Gloom Over Gotham.

FromTheArcticToTheBigApple
InTwoStepsVille


It turns out that here is bit of a debate going on between climate scientists about whether the greenhouse gas-fuelled loss of Arctic sea ice is just really bad or if it is actually really, really, really (i.e. never fixable) bad.

Essentially, some groups have been suggesting that we're doomed no matter what, while the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has come to the conclusion that doom can be staved off, at least in terms of the complete loss of the Arctic ice during the summer months, if we move to a 'low' carbon emission scenario as opposed to ending up in either an 'intermediate' or a 'high' emission state.

In contrast to the IPCC's conclusion, the following is from a near-top-of-the-science-geek ladder paper published earlier this week in Nature Communications  by a Korean/German/Canadian group:

...(W)e project an ice-free Arctic in September (by 2050) under all scenarios considered. These results emphasize the profound impacts of greenhouse gas emissions on the Arctic, and demonstrate the importance of planning for and adapting to a seasonally ice-free Arctic in the near future...

Now, I'm not sure about you but in my mind's eye at least, the prospect of an Arctic sea completely free of ice at the end of every summer is mind-boggling.

And then there is the fact that, regardless whether all or just most of the ice melts,  the massive volume of fresh water going in the ocean is going wreak havoc on global weather patterns:

...Prof Seung-Ki Min, of Pohang University, South Korea, who led the new study (described above), said: “The most important impact for human society will be the increase in weather extremes that we are experiencing now, such as heatwaves, wildfires and floods...

Which, given that weather extremes have already become the new normal, brings us to the terrible wildfire situation that is currently raging out of control in late spring Northern Quebec:

People who had to leave their homes due to fires burning across northern and western regions of Quebec will not be able to return to their communities until next week, says Premier François Legault.

Legault, speaking at a news conference Wednesday morning in Quebec City, said dry weather and strong winds are creating dangerous conditions and heavy smoke in areas that have been evacuated so far...

And where is all the smoke from those wildfires going?

You guessed it:

The Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday halted flights bound for New York’s LaGuardia Airport as smoke from Canada’s wildfires cut visibility in the area.

“The FAA has taken steps to manage the flow of traffic into the New York City area due to reduced visibility from wildfire smoke,” the agency said in a statement. “Flights bound for LaGuardia International Airport have been paused. Flights to Newark Liberty International Airport have been slowed.”...

Of course, if and/or when the smoke shuts down the Banksters' ability to take off from their East River heliports so that they can get out to the Hamptons for the weekend in 30 minutes or less, maybe then we'll get somewhere.

Maybe.


_____
Tip-O'-The-Toque to the always great, almost daily,  links round-up over at Greg Fingas' Accidental Deliberations.

Update: Zero visibility over the Hudson...

.