Alex Kirby at Climate News Network writes—Speed of Arctic Ice Melt Defies Scientific Predictions:
In an unusually stark warning a leading international scientific body says the Arctic climate is changing so fast that researchers are struggling to keep up. The changes happening there, it says, are affecting the weather worldwide.
The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) says: “Dramatic and unprecedented warming in the Arctic is driving sea level rise, affecting weather patterns around the world and may trigger even more changes in the climate system.
“The rate of change is challenging the current scientific capacity to monitor and predict what is becoming a journey into uncharted territory.”
The WMO is the United Nations’ main agency responsible for weather, climate and water.
Its president, David Grimes, said: “The Arctic is a principal, global driver of the climate system and is undergoing an unprecedented rate of change with consequences far beyond its boundaries. [...]
The increasing loss of Arctic sea ice is threatening polar bears across their range; melting sea ice is affecting the Arctic climate in a feedback loop; and scientists expect melting permafrost will release more carbon dioxide and methane.
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At Daily Kos on this date in 2004—The morning after [the debate]:
Drudge last night floated one spin attempt—that Bush was emotionally drained because he had spent the day meeting with hurricane victims. So in other words, Bush can't handle his job.
But it wasn't just the eye rolling, nor the petulance, nor the fact he clearly hadn't prepped for the debate. It was also the content, and Bush gave our side plenty of material.
At one point, Kerry's asserted that 90 percent of cargo in Florida ports wasn't inspected, nor was cargo loaded in commercial flights, and that he would do better. Bush gave this amazing answer:
I don't think we want to get to how he's going to pay for all these promises.
In other words, your safety takes a back seat to Bush's tax cuts and his unecessary war in Iraq.
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