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Not With A Bang, But With A Burp
Trapped methane gases under the ocean threaten to rapidly speed up global warming if they’re released.
But by how much and how quickly?
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11 Responses to “Not With A Bang, But With A Burp”
Check out the Nova episode just broadcast on PBS about the balance between particulate pollution dimming the amount of sunlight reaching the Earth’s surface and greenhouse gases being produced that warm the system. This countervailing pollution might have reduced the effects of greenhouse gases by as much as half, helping lead to a misplaced complacency concerning warming. Unfortunately, it’s the particulate pollution we’re making headway on, therefore possibly doing a good thing for human health but a bad thing in accelerating global warming. They also mention the potential disaster of the release of methane from thawing methane hydrates. What is also another potential major source is methane trapped in frozen bogs in Siberia.
The advantages of democracy are pretty must self evident.
Unfortunately the down side tend to be pretty big also.
In this case, trying to get an apathetic, uneducated population, jaded by the MSM crisis of the week, to act on an issue usually requires a dead body in the middle of the room. Since global warming is going to require some major life style changes, multiple disasters with body count 10 times 9/11 will be required to get any action. A series of biblical disasters will have to occur before any substantial policy changes occur. (Note:I’m not advocating violence, just looking at past behavior and extrapolating forward).
It’s really kind of a shame since relatively easy solutions are available that would solve a number of other problems if implemented early (nuclear power, wind power, light rail systems for commuting, local food production, efficient homes, hybrid cars…..)
Bob – Just curious.
As you post your comments on requiring major lifestyle changes, I am assuming you are posting from your (electricity driven) computer via the (electricity driven) Internet.
I also assume that the computer (the manufacture and distrubution of which consumed massive amounts of electricity, fuel for the transportation of the parts and deliver to you or the store where it was purchased, and copious amounts of extremely toxic chemicals to create the electronic components [and this is even true for all the electronic equipment your IP packets touched to read the original article and post your reply]) is likely being used from your (electricity driven) climate-controlled house or office, the construction of which also consumed massive amounts of resources, in comparision to, say, the standards of a tribal bushman (all of whom live in perfect harmony with nature, and never overconsume local resources).
So my question for you is, as you berate the world for their lack of understanding and action, what major lifestyle changes are YOU doing, or are you simply part of the apathetic, uneducated population, jaded by the MSM crisis of the week?
Hey Austin, since you like to point a finger what lifestyle changes are YOU yourself making, or are you part of the apathetic, uneducated population, jaded by the corporate media crisis of the week?
Easy to point fingers isn’t it?
Now answer since you are so pious as to pontificate, and demand answers, your turn.
I never pointed fingers, nor made the post calling people apathetic and uneducated, etc. I was simply pointing out his hypocrisy.
I, for one, have no faith in the predictors of doom and gloom, whatever the current fashion may be. It is always the same story – we are the elite, the anointed, and we have realized a great truth. Everyone is going to die if they don’t follow our new path (or they are going to die, period). Then, new discoveries come along, or nothing comes to pass, or we realize that the initial data was flawed, and everyone conveniently forgets yesterday’s mantra, and long live another new crisis!
As for myself, I am old enough to have lived through the mass extinctions due to global famine, the population bomb, global winter, the exhaustion of the world’s oil reserves, our national malaise, nuclear Armageddon, cancer due to the ozone hole in Antarctica, death by butter, death by saturated fats, death by unsaturated fats, death by preservatives, etc., etc., etc.
What do I do? Very little, beyond trying not to waste purpose. That is something we all should do, because wanton, purposeful waste is immoral, by any rational definition. Beyond that, I enjoy those things that are available to me, and do not begrudge those who have more than I (and therefore consume more). It is their lives to live as they see fit.
So, I am not telling anyone how to live, nor predicting the future, nor pointing fingers at people for living the right way or the wrong way. I am just saying of you believe, live it, and don’t be a ‘hippy’crite.
But, I am so sick of people living the American standard of living telling me I need major life style changes; people who drive SUV’s, and getting chauffeured in limousines and flying in private jets telling me to conserve and save the ozone; people who pay a hundred dollars or more per person for their meals lecturing to me on world hunger; people who think Castro and Stalin are cultural role models lecturing me on human rights; people who believe we need to restrict speech for cultural sensitivity purposes and to avoid hurting feelings claiming we live in a fascist nation; people in free designer clothes lamenting the off-shoring of jobs and horror of child labor, and so on and so on.
Just for the record, my local utility allows me to purchase green power produced by solar and wind. It cost a little bit more but it does give me a warm fuzzy feeling. While the computer I’m using is a laptop with low power cpu, the light bulb above my head is a low wattage compact florescent and the climate control is turned off.
Also I have never been in a chauffeured limousines or a private jet.
Bob – I retract my statements, and innuendos, directed towards you.
The last paragraph of my previous post does a good job of outlining my frustrations with a good portion of those who want to tell me how to live (and I can and do give just of good of rants towards those on the right that want to tell me how my sexual morals, patriotism, privacy, religious beliefs, etc., should be based and lived as well).
However, that doesn’t mean I should jump to conclusions on any given individual.
Anyone who makes attempts to practice what they advocate, whether or not I agree with what they are selling, so to speak, has my admiration and respect.
My apologies.
BTW – IMHO, chauffeured limousines are vastly overrated, but private jets are not.
AustinRoth: I appreciate your retraction and accept the apology.
It’s not easy to try living a low impact lifestyle. I’ve done all the easy things (recycling, low flow shower heads, programmable thermostats, buying the highest efficiency appliances when the old ones wear out, compact fluorescents, green power…..). Now I’m working on the harder stuff (like heating and food production). I’ve been experimenting with permaculture for a number of years, (The backyard looks like an orchard) but it takes years for plants to mature and the hurricanes and crows keep destroying my harvest. You can net the trees to keep the birds off, but the hurricanes are a pain (not to mention really noisy).
Technically, if it’s methane then it isn’t a burp, but rather a release from the other end of the digestive system. Just sayin’.
A sudden simultaneous release of methane hydrates from the oceans would be catastrophic, just as a sudden simultaneous release of methane from the tundra would be catastrophic, but the likelihood of either happening is low or lower.
However, if we really want to get serious about cooling the planet, there are several things we can engineer which will have an immediate impact and be much cheaper than trying to reduce CO2 emissions. Increasing the earth’s albedo by painting roads and rooftops white would have an immediate effect, as would lauching a solar parasol into space. Either is cheaper and more effective than reducing CO2 emissions. If we really want to get rid of CO2 fast, salting the oceans with iron will do the trick nicely. So if it ever looks like we’re actually on the edge of catastrophe, there are lots of things we can do to cool the planet down real fast.
Brian, I agree with the albedo reduction idea. I think about it every time I see a nice new black asphalt parking lot. In addition a nice law precluding people like homeowners associations and suburban governments from making rules that prevent homeowners from doing things like solar panel roofs would be good. I know that I couldn’t do that or add small wind power turbines to my home with the current regs they have. Heck, it provoked a major debate a few years back when people proposed that 18 inch satellite dishes ought to be OK.
As far as the iron salting is concerned I’d like to see some more research. Some studies have shown that it might not be as effective as first experiments seemed to indicate.