I recently heard a great twist on an old saying: "Those who learn from history are destined to sit back and watch all of us repeat it." We have yet to learn from the Law of Unintended Consequences, and instead maintain unreasonable confidence in our own genius.
A century later, the expensive lesson of reversing the Chicago River
"$18 billion sounds like a lot of money, an especially huge amount for a deadlocked federal government to put aside for what on the surface sounds like an environmentalist’s pet project. But an accounting of both the costs and benefits, as well as the history of what’s already been put into this project, makes a compelling case for figuring out a real solution to the problem."
To tackle inequality, the first priority is to fight climate change
"...the divide between environmental and social is mostly artificial, and that's especially true with climate change. Our changing planet is the ultimate social issue, since those with the fewest resources are least able to adapt."
Could we have foreseen that releasing carbon into the atmosphere would raise temperatures? Maybe. Could we have predicted that rising temperatures would have melted thousands of years of built up sea ice? Likely not.
Are we salivating at the economic benefits that come from this? Absolutely.
Do we really grasp the costs that come with those benefits? I doubt it.
Arctic passage opens challenges for US military
"As the ice surrounding the North Pole retreats, officials say, commercial shippers will be able to eventually move goods faster between Asia and Europe. More open seas will also give energy companies greater access to offshore oil and gas in regions controlled by the U.S. and estimated by military officials to be worth $1 trillion."
Arctic sea ice gaps drive toxic mercury conveyor belt
"The gaps, which come as the region shifts from perennial ice to thinner seasonal ice due to climate change, drive convection currents in the lower atmosphere that cycle mercury and ozone from higher levels toward Earth’s surface, where oxidation converts the mercury into a more toxic form, according to the study published online Wednesday in the journal Nature."
We need look no further than our continued, and expanding, reliance on a finite resource, and the "sigh of relief" that comes from the latest (and even more damaging) method to extend our addiction. Peeling back the euphoria, we see that our future is far from certain...and that it will cost us even more than we think.
Big oil gambles and we all lose
"The decline rates of all conventional crude-oil fields producing today are spectacular; the International Energy Agency projects output falling from 69 million barrels per day (bpd) today to just 28 million bpd in 2035. Current total global production of all types of oil is some 91 million bpd."
Four states confirm water pollution from drilling
"The Associated Press requested data on drilling-related complaints in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and Texas and found major differences in how the states report such problems. Texas provided the most detail, while the other states provided only general outlines. And while the confirmed problems represent only a tiny portion of the thousands of oil and gas wells drilled each year in the U.S., the lack of detail in some state reports could help fuel public confusion and mistrust."
There are some glimmers of hope that the economic engines that have driven our push to pursue damaging practices might shift toward opportunities to improve quality of life for all, not just some.
Wall Street giant backs away from Washington coal export project
"New York-based Goldman Sachs has sold its stock back to the companies proposing to build the Gateway Pacific Terminal. If built it would transfer 48 million tons of Wyoming coal each year from trains to ocean-going vessels bound for Asia."
Time for investors to move out of high carbon assets, says UN official
"'The pensions, life insurances and nest eggs of billions of ordinary people depend on the long-term security and stability of institutional investment funds. Climate change increasingly poses one of the biggest long-term threats to those investments and the wealth of the global economy,' said Ms. Figueres, the Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)."
Even more hopefully, our realization that our genius within, and not instead, of nature's genius might provide the surest path to sustained quality of life.
Why some mushrooms may be magic for climate change
"They found that soils dominated by ecto- and ericoid mycorrhizal (EEM) fungi contain as much as 70% more carbon than soils dominated by arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. That’s because the EEM fungi produce more nitrogen-degrading enzymes, which allows them to extract more nitrogen from the soil."
Just add compost: How to turn your grassland ranch into a carbon sink
"The grasses were drawing carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and transforming it into sugars, which the cows were transforming into meat: An alchemical conversion of air into brisket. If that was possible, why couldn’t he also turn carbon into dirt?"
Happy Friday!
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