• We have updated the guidelines regarding posting political content: please see the stickied thread on Website Issues.

Confronting A 'Ghastly Future' Of Environmental Catastrophe

EnolaGaia

EnolaGaia

I knew the job was dangerous when I took it ...
(ACCOUNT RETIRED)
Joined
Jul 19, 2004
Messages
29,622
Location
Out of Bounds
In case you've been feeling too happy lately ...

A newly published paper is as disturbing as anything I've read since The Limits to Growth back in the Seventies. It concerns an overall environmental catastrophe looming so as to represent a 'ghastly future'.

This isn't solely about climate change, overpopulation, or loss of biodiversity. It's about the overall mess of which these topics are but specific facets. This is why I'm initiating a new thread. The warning in this publication is even more direly stated than the dismal predictions we've seen before. One of the issues it focuses upon concerns the recognized inability to even grasp what's oncoming. The other problem it emphasizes is humanity's reluctance to take the all too evident trends seriously.
Humanity Is Hurtling Into a 'Ghastly Future' It Doesn't Comprehend, Scientists Warn

The emergency is not invisible. But that doesn't mean we can see it.

After decades of inaction and ineffective action on biodiversity decline, climate change, and pollution, civilisation stands on the precipice of a "ghastly future" it has gravely underestimated, an international team of scientific experts warns in an unnerving new study published this week. ...
Click to expand...

FULL STORY:
https://www.sciencealert.com/humani...-future-it-doesn-t-comprehend-scientists-warn

See Also:
Worried about Earth’s future? Well, the outlook is worse than even scientists can grasp
https://theconversation.com/worried...s-worse-than-even-scientists-can-grasp-153091
 
Here are the bibliographic particulars and abstract of the published article to which the sources cited above refer.

Bradshaw Corey J. A., Ehrlich Paul R., Beattie Andrew, Ceballos Gerardo, Crist Eileen, Diamond Joan, Dirzo Rodolfo, Ehrlich Anne H., Harte John, Harte Mary Ellen, Pyke Graham, Raven Peter H., Ripple William J., Saltré Frédérik, Turnbull Christine, Wackernagel Mathis, Blumstein Daniel T.
Underestimating the Challenges of Avoiding a Ghastly Future
Frontiers in Conservation Science VOL. 1 (2021)
https://doi.org/10.3389/fcosc.2020.615419

ABSTRACT
We report three major and confronting environmental issues that have received little attention and require urgent action. First, we review the evidence that future environmental conditions will be far more dangerous than currently believed. The scale of the threats to the biosphere and all its lifeforms—including humanity—is in fact so great that it is difficult to grasp for even well-informed experts. Second, we ask what political or economic system, or leadership, is prepared to handle the predicted disasters, or even capable of such action. Third, this dire situation places an extraordinary responsibility on scientists to speak out candidly and accurately when engaging with government, business, and the public. We especially draw attention to the lack of appreciation of the enormous challenges to creating a sustainable future. The added stresses to human health, wealth, and well-being will perversely diminish our political capacity to mitigate the erosion of ecosystem services on which society depends. The science underlying these issues is strong, but awareness is weak. Without fully appreciating and broadcasting the scale of the problems and the enormity of the solutions required, society will fail to achieve even modest sustainability goals.

FULL ARTICLE: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcosc.2020.615419/full
 
The Guardian covered this as well.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/25/gaya-herrington-mit-study-the-limits-to-growth

"Herrington, a Dutch sustainability researcher and adviser to the Club of Rome, a Swiss thinktank, has made headlines in recent days after she authored a report that appeared to show a controversial 1970s study predicting the collapse of civilization was – apparently – right on time.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jul/24/america-heatwave-climate-crisis-heat-dome
Coming amid a cascade of alarming environmental events, from western US and Siberian wildfires to German floods and a report that suggests the Amazon rainforest may no longer be able to perform as a carbon sink, Herrington’s work predicted the collapse could come around 2040 if current trends held."
 
Here in Western Canada at the moment we have "unprecedented" drought conditions lasting over several weeks, and "unprecedented" forest fires, destroying entire small towns: while in Germany and Belgium they have "unprecedented" rainfall and flooding, again, ravaging entire towns: all on a background of a worldwide fever epidemic, restricting travel and straining hospital facilities, and, here in Canada, inhabitants of extended-care homes being essentially left to die.

