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Greenland ice sheet is close to a melting point of no return

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Re: Greenland ice sheet is close to a melting point of no return

#41

Post by driftless_zone »

neerd wrote: post #10

Does anyone have suggestions for how an individual can feel like they’re actually doing something. I already make donations to organizations that advocate for climate activism, vote at local and national level for candidates what support climate action, and in my own live I try to be conscious about the environment impacts or my lifestyle and purchases. Despite all that I still feel like I'm changing nothing. I still…

Made this account just to say: with regards to climate change, it's tough because your impact is largely limited to voting + "negative actions" such as flying or driving less, eating less meat, etc. Voting obviously doesn't happen often, and attempting to reduce your carbon footprint is awesome but imo not exactly morale-boosting.

That said, there are other related causes you can give time and effort to that have a direct positive impact, such as volunteering in ecological restoration in your free time. Protecting native biodiversity and restoring ecosystems— which are becoming every-more-threatened due to climate change, habitat fragmentation, and invasive species— is very rewarding work, and more accessible than most people realize. No prior experience or tools needed, just time and energy. You can search for "environmental volunteering" or "ecological volunteering" for wherever you live, and decent odds there are options for you to choose from.

Re: Greenland ice sheet is close to a melting point of no return

#42

Post by 0xbadcafebee »

neerd wrote: post #10

Does anyone have suggestions for how an individual can feel like they’re actually doing something. I already make donations to organizations that advocate for climate activism, vote at local and national level for candidates what support climate action, and in my own live I try to be conscious about the environment impacts or my lifestyle and purchases. Despite all that I still feel like I'm changing nothing. I still…

I work in climate change. I changed my job in order to do so. The pace of change feels glacial (badum-bum). The same can be said of politics, and everything else that involves way too many interests fighting over a very small set of resources. You will never not feel helpless.

Greta Thunberg probably felt helpless. But she turned that feeling into anger, and that anger into action. Henry Rollins said he stays angry, because he doesn't want to accept what's wrong with the world. (I don't think he has as positive an impact as Greta, though)

You, yourself, cannot fix the world's problems. Neither can Greta or Rollins. But if you really feel like you're not doing enough, then hold yourself accountable. List the things you do every day to affect change. Just write down what you're doing. Then when your inner voice says "What the hell are you doing about it?", answer it. If your inner voice says "That's not enough", then do more. Or don't! But be at peace with your decisions.

Re: Greenland ice sheet is close to a melting point of no return

#44

Post by RC_ITR »

imwithstoopid wrote: post #24
neerd wrote: post #10

Does anyone have suggestions for how an individual can feel like they’re actually doing something. I already make donations to organizations that advocate for climate activism, vote at local and national level for candidates what support climate action, and in my own live I try to be conscious about the environment impacts or my lifestyle and purchases. Despite all that I still feel like I'm changing nothing. I still…

live like its 1880 buy stuff as if the garbage man does not exist...in 1880 they didn't have trash removal buy one set of clothes you wear pretty much every day until they fall off of you buy a few tools that will last you forever no more disposable anything, remember the trash man doesn't exist wash clothes by hand cook everything yourself, even better grow your own food sorry no biking, rubber is an industrial proc…

>live like its 1880

>sorry no biking, rubber is an industrial process

Bicycles had rubber tires as early as 1870 and before that, rubber was widely available in the 18th Century.

If you're going to snark, at least snark correctly.

Re: Greenland ice sheet is close to a melting point of no return

#45

Post by gshubert17 »

The mass of the Greenland ice sheet is about 2.5 E15 tonnes. The average melt rate between 2003 and 2016 was about 2.5 E11 tonnes/year. At this rate it would take 10,000 years to melt completely.

But the melt rate is increasing with increasing average temperatures. Wikipedia quotes a melt of 5 E 11 tonnes in 2019. Perhaps the doubling time is about 10 years? At that rate it'd take about 5,000 years to melt away.

Five thousand years is a long time only if the melt rate remains the same. If the melt rate continues to double every decade, then 12 doublings increases the melt rate to 4000 * 5 E 11 = 2 E 15 tonnes/year. Then the Greenland ice cap could be gone in about 120 years.

Re: Greenland ice sheet is close to a melting point of no return

#46

Post by snozolli »

imwithstoopid wrote: post #24
neerd wrote: post #10

Does anyone have suggestions for how an individual can feel like they’re actually doing something. I already make donations to organizations that advocate for climate activism, vote at local and national level for candidates what support climate action, and in my own live I try to be conscious about the environment impacts or my lifestyle and purchases. Despite all that I still feel like I'm changing nothing. I still…

live like its 1880 buy stuff as if the garbage man does not exist...in 1880 they didn't have trash removal buy one set of clothes you wear pretty much every day until they fall off of you buy a few tools that will last you forever no more disposable anything, remember the trash man doesn't exist wash clothes by hand cook everything yourself, even better grow your own food sorry no biking, rubber is an industrial proc…

sorry no biking, rubber is an industrial process...you walk everywhere just like great grampa did

This is ridiculous. If petroleum were used solely to produce bicycle tires and things like seals for appliances, the world would be unimaginably 'greener'.

That entire list is just disingenuous, defeatist nonsense.

Re: Greenland ice sheet is close to a melting point of no return

#47

Post by awb »

imwithstoopid wrote: post #24
neerd wrote: post #10

Does anyone have suggestions for how an individual can feel like they’re actually doing something. I already make donations to organizations that advocate for climate activism, vote at local and national level for candidates what support climate action, and in my own live I try to be conscious about the environment impacts or my lifestyle and purchases. Despite all that I still feel like I'm changing nothing. I still…

live like its 1880 buy stuff as if the garbage man does not exist...in 1880 they didn't have trash removal buy one set of clothes you wear pretty much every day until they fall off of you buy a few tools that will last you forever no more disposable anything, remember the trash man doesn't exist wash clothes by hand cook everything yourself, even better grow your own food sorry no biking, rubber is an industrial proc…

> you'll never get a date living like this

There are plenty of people around the world that live like this and want to raise their family this way.

And lots of intentional living communities.

But location is everything.

Re: Greenland ice sheet is close to a melting point of no return

#48

Post by lofaszvanitt »

There are a lot of reporting going on about taking ice samples from these areas. What do those ice samples say about the last few thousands of years. How temperature fluctuated, can they estimate the ice sheet coverage for the last x thousand years and if so, what does it say? What if it melts, can it ever freeze again, creating the same block of ice as before?

Re: Greenland ice sheet is close to a melting point of no return

#49

Post by itronitron »

I am always confused as to why they don't include a graphic that shows how a melting glacier or ice shelf translates into worldwide ocean level rise. The common intuition is that Earth's oceans are vast so any amount of above sea level mass going into them isn't going to change sea level that much.

I haven't yet seen a graphic yet that explains the calculation, and I'm left cynically thinking that they are mistakenly using a Mercator projection when calculating the contribution for Greenland.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercator_projection#/media/Fil...

Re: Greenland ice sheet is close to a melting point of no return

#50

Post by la_fayette »

ryandrake wrote: post #11

Every time there's an article about climate change, it's always about how we're "close to the point of no return." It's felt like the Truck Almost Hitting The Pole GIF[1] for like 10 years now. Has anything actually gone past the point of no return? I'll almost be relieved when we're officially inevitably fucked... at least these "nearly there!" articles won't keep popping up. 1: https://tenor.com/view/truck-crash-te…

Funny GIF :)
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