Climate Letter #1586

David Roberts describes the difficulties involved in reaching a target of 1.5C (Vox).  This is well worth reading, in part because he has many thoughts or ideas that go well beyond the technical difficulties that are highlighted in the animated graphic at the beginning.  At the very end he makes some comments about the role of empathy that I thought were quite accurate.  Empathy is something that people “feel,” to a greater or lesser degree, directed toward the suffering of other beings, mainly humans but certainly many animals as well.  Humans who are close to home probably are greater receivers than those who live far away.  And how about humans, both related and unrelated, who live far away in time and may not yet even exist—in other words, posterity?  How deeply does one have actual feelings for the future suffering of the real or indeed the imaginary beings who constitute posterity?  If empathy is lacking, how else can you motivate actions that seem largely to be performed on their behalf?

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David Wallace-Wells gives us his thoughts about the situation in Australia (New York Magazine).  David is well known and often criticized for his writings about the darkest and scariest side of climate change.  The Australian bushfires are exactly the sort of thing he has been talking about in terms of reaching a new extreme well beyond all previous events of similar character.  He brings up questions about empathy that David Roberts made reference to in the above story, that would be even more applicable to other extreme situations around the world that are on a smaller scale and get much less media attention, if any.
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An award-winning climate scientist is terrified by disastrous events that surpass the predictions of science (The Guardian).  “As a climate scientist, the thing that really terrifies me is that weather conditions considered extreme by today’s standards will seem sedate in the future. What’s unfolding right now is really just a taste of the new normal.”  Dr. Gergis will be a lead author of the next major IPCC report that is due out next year.  Previous IPCC reports have been known for their conservatism in making predictions, a fact often considered undue by leading scientists who are doing new research in the field.  The next report might be expected to have stronger language.  “There genuinely is no more time to waste. We must act as though our home is on fire – because it is.”
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A description of toxic algae blooms and the reasons why we should worry about them (The Guardian).  This story covers the problem in considerable depth.  It is especially troublesome in waters in and around the US, and also the Baltic Sea region, where methods deemed necessary for agricultural success are in conflict with the rising temperatures of climate change.  Milder winters and increased rainfall are pushing more nutrients into the sea, where they are acted upon by higher surface water temperatures—all three of these being in place as results of a warmer climate.
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There was some exciting news of a positive sort from Australia this weekend (Monash University – Melbourne).  “Monash University researchers are on the brink of commercialising the world’s most efficient lithium-sulphur (Li-S) battery, which could outperform current market leaders by more than four times, and power Australia and other global markets well into the future…..has better performance and less environmental impact than current lithium-ion products…..has better performance and less environmental impact than current lithium-ion products…..This approach not only favours high performance metrics and long cycle life, but is also simple and extremely low-cost to manufacture.”  This information comes from good sources and sounds quite promising.
Carl

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