SLEEPING GIANT IN THE ARCTIC: Can Thawing Permafrost Cause Runaway Global Heating?

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• published: 15 May 2015
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[Note added at end re: audio problem] SLEEPING GIANT IN THE ARCTIC: Can Thawing Permafrost Speed Climate Disruption And Lead to Runaway Global Heating ? THIS NEW VIDEO EXPLORES THE CUTTING EDGE SCIENCE RELATED TO ARCTIC PERMAFROST, THE SCALE OF DANGER WE FACE, AND THE COLOSSAL MORAL IMPLICATIONS OF POTENTIALLY INITIATING AN UNSTOPPABLE CHAIN REACTION OF RUNAWAY HEATING Most of us visualize emissions generated by human activity - such as power plants and cars - when we think about climate disruption. But is it possible that HUMANITY MAY NOW BE CONFRONTED BY A SOURCE OF CARBON *FOUR TIMES* LARGER THAN ALL WHICH HAS BEEN GENERATED BY HUMANS SINCE THE START OF THE INDUSTRIAL AGE ? Climate scientists call it a "ticking time bomb" and the most threatening yet under-reported story of our time. "Over hundreds of millennia, Arctic permafrost soils have accumulated vast stores of organic carbon - an estimated 1,400 to 1,850 billion metric tons of it...... In comparison, about 350 billion metric tons of carbon have been emitted from all fossil-fuel combustion and human activities since 1850." (NASA press release, June 2013) Human-caused temperature rise in the Arctic is beginning to release this "sleeping giant". The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) - made this stunning projection: "By the end of the 21st century, the area of permafrost near the surface is projected to decrease by between 37% to 81%." NASA: "Expert opinion says that approximately by 2040 as much as 20 to 50 billion metric tons of the carbon that is currently frozen in the permafrost soils might become available. By 2100 those estimates range from 160 to 250 billion metric tons. So by the end of the century, you might have a perturbation (impact) that would be almost as much as all of the fossil fuel carbon that's been released since 1850 or so." (Dr. Charles Miller, lead scientist, NASA's CARVE program) Super greenhouse gas methane is a full 100 times more powerful than CO2 as a heat-trapping gas in the first 20 years after release. WHAT HAPPENS IF THIS MASSIVE AND POWERFUL VOLUME OF GREENHOUSE GAS IS ADDED ON TOP OF WHAT HUMANITY IS ALREADY GENERATING? Disruption would become vastly accelerated and kicked into higher gear. This immense release would feed on itself, raising temperatures that continue melting more and more permafrost in a vicious, frightening, and unstoppable cycle. A tipping point could well be crossed, and human intervention no longer possible. Temperatures across the planet could soar, with catastrophic levels of drought and food shortage. All life support systems could be placed under severe stress. NEWS MEDIA, AND EVEN THE CLIMATE MOVEMENT ITSELF, ARE MISSING BOTH THE SCALE AND IMMINENCE OF THE PERMAFROST THREAT - The dominant focus has been human-generated emissions, as in the conflict over tar sands oil. But a huge story is not getting through - an even deeper and more profound urgency yet to be recognized. These emissions threaten to release a far larger and more menacing source that dwarfs what humanity is generating. And this upsurge cannot be relegated to a far-off future - the IPCC is talking about the end of this century. When world-renowned climate expert Dr. James Hansen was asked about the impact that could result from large scale release of greenhouse gases in the Arctic, he replied: "It's not clear that civilization could survive that extreme of a climate change." Even if such cannot be predicted with absolute certainty, the colossal scale of the danger - and the observation of those factors lining up that could trigger it - demand that humanity exercise the precautionary principle. All political decision-making related to carbon emissions must be based on the understanding that a catastrophic consequence is looming, and the window of time for prevention quickly diminishing. From the concluding narration: "Humanity is at the crossroad. What responsibility do we have to future generations to step back from this brink and make the changes which prevent the worst from happening?" Please share the link to "Sleeping Giant" widely with friends, colleagues, and policymakers !!! [Production note re: low volume audio problem. This resulted from an editing program defect & crash that "lost" the original copy (& all back-ups) of the video after posting on YouTube. Am searching for a fix that does not require access to the original & will re-post when found. I share frustration as the danger is real and urgent, and 8 months went into project. I do note that use of headphones & increasing volume level will reduce the problem, though not eliminate it.]