Post by Andrei Tchentchik on Mar 2, 2020 18:11:39 GMT 2
(.#A.049).- Cry alarm for the oceans, the waters rise, warm up and acidify.
Cry alarm for the oceans
The waters rise, warm and acidify, threatening the marine fauna and engulfing coasts.
This photo taken in December 2018 shows the Santa Ines glacier in southern Chile,
located in a fjord of the Strait of Magellan. Flowing water illustrates the effects of global warming, accelerating the melting of glaciers and raising water levels. AFP photo.
Oceans and glaciers are deteriorating at a fast pace because of global warming, threatening life on Earth as we know it, if nothing is done.
HUGO DUCHAINE
The Journal de Montreal, P.Q., Canada.
Oceans and glaciers are hardest hit by the consequences of global warming and the fallout will be catastrophic for hundreds of millions of people, warns the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which released yesterday a special report.
According to this document, written by hundreds of specialists, the level of the oceans is rising today 2.5 times faster than last century and this rise will accelerate further because of the melting of glaciers. The risks of floods and cyclones will intensify.
The oceans, which cover 70% of the planet, are also warming and acidifying at an alarming rate, threatening marine life and commercial fishing, they have absorbed more than 90% of the excess heat of the climate system.
The dark changes to the oceans will not stop suddenly by lowering greenhouse gas emissions, but their pace should be slowed down.
"It would save time," says climatologist Valérie Masson-Delmotte, who helped draft the 900-page document.
QUEBEC AFFECTED
"It's urgent, it's urgent," says Catherine Potvin, a professor at McGill University and Canada's researcher on climate change and tropical forests. Quebeckers will not be spared, she warns.
Rising water levels will only accelerate bank erosion, which is already a major concern along the St. Lawrence River. Far North populations will be vulnerable to ice melt and permafrost thaw.
She notes that the degree of certainty of assertions is increasing among researchers.
"We do not need to do more studies, we need to act," she pleads.
The portrait prepared by the IPCC is very dark, but it is not a reason to give up.
"It's like you're going to see the doctor and he tells you that you have cancer. It's not too late to treat you, but you decide not to do anything, "she says.
"We have 10 years left for a major transformation of our society," says Potvin, arguing that Quebec has already been "courageous and visionary", particularly with hydroelectricity.
" THE END OF THE WORLD "
"It's the end of the world," says Alain Webster, from the University of Sherbrooke's management school. We must replace the polluting fossil fuels on which modern society is based, he says.
Unfortunately, technology is at the rendezvous. He cites solar and wind energy or electric cars as evidence that change is occurring.
"During an election period, candidates are expected to react and demonstrate their will through clear measures (...). All we are lacking is the political will, "says Agnès Le Rouzic of Greenpeace Canada. - With AFP.
EXTRACTS FROM THE REPORT
Sea level up
Sea levels have risen about 15 cm worldwide during the 20th century, and the rise is currently more than twice as fast (3.6 mm per year) and continues to accelerate. This increase could reach 30 to 60 cm approximately by 2100.
20 to 30% of CO2 emissions
The ocean has absorbed 20-30% of carbon dioxide emissions since the 1980s, which has led to its acidification. If it continues to absorb carbon until 2100, it will become more acidic.
Less ice in the Arctic
If global warming stabilizes at 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the Arctic Ocean would be ice-free in September (the month with the least ice) only once every 100 years.
For a warming of 2 degrees Celsius, it would be until every 3 years.
70% of endangered permafrost
Even if global warming is limited to values well below 2 degrees Celsius, approximately 25% of surface permafrost (3-4 meters deep) will thaw by 2100. If greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase sharply, it is possible that about 70% of the surface permafrost disappears. - With AFP.
F I N .
Cry alarm for the oceans
The waters rise, warm and acidify, threatening the marine fauna and engulfing coasts.
This photo taken in December 2018 shows the Santa Ines glacier in southern Chile,
located in a fjord of the Strait of Magellan. Flowing water illustrates the effects of global warming, accelerating the melting of glaciers and raising water levels. AFP photo.
Oceans and glaciers are deteriorating at a fast pace because of global warming, threatening life on Earth as we know it, if nothing is done.
HUGO DUCHAINE
The Journal de Montreal, P.Q., Canada.
Oceans and glaciers are hardest hit by the consequences of global warming and the fallout will be catastrophic for hundreds of millions of people, warns the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which released yesterday a special report.
According to this document, written by hundreds of specialists, the level of the oceans is rising today 2.5 times faster than last century and this rise will accelerate further because of the melting of glaciers. The risks of floods and cyclones will intensify.
The oceans, which cover 70% of the planet, are also warming and acidifying at an alarming rate, threatening marine life and commercial fishing, they have absorbed more than 90% of the excess heat of the climate system.
The dark changes to the oceans will not stop suddenly by lowering greenhouse gas emissions, but their pace should be slowed down.
"It would save time," says climatologist Valérie Masson-Delmotte, who helped draft the 900-page document.
QUEBEC AFFECTED
"It's urgent, it's urgent," says Catherine Potvin, a professor at McGill University and Canada's researcher on climate change and tropical forests. Quebeckers will not be spared, she warns.
Rising water levels will only accelerate bank erosion, which is already a major concern along the St. Lawrence River. Far North populations will be vulnerable to ice melt and permafrost thaw.
She notes that the degree of certainty of assertions is increasing among researchers.
"We do not need to do more studies, we need to act," she pleads.
The portrait prepared by the IPCC is very dark, but it is not a reason to give up.
"It's like you're going to see the doctor and he tells you that you have cancer. It's not too late to treat you, but you decide not to do anything, "she says.
"We have 10 years left for a major transformation of our society," says Potvin, arguing that Quebec has already been "courageous and visionary", particularly with hydroelectricity.
" THE END OF THE WORLD "
"It's the end of the world," says Alain Webster, from the University of Sherbrooke's management school. We must replace the polluting fossil fuels on which modern society is based, he says.
Unfortunately, technology is at the rendezvous. He cites solar and wind energy or electric cars as evidence that change is occurring.
"During an election period, candidates are expected to react and demonstrate their will through clear measures (...). All we are lacking is the political will, "says Agnès Le Rouzic of Greenpeace Canada. - With AFP.
EXTRACTS FROM THE REPORT
Sea level up
Sea levels have risen about 15 cm worldwide during the 20th century, and the rise is currently more than twice as fast (3.6 mm per year) and continues to accelerate. This increase could reach 30 to 60 cm approximately by 2100.
20 to 30% of CO2 emissions
The ocean has absorbed 20-30% of carbon dioxide emissions since the 1980s, which has led to its acidification. If it continues to absorb carbon until 2100, it will become more acidic.
Less ice in the Arctic
If global warming stabilizes at 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the Arctic Ocean would be ice-free in September (the month with the least ice) only once every 100 years.
For a warming of 2 degrees Celsius, it would be until every 3 years.
70% of endangered permafrost
Even if global warming is limited to values well below 2 degrees Celsius, approximately 25% of surface permafrost (3-4 meters deep) will thaw by 2100. If greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase sharply, it is possible that about 70% of the surface permafrost disappears. - With AFP.
F I N .