At least open warfare seems to have calmed down a bit, Western forces being withdrawn from Afghanistan - with, to strike a wry note, several tons of German beer having to be repatriated . . . .
 
Today Chuck Schumer, Senate Majority Leader Democratic from NY, in a press conference proclaimed that the climate crisis will greatly overshadow the covid epidemic.

Chuck claimed the changing extreme weather will cause more pain and suffering than the now covid epidemic.
 
The Middle East is rapidly running out of water.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/22/midd...ate-water-shortage-iran-urmia-intl/index.html

"Some Middle Eastern countries, including Iran, Iraq and Jordan, are pumping huge amounts of water from the ground for irrigation as they seek to improve their food self-sufficiency, Charles Iceland, the global director of water at the World Resources Institute (WRI), told CNN. That's happening as they experience a decrease in rainfall.

"They're using more water than is available routinely through rain. And so groundwater levels are consequently falling because you're taking water out faster than it's being replenished by the rainfall," he said."
 
kamalktk said:
The Middle East is rapidly running out of water.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/22/midd...ate-water-shortage-iran-urmia-intl/index.html

"Some Middle Eastern countries, including Iran, Iraq and Jordan, are pumping huge amounts of water from the ground for irrigation as they seek to improve their food self-sufficiency, Charles Iceland, the global director of water at the World Resources Institute (WRI), told CNN. That's happening as they experience a decrease in rainfall.

"They're using more water than is available routinely through rain. And so groundwater levels are consequently falling because you're taking water out faster than it's being replenished by the rainfall," he said."
Click to expand...

If I may I'll reply on behalf of the climate change skeptics.

It's always been sandy in the middle east and where there's sand there's no water unless it's on a beach but a beach isn't a desert. They've ridden camels for ages and they get their water supplies from an oasis. You can find an oasis by looking out for palm trees. That's the trouble these days none of the desert kids what to ride camels anymore. Too busy playing on their Tiktoks.

Has anyone ever seen rain in the film Beau Geste? No, so nothing has changed, it's scaremongering by snowflakes that wouldn't last 5 minutes in a desert - literally.
 
kamalktk said:
The Middle East is rapidly running out of water.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/22/midd...ate-water-shortage-iran-urmia-intl/index.html

"Some Middle Eastern countries, including Iran, Iraq and Jordan, are pumping huge amounts of water from the ground for irrigation as they seek to improve their food self-sufficiency, Charles Iceland, the global director of water at the World Resources Institute (WRI), told CNN. That's happening as they experience a decrease in rainfall.

"They're using more water than is available routinely through rain. And so groundwater levels are consequently falling because you're taking water out faster than it's being replenished by the rainfall," he said."
Click to expand...
Similar situation in western US. They’ve got a drought going on as well.
 
You are right about the 800 pound gorilla that is bed with us.

The Colorado River supplies 40 million people with water, and it is down by 30%.

I hope not, but western states may fight each other for water.

Tennessee and Georgia have had years of arguments about the Tennessee River.

Georgia claims the surveyors were drunk in 1800, and these people drew the lines wrong !

Georgia claims the Tennessee River near Chattanooga, Tennessee belongs to Georgia and not to Tennessee.

The case has been in the courts for years.
 
kamalktk said:
The Middle East is rapidly running out of water.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/22/midd...ate-water-shortage-iran-urmia-intl/index.html

"Some Middle Eastern countries, including Iran, Iraq and Jordan, are pumping huge amounts of water from the ground for irrigation as they seek to improve their food self-sufficiency, Charles Iceland, the global director of water at the World Resources Institute (WRI), told CNN. That's happening as they experience a decrease in rainfall.
Click to expand...

Yes they have been largely arid for millenia, and @Naughty_Felid , but now with growing populations and refugee populations also suffering food shortages, the political effects of this can lead to conflict.

The Jordanian monarchy is teetering on the brink, and water shortages could well lead to a coup or an extremist insurrection.

Lebanon too is not stable; water shortages push it closer to being a failed state.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top