“Breaking News!!!
“The global average sea surface temperature yesterday was 21.06°C (69.91°F), which sets a new record for the highest recorded global sea surface temperature in the modern era, beating the previous record of 21.05°C set April 1-5 of this year.”
https://twitter.com/EliotJacobson/status/1691102608646434816
“‘This isn’t normal,’ NASA says in announcing July as hottest month on record…
” July was the hottest month on record in 143 years, as Americans felt “the effects of the climate crisis,” scientists at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York announced Monday.” …”“Something has changed.”” [Last quote and graph from climatologist, Brian Brettschneider’s Twitter feed].
https://news.yahoo.com/isnt-normal-nasa-says-announcing-214621272.html
“Sometimes I can’t help myself and swear.
“Two months ago, I thought I’d do something ridiculous and plot the Super El Niño trend of 2015 forward for Sea Surface Temperatures, see dashed lines in red (2023) and green (2024).
“It turns out that we are largely running above that…”
https://twitter.com/LeonSimons8/status/1690754020711792640
“Global sea ice hit a record low anomaly yesterday at 4.04M km² below the 1981-2010 mean.
“That’s a deficit greater than the area of India and Pakistan put together of sea ice that isn’t there. The anomaly comes from 2.50M km² of Antarctic deficit and 1.54M km² of Arctic deficit.”
https://twitter.com/EliotJacobson/status/1690691250595467264
“‘Huge’ coral bleaching unfolding across the Americas prompts fears of global tragedy.
“Corals across several countries are bleaching and dying en masse from unprecedented levels of heat stress, prompting fears that an unfolding tragedy in Central America, North America and the Caribbean could become a global event.”
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/aug/11/coral-bleaching-central-america
“Experts closely watching B.C. seabirds as marine heat wave warms up Pacific Ocean.
“Scientists are keeping a close eye on B.C.’s seabird population as a marine heat wave in the Pacific Ocean is expected to cause a mass die-off. “We’ll probably see the effects of this sea surface warming in the next couple of months,” said Remi Torrenta, the B.C. project coordinator for Birds Canada, in an email Friday.”
“Harsh heat wave in the NW and Canadian British Columbia… Monthly records beaten (and more to come tomorrow)
“Oregon: 110 [43.3C] Portland Troutdale AP (short POR); 108 Portland; 107 Hillsboro… Washington: 108 Vancouver; 100 Quillayute… BC (Celsius): 40.7 Lillooet; 39.1 Pemberton.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1691251365547278338
“Yellowknife declares state of local emergency due to wildfires in Northwest Territories.
“The declaration was passed at an emergency council meeting Monday evening, and the city says in a tweet it will ensure the community “can exercise precautionary practices and acquire the equipment and resources needed to keep Yellowknife safe.””
“Recovery crews combing through charred homes and vehicles in Hawaii are likely to find 10 to 20 more victims per day, the governor has warned.
“The death toll from the fire now stands at 99, making it the deadliest US wildfire in more than a century.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-66470121
“Maui residents have criticized the federal response to devastating wildfires which have ruined parts of the Hawaiian island and claim that locals have been left to coordinate parts of the recovery themselves.
“Deliveries of supplies like medication have been held up by bureaucracy, while authorities have also failed to communicate with residents who have been displaced by the fire, it is claimed.”
“Gov. Greg Abbott declares wildfire disaster for three-fourths of Texas.
“The declaration was issued Friday as wildfires continue to spark across the state: The Texas A&M Forest Service, which monitors wildfire conditions, reports that at least 8,500 acres of Texas land have burned since Aug. 1.”
https://www.texastribune.org/2023/08/14/texas-wildfires-2023-governor-disaster-declaration/
“New Orleans reached 100F for the 4th consecutive day breaking the record of 3 days that was set August 5-7, 2023. It has also reached 100F 9 times this year (old record: 5 days, 1980).”
https://twitter.com/DonSuth89069583/status/1690849660712226816
“The Gulf of Mexico this week is the hottest it’s been at any point in any year on record by a wide margin.
