[GWSG] Pic w/permafrost; C bubble pops?; two crises; and more coming; Denman unstable; a viral message

[Tilley, Al]

1. In the past the carbon emissions of melting Arctic permafrost were ignored in climate projections. The IPCC still does not include emissions from abrupt thaw. Now we are learning enough to include Arctic permafrost in our understanding, and the emerging picture demands quicker and more effective action on our part. https://news.mongabay.com/2020/03/arctic-permafrost-moving-toward-crisis-abrupt-thaw-a-growing-risk-studies/



2. Is the carbon bubble popping, or is that just the sound of small fracking operations going bust? The recent oil market and moves by the industry can be read to mean that oil is going the way of coal. Mark Carney, former Governor of the Bank of England, warns in a brief video (apparently from 2016) that climate change is a tragedy of the horizon—if we wait to be forced to act, it will be too late. Perhaps the general point is that we need to move against the fossil fuel industry and cannot wait until it is dispatched by market forces.  https://climatecrocks.com/2020/03/23/is-the-carbon-bubble-popping/



3. It is possible to use the current economic crisis to serve the energy transition. https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2020/03/22/they-race-boost-economy-lawmakers-encounter-push-greener-stimulus/?utm_campaign=Carbon%20Brief%20Daily%20Briefing&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Revue%20newsletter

Democrats have tried to implement climate-friendly moves in the current stimulus package—for example, limiting emissions from air travel. Republicans treated that one as merely ideological and outrageous. But the climate crisis will not wait until we deal with the corona virus. We must do both simultaneously.



4. Covid-19 may put us in a frame of mind to understand the other crises we face—for example, the compromised food supply at 3-4C of heat. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/25/covid-19-is-natures-wake-up-call-to-complacent-civilisation



5. Denman Glacier is bedded two miles below sea level; its grounding line has retreated 3 miles in the last 20 years. Denman is the most vulnerable glacier  in the East Antarctic. It holds enough water to raise sea levels 5 feet. Scientists have no clear projection about how quickly that is likely to happen.  https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2020/03/23/denman-glacier-climate-change/



6. The UN environment chief considers covid-19 to be a clear signal of danger from the natural world. To take care of nature is to take care of ourselves. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/25/coronavirus-nature-is-sending-us-a-message-says-un-environment-chief

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