side from its meteorological effects, climate change is also wreaking havoc on our minds: Younger generations are bitterly denouncing their elders in climate protests and mental illnesses are spreading as people feel powerless to avert catastrophe.

Unfortunately, this is one occasion where the figurative sky is really falling. The prophets of doom-and-gloom are correct in that food shortages, social instability and extreme weather events will define our future.

Of course, it’s not entirely too late. Humanity still has a chance to reduce its dependency on oil, coal and gas for our energy needs.

And if we don’t, the future will be bleak indeed. Salon spoke to experts to assess what the Earth will look like 100 years from now if we do nothing to change the current trajectory of industrial civilization. Perhaps predictions will jump-start humanity into action.

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The post What the World Will Look Like If We Do Nothing to Stop Climate Change first appeared on Sevenelles.

Climate change is on the minds of many in the Class of 2027, and could be a critical factor in how current high-schoolers make their final college choices in the coming weeks. For many prospective students, climate change is an existential threat. So colleges and universities across the country are seeking and finding innovative ways to curb their emissions and become more environmentally sustainable.

A total of 413 schools, or about 10 percent of U.S. higher education institutions — where about 30 percent of full-time U.S. college students are enrolled — have signed a climate pledge from Second Nature, an organization committed to accelerating climate action through these institutions. By signing, schools vow to achieve carbon neutrality as soon as they can, according to Tim Carter, the organization’s president.

Some large institutions have been at the forefront of efforts toward sustainability, but the push is growing as colleges of all sizes join the fight. Many are also adopting solutions specific to their local community or environment.

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The post Choosing a Climate-Friendly College first appeared on Sevenelles.

When customers of America’s four largest banks visit their local branches on Tuesday, they might be greeted by an unfamiliar sight: activists in rocking chairs blocking the entrances.

It’s part of a national campaign to pressure banks to stop financing fossil fuels and heed warnings from leading scientists about the need to rapidly phase out oil, gas and coal to avert the worst effects of climate change.

The rocking chairs are the brainchild of Third Act, a group that seeks to engage Americans 60 and older — those in their “third act” of life — in environmental activism. But the demonstrations have drawn attendees of all ages in about 100 cities across 29 states, according to the 53 groups organizing the events.

The protests add to the mounting environmental pressures on Wall Street from politicians of both parties. Liberal lawmakers have pleaded with large financial institutions to cut ties with the fossil fuel industry, while conservatives have attacked what they see as “woke” capitalism, a reference to companies that treat climate change as an economic risk.

Caught in the middle are four banks — JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citibank and Wells Fargo — that rank as the world’s largest lenders to the fossil fuel industry, according to a report released last year by Rainforest Action Network and other environmental groups. Since the 2015 adoption of the Paris climate accord, the four firms together have provided more than $1 trillion in lending and underwriting to companies building new coal plants, natural gas pipelines and other fossil fuel infrastructure.

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The post Seniors are Pressuring Banks to Save the Panet first appeared on Sevenelles.

“Here’s something that people just didn’t think about — another aspect of plastic pollution,” says environmental analytical chemist Denise Mitrano of ETH Zürich University, in Switzerland, who co-wrote an article last November highlighting what researchers know — and don’t yet know — about how plastics can change clouds, potentially altering temperature and rainfall patterns.

Clouds form when water or ice condenses on “seeds” in the air: usually tiny particles of dust, salt, sand, soot, or other material thrown up by burning fossil fuels, forest fires, cooking, or volcanoes. There are plenty of these fine particles, or aerosols, in the skies — a lot more since the Industrial Revolution — and they affect everything from the quality of the air we breath, to the color of sunsets, to the number and type of clouds in our skies.

Until recently, when chemists thought of the gunk in our air, plastics did not leap to mind. Concentrations were low, they thought, and plastic is often designed to be water repellent for applications like bags or clothing, which presumably made them unlikely to seed cloud droplets. But in recent years, studies have confirmed not only that microscopic pieces of plastic can seed clouds — sometimes powerfully — but they also travel thousands of miles from their source. And there are a lot more particles in the air than scientists originally thought. All this has opened researchers’ eyes to their potential contribution to atmospheric murk — and, possibly, to future climate change.

The post Microplastics are filling the skies. Will they affect the climate? first appeared on Sevenelles.

The world is rapidly approaching catastrophic levels of heating with international climate goals set to slip out of reach unless immediate and radical action is taken, according to a new UN-backed report.

“The climate time-bomb is ticking,” said António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, in a statement to mark the launch of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s synthesis report on Monday. “Humanity is on thin ice – and that ice is melting fast,” he added.

The report draws on the findings of hundreds of scientists to provide a comprehensive assessment of how the climate crisis is unfolding.

The science is not new – the report pulls together what the IPCC has already set out in a cluster of other reports over the last few years – but it paints a very stark picture of where the world is heading.

