Earth Policy Update: ICE MELT ACCELERATES

popsicles.JPGEco-Economy Indicator — ICE MELT

February 4, 2008

Eco-Economy Indicators are the twelve trends the Earth Policy Institute tracks to measure progress in building an eco-economy. Ice melting is one of the most visible indicators of climate change.

ICE MELT ACCELERATES AROUND THE WORLD
Frances C. Moore

With atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations at new record highs and global average temperature now some 0.8 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the frozen regions of the earth are showing us just how rapidly climate change can take effect. Recent years have seen ice melt accelerate and spread to new, previously unaffected regions. In many areas, the pace of melting has surprised even the scientists studying it most closely, providing a strong early indication that the consequences of climate change could come faster and be more severe than previously believed.

The most dramatic loss of ice in recent years has been the decline of summer sea ice in the Arctic Ocean. Between 1953 and 2006, the area covered by sea ice in September shrunk by 7.8 percent per decade, more than three times as fast as the average rate simulated by climate models. Researchers were further stunned in the summer of 2007 when Arctic sea ice extent plummeted to the lowest level ever measured, more than 20 percent below the 2005 record…

For entire text see http://www.earthpolicy.org/Indicators/Ice/2008.htm
For data see http://www.earthpolicy.org/Indicators/Ice/2008_data.htm

For an index of Earth Policy Institute resources related to Ice Melt see http://www.earthpolicy.org/Indicators/Ice/index.htm

And for more information on the effects of rising temperature and how to stabilize climate, you may be interested in Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization by Lester R. Brown (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2008), posted at http://www.earthpolicy.org/Books/PB3/index.htm.

[tags]lester brown, earth policy institute[/tags]

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4 Responses to “Earth Policy Update: ICE MELT ACCELERATES”

  1. johnnyb says on February 6th, 2008 at 3:39 pm :

    Funny how the Ice in the Southern Ocean is setting record highs, and this January was the coldest January in 15 years.

    Quit the hoax.

  2. Bobby B. says on February 14th, 2008 at 1:54 pm :

    There is no consensus:

    http://wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58767

    http://ibdeditorial.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=287279412587175

    The data collection methods are faulty and discounting the sun is ridiculous. The only reason to resound that there is a “consensus” is political.

    BTW Tod, did you get your shaving brush and DE razor? I got some Cyril R. Salter Fresh Mint shaving cream for Christmas and would highly recommend it.

  3. todb says on February 14th, 2008 at 2:51 pm :

    How can the sun have any effect on life on earth, Bobby? Don’t be insane. :)

    No, haven’t picked up the kit yet. On my list of “things I covet but can’t justify until after I’ve saved up enough money to pay for my son’s college and scrapes.”

    However, shaving cream I can justify at this very moment. Thanks for the tip!

  4. Bobby B. says on February 14th, 2008 at 3:28 pm :

    The shaving cream that I referenced will only work if you have a brush. You can add a Merkur Hefty Classic and some blades to those items, and get started for about $100. Let the boy mow four of the neighbor’s lawns over the next 10 years to make up the cost. The work will be good for him.
    @
    Start here:
    @
    http://www.classicshaving.com/Home.html

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