Don't think it's isolated to Russia either.<p>Alaska just reported their hottest June ever (It's in the 90's in a lot of places now), and the Yukon is seeing massive, massive climate changes in recent years.<p>The annual Redezvous festival used to be held ON the Yukon River in downtown Whitehorse. Friends tell of driving onto the river, having huge bonfires, etc. etc.<p>It hasn't even frozen over enough to walk on in a decade or more, and now it actually goes above freezing in January most years..... even 20 years ago it wouldn't go above -40 for all of Dec/Jan.<p>Things are changing very, very fast in the North.
It <i>is</i> having a devastating effect.<p>June was the hottest month recorded in human history: <a href="https://weather.com/en-IN/india/news/news/2019-07-16-earth-experiences-hottest-june-ever-record-2019" rel="nofollow">https://weather.com/en-IN/india/news/news/2019-07-16-earth-e...</a><p>It crushed the record and July is tracking to break that record.<p>There's not a socially acceptable way of conveying how bad it is. Running around and screaming "we're all going to die" is more accurate that saying things will be fine.
Does it really matter anymore? Not to sound too fatalistic, but are people going to change? Unless people's houses are catching fire and there are food shortages in industrialized countries, there is going to be little or no change.
1) I'm sure climate change models took this into account but is it worse than predicted ?<p>2) And if it releases land and resources.. how happy will Russia to increase their economy through uses of gas/oil ? (not helping permafrost)
There's also the methane hydrate just under the seabed of the continental margins of the world's oceans. A rise in water temperature may destabilise large quantities, releasing huge amounts of methane, accelerating climate change further.<p><a href="https://worldoceanreview.com/en/wor-1/ocean-chemistry/climate-change-and-methane-hydrates/" rel="nofollow">https://worldoceanreview.com/en/wor-1/ocean-chemistry/climat...</a>
Anyone working in the computer and software (or any high-tech) industry should be worried about global warming. Even if society collapses, you will have certain needs like food, clothing, etc. However, high technology requires a highly organized civilization to exist and develop.<p>Global warming is a risk to organized human life and it's possible we won't be doing anything related to computers in 20-30 years. It's not crazy to think people will collectively lose the ability to make microchips and computers. Progress and technological development cannot be taken for granted and requires the right conditions to function.<p>Global warming is an existential risk to our industry!
I have at times worried about the trapped methane that could be released with the permafrost...on some accounts I've heard the amount that could be released is massive. I know that this methane can increase global warming, but I have another fear. Although perhaps farfetched, is it possible that climate change could release a dense, rolling methane cloud that can asphyxiate whole populations?