Water We Going to Do?

Today’s blog, part of my ongoing assessment of the cost of not containing and reversing climate change, is about glaciers. The above glacial map from the US Geological Survey points out the most obvious larger pockets of this form of “rivers of ice.” Some spots have glaciers (e.g., Mt. Kilimanjaro East Africa) that are too small to show up on a global map, but they are also critical water supplies.

The USGS tells us that: “Glaciers are a big item when we talk about the world's water supply. Almost 10 percent of the world's land mass is currently covered with glaciers, mostly in places like Greenland and Antarctica. You can think of a glacier as a frozen river, and like rivers, they ‘flow’ downhill, erode the landscape, and move water along in the Earth's water cycle.” Looking at our polar ice caps and glaciers, the USGS adds: “Glaciers store about 69% of the world's freshwater, and if all land ice melted the seas would rise about 230 feet (70 meters)(NSIDC – [National Snow and Ice Data Center]).” Unfortunately, that is where we are headed.

But rather than looking at the next century, it is valuable to look at what most of those alive today will actually experience. Indeed, we know that as the average global temperatures rise, most of those very slow-moving glaciers accelerate their downward flow, melting and contracting with time. Some feed traditional rivers, lakes and streams; others carry water into oceans and seas. Of the major glacial concentrations on earth, according to a report from the United Nations, here are the World Heritage glacial sites that will be completely gone within 30 years:

• Hyrcanian Forests (Iran)
• Durmitor National Park (Montenegro)
• Virunga National Park (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
• Huanlong Scenic and Historic Interest Area (China)
• Yellowstone National Park (United States of America)
• Mount Kenya National Park/Natural Forest (Kenya)
• Pyrenees Mont Perdu (France, Spain)
• Rwenzori Mountains National Park (Uganda)
• Putorana Plateau (Russia)
• Swiss Tectonic Arena Sardona (Switzerland)
• Nahanni National Park (Canada)
• Lorentz National Park (Indonesia)
• Natural System of Wrangel Island Reserve (Russia)
• Kilimanjaro National Park (Tanzania)
• Yosemite National Park (United States of America)
• The Dolomites (Italy)
• Virgin Komi Forests (Russia)

The November 3rd BBC.com tells us that the above list encompasses a third of all major glaciers on earth, that Africa will lose all of its glacial ice, and for those who believe that we can still save the above list by prompt action, the authors of that UNESCO report tell us: “They will melt regardless of the world's actions to combat climate change.” We’ve passed the tipping point for those precious storehouses of water… forever.

As long as burning fossil fuels dominates our production of energy, these aggregating climate change anomalies will continue and expand: desertification/drought in some regions, severe flooding in others, agricultural production will continue to be severely disrupted, diseases and insects will continue to migrate to regions with local populations are unprepared to deal with the obvious changes, wildfires will rage, tropical storms will intensify, pockets of intolerable heat will grow, warmer polar regions will push that exceptionally cold “polar vortex” southward with greater frequency and coast regions will be recaptured by rising seas.

We have lots of excuses. Germany is cold. We cannot contain Putin and his war. China is not talking to us. India does not care. And Republicans cannot justify spending money on climate change infrastructure and alternative energy. The choice is ours. We’re just making the wrong ones.

I’m Peter Dekom, that we are getting the obvious results of our failure to respond adequately to the worst calamity humanity has ever faced; nature is callously indifferent to our choice.