SDVFP CLIMATE CORNER
(Summer 2020)
The facts and consequences of global climate crises are awesome, depressing, and frightening in human and planetary terms. Climate Corner reviews timely climate science and news reports and selects a few that elicit a resounding “wow” response, positive or negative. Climate Corner shares a few “wow words and images”, with links, to motivate you to read more.
AT A GLANCE
(in SDVFP Climate Corner Summer 2020)
- Learn how space scientists accurately predict how much global sea level has risen from the recent melting of polar ice.
- Find out how those responsible for the largest methane greenhouse gas release ever recorded in the U. S. are getting away with it and what State has said “that’s enough”.
- Discover who, in the face of Covid-19, has mobilized societal, scientific, governmental, and investment communities to develop a visionary, accelerated, global net-zero emissions plan requiring trillions of USD.
Polar Ice Melt Exposed from Space
Dramatic maps generated by NASA’S ICESat satellites from 2003-2019 reveal local polar ice sheet losses up to 6 meters/year. Integrated over 16 years, global sea level increased by 8.9 mm and 5.2 mm from Greenland and Antarctica ice melt, respectively.
https://science.sciencemag.org/content/368/6496/1239.full
Ice mass losses from (Left) Greenland and (Right) Antarctica Ice Sheets (2003 to 2019). (Top) Maps of ice mass changes in meters/year. (Bottom) Smoothed ice mass changes in meters/year tied to locations on maps.
Largest Ever U. S. Methane Release
Methane release from the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico in 2018-2019 is the largest ever measured from a U. S. oil and gas basin. Satellite spectroscopy and surface data confirm a methane venting and flaring leakage rate that is ~60% higher than the national oil/gas average.
https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/17/eaaz5120.full
Satellite Observations of the Permian Methane Anomaly. Column atmospheric methane enhancements in units of parts-per-billion by volume (ppbv) for (A) conterminous U. S. and (B) Delaware and Midland sub-basins of Permian Basin. Other mapped methane anomalies are likely to be from agriculture, dairy production, and wetlands.
The July 12 New York Times reports that petroleum companies with flaring and leaking wells in the Permian Basin and elsewhere, faced with demising profits, are going out of business, paying executive millions prior to bankruptcy, and leaving the cleaning-up of polluting wells to taxpayers.
On July 20 the New Mexico Environmental Department drafted “groundbreaking” rules to cut methane venting and flaring in the Permian Basin by 98 percent.
https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/draft-rules-would-cut-methane-venting-flaring-in-new-mexico-98-in-six-years/article_cd01068c-cb64-11ea-99e5-630453f31a0c.html
International Energy Agency (IAE) Actively Addresses Emission Goals
The 30-member-countries International Energy Agency’s (IEA) dense, 182-page, July 2 report calls for energy innovation spending to triple by 2030 to meet global emission goals. This, when Covid-19 is triggering the biggest fall in energy investments in history. https://www.iea.org/reports/clean-energy-innovation
On July 9, following the July 2 IEA report, the IEA organized a livestreamed Clean Energy Transitions Summit with all sessions archived as videos. The attending ministers represented countries accounting for 80% of global energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. This was this year’s largest global gathering on energy and climate.
https://www.iea.org/events/iea-clean-energy-transitions-summit
The Summer 2020 inaugural issue of Climate Corner views the climate crisis from three very different scales: 1. Polar ice-thickness changes in meters per year; 2. Methane release in parts per billion, and 3. A visionary, accelerated, global net-zero emissions plan requiring trillions of U. S. dollars. Climate Corner applauds the large number, and variety, of international authors and reviewers represented but also how local action, e.g., from New Mexico environmental regulators on the methane issue, is critically important. Of course, this is the “Think globally, act locally” mantra.
The lead person for SDVFP Climate Corner is George Jiracek, a Navy veteran and Professor Emeritus at San Diego State University with BS, MS, and PhD degrees in physics, geophysics, and engineering. Mount Jiracek, in Antarctica, is named for him; he was a Fulbright Scholar to Australia; invited lecturer at venues around the world and recipient/co-recipient of several teaching and research awards.
IN THE END
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