Methane Time Bomb

There are enormous quantities of naturally occurring greenhouse gasses trapped in ice-like structures in the cold northern muds and at the bottom of the seas. These ices, called clathrates, contain 3,000 times as much methane as is in the atmosphere. Methane is more than 20 times as strong a greenhouse gas as carbon dioxide.

Now here's the scary part. A temperature increase of merely a few degrees would cause these gases to volatilize and "burp" into the atmosphere, which would further raise temperatures, which would release yet more methane, heating the Earth and seas further, and so on. There's 400 gigatons of methane locked in the frozen arctic tundra - enough to start this chain reaction - and the kind of warming the Arctic Council predicts is sufficient to melt the clathrates and release these greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Once triggered, this cycle could result in runaway global warming the likes of which even the most pessimistic doomsayers aren't talking about.

from Ticking Time bomb by John Atcheson.

This is a particularly frightening scenario. Atcheson, a geologist, makes the case that this scenario is somewhere between "possible" and "likely." Should we really be taking a chance with this?It's sort of funny how we humans are sleepwalking to our doom. Still, what an ignominous way for us to collectively dissolve back into the void (taking most of the biosphere with us).

Some say the world will end in fire
Some say in ice


How about a colossal artic fart? Bet Robert Frost didn't see that one coming!

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Meanwhile there's love and spirit, as always. I spent this evening with one of my closest friends, Cheryl. I'm particularly enjoying her company lately since she is moving back to San Francisco soon. I'm happy for her and have mixed reactions for myself. Part of me says: damn, my friend is moving away! And part says: cool! I'm going to have a close friend in San Francisco to visit! I've visited that city twice before and I love it. It has such a groovy, tolerant, inclusive kind of vibe. We need more of that.

Recently I discovered a great book called Get Your War On. It is a hilarious, sarcastic treatment of American politics in 2001. Check it out, the whole thing is online here.