late-afternoon highs were surging into the low 90s, particularly in the Rhine River Valley in southwest Germany and eastern France.
Temperatures are steaming at as much as 25 degrees Fahrenheit above average for this time of year. Accuweather’s Eric Leister says that some cities, including Paris, Amsterdam and Frankfurt, are seeing their hottest temperatures of the year thus far. The heat and humidity was fueling a line of showers and thunderstorms that’s tracking east across northern Europe, with potential to impact the French Open on Friday evening.
The heat wave has likely reached its peak on Friday afternoon, though above-average temperatures will continue to spread south across Europe on Saturday into Sunday, but will regulate to highs closer to normal by early next week. Reuters reports that while the heat is making the tourists sweat in Paris, they don’t necessarily mind the brilliant blue sky. –Washington Post
Here is Extinction Radio discussing earth changes.
Earthchanges: what does the future hold for our planet?
The Extinction Protocol Radio
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