[GWSG] Sea level rise remeasured; Planetary Boundaries; hopeless oil?

[Tilley, Al]

1.  A new study finds that sea level rise in the last century was 30% less than thought, but that the acceleration since 1990 was larger, which implies that projections must be raised to match the newly calculated rate of increase.  http://news.yahoo.com/study-sea-level-rise-accelerating-more-once-thought-181516361.html

2.  “Planetary Boundaries: Guiding Human Development on a Changing Planet” discusses five boundaries to a world similar to the one in which we developed—that is, a near-Holocene environment. The boundaries are not tipping points but warn of their approach.  The eighteen authors of the Science article focus on the core boundaries of climate change and biosphere integrity, discussing five regional boundaries with global implications.  The primary analyzed factor of the climate change boundary is radiative forcing; for biosphere integrity, two factors: the extinction rate and a Biosphere Intactness Index.  Other boundaries are discussed and proposed factors critiqued.  The goal is to update an approach first published in 2009 to provide quantified measures of planetary health.  We have already transgressed several planetary boundaries.  http://www.sciencemag.org/content/early/2015/01/14/science.1259855
The approach should be of great use in determining courses of action at a regional level.  The Guardian provides a good general discussion of the article and a related one.  http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jan/15/rate-of-environmental-degradation-puts-life-on-earth-at-risk-say-scientists   The Washington Post summary discussion is also worth reading.  http://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/scientists-human-activity-has-pushed-earth-beyond-four-of-nine-%e2%80%98planetary-boundaries%e2%80%99/ar-AA8ddtt?ocid=AARDHP  I would be glad to receive comments.  For a hostile treatment of the article, see Andrew Revkin’s New York Times story, which now includes a rebuttal by the Science authors, rendering it useful.  http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/01/15/can-humanitys-great-acceleration-be-managed-and-if-so-how/

3.   I have maintained a hope that over some lucky night big oil will decide their financial future lies with renewable energy and solve many of the world’s problems with a great shift of capital.  A British environmentalist with many years’ experience of working with BP and Shell says to put hopes elsewhere, at least for the near future.  The companies know what they do and they intend to keep doing it.  http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jan/15/it-is-impossible-todays-big-oil-companies-adapt-climate-change-jonathon-porritt
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