Glacier melt speeding up - March 17, 2008
The world’s glaciers are losing ice faster than ever before.
New figures from the UN Environment Programme, based on about 30 ‘reference glaciers’, show the average rate of melting and thinning more than doubled between 04/05 and 05/06 (data set). Those who rely on meltwater from glaciers, such as the half a billion residents in the Himalaya-Hindu-Kush region and the other quarter billion downstream could be in serious trouble a few years from now.
“The latest figures are part of what appears to be an accelerating trend with no apparent end in sight,” says Wilfried Haeberli, director of the World Glacier Monitoring Service (press release).
Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director, is making even louder ‘warrrrrgh!” noises. He says: “There are many canaries emerging in the climate change coal mine. The glaciers are perhaps among those making the most noise and it is absolutely essential that everyone sits up and takes notice.”
The UN wants action now to halt the melting (AFP). Ian Willis, of the Scott Polar Research Institute, told the BBC: “It is not too late to stop the shrinkage of these ice sheets but we need to take action immediately.”
Unfortunately this message doesn’t seem to be getting through to the politicians meeting in Japan, where the pace of progress is, well, glacial. Here are a couple of headlines stemming from that meeting:
Rich and poor nations clash at climate talks – AFP
Britain dismisses Japan climate change plan – Reuters
Image: Sawyer Glacier / NOAA
Comments
This is the second time in the past few days we have seen the "Canaries in the coal mine" metaphor used. The earlier posting on the butterfly dome used the same metaphor I am sure.
This is an interesting metaphor for people to start using, especially since it refers to a time, no so long ago, when technology was more primitive and working conditions less regulated.
The thing is, neither butterflies nor iceberg's are Canaries by analogy. The climate crisis is not a gas imminently due to explode, and we are not required to remove ourselves quickly from the mine. They are rather the water boiling, like in that Frog metaphor I also saw here recently. Boil baby boil ...
Posted by: Steven Ericsson-Zenith | March 17, 2008 06:05 PM
I prefer the Coyote and Road Runner metaphor.
Remember when the Road Runner tricks the Coyote run off a cliff? I liken humanities current situation to the Coyote that looks around with a puzzled expression on his face not realizing that he has already fallen to his death (not really it was a cartoon)
Posted by: Arnold Ashcraft | March 26, 2008 02:29 PM
Not "Canaries in the coal mine", more like "ice cubes in a drink." The ice cubes maintain your drink temperature. When the ice melts completely is when temperature shoots up.
Posted by: dc | June 26, 2008 12:41 PM