My 'editor' gave me a tough assignment today, for my weekly Eco post:
WATER
The amazing substance that makes Earth unique.
The amazing molecule upon which Life depends.
Without fresh, clean, abundant Water -- Life would wither away like so many tumble weeds forever crossing the desert.
Without the amazing properties of Water molecules,
Ice would sink like a stone, not float ... like ice.
Oceans, Lakes, and Rivers would freeze SOLID -- and Life as we know it, would be very different, if it could even exist at all.
Without the amazing properties of Water molecules,
to dissolve most minerals and nutrients into the "the matrix of life",
Cells would not grow; Life would be painfully slow, if it could even exist at all.
Without a stable, reliable, mild-mannered Water Cycle -- Crops would fail, like so many levees built for a bygone era.
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WATER ... water ... everywhere.
That humble molecule, that has given the drag-down force of Entropy, a grand run for its money;
Water, and its taken-for-granted Life-giving Cycles, are responding to planet-sized changes ...
Changes that will upset the whirring balance of Humanity's many spinning top systems:
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Summary for Policy Makers
2.4. Many Human Systems are Sensitive to Climate Change, and Some are Vulnerable
Human systems that are sensitive to climate change include mainly water resources; agriculture (especially food security) and forestry; coastal zones and marine systems (fisheries); human settlements, energy, and industry; insurance and other financial services; and human health. The vulnerability of these systems varies with geographic location, time, and social, economic, and environmental conditions. [4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, and 4.7]
[...]
2.3. Natural Systems are Vulnerable to Climate Change, and Some will be Irreversibly Damaged
Natural systems can be especially vulnerable to climate change because of limited adaptive capacity (see Box SPM-1), and some of these systems may undergo significant and irreversible damage. Natural systems at risk include glaciers, coral reefs and atolls, mangroves, boreal and tropical forests, polar and alpine ecosystems, prairie wetlands, and remnant native grasslands. While some species may increase in abundance or range, climate change will increase existing risks of extinction of some more vulnerable species and loss of biodiversity. It is well-established[6] that the geographical extent of the damage or loss, and the number of systems affected, will increase with the magnitude and rate of climate change (see Figure SPM-2). [4.3 and 7.2.1]
--
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
The Nobel Foundation
IPCC honoured with the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize
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WATER
If only Noble Awards for Peace were as pliable and abundant on Earth, as Water,
that amazing ingredient, that keeps the Rivers of Life flowing;
that keeps Living beings striving, for yet another better day, tomorrow.
The opposing forces for rampant Disorder, notwithstanding ...