Richard B. Alley, a climate scientist at Pennsylvania State University who was not involved in the new research but has studied the polar ice sheets for decades, said he found the new papers compelling. Though he had long feared the possibility of ice-sheet collapse, when he learned of the new findings, “it shook me a little bit,” Dr. Alley said.
He added that while a large rise of the sea may now be inevitable from West Antarctica, continued release of greenhouse gases will almost certainly make the situation worse. The heat-trapping gases could destabilize other parts of Antarctica as well as the Greenland ice sheet, potentially causing enough sea-level rise that many of the world’s coastal cities would eventually have to be abandoned.
“If we have indeed lit the fuse on West Antarctica, it’s very hard to imagine putting the fuse out,” Dr. Alley said. “But there’s a bunch more fuses, and there’s a bunch more matches, and we have a decision now: Do we light those?”
via Scientists Warn of Rising Oceans From Polar Melt – NYTimes.com.
The thing that most drives me crazy about this issue is that THERE ISNO DOWNSIDE TO ACTING!!!!!
Well, you know how ungrateful great great great grandchildren can be, will they thank us for saving the planet? Making sure they have someplace to live, water to drink, air to breath, food to eat? No. Kids! 😉
Well, what comes to mind are lyrics from “Day after Day,” a reggie-style song released in 1969 after one of our more serious earthquakes:
“Where can we go when there’s no San Francisco,
Better get ready to tie up your boat in Idaho.” ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2ZXco32IRU )
I know, I know, it’s not funny, but honestly, if crying would help, I’d cry me a river…
My big brother had that album!
Pass me the tissues, that it’s come to this is incomprehensible.
Time to book my trip to Venice. There is no downside to acting, but it seems plenty of upsides to not.
I almost posted a photo of Venice, gorgeous, go SOON.
2054: Lovely oceanview apartment. Location: The Gobi “Desert”.