• “Global warming is likely to reach 1.5°C [above pre-industrial levels] between 2030 and 2052 if it continues to increase at the current rate,” (IPCC, 2018).

• “Climate-related risks for natural and human systems are higher for global warming of 1.5°C than at present… These risks depend on the magnitude and rate of warming, geographic location, levels of development and vulnerability, and on the choices and implementation of adaptation and mitigation options,” (IPCC, 2018).

• “There are a wide range of adaptation options that can reduce the risks of climate change. There are limits to adaptation and adaptive capacity for some human and natural systems at global warming of 1.5°C, with associated losses. The number and availability of adaptation options vary by sector,” (IPCC, 2018).

• “Pathways limiting global warming to 1.5°C with no or limited overshoot would require rapid and far-reaching transitions in energy, land, urban and infrastructure (including transport and buildings), and industrial systems. These systems transitions are unprecedented in terms of scale, but not necessarily in terms of speed, and imply deep emissions reductions in all sectors, a wide portfolio of mitigation options and a significant upscaling of investments in those options,” (IPCC, 2018).

• “Strengthening the capacities for climate action of national and sub-national authorities, civil society, the private sector, indigenous peoples and local communities can support the implementation of ambitious actions implied by limiting global warming to 1.5°C. International cooperation can provide an enabling environment for this to be achieved in all countries and for all people, in the context of sustainable development. International cooperation is a critical enabler for developing countries and vulnerable regions,” (IPCC, 2018).

Spooky stuff.

It boils down to this: If we don’t get our act together in the next twelve years, we’re going to see Mama Nature get real, real mad. That means more natural disasters, more humanitarian crises, more widespread extinction, all of which is worse than what we’ve seen to date.

Thankfully, it’s not all doom and gloom. The UN report presents an inspiring vision of humanity, working together to overcome the single greatest threat to our survival that we have ever faced. The peoples of the world can implement new tools and systems to adapt, to mitigate, and to reverse the destructive consequences of our entire history. We have the ability, the ingenuity, and the means to turn this whole thing around within the next twelve years. There’s one thing we lack, and it’s the one thing we need to achieve any large-scale change.

Political will.

Climate change is bigger than recycling and plastic straws. It’s bigger than individuals and corporations. It’s a global problem, and it requires the action and cooperation of our global leaders. If you’re someone who cares about climate change, the best thing you can do is vote. Vote for candidates whose environmental policies reflect your own beliefs. Vote for candidates who are committed to acting on climate change.

Want to take out the trash? Take out the trash and vote. Want to upcycle? Upcycle environmental policy and vote.

Reminder:

The midterms are on November 6.

Find out if you’re registered to vote here.

Find your polling place here.

We’re the change we’ve been waiting for. Be a voter on November 6.

Source:

“Global Warming of 1.5 °C an IPCC special report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways, in the context of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change, sustainable development, and efforts to eradicate poverty: headline statements,” Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2018.

This month The Ocean Cleanup launched a 2,000-foot boom designed to gather plastic debris and clean up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

According to The New York Times, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch floats between California and Hawaii and is comprised of 1.8 trillion pieces of trash, with at least 87,000 tons of plastic. Gross. The Ocean Cleanup will endeavor to clean up half of the garbage patch in five years.

To learn about how the boom technology works, read our article about plastic waste and The Ocean Cleanup here.

According to Forbes, the patch measures 617,763.45 square miles in size. For reference, Alaska is 663,267.26 square miles in size. That’s our biggest state. That’s big enough to be seen clearly by satellites from space.

The boom has been towed to a site for a two-week test period, after which it will be towed to the garbage patch 1,400 off the mainland. Boyan Slat, 24, founder of The Ocean Cleanup, said that the boom will arrive by mid-October.

While cost efficiency, performance, and impact on marine life remain open questions, the fact that such an ambitious waste management endeavor has been undertaken deserves to be celebrated. In a world that’s only begun to see the devastating effects of climate change, the least we can do is take out the trash.

Source:

Caron C (2018) Giant Trap Is Deployed to Catch Trash Littering the Pacific Ocean. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/09/science/ocean-cleanup-great-pacific-garbage-patch.html

Nace T (2018) The World’s Largest Ocean Cleanup Has Officially Begun. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevornace/2018/09/10/the-worlds-largest-ocean-cleanup-has-officially-begun/

Mama Nature is phenomenal. This month, scientists from The Ohio State University discovered that the earth’s bedrock in Antarctica is rising at one of the fastest rates ever recorded — a whopping 41 millimeters (1.6 inches) per year!

Wait, the earth rises? Shh, we didn’t realize that either. Kind of hard to eyeball when you look out at the horizon.

Why is this happening? Well, as you may have heard, the ice caps are melting. Specifically, the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS). Namely, due to climate change. As the WAIS disappears, weight is lifted off the earth’s bedrock, which allows the bedrock to rise.

And that’s good? In a word, yes. In 16 words, it’d be better if the WAIS wasn’t melting like a firecracker popsicle in July, but yes. Think of it this way: as ice melts and thins, the entire ice sheet is more likely to collapse under its own weight. But as the bedrock rises, it helps stabilize the WAIS against collapse.