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The complete collapse of the Thwaites Glacier could lead to sea-level rise of more than two feet, which would devastate coastal communities worldwide. It also acts as a natural dam to the surrounding ice in West Antarctica, and scientists have estimated that global sea-level rise could ultimately be around 10 feet if the Thwaites Glacier collapsed. The ice shelf could disintegrate much sooner than that, causing an unstable, potentially irreversible retreat of the glacier.

The team of US and British scientists from the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration used a hot water drill to bore a hole nearly 2,000 feet deep into the ice to survey the glacier. The instruments sent down to take measurements included a torpedo-like robot called Icefin. The results of the research revealed that the rate of melting beneath much of the flat part of the ice shelf was lower than expected. A layer of colder, fresher water at the base of the glacier between the ice shelf and the ocean was suppressing the melting. The scientists also found that the underwater glacial landscape was much more complex than anticipated, with staircase-like terraces and crevasses contributing to instabilities in the glacier.

The findings are consistent with a slew of other studies pointing to the rapid melting of the Thwaites Glacier. A 2021 study found that the ice shelf could shatter within the next five years, while last year, scientists warned that the Thwaites Glacier is hanging on “by its fingernails” as the planet warms, with the potential for rapid retreat in the coming years. The new research provides “the missing pieces” to determine exactly how this change is happening, according to Britney Schmidt, an associate professor at Cornell University and a lead author on one of the papers. The research can help make more accurate projections about sea-level rise, which can be used to mitigate climate change and protect coastal communities.

The post Doomsday Glacier is “In Trouble” first appeared on Sevenelles.

Examining the Benefits of Solar Geoengineering

Solar geoengineering involves reflecting some of the sun’s radiation back into space, thus cooling the Earth. This could help mitigate the effects of global warming by reducing temperatures and counteracting the impacts of climate change. Proponents of solar geoengineering point to the potential it has to reduce the amount of heat that enters the atmosphere and to slow the rate of climate change. It could also provide a faster and cheaper way to address the climate crisis than other methods.

In addition, solar geoengineering could help prevent certain types of extreme weather events, such as heat waves and droughts. By reducing the amount of energy that enters the atmosphere, solar geoengineering can help reduce the intensity of these events, potentially saving lives and protecting ecosystems.

Finally, solar geoengineering could buy us time to transition to renewable energy sources and other climate solutions. By reducing temperatures, it could provide a “breathing room” in which we can address the climate crisis in a more effective and sustainable way.

Assessing the Risks of Solar Geoengineering

Despite the potential benefits of solar geoengineering, there are also potential risks. One of the main concerns is that it could have unintended consequences and create new problems, such as changes in precipitation patterns or ocean currents. There is also a risk of creating regional disparities, with some regions benefiting from the cooling effects of solar geoengineering while others are left behind.

In addition, there is the risk that solar geoengineering could lead to a false sense of security, leading people to think that dealing with the climate crisis is no longer an urgent priority. This could delay the move to more sustainable solutions and exacerbate the impacts of climate change.

Finally, there is the risk that solar geoengineering could lead to political or economic conflict, as countries and regions compete for access to the technology. This could in turn lead to an arms race, with countries vying for control of the technology.

Investigating Potential Outcomes of Solar Geoengineering

The potential outcomes of solar geoengineering depend on how it is implemented and who controls it. If the technology is used to cool the Earth, it could lead to a decrease in global temperatures, a reduction in the intensity of extreme weather events, and an easing of the impacts of climate change.

On the other hand, if the technology is used to control the local climate in certain areas, it could lead to regional disparities and increased inequality. It could also lead to conflicts between countries and regions, as they compete for access to the technology and its benefits.

Considering the Implications of Solar Geoengineering

The implications of solar geoengineering are far-reaching and complex. It could have both positive and negative impacts on the environment, the economy, and society. It could save lives, but it could also create new problems. It could provide a “breathing room” to transition to more sustainable solutions, but it could also lead to a false sense of security.

Ultimately, any decision to use solar geoengineering must be carefully weighed and considered. By taking the time to explore the potential benefits and risks, we can make an informed decision about its potential use.

Solar geoengineering could be a powerful tool for addressing the climate crisis, but it is also a controversial one. By exploring its potential benefits and risks, potential outcomes, and implications, it is possible to make an informed decision about its potential use. Ultimately, any decision must be weighed carefully and take into account the complex and far-reaching implications of this technology.

The post Exploring Solar Geoengineering: Pros and Cons first appeared on Sevenelles.

A team of researchers from institutions across the United States examined Juniper trees (Juniperus excelsa and Juniperus foetidissima) recovered from the Gordion archeological site in central Anatolia, just over 200km west of the ancient Hittite capital Hattusa.

In their peer-reviewed study, the scientists proposed that based on data from the tree rings which indicated the trees’ growth rates, the region suffered a particularly difficult drought from 1198 to 1196 BCE which contributed to the fall of the Hittite Empire.

The post Did Climate Change Destroy the Hittite Civilization? first appeared on Sevenelles.