A Word with Dr H, December 13, 2021
Would it surprise you that when I started writing my futuristic science fiction book, Starseed R/evolution, the Awakening, back in 2018, I described a several foot sea level rise based on known science at the time, and the fact that it was becoming more and more likely with climate denial and lack of coordinated efforts among world governments that they would fail to address the problem head on. I suspected that based on past experience, they would wait for a major climate disaster before working together to reverse our present course of environmental destruction. See this article in the Washington Post. Fiction and reality are getting closer every day.
‘Crucial Antarctic ice shelf could fail within five years, scientists say’
“Scientists have discovered a series of worrying weaknesses in the ice shelf holding back one of Antarctica’s most dangerous glaciers, suggesting that this important buttress against sea level rise could shatter within the next three to five years.
Until recently, the ice shelf was seen as the most stable part of Thwaites Glacier, a Florida-sized frozen expanse that already contributes about 4 percent of annual global sea level rise. Because of this brace, the eastern portion of Thwaites flowed more slowly than the rest of the notorious “doomsday glacier.”
But new data show that the warming ocean is eroding the eastern ice shelf from below. Satellite images taken as recently as last month and presented Monday at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union show several large, diagonal cracks extending across the floating ice wedge.
These weak spots are like cracks in a windshield, said Oregon State University glaciologist Erin Pettit. One more blow and they could spiderweb across the entire ice shelf surface.
“This eastern ice shelf is likely to shatter into hundreds of ice bergs,” she said. “Suddenly the whole thing would collapse.”
The failure of the shelf would not immediately accelerate global sea level rise. The shelf already floats on the ocean surface, taking up the same amount of space whether it is solid or liquid.
But when the shelf fails, the eastern third of Thwaites Glacier will triple in speed, spitting formerly landlocked ice into the sea. Total collapse of Thwaites could result in several feet of sea level rise, scientists say, endangering millions of people in coastal areas.”
If this comes true, which is now becoming more and more likely every day, based on the cracks in the Thwaites glacier, we will be seeing the consequences of our inactivity cause massive coastal damage across the globe within the next several years. If you plan on visiting Miami and many cities on the coast of Florida, New York City, parts of California below sea level (there are several), coast of Louisiana and Texas, as well as other cities in Europe like Amsterdam and Venice, you might want to do that now. Or bring a paddleboard, kayak and diving gear.
I have a solution that was not discussed at COP26. Methane reduction and pledges to address this by 2050 will be way too late based on this article. We need to cool down the Artic NOW, and geoengineering is our best chance IMO. I discuss this in my blog on climate solutions: starseed-revolution.com/the-solution/ and these solutions are discussed extensively in my book. Please read the blog and share it with everyone you care about. This is a huge existential crisis in the making. All hands must be on board. This article should be shared with everyone you care about. This is the first diagnostic sign that things are speeding up faster than we thought.
Early copies of Starseed R/evolution should be available at the Project Lyme gala on Jan 26 in NYC in 6 weeks for those who can attend (I am presently finding out how to get early hard copies; please speak to the organizers at Project Lyme regarding details) and they will also be available at the IHS conference in NYC on Feb 16-19th, two weeks before our official release date on March 1st. I will be at IHS discussing our experience with COVID and Lyme patients, potential integrative solutions for acute and chronic COVID, and the keynote is Dr Andrew Weil (who gave me a lovely quote for my book). Please drop by and say hello. If you would like an early signed copy, please let the office know (medical@hvhac.com) and we will do our best…but I will need advance notice to order extra copies. Otherwise, please go on Amazon and order your copy and I will sign it for you.
This article is one of the main reasons why I wrote my book, apart from giving hope to kids with climate grief, explaining that solutions do exist if we would only implement them. Let’s hope if I was prescient with the speed of the climatic destruction, the solutions that I recommend will also be on target.
Crucial Antarctic ice shelf could fail within five years, scientists say