“Weekly averaged Gulf sea surface temperatures have never broken 87°F but this week topped 88°F, an astonishing 1.4°C (2.6°F) above the 1991-2020 average.”
https://twitter.com/MichaelRLowry/status/1690757241576583169
“… the tiny Caribbean island of Saba (Dutch Caribbeans) couldn’t miss the heat party:
“On 10 August the Juancho Yrausquin Int. AP reached 33.5C [92.3F] which ties its highest temperature in history also set on 13 September 2019 and 9 September 2021.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1690507761816051713
“South America is living extremely warm anomalies with records falling from Guyana to Peru, Bolivia and Chile.
“Last one was Tarapoto, Peru which tied its monthly record of 37.8C [100F] from the 1963 drought year. A new harsh heat wave will push heat up to 40C in Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1690722494825553920
“A critical railway bridge in Norway has collapsed into a river after a storm caused widespread damage to infrastructure.
“The middle part of the Randklev Bridge in Ringebu, which is crossed by the Dovre line connecting Oslo and Trondheim, slid into the Lågen River on Monday morning.”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/aug/14/storm-hans-railway-bridge-collapses-in-southern-norway
“A healthy diet in the UK will be put at risk by climate breakdown as European droughts shrink fresh fruit and vegetable supplies, experts have said.
“Fresh produce from the Mediterranean, upon which the UK is reliant, will become more expensive and harder to obtain as extreme heat causes yields to reduce.”
“‘Completely out of whack’: Winter storms in August have destroyed half of this French farmer’s crops…
“‘We’ve never seen anything like it,’ says a French farmer… Weeks of rainy weather followed by storm Patricia in early August have destroyed crops in northern France. In the town of Sangatte, farmer Bertrand Baey has lost half of his oat crops to unseasonable weather.”
“300,000 residents left without reliable water sources as drought ravages southern France.
“As Europe continues to experience recording breaking heatwaves, southern France has been hit by severe drought… This week, over 300,000 commune inhabitants have had their water supplies disrupted. Some 67 communes are now receiving water by tanker and 18 by bottles.”
“Hotter summers in Alps melt stabilising permafrost.
“…permafrost is the glue that holds the Alpine peaks together. Up high, there is a surprising amount of ice bonding the mountainsides together — if you take this away, the stability of the mountains is hugely compromised. The number of high altitude rock falls has increased…”
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/hotter-summers-in-alps-melt-stabilising-permafrost-brd72f92b
“This is the terrifying moment a ‘tsunami of mud’ crashed through an Italian Alpine town, sending people fleeing for their lives.
“Dramatic video shows the churning river of mud forming a huge wave as it burst its banks and slammed into a street following heavy rain in the town of Bardonecchia, near Turin in the Val di Susa valley.”
“The record temperatures in Morocco will delay the tomato and early vegetable season.
“An absolute record temperature was registered in Morocco, on Friday 11th August at 1:33 PM, with 50.4 Celsius [122.7F] degrees recorded in the Souss Massa region… Growers are counting the damage and anticipate a major impact on the season.”
“Morocco: Authorities battle flames destroying forest cover.
“Firefighters and emergency crews are responding to a wildfire on the outskirts of Tangier that broke out late on Thursday 10 August in the Rmeilat forest. The blaze spread toward homes in the northwest of Tangier on Friday, 11 August.”
https://www.africanews.com/2023/08/13/morocco-authorities-battle-flames-destroying-forest-cover/
“Extreme heat wave in Turkey and Middle East – dozens records were smashed… More came today:
“TURKIYE: 47.6 [117.7F] Kilis; 46.8 Kahramanmaras; 41.4 Karaman; 41.1 Kayseri; 40.9 Konya; and dozens more… SYRIA: Hottest day on records at Aleppo and Hama near 47C! CYPRUS: 38.0 Prodromos all time high tied.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1691157981079937024
“Flights grounded at Ben-Gurion [Lod, Israel] as extreme heatwave causes delays…
“The Airports Authority stated that “due to the weather conditions and its effect on technical systems in the control units, and in order to maintain flight safety, it was decided to temporarily cancel the flights landing in the airport.” This may cause delays in landings and takeoffs.”
https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-754674
“Heatwave in Israeli jail: An ‘unbearable’ life for Palestinian prisoners…
“For Palestinian detainees, the hot season is itself a prison within a prison. Israel’s restrictive measures compound the woes of prisoners made to suffer through yearly heatwaves in prisons located in the desert or near hot, humid valleys that make life unbearable, the 51-year-old former detainee told Middle East Eye.”
