Significant ice ages during the last three million years have enabled the build-up of stores of methane clathrates in shallow areas of the Arctic Ocean. These are now thawing.
Exponential rise in methane release from natural sources is creeping up on humanity as a runaway feedback triggered by human sources of CO2 release. It seems likely to me that this will exceed previous expectations of greenhouse warming and take humanity to catastrophic climate change fairly quickly.
Billions of lives are at stake. Australians will have to make horrible decisions about attempting collective self-defence versus joining the global collapse and attrition. That is assuming we can maintain sufficient agricultural stability to feed ourselves…
Of course, we have the option of immediate cessation of fossil fuel combustion. That is a hard one when we refer to our past lifestyle, but would be easier if only we could fully embody our potential futures.
Sapoty Brook, Main Arm
Sapoty,
Don’t worry about climate change. The council has a cunning plan. Roll out paid parking and use the revenue to build sea walls.
If the rest of the world implements the same strategy and builds enough sea wall everything will be fine. Also, once joint up, the walls may double up as a border protection measure.
Furthermore, landlocked areas such as Alberta in Canada can use paid parking revenue to purchase fleets of fire engines and squadrons of water bombing helicopters to use when they catch alight.
I am surprised the coalition hasn’t latched onto this idea. After all, if the age of forced interns was raised to seventy labor costs could be kept very low. Plus, if Donald Trump wins the coming US election the interns could be subcontracted out to America to build his wall along the Mexican border.
Every pocket of methane has a silver lining