Lethal Heating: 01/24/22

24/01/2022

(USA NPR) Could The World Become Too Warm To Hold Winter Olympics?

All Things Considered - Transcript 2min 21sec

Rosie Brennan of the United States competes in a Tour de Ski, women's 10-kilometer freestyle, interval start cross-country ski event, in Dobbiaco (Toblach), Italy, on Jan. 5, 2021. She is planning to compete at the Beijing Winter Olympics next month. Alessandro Trovati/AP

Without drastic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, climate change threatens future Winter Olympic Games because their locations would be too warm to host the events, a new study has found.

If the world's high emissions continue on their trajectory, by the 2080s all but one of the 21 cities that previously hosted the Winter Games — Sapporo, Japan — would not be able to do so again.

Six cities would be considered "marginal," while 14 would be deemed "unreliable" — meaning the right conditions for snow and athlete safety cannot be met.

But that won't necessarily happen if the world takes drastic action and follows the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, according to Daniel Scott, the lead researcher for the