Sunday 20 March 2022

Burning the Planet at Both Ends?

At this time of the year, the Antarctic should be rapidly cooling after its summer. The Arctic should be slowly heating up after winter. In actuality, simultaneous heatwaves are occurring at both of the Earth's poles (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/20/heatwaves-at-both-of-earth-poles-alarm-climate-scientists). In Antarctica, record temperatures have reached 40 degrees Centigrade above normal in places. Concomitantly in the Arctic, some temperatures are way ahead of their typical schedule, being 30 degrees Centigrade above normal. These 'unprecedented events' naturally worry climate scientists. The simultaneous heatwaves suggest that climate breakdown is occurring much more quickly than has been assumed. Humans probably have considerably less time to reverse the impact of global heating than has generally been assumed. If it comes, the consequences of climate breakdown are also likely to be very abrupt. Climate scientists shouldn't only be the only folk to worry. Political pledges don't remove any 'greenhouse gases'! Getting your oil and gas from a different country, won't reduce global heating!

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