[GWSG] Two wars at once; oceans heating; Arctic thawing; methane rising; fires kindling; Hydrostor

[Tilley, Al]

1. It might seem that we should attend to the climate and then turn to dealing with protofascists in the US, for if we don’t solve the climate the politics won’t matter, and if we solve the climate we will have bought time to deal with our reactionaries. However, if we ignore the current attack on democracy we are quite likely to lose our chance to cope with the climate crisis. It seems we must cope with both now.  https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/10/democracy-big-lie-climate-crisis



2. A comprehensive study shows that the oceans continued a clear, consistent pattern of heating. The heat will power storms, cause sea levels to rise as the water expands, and increase stratification of the oceans. Ocean life forms will suffer, and so will we.  https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/climate-change/record-ocean-warming-in-2021-coastal-communities-should-be-on-alert-study-81089



3. As the Arctic thaws, roads will buckle, buildings fall, and carbon rise into the air. https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/01/11/permafrost-melting-arctic/?utm_campaign=Carbon%20Brief%20Daily%20Briefing&utm_content=20220112&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Revue%20Daily

The Sierra magazine recounts that melting permafrost in the Arctic is disrupting lives beyond the government’s ability to respond. https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/2021-6-winter/feature/big-thaw-alaska



4. As Arctic permafrost thaws it releases methane. We will need a mammoth carbon capture and sequestration program to keep up with the pace of emissions now being set. The good news is that the sudden release of methane in an explosively positive feedback (more methane, more heat, more methane, etc.) is thought unlikely. On the other hand, IPCC models have not captured the volumes of gas expected to be released. The article is particularly interested in the Russian experiences of the great thaw  https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/01/17/the-great-siberian-thaw?utm_source=nl&utm_brand=tny&utm_mailing=TNY_Magazine_Daily_011022&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_medium=email&bxid=5be9cafe24c17c6adf39e724&cndid=18164692&hasha=8c547d53af6ff6fc7d49cb8612c07102&hashb=e0cd75d11efd01a0b77ab9e6aebc9acfab41dac0&hashc=fe17c36079354ec46082a9a7c8fc19c8d3b811c991613e650512e53c322cb659&esrc=auto_auth_de&utm_term=TNY_Daily



5. Six articles in the current issue of Nature detail the dangers of melting permafrost. Add increased fires to your list along with endangered infrastructure and methane release. https://phys.org/news/2022-01-climate-permafrost-triple-threat.html

While causing nightmare elsewhere, the slowing of the AMOC could delay the melting of the Arctic.



6. Hydrostor is contracting to store grid-scale energy through air compressed in sunken shafts. The technology is relatively simple and the location is relatively flexible. https://climatecrocks.com/2022/01/12/energy-storage-not-just-lithium-anymore/

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