Risk of permafrost thaw a "wild card" in warming: U.N. - Reuters

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

Risk of permafrost thaw a "wild card" in warming: U.N.
Wed Feb 20, 2008 12:20pm EST

MONACO (Reuters) - A thaw of Arctic permafrost is a "wild
card" that could stoke global warming by releasing vast frozen
stores of greenhouse gases, the U.N. Environment Program
(UNEP) said on Wednesday.

More research was urgently needed into the possibility of a
runaway release of methane, a powerful heat-trapping gas
trapped in frozen soils in Siberia, Canada, Alaska and Nordic
nations, it said in a 2008 yearbook issued at 154-nation talks
in Monaco.

"The unknowns about the amount and rate of methane release
from the thawing Arctic makes it a wild card when considering
climate change risks," UNEP head Achim Steiner said in an
annual report with a special section on Arctic methane.

-snip-

"The balance of evidence suggests that Arctic feedbacks that
amplify warming, globally and regionally, will dominate during
the next 50 to 100 years," it said.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSL2030843320080220

[TreasonousBastard]

1. Another breaking news story that's at least 5 years old.

[RaleighNCDUer]

2. And people wonder why the scientists are always surprised at it

being 'worse than predicted'.

The trapped permafrost methane has been common knowledge for years, but as there was no accurate way to model its release it was simply left out of most of the models.

They were talking about ice-free arctic summers by 2050 - now it looks like 2012. They're still talking about the greenland sheet disappearing in 100-300 years - I'm betting well before the end of this century. Get those feedback loops cooking, I don't think 2050 is inconceivable.

[cloudythescribbler]

3. The "methane effect" of permafrost's been known, but activist progressives have yet to coalesce ...

around the demand to move quickly to NET NEGATIVE Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. Norway is already planning to reach net ZERO carbon footprint by 2030, and Lester Brown of the WorldWatch Institute (on WBAI) has called for 80% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2020.

The demands are rapidly escalating as new discoveries are made. Red Earth on DU recently posted how a leading climatologist -- Jim Hansen -- has declared in the past few months that the melting of sea ice in the Arctic region has passed the 'point of no return. He has also called for moving to NET NEGATIVE GHG emissions, the MOST IMPORTANT EXPERT TO DATE (apparently) to have yet done so.

OK -- folks, there's some "news" that's relatively recent. Now, WHAT ARE FOLK GOING TO DO ABOUT IT???

[bananas]

4. Audio from Lester Brown on WBAI today

He was a live guest on Michio Kaku's program during the fund drive this week.
(edit: Not sure if Lester was live, but Michio was.)
podcast: http://archive.wbai.org/files/xml/explora.xml
stream: http://archive.wbai.org/pls.php?mp3fil=16888
download: http://archive.wbai.org/files/mp3/080220_170001explora.MP3