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from the don't-care-I-live-in-amundsen-scott-base dept.
The research co-led by Drs. Christelle Not and Benoit Thibodeau from the Department of Earth Sciences and the Swire Institute of Marine Science, The University of Hong Kong, highlights a dramatic weakening of the circulation during the 20th century that is interpreted to be a direct consequence of global warming and associated melt of the Greenland Ice-Sheet. This is important for near-future climate as slower circulation in the North Atlantic can yield profound change on both the North American and European climate but also on the African and Asian summer monsoon rainfall. The findings were recently published in the prestigious journal Geophysical Research Letters.
[...] Interestingly, the research team also found a weak signal during a period called the Little Ice Age (a cold spell observed between about 1600 and 1850 AD). While not as pronounced as the 20th century trend, the signal might confirm that this period was also characterized by a weaker circulation in the North Atlantic, which implies a decrease in the transfer of heat toward Europe, contributing to the cold temperature of this period. However, more work is needed to validate this hypothesis.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-11/tuoh-oci112318.php
(Score: 2) by Arik on Monday December 03 2018, @06:45AM
"My point is that the US infrastructure (and now, US politics itself...) is creaky, badly-maintained, under-protected, and in places outright falling apart, yet is also absolutely vital, and there are dependencies and cross-relations *everywhere.*"
I'm thinking of someone who said: “We’re being taxed to blow up bridges in Iraq and rebuild them, while ours at home are falling down.” Remember who that was?
I'll disagree with your point but only a quibble. *Civilization* is not necessarily so fragile as you might be read to imply. Civilizations collapse but civilization continues. But yes, ours in 'the West' are particularly well positioned for collapse right now, and rising sea levels are one significant stressor that could cause it. But if we look at what we know of previous episodes historically, the climate change by itself wouldn't do the trick. In the late bronze age, for instance, you have the sea peoples, probably migrating as a result of climate change, probably facing civilizations significantly weakened by the same climate changes already, but you still needed that human element moving over the landscape looting and burning to bring on a full system collapse (and Egypt survives as a civilization, though her peers all go dark.)
In today's scenario, our refugees are not caused by climate change - at least not yet. They're being caused by our politics. It's as if the Peleset appeared in Egypt not because of climate change, but because the Egyptians themselves had burned their fields. Adding climate change on top of that situation has the potential to do tremendous damage.
"Civilian Conservation Corps"
Not enough profit in that for Raytheon.
"on the national level, the US has horrible karma."
We do, in an absolute sense, but to avoid depression we should keep in mind that we don't look so bad on a relative scale. All large nations, and many small ones, have some atrocious karma in the closet.
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?