Category Archives: Environment

The crisis escalates…

The Guardian: Scientists shocked by Arctic permafrost thawing 70 years sooner than predicted. “Ice blocks frozen solid for thousands of years destabilized – ‘The climate is now warmer than at any time in last 5,000 years’.”

“Diving through a lucky break in the clouds, Romanovsky and his colleagues said they were confronted with a landscape that was unrecognisable from the pristine Arctic terrain they had encountered during initial visits a decade or so earlier.

The vista had dissolved into an undulating sea of hummocks – waist-high depressions and ponds known as thermokarst. Vegetation, once sparse, had begun to flourish in the shelter provided from the constant wind.

Torn between professional excitement and foreboding, Romanovsky said the scene had reminded him of the aftermath of a bombardment.

“It’s a canary in the coalmine,“ said Louise Farquharson, a postdoctoral researcher and co-author of the study. “It’s very likely that this phenomenon is affecting a much more extensive region and that’s what we’re going to look at next.“”

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“Auslöser Klima”

Deutsche Welle: Deutschlands Jugend – politisch wie nie? “Nach der Europawahl ist vieles denkbar: YouTuber machen Politik, die Grünen erstarken. Und das alles wegen junger Menschen, die plötzlich politisch werden – und sich anschicken, eine eigene Agenda zu setzen.”

“Am Abend des 26. Mai konnte jeder für einen kurzen Moment erahnen, was es bedeutet, wenn fast 20 Millionen Menschen ihre Stimme erheben. Der Abend der Europawahl zeigte: Junge Menschen interessieren sich für die Welt um sie herum – und sie sind laut.

Die Wahlbeteiligung stieg, Altparteien mussten mit Schrecken beobachten, wie ihre Zustimmungswerte fielen, die Klimapartei Bündnis 90/Die Grünen triumphierte: alles ein Verdienst der jungen Wähler. Keine andere Partei schnitt in Deutschland so gut bei unter 30-Jährigen ab wie die Grünen.”

“[E]ngagement is growing, but it’s vapid, devoid of the deeper reflection that being in nature is meant to inspire”

The Walrus: How Selfie Culture Ruins the Great Outdoors for Everyone Else. “Social media has made natural spaces more popular. It could also destroy them.”

“For years, natural reserves have been seen as havens from the modern world, places where quotidian life gives way to quiet reflection and contemplation, often in relative isolation. But social media has disrupted the way we interact with the environment. With the right hashtag, anyone can view thousands of potential destinations—and choose which to visit based on aesthetics alone. A single social-media post can expose lesser-known or isolated places to the world. And that means good places can no longer hide. “They used to be local parks,“ says Mairi Welman, head of communications for the District of North Vancouver, which manages two popular parks near the city. “But now we’re starting to see international visitors coming—and those parks were never designed to handle those kinds of numbers.“ The influx has resulted in a host of problems, from woefully unprepared hikers getting hurt to people “using the environment as a bathroom.“ And then there’s the parking: “There have literally been screaming matches and fist fights over parking spots,“ she says. “It can be like a shopping mall at Christmas.“ “

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“Wenn etwas kontinuierlich wächst, dann ist das keine positive Entwicklung. Das ist Krebs.”

Bundespressekonferenz vom 12.03.2019: “Scientists for Future” zu den Protesten für mehr Klimaschutz. (YouTube, 46:25min)

“Stellungnahme von Wissenschaftlerinnen & Wissenschaftlern zu den Protesten für mehr Klimaschutz (#Scientists4Future) mit:
– Prof. Dr. Maja Göpel, Generalsekretärin des Wissenschaftlichen Beirats der Bundesregierung Globale Umweltveränderungen (WBGU)
– Dr. Eckart von Hirschhausen, Arzt, Wissenschaftsjournalist
– Volker Quaschning, Professor für Regenerative Energiesysteme an der HTW in Berlin
– Prof. Dr. Karen Helen Wiltshire, Stellv. Direktorin des Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung (AWI)
– Luisa Neubauer, Fridays for Future
– Jakob Blasel, Fridays for Future”