The Great Threats To and From the Climate

I’d like to talk about some aspects of global warming that I think have not been talked about enough.

Tipping points are a major part of the problem.

A global warming tipping point means a change that greatly magnifies it. Or, to put it another way, the change becomes self-perpetuating and self-reinforcing. We know that greenhouse gases make the earth warmer. But when the warming earth melts glaciers, instead of the ice which reflected heat out and away from the earth, the newly exposed water absorbs the heat and makes the oceans and the earth still warmer – in other words that change speeds up global warming – a double whammy – the change from ice to water does less good and more harm.

Here’s another example. Healthy forests like the Amazon rainforest, absorb carbon and use the sun’s warmth for growth of the trees. When increasing warmth leads to more and bigger forest fires, instead of absorbing and using the sun’s heat productively, they release carbon into the atmosphere to cause still more global warming – another double whammy – the change from forest to fire does less good and more harm.

Thawing of tundra and its underlying permafrost release stored greenhouse gases, thus threatening an increase in global warming – still another double whammy – the change from frozen permafrost to release of greenhouse gases does less good and more harm.

There are many tipping points out there, particularly forests, glaciers and ice sheets, all vulnerable to global warming, whose demise will just make it worse. Because these tipping points magnify global warming, make it self-perpetuating and self-reinforcing, they require strong, prompt action.

But it’s not just tipping points that should give us serious concern. We are aware of the discomfort from the heat and the destruction from the storms. They can both be deadly. But let me add another – global warming and fossil fuels are attacking our oceans and marine food supplies.

Ocean acidification has been described as “global warming’s ‘evil twin.’” And I know from talking with scientists at RPI that they are very concerned. Oceans are “home to 80% of the Earth’s organisms.” But the increasing carbon in the atmosphere acidifies the oceans. That acidification creates a major threat to the worldwide food supply from the many creatures that can’t survive in more acidic waters.

The warming of the globe threatens the oceans, the global food supply and many coastal areas through their impact on coral reefs. Coral reefs are vital to fisheries as well as protecting land from storm waves. But they are being damaged by the warming oceans.

The Gulf Stream is likely to be another victim of global warming because the temperature difference between upper and lower levels of the water drives the Gulf Stream much as temperature differences at different latitudes drives the jet stream. It’s the Gulf Stream that warms northern Europe and the Eastern US. If global warming undermines the Gulf Stream, it could have calamitous effects on the habitability of Europe and North America.

And let’s be clear – all these harms harm all of us, because they upend our lives, turn huge numbers of us into refugees and migrants, sabotage our businesses, products and supplies and ruin our economy, our ability to work, buy, transport and supply each other. Helping each other helps ourselves.

And these are not problems which can be solved after they happen, because once they happen, they will resist change – they will overwhelm any contrary efforts or changes. We have to act first. I suggest letting our representative in Congress know this is a crucial issue for each of us.

— If you think I’m on target, please pass it on. For the podcast, please click here. This commentary was scheduled for broadcast on WAMC Northeast Report, on October 10. 2023.