Forty-one millimeters? Sounds small, we know. Yet Terry Wilson, professor emeritus of earth sciences at Ohio State and one of the leaders of the study, calls this uplift rate a “game changer.” By contrast, the bedrock in Iceland and Alaska, which are generally considered to have rapid uplift rates, rises at a rate of 20 to 30 millimeters per year.

What does it all mean? Previously, scientists thought that the bedrock in Antarctica would rise too slowly (think thousands of years) to stabilize the WAIS. However, the new study suggests that the bedrock uplift could stabilize the area in a matter of decades. When you consider that the WAIS accounts for 25% of global sea level rise attributed to disappearing ice and snow and that its glaciers contain enough water to raise the global sea level by up to four feet, thank Mama Nature that this phenomenon is taking place.

To learn more, read the study published by Science or the article published by The Ohio State University.

Source: Grabmeier, Jeff, “Bedrock in West Antarctica rising at surprisingly rapid rate,” The Ohio State University, 2018.

Over the past month, the world has witnessed massive earthquakes in Mexico, wildfires in the American West, and thousand-year hurricanes in the Atlantic. Believe it or not, like it or not, ready or not, climate change is here, and overdevelopment plays a role in the danger that it poses to society.

Consider Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria. According to Jason Samenow of The Washington Post, “A new analysis from the University of Wisconsin’s Space Science and Engineering Center has determined that Harvey is a 1-in1,000-year flood event that has overwhelmed an enormous section of Southeast Texas equivalent in size to New Jersey.” Meanwhile, Irma left millions without power in Florida and Maria has set back Puerto Rico an estimated twenty-to-thirty years.

While Harvey is an event without precedent or rival in the historical record, climate studies assert that storms such as Harvey, Irma, and Maria will become more frequent in the coming decades. Clearly, there is a categorical difference in modern-day natural disasters. And, while the politicization of facts persists, there is also a growing discussion around the influence that overdevelopment has on climate.

Scientific American interviewed Stephen Strader, a meteorologist, disaster risk expert, and assistant professor at Villanova University, about the intersection of climate change and overdevelopment. Strader’s argument has two main points: First, as cities grow and become more densely populated, disaster potential increases and more people are affected when disasters occur. Second, as we develop and inhabit areas that are unnatural for human existence, such as marshes, swamps, and barrier islands, the odds of disaster increase. And, as we’ve seen, disaster is not limited to hurricanes.

Katherine Myles, journalist and author of Quakeland: On the Road to America’s Next Devastating Earthquake, explains on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah how scientists are beginning to understand the relationship between human activity and the occurrence of earthquakes:

“We cause earthquakes in all kinds of different ways, whether it’s oil extraction, fracking, waste water injection from fracking—and then really surprising ways, like tunnel building, reservoirs, dams… There’s an apartment complex in Taipei that’s one of the tallest apartment complexes in the world. And it set off thousands and thousands of earthquakes just because of the weight of the building. So as this technology increases—as we dig deeper and build higher—we’re setting off more and more quakes and they’re getting bigger and bigger,” (Miles, Kathryn. “Kathryn Miles – Anticipating America’s Next Major Earthquake in ‘Quakeland.”’ The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. Comedy Central. Viacom, New York: 26 Sept. 2017. Television.).

While it is unrealistic to stop developers from building entirely, we do have a voice and a say in how they build in our communities. Steven Maginnis of Baristanet reported on residents of Montclair, New Jersey, who met with Montclair Councilor Sean Spiller yesterday to discuss overdevelopment in the community. Many voiced opposition, pointing to congestion, gentrification, and noise pollution as some of the problems created by overdevelopment. While the councilor conceded their points, questions around a mutually-beneficial path forward remain.

What can people do about overdevelopment in their communities? Strader suggests protective measures, such as better zoning and land-use practices, in addition to engineering solutions and evacuation systems. Likewise, Miles suggests federal investment in an early warning system and better infrastructure. As for Montclair residents, some suggest that development efforts refocus on areas in need, such as the Fourth Ward, which has been without an affordable grocery store since the Pathmark closed in 2015. For those in neighboring communities, call your local representative, participate in your local community meetings and town halls, and spread awareness about overdevelopment’s impact on climate change to your friends and neighbors.

Where to help victims of Mexico earthquakes:

Direct Relief

Global Giving

Topos Mexico

Charity Navigator: Your Guide to Intelligent Giving

Where to help victims of Western wildfires:

American Red Cross

Help Colorado Now

Montana Wildfire Relief Fund

Rist Canyon Volunteer Fire Department

Where to help victims Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria:

One America Appeal

International Medical Corps

Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund

Houston Food Bank

Coastal Bend Food Bank

Houston Humane Society

Houston Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

Hurricane Irma Relief Fund

Direct Impact Fund

Unicef

American Red Cross

Unidos, by the Hispanic Federation

Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands

Unidos por Puerto Rico