Originally published January 20 2006
While global warming accelerates, activists say positive action can still make a difference
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Arguing for prompt and decisive legislation to cut emissions and greenhouse gasses, James Hansen at the Herald Tribune explains the feasibility of saving the planet despite the years of abuse.
The Earth's temperature, with rapid global warming over the past 30 years, is now passing through the peak level of the Holocene, a period of relatively stable climate that has existed for more than 10,000 years.
Business-as-usual scenarios, with fossil fuel (CO�) emissions continuing to increase at 2 percent per year as in the past decade, will yield additional warming of two or three degrees this century.
Ocean levels will increase slowly at first, as losses at the fringes of Greenland and Antarctica due to accelerating ice streams are nearly balanced by increased snowfall and ice-sheet thickening in the ice sheet interiors.
But as Greenland and West Antarctic ice is softened and lubricated by melt-water, and as buttressing ice shelves disappear because of a warming ocean, the balance will tip toward the rapid disintegration of ice sheets.
The Earth's history suggests that with warming of two to three degrees, the new sea level will include not only most of the ice from Greenland and West Antarctica, but a portion of East Antarctica, raising the sea level by 25 meters, or 80 feet.
Of top concern is the large number of coal-fired power plants that China, the United States and India are planning to build without CO� sequestration (the process whereby CO� is separated and stored in the ground).
This causes a temporary imbalance between the amount of solar energy absorbed by the Earth and the energy emitted to space, so the Earth will warm up until it restores energy balance.
In the long run, satisfying energy needs while decreasing CO� emissions will require developing renewable energies, sequestering CO� produced at power plants and perhaps a new generation of nuclear power.
But emissions can already be reduced now with improved energy efficiency.
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