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/heatwave-israel-palestine-jail-unbearable-life-prisoners
“Power cuts, heatwave disrupt lives of sick Gazans.
“A heatwave and worsening power cuts in Gaza have left some of those living in the overcrowded Palestinian enclave struggling to breathe. Ismail Nashwan, who suffers from pulmonary fibrosis, has had to shuttle between his home and hospital since temperatures rose over 38 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit)…”
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/power-cuts-heatwave-disrupt-lives-sick-gazans-2023-08-14/
“Jordan’s agriculture sector withers as heatwave continues.
“The unprecedented heatwave affecting Jordan has resulted in a “skyrocketing” electricity demand and an increase in water demand by 30 per cent, according to the Ministry of Water’s spokesperson, Omar Salameh. However, the agricultural sector suffers the worst consequences, according to the Jordan Valley Farmers Union.”
https://jordantimes.com/news/local/agriculture-sector-withers-heatwave-continues
“Punishing Heatwave Bakes Iraqis in Baghdad This Summer.
“Iraqis in Baghdad are baking in brutal heat as a scorching heatwave regularly pushes the temperature above 50 degrees Celsius during the day. Baghdad resident Mohammed Saddam said he was struggling to cope with the hot weather while out shopping, speaking as he wiped the sweat off his face.”
https://www.voanews.com/a/punishing-heatwave-bakes-iraqis-in-baghdad-this-summer-/7223107.html
“‘No more water’: Iraq drought claims lakeside resort.
“Habbaniyah: Iraqi merchant Mohamed has never seen such a grim tourist season: years of drought have shrunken the majestic Lake Habbaniyah, keeping away the holidaymakers who once flocked there during summer.”
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2354956/middle-east
“Dozens dead as floods, landslides hit India’s Himalayan region.
“Heavy monsoon rains have triggered floods and landslides in India’s Himalayan region, killing at least 41 people and trapping many others. Days of downpours have washed away vehicles, demolished buildings and destroyed bridges…”
“At least 55 people have been killed and more than a million affected by two weeks of torrential rains causing floods and landslides in southeast Bangladesh, officials said Sunday…
“The rainfall is hard to forecast and varies considerably but scientists say climate change is making the monsoon stronger and more erratic…”
https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/55-killed-in-bangladesh-floods-in-august-625066
“A mudslide in China’s north-western city of Xi’an has killed 21 people, with six still missing, officials said on Sunday.
“The city’s emergency management authority released an update on the number of casualties from Friday’s disaster as China grappled with unusually high summer rainfall.”
“The data of Beijing Xiayunling National Station finally recovered after 10 days of interruption.
“The rainfall in 4 days was 771mm [30.3 inches], exceeding the local annual average precipitation (610mm).”
https://twitter.com/yangyubin1998/status/1691090392072990721
“Global rice markets could come under further strain as the world’s leading rice producer China grapples with heavy rain and flood risks.
““Heavy rain in China’s grain-producing north-eastern region that will reduce yields is likely to put upward pressure on already high global rice prices,” Fitch Ratings said in a recent report.”
“Tornado kills 2, injures 15 in E China’s Jiangsu.
“A tornado killed two people and injured 15 others after hitting Yancheng City in Jiangsu Province on Sunday. Triggered by strong convection weather, the tornado was rated EF2 by experts…”
“Russia Evacuates 2,000 in Far East Over Floods.
“”More than 2,000 people, including 405 children, have been evacuated in Primorye,” the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry said on Telegram. The ministry said nearly 5,000 buildings had been flooded in the Primorye region, which borders China and North Korea.”
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/08/13/russia-evacuates-2000-in-far-east-over-floods-a82133
“Typhoon Lan is projected to hit the Kii Peninsula by Tuesday morning before moving through the Osaka-Kyoto area. It’ll be this year’s 1st typhoon to make landfall on mainland Japan.
“Its moisture resulted in a record-breaking 576mm (23inches) of rain in N. Japan’s Iwate in 24hrs.”
https://twitter.com/sayakasofiamori/status/1691031240516993024
“Japan is grippled with intense and humid heat up to 40C [104F]… More records are falling in this endless heat wave; main ones were:
“All time highs: 38.8 [101.8F] Kashiwazaki; 37.6 Yasuzuka… Monthly: 36.6C Fuji; 36.9C Miki… The heat wave will go on with no end in sight to it.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1691011847258783744
“A couple of records of low temperatures among so many heat records. In Myanmar two monthly records low for August fell:
“20.0C Theinzayet; 16.5C [61.7F] Kawkareik… Theinzayet had already broken the July record low with 18.5C.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1690268128742416384
“Extreme Australian bushfires pose serious threat to global climate, scientists warn.
“In an article published in Science, researchers from University of New South Wales Canberra and The University of Tasmania have highlighted the global impacts of the Black Summer fires and detailed lessons learned, while emphasizing the urgent need for the global community to better respond to extreme fires.”
https://phys.org/news/2023-08-extreme-australian-bushfires-pose-threat.html
“Another record in the Oceanic territory of Wallis and Futuna: 32.4C [90.3F] set early last week in the Futuna Airport broke the monthly record of 32.3C set in 2019.
“So far this month, nearly half of the world countries and territories broke at least one record of high temperature.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1691004229001842689
“I was there as the world’s widest glacier [Thwaites] collapsed…
“Thwaites alone contains more than two feet of potential sea-level rise, and were it to wholly disintegrate, it could destabilize much of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, causing global sea levels to jump 10 feet or more. Ten feet would devastate big chunks of New York and Jakarta, Mumbai and Boston, and heaps of smaller, equally important places.”
“Rising methane could be a sign that Earth’s climate is part-way through a ‘termination-level transition’…
“Methane is both a driver and a messenger of climate change. We don’t know why it is now rising so rapidly, but the pattern of growth since late 2006 resembles how methane behaved during great flips in Earth’s climate in the distant past.”
“Young environmental activists prevail in first-of-its-kind climate change trial in Montana…
“Young environmental activists scored what experts described as a ground-breaking legal victory Monday when a Montana judge said state agencies were violating their constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment by allowing fossil fuel development.”
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/judge-sides-young-activists-kind-climate-change-trial-102257984
You can read the previous “Climate” thread here. I’ll be back tomorrow with an “Economic” thread.
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Rain, or someone who isnt busy preparing for an epic woman world cup match , is it true that the great barrier is recovering ?
I read somewhere last week UNESCO took it off endangered lists but that doesn’t compute with 1. My last dive there back in 2017 , the reef was looking horrible allround and 2. All the reefs anywhere else in the world seem to be degrading post 2017
So how can that be. Perhaps someone knows
Hi Harmon, just like the polar bears on the arctic, that great barrier riff is one of the two subjects that are grist for the mill of both alarmists and climate sceptics. It is and endless dossier of various studies that ‘everyone’ is beating the other with. I stopped thinking ‘anything’ about it a long time ago. Beautiful area though and indeed you can dive beautifully. 🙂
The sea water seems to have been cooler during ‘la nina’. You can read it all at leisure in this link. What is true of the coral reefs in Australia is not true of the coral reefs near Marseille in the Mediterranean. Those are on! But then again, that sea is warming up like crazy. Hence the droughts here in the montagne Ardeche. Good luck with your modern version of Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage 🙂
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/aug/09/recovery-of-great-barrier-reef-stalls-as-scientists-point-to-bleaching-disease-and-starfish-attacks
Yeah I thought so, lots of back and forth for years now . Thanks . Perhaps Rain knows the latest. After the Matildas play , of course . :d
But like I said , spoke to many people In cairns in 2017 , they really weren’t very optimistic .. at all. So yeah..
Hi Pan, about the ‘French links’.
1. The barley farmer who is mentioned is an exception, I think. He does grow on a very special piece of land right on the coast. Moreover, it is a northern area (Brittany and Normandy) where they harvest late. More south in the big cereal areas, everything was already off the land. As he says maybe I should grow something else 🙂 Overall, it seems to be an average harvest year. I was actually a bit disappointed, because only a month ago ‘they’ were expecting above-average yields. But prices are good because of the crises elsewhere.
2. Regarding the water crisis in the south.
The article is very premature in its alarmism, especially in terms of numbers. What is true is that the daily maps showing river levels and droughts and restrictive measures being taken are getting ‘redder’.
