A graph of total global sea ice

[MitchM]

Something is taking a drastic change.
The red line is for this year.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Something is taking a drastic change.
The red line is for this year.

View attachment 96200

Perhaps you missed the announcement--- Climate change (global warming) is a hoax.

 

[MitchM]

I can understand a gradual change, but there is a distinct departure from the norm starting in September.
I've never believed that global temperatures are supposed to remain the same, forever.
Greenland was ice free 500,000 years ago and SUV's hadn't yet really caught on yet.

 

[MitchM]

As far as I can tell so far, the biggest contributor to the warming of the arctic region is a change in the jet stream.
Climate change is natural, and the rate of climate change is increasing, but climate change is still going to happen.
I would like to see further efforts put toward adapting to climate change instead of trying to stop it. The way that climate change is being portrayed in the media is that any climate change is bad and can be controlled. I think our current course on focusing on carbon reduction so much will weaken our economies so we will not be able to adapt as needed.
In the end though, human nature will probably show us that no one will be willing to do anything about it until they are forced to.
Sea ice can change rapidly though, so it will be interesting to see how this winter plays out given the drastic change shown on the graph above.

 

[Mike in Vermont]

It's definitely getting warmer. I believe we had 3? months this year that was the warmest on record.

 

[Becky]

Frightening

This comic from xkcd shows how Earth's temperature has changed since the last ice age (20,000 years ago): https://xkcd.com/1732/

 

[MitchM]

Frightening

This comic from xkcd shows how Earth's temperature has changed since the last ice age (20,000 years ago): https://xkcd.com/1732/

That graph you posted actually lines up with a graph that goes back even further, (500 million years back)
You can see that the graph that Becky posted actually starts near the end of the earth's ice age 1.5 million - 12,000 years ago.

 

[Mike in Vermont]

That is a frightening comic, Becky.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

It is definitely occurring. There are other visible changes emerging other than the reduction of the ice caps.

Sea level is already rising. Miami Florida is already experiencing periodic flooding of urban streets. The waste water treatment facilities are also being threatened by the sea level rise in this Metro area.

Species of Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) are being spotted at higher latitudes. In south Florida species of Odonata never seen before are being identified as species previously restricted to more tropical venues and species indigenous to south Florida are being spotted as far away as North Carolina.
Other species are surely advancing northerly.

In the past 20 years the USDA Horticultural zone designation has changed from 8a to 9a. Winters have certainly been milder and summers hotter.

 

[MitchM]

Meanwhile, China keeps building new coal fired power plants at a rate of 2 per week while the rest of us argue over carbon taxes and credits and environmentally friendly pipelines.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Meanwhile, China keeps building new coal fired power plants at a rate of 2 per week while the rest of us argue over carbon taxes and credits and environmentally friendly pipelines.

Yes, but this only adds to the existing overproduction situation in China. The central government recently enacted new regulations halting the construction of about 200 additional coal-fired plants. Coal consumption in China is on a steady decline.

 

[MitchM]

Yes, but this only adds to the existing overproduction situation in China. The central government recently enacted new regulations halting the construction of about 200 additional coal-fired plants. Coal consumption in China is on a steady decline.

The central government did enact new regulations but provincial governments have found loopholes that allow them to continue building the coal plants.
There is a concern that grid operators will start favouring coal generated power over renewable sources.

http://energydesk.greenpeace.org/20...-coal-plants-despite-new-overcapacity-policy/

.

 

[peter hillman]

Meanwhile, China keeps building new coal fired power plants at a rate of 2 per week while the rest of us argue over carbon taxes and credits and environmentally friendly pipelines.

Another reason American companies move their operations to China, no EPA.

 

[DeepWater]

All those coal power plants contribute to Mercury contaminated fish in every lake of the state I live in, and probably every state.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

The central government did enact new regulations but provincial governments have found loopholes that allow them to continue building the coal plants.
There is a concern that grid operators will start favouring coal generated power over renewable sources.

http://energydesk.greenpeace.org/20...-coal-plants-despite-new-overcapacity-policy/

.

Yes, I read the article that you linked.....and others.
Although these plants are in some stage of construction or planning there is presently no demand for the power that they will produce as China already produces more than is needed. The idea is that the plants may export the generated power but the question is... to whom? All other provinces in China have all the power that they now need or have over built themselves. Since carbon reduction is one of the key points of the Paris Accord and China is a signatory, continued reduction of Carbon is required.