This is unsurprising to me. Global heat retention changes are mostly due to changes in the concentration of atmospheric greenhouse gases. While the rate at which those greenhouse gases is added has dropped due to the economic effects of the pandemic, the absolute concentration of greenhouse gases is still increasing. Combined with the destabilization of the polar vortex, I anticipate the ice melt rate to continue to increase.
We have emitted more GHGs since 1990. We're emitting them faster than we did in 1990 and have been in basically every one of those 30 years.<p>It really worries me that people think we're making progress. We're not, we're getting worse and the rate of worsening is accelerating!?
Its so sad but so human that this just seems to be ignored in large part. If we knew a massive war would come and kill a huge portion of the earths population in the next 50-100 years would we react any better?
With the falling costs of getting cargo to orbit, will it ever be possible to install solar reflectors that keep the polar regions from heating up? This would keep intact the reflective white poles for longer, a positive development.<p>How big would the reflectors have to be, would they be in the L1 lagrange point? Maybe if SpaceX keeps lowering launch costs it will eventually be a no brainier?
We're never going to get climate change under control until we have carbon taxes. I don't get why conservative politicians aren't behind this? It's <i>the</i> definition of a libertarian free market solution! You could even make it revenue neutral by lowering income taxes. It's also arguably a better targeted tax. You tax the things you want less of. It's kind of silly to tax income when you could instead be taxing activity that's harmful to the planet. Far better for corporations to try and dodge taxes by emitting less co2 than offshoring to ireland.
<a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25874471" rel="nofollow">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25874471</a><p>Climate change: US emissions in 2020 in biggest fall since WWII (bbc.com)<p>Which makes sense, tons of unemployment and work from home means far less emissions to be expected. This must be great for climate change? How come we're losing ice faster? That doesnt make sense. It should be the coldest year for a long time right?<p><a href="https://www.space.com/nasa-confirms-2020-hottest-year-on-record" rel="nofollow">https://www.space.com/nasa-confirms-2020-hottest-year-on-rec...</a><p>So the fix to climate change is reducing emissions. We do that because of a pandemic and it makes climate change worse?