Greenland Ice Sheet: "Starting to Slip"

[greenman3610]

My first video for the Yale Forum following my return from Greenland.
I interviewed Ice experts Alun Hubbard, Richard Alley, and Jason Box for insights
on the unforeseen acceleration of the Greenland ice sheet.

[Gregorian]

1. Thank you.

Good explanations and visuals.

I'm afraid that we're behind the events. What I mean is that we're now experiencing events that are due to forcing that we applied long ago. I'm always sheepish to share my input, because I just don't like looking foolish. But I think it's safe to say that specific events have all contributed to this situation. And I mean things like World War 2. The carbon emissions of the Berlin air lift must have been insanely large. I mention this because now we are many times the carbon emissions as there were during even the most active periods in the earlier part of the last century. And what I fear is that for several reasons, what we are seeing now is only the beginning of an acceleration of the disaster. In other words, we're too late.

[greenman3610]

2. not too late to mitigate even worse effects

I can't sleep unless I'm doing what I can to head off even worse outcomes.

[Gregorian]

5. But the trend has been for people to abandon responsibility.

First, with 1.5 million new humans each week, we're already at a serious disadvantage.

But what I've been noticing is that people are in a state of reckless abandon. I just look at the neighborhood I grew up in. One side has a carbon footprint that is so small it's negligible. My mom and dad have for decades only driven their car once per week to go shopping. I'm the same way. The younger kids that grew up there are now frivolously flying between continents, and encouraging their friends to do so as well. It's like a generation that is in the air.

We've got a billion more cars on the road, and it's exploding in numbers as we sit here.

My point is, not only has enough been done that we're already in deep trouble, but any actions we take are so fractional as to be moot. And my biggest question has always been, just what is it that we can have people stop doing? Stop the gratuitous carbon emissions? Stop having more than zero children for a few decades? I've never seen any suggestions that don't meet with howls of rage.

I've been working on a nano fuel cell project for a number of years. But I just don't have the confidence that people are conscious enough to not use renewable energy as a means to just keep doing what they've been doing. My point being that global warming is only one of many big environmental problems we're facing.

I know I sound like I've given up. But I'm really asking whether we're being realistic about whether we can fix these problems given the consciousness of the human race. My dad always said, people only change in a crisis. But rising sea levels mean the crisis is already behind us. Now it's time to man the life boats.

[AAO]

18. People only change in a crisis

Yes, but what if they've been brainwashed that there is no crisis? The crisis has been going on for quite some time, and still most people have no clue. My personal opinion is that the outcome has already been set in motion. There will be evacuations in low lying area within 5 years.

[Gregorian]

26. These people are all engineers. One is an envirnmental engineer.

So why is he flying all over the world to go on bike rides. I really wanted to like this guy after we were college friends. But I just can't. I don't have friends who are republicans, or gratuitous carbon emitters.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

3. I expect any time to hear the North Polar Cap has busted loose.

[diverdownjt]

14. There is a lake forming on the north pole....

right now. I saw it just yesterday. The marker at the exact north pole is
floating in a small lake on the surface of the ice. I give Florida 10yrs.
Miami gone and the new beaches are in Orlando. See my post on the lobster story.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

15. I wanna see all the alligators of the Everglades head into Florida's Red districts.

[snagglepuss]

4. to view later

[chervilant]

6. 7.3 meters!

Dynamic retreat of the ice! If the oceans are 21 to 25 feet deeper, the consequences for coastal dwellers is catastrophic!

And, everyone is so concerned about Weiner's wiener....

[dbackjon]

10. There won't be much of NYC to be mayor of

[AAO]

19. Then nobody needs a weiner?

[paleotn]

21. Precisely! (nt)

[Ezlivin]

7. Excellent little clip

Thanks for taking the time to edit it together.

It's nice to know that I'm not alone in my concern over the changes soon to be wrought by global warming.

[limpyhobbler]

8. bump.

Thanks this is terrifying.

[Chaco Dundee]

9. the climate changes are real

There is just not enough concern about all the changes.climate,honeybees,cropfailures ,you name it.our aproach seems to be to lay more track for a runaway train,we are riding. It will be ugly when we get where we are going.

[Hekate]

11. Kick for the Greenland Ice Sheet

[East Coast Pirate]

12. Well done.

We're fucked.

[AAO]

20. Please! We're not fucked!

We are REALLY FUCKING fucked!

[ErikJ]

13. We need a WWII-type mobilization effort worldwide...or its all over.

I believe we could if we REALLLY tried like in WW2 we could possibly become 100% clean energy dependent in 5 years. We'd also need to create a huge carbondioxide sink of some kind and some way to reflect more sunlight. Perhaps a thin film of white foam or artifiial atmospheric white smoke.

[raouldukelives]

16. And every Wall St investor gladly supports the climate change deniers.

Thanks to them the truth won't reach the masses until the water does. OTOH, they do get to share in the profits. Guess it all depends on what your worldview is. Fuck you I got mine or we should try to save some of this for the wildlife and future genertations.

[paleotn]

22. And the current valuation of .....

...Exxon Mobile, BP, Royal Dutch Shell, etc., etc. is based on proven reserves that they cannot sell without causing catastrophic climate change. A huge portion of our global financial system is basically propped up by the value of fossil fuels that can never be burned. Not only will this not end well climatically, but financially as well. In essence, we're so F'd.

[AAO]

17. Are you Peter Sinclair? If so, EXCELLENT JOB!!

[greenman3610]

30. I am

[Mnemosyne]

23. Thank you, Mr. Sinclair. I shudder to think of my grandchildren's future. nt

[adirondacker]

24. Nice work! Can you divulge the rate of movement on the gps? ie 1/2cm, cm per year? Thanks. nt

[CrispyQ]

25. We have our collective head up our collective ass.

We are so fucked.

I thought I was going to exit this planet in the nick of time, but it seems that every day I read "it's accelerating faster than our models predicted."

[Quantess]

28. Makes me sort of glad I don't have any children.

This is going to be a real challenge for the next generation.

[AAO]

29. Nah, most of us will be getting Crispy wit ya, Q.

We need to be here to see the damage our industrialists and their followers have wrought - taking willful actions to destroy what was one of the greatest countries on earth. Destroying the habitat of the entire earth, as well as ultimately forcing 100's of millions to flee the low sea level areas to higher ground.

I can't wait to tell them "I told you so!".

[kestrel91316]

27. "Unforeseen"???