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Arctic          Abrupt climate event          Coral Destruction       World's Garden

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A record loss of sea ice in the Arctic summer 2005 has convinced scientists that the northern hemisphere may have crossed a critical threshold beyond which the climate may never recover. Scientists fear that the Arctic has now entered an irreversible phase of warming which will accelerate the loss of the polar sea ice that has helped to keep the climate stable for thousands of years. Dr Serreze: "This will be four Septembers in a row that we've seen a downward trend.  The feeling is we are reaching a tipping point or threshold beyond which sea ice will not recover." Professor Wadhams: "As the sea ice melts, and more of the sun's energy is absorbed by the exposed ocean, a positive feedback is created leading to the loss of yet more ice." "If anything we may be underestimating the dangers.  The computer models may not take into account collaborative positive feedback." "Sea ice keeps a cap on frigid water, keeping it cold and protecting it from heating up." "Losing the sea ice of the Arctic is likely to have major repercussions for the climate." "There could be dramatic changes to the climate of the northern region due to the creation of a vast expanse of open water where there was once effectively land." "You're essentially changing land into ocean and the creation of a huge area of open ocean where there was once land will have a very big impact on other climate parameters."       Global warming point of no return

See also: Greenhouse gas levels

Arctic Borderlands Ecological Knowledge Co-op Greenhouse Gas Emissions Worldwide What is happening? The use of fossil fuels in transportation, industry, heating and power generation throughout the world has increased steadily over the past 40 years. This has resulted in increases in greenhouse gas emissions, shown here as carbon dioxide levels (the bars on the chart). Why is it happening? Greenhouse gas emissions have increased at the same rate as the overall world economic production, measured by the Gross World Product (GWP - the red triangles on the chart). The GWP reflects the increase in worldwide industrialization and human population levels. Why is it important? Greenhouse gases trap the sun's heat at the earth's surface, resulting in increases in temperature and other changes in weather patterns. Carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, occurs naturally, and the greenhouse effect it produces is necessary for life on earth. However, the steady increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is now having an effect on the world's climate, and this effect is expected to increase. Technical Notes This graph is adapted from the Environment Canada website. Bars represent estimated total world emissions of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels.

Big melt warning for Arctic               Area covered by sea ice in Arctic shrunk for fourth consecutive year              Thermohaline shutdown inevitable                  CO2 record high levels in the atmosphere                 Highest for 650,000 years                 Climate fear as carbon levels soar                   2005 hottest year on record,                  2004 4th hottest,                 2003 3rd hottest,                 2001-2002 tied for 2nd.                   Click for abrupt climate change and thermohaline circulation shutdown                — includes Pentagon report                 For Arctic and Antarctic information                 Global weather, environment and climate change                 Has the Age of Chaos Begun?               Why did you cut down the trees Grandma?               State of the World's Garden                  Soot's effect on ice melt and glaciers                     Melting glaciers Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Himalayas, Kilimanjaro...                   The Time to Act Is Now — Al Gore                 Amazon destruction speeds up                 Worsening drought in the Amazon basin                  Deforestation underestimated by at least 60%                 Great Barrier Reef coral will die, Australia study                 — rising sea temperature killing Great Barrier Reef.               Global warming point of no return                Siberia, Alaska                 Dramatic permafrost melt — click here                Clock ticking for Indonesian rainforest!!                 "I will not ask my people to stop the logging.                 I will tell them to carry on.                 As long as these companies are getting our wood,                 then why should we stop?"                 Ford destroy environment cars                 80% of coral reefs destroyed in Caribbean               Philippine destruction by logging and global warming — Personal tragedies, shattered dreams             More on abrupt climate change                Norway to kill its wolves                Pollution linked to rainfall and drought                 Shell oil chief has fears for the planet                 Camisea natural gas project                 United Nations report says large areas of planet drying up                 For Arctic and Antarctic information, and how ozone is produced                 Paw Prints Disappearing for Siberia's Amur Leopard Tiger                Europe's energy use still rising                Increased biomass helps clean carbon dioxide from the air                 Environment havoc in 2003 cost $60,000,000,000.00                 Rising sea temperature killing Great Barrier Reef                 Rumi                 Grief and Horror

For archive purposes, this article is being stored on TheWE.cc website. The purpose is to advance understandings of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues.

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