This seems to nail it. Personally I am not convinced that global warming is
the
kind of problem that has urgent status, but to deny the reality of the
processes
involved now seems to be seriously off base.
Billy
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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the guardian
New atlas shows extent of climate change
The world's newest island makes it on to the map as the Arctic Uunartoq
Qeqertaq, or Warming Island, is officially recognised
* _John Vidal_ (http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/johnvidal) ,
environment editor
* _guardian.co.uk_ (http://www.guardian.co.uk/) , Thursday 15
September 2011 06.46 EDT
* _Article history_
(http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/sep/15/new-atlas-climate-change#history-link-box)
In Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World, Greenland has lost around 15%
of its ice cover between 10th edition (1999) (left) and 13th edition (2011)
(right). Photograph: Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World
If you have never heard of _Uunartoq Qeqertaq_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uunartoq_Qeqertaq) , it's possibly because it's
one of the world's newest
islands, appearing in 2006 off the east coast of _Greenland_
(http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/greenland) , 340 miles north of the _Arctic_
(http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/arctic) circle when the ice retreated because
of
global warming. This Thursday the new land – translated from Inuit as Warming
Island – was deemed permanent enough by map-makers to be included in _a new
edition_
(http://www.timesatlas.com/TimesAtlasRange/Pages/AtlasDetail.aspx?IDNumber=63021)
of the most comprehensive atlas in the world.
Uunartoq Qeqertaq joins Southern Sudan and nearly 7,000 other countries
and places added or changed since the last edition of the _Times
Comprehensive Atlas of the World_
(http://www.timesatlas.com/Pages/default.aspx) ,
reflecting political change in Africa, administrative changes in China,
burgeoning cities in developing countries, _climate change_
(http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/climate-change) , and large
infrastructure projects which
have changed the flow of _rivers_
(http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/rivers) , lakes and coastlines.
The world's biggest physical changes in the past few years are mostly seen
nearest the poles where climate change has been most extreme. Greenland
appears considerably browner round the edges, having lost around 15%, or
300,000 sq km, of its permanent ice cover. Antarctica is smaller following the
break-up of the _Larsen B_
(http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2002/mar/20/globalwarming.physicalsciences)
and _Wilkins ice shelves_
(http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/mar/26/poles.antarctica?intcmp=239)
.
But the Aral Sea in central Asia, which had previously shrunk to just 25%
of its size only 80 years ago, is now larger than it was only five years
ago, thanks to Kazakhstan redirecting _water_
(http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/water) into it. Elsewhere in Asia,
islands are appearing off the
mouths of the Ganges and the Yangtze rivers as the amount of silt brought
down from the Himalayas and inland China changes.
Sections of the Rio Grande, Yellow, Colorado and Tigris rivers are now
drying out each summer. In Mongolia, the Ongyin Gol has been redirected to
allow gold mining, while the Colorado river these days does not reach the sea
most years. "We are increasingly concerned that in the near future important
geographical features will disappear for ever. Greenland could reach a
tipping point in about 30 years," said Jethro Lennox, editor of the atlas.
--
Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community
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Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org