Add to this the fact that we are heading for a serious heatwave this weekend with temperatures up to 40 degrees with a strong southerly wind and that the first serious forest fires with ‘clearances’ have now taken place that next week may well see a rapid deterioration in conditions.
We ourselves haven’t had a drop of rain for over five weeks and the farmer opposite brings his cattle in at 4 o’clock in the afternoon because there is no food on the parched land anyway. He is already feeding them his ‘winter stock’ which is very early for the time of year. The beech and oak forests across the valley are now throwing off their leaves, it looks like autumn. That too is very early for the time of year. Well at least the figures are as bad as last year, which was really a disaster year then. But that fell earlier in the season.
The French news gathering is always sparing with ‘climate reports’ that can spoil holiday enjoyment during the holiday season. Everything gets a bit ‘downplayed’ because money has to be made. Tourism accounts for about 60 billion after all! After Spain, the most popular holiday destination worldwide. In a fortnight, everyone will be ‘home’ again when Macron will come up with new eco and water plans to fight climate disasters with measures that don’t mean anything anyway. I am already looking forward to it. 🙂
https://www.terre-net.fr/ble/article/842370/agreste-livre-ses-estimations-de-rendements-en-ble-tendre-par-departement
Thank you for the local intel, Zip. Re the situation in northern France, I assume it is similar to that in the UK, parts of which (including mine) have had their wettest July on record:
“The unseasonably wet weather is causing problems for this year’s harvest, experts have said, with wheat, barley and hay crops affected.”
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/aug/07/unseasonably-wet-weather-harvest-uk-farmers-wheat-barley-hay
““Young environmental activists prevail in first-of-its-kind climate change trial in Montana…”
They won! But that isn’t the punch line. The real joke is that the ruling is unenforceble.
“However, it’s up to the Montana Legislature to determine how to bring the state’s policies into compliance. That leaves slim chances for prompt changes in a fossil fuel-friendly state where Republicans dominate the statehouse.”
I’m afraid we can’t legislate against what is coming down the pipe. Those poor young people. 😔
https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2023/08/july-2023-earths-hottest-month-on-record/
Great Barrier Reef health. I have lived in BC for most of my life and half of that was rural. I do not need any scientists to tell me that large swaths of the forests are dying or dead because I can see it with my eyes and know what it looks like when healthy or healthier. I know what a forest that’s been devastated by Pine beetles looks like, in spite of the fact I do not have a degree in forest ecology or similar. I’m not a diver. Does an experienced diver, who has dived a reef over decades need to be told that’s it been bleached to shit or damaged otherwise?
Here’s a paper from 1 year ago many missed
Climate Endgame: Exploring catastrophic climate change scenarios
“Abstract
Prudent risk management requires consideration of bad-to-worst-case scenarios. Yet, for climate change, such potential futures are poorly understood. Could anthropogenic climate change result in worldwide societal collapse or even eventual human extinction? At present, this is a dangerously underexplored topic. Yet there are ample reasons to suspect that climate change could result in a global catastrophe. Analyzing the mechanisms for these extreme consequences could help galvanize action, improve resilience, and inform policy, including emergency responses. We outline current knowledge about the likelihood of extreme climate change, discuss why understanding bad-to-worst cases is vital, articulate reasons for concern about catastrophic outcomes, define key terms, and put forward a research agenda. The proposed agenda covers four main questions: 1) What is the potential for climate change to drive mass extinction events? 2) What are the mechanisms that could result in human mass mortality and morbidity? 3) What are human societies’ vulnerabilities to climate-triggered risk cascades, such as from conflict, political instability, and systemic financial risk? 4) How can these multiple strands of evidence—together with other global dangers—be usefully synthesized into an “integrated catastrophe assessment”? It is time for the scientific community to grapple with the challenge of better understanding catastrophic climate change.”
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2108146119
The paper is paywalled. For those who are rich then I guess it’s no problem. If y’all are a mere mortal like me then you will find this free, legal App, below, that gives you access to almost 50 million peer reviewed papers.
Unpaywall
An open database of 47,946,323 free scholarly articles.
We harvest Open Access content from over 50,000 publishers and repositories, and make it easy to find, track, and use.
https://unpaywall.org/
I’ve tried a couple apps to get around media paywalls, but they were shit. Any suggestions will be appreciated.
Let’s wait until it’s too late & then do nothing. 😉
Didn’t read any of the links yet. All I need to know is: Did any of the writers of any of these links take responsibility for being part of destroying the habitat with their “fucking” offspring? There is no need, they will pay the price. I don’t suffer others’ ignorant irresponsibility lightly.
The greatest truth ever spoken in 1:17 minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=An8nMykc-Rk
Harmon, official latest GBR news,
UNESCO World Heritage stops short of listing it as “in danger” but it remains “under serious threat” (again)
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-01/unesco-great-barrier-reef-world-heritage-listing-recommendation/102594476
It became quite political for a time, govts want to play it down and present an attitude of “we are working on it” and “making progress” with “promising research” etc because of tourism.
Our 3rd largest industry (behind mining and agriculture)
Unofficially, a friend of mine at the Uni in Townsville says it remains patchy, being such a large reef system, some areas are worse than others, (the northern third is worst where the marine heatwaves tend to more severe), and there are signs of breaks in the continuity between individual reefs, and parts of it have been closed to tourism. He is most concerned about the fish, crabs etc. They have started propagating some species on-shore to try and replenish wild stocks. Meanwhile the battle with the Crown of Thorns starfish continues.. like cockroaches, something always survives adverse conditions.
Also, there is some “promising research” in the labs on microbiota, finding strains that help the coral resist heat stress and improve recovery rates in the labs. Kind of a probiotics for coral. Time will tell I guess.
As for the girl-footy, I wasnt reallly paying attention not being all that sporty, just on the day I was running errands around town and crowds wearing green-and-gold scarves and beanies.. streamers on the cars etc. Car radio wouldnt stop talking about it…
Get home, turn on the TV for the news.. politicians and other VIPs all chattering, and the excitement of the humungous crowds gathering in the big cities … bigger than New Years Eve!?!
I finally got the message LOL. The whole country is VERY excited..
First time ever we made it to the finals in a World Cup series…. win or lose… its still a big deal I guess 🙂
I only caught the last 20 minutes or so but yes was an exciting fast and unusually high-scoring game against France. The semi-final against England is on Wed.
That’s adorable Rain , ozzies my favoruite country in the whole world finally appreciating the kicky ball euro sport ! I can have my pick each year between my one half , 4 times weltmeister, or the tragic threeesome of lost Dutch finales , or even the legendary battles between my both home countries, so I keep to the mens edition , that’s complicated enough for me. The Oranje ladies faired better than the frauen Nmschaft this time
Regarding the Barrier puzzle.. your findings concur somewhat with my experiences in beautiful and relaxing Cairns , where I was explained the stress of being a diving operator , some leases of sea patches were bleaching back then while others were still touristy viable
The Cairns reef industry was one giant example of Hardins Tragedy of the commons if you ask me . Patches of sea , used car salesman fights over boat licenses .. farcry from the still very wild Arnemland WA and Tazzy
O, how I miss my Tasmania , New Holland
Paper b Bill Rees released today
The Human Ecology of Overshoot: Why a Major ‘Population Correction’ Is Inevitable
”
Abstract
Homo sapiens has evolved to reproduce exponentially, expand geographically, and consume all available resources. For most of humanity’s evolutionary history, such expansionist tendencies have been countered by negative feedback. However, the scientific revolution and the use of fossil fuels reduced many forms of negative feedback, enabling us to realize our full potential for exponential growth. This natural capacity is being reinforced by growth-oriented neoliberal economics—nurture complements nature. Problem: the human enterprise is a ‘dissipative structure’ and sub-system of the ecosphere—it can grow and maintain itself only by consuming and dissipating available energy and resources extracted from its host system, the ecosphere, and discharging waste back into its host. The population increase from one to eight billion, and >100-fold expansion of real GWP in just two centuries on a finite planet, has thus propelled modern techno-industrial society into a state of advanced overshoot. We are consuming and polluting the biophysical basis of our own existence. Climate change is the best-known symptom of overshoot, but mainstream ‘solutions’ will actually accelerate climate disruption and worsen overshoot. Humanity is exhibiting the characteristic dynamics of a one-off population boom–bust cycle. The global economy will inevitably contract and humanity will suffer a major population ‘correction’ in this century.”
https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4060/4/3/32
Thank you, FamousDrScanlon. This mirrors my lead article in today’s economic thread.