The Promised Land!

Okay, that's a bit of a reach but tonight for the first time since the Deepwater Horizon blew up and the spill in the Gulf began I read the words I've been longing to hear from those in power. The Democratic leader of the Senate, Harry Reid: "This is an opportunity for us as a country to move away from fossil fuel, to do a better job of looking at renewable energies that are available to us all over this country." Hallelujah!



It's more than just the ongoing spill, we know that in our mad efforts to burn cheap fossil fuels more accidents of this nature will happen - read an interesting analysis of how and why at Discovery News which includes a look at how much longer we can continue down this path (hint: It ain't for long!). Global carbon emissions are predicted to increase by 43% by 2035. The emissions rise will be driven by a 49 per cent increase in the world’s energy consumption over the same period. Developing Asia will account for 35 per cent of the increase. That's not a sustainable path.



There's a report today that Arctic ice is shrinking faster now than in it did in 2007 and is on pace to break dubious records. This, from the above link, caught my eye: True multi-year ice - the thick, hard stuff that stops ships - now comprises 18 per cent of the Arctic ice pack. In 1981, when Prof. Barber first went north, that figure was 90 per cent.

Maybe a 1 in a 1,000 year events like that which recently hit Tennessee will make people sit up and take notice that something is out of kilter? Or the longest drought in Northwest Africa in 900 years? Nah!

Sadly we do not face our climate tipping points alone - we manage to imperil every living thing around us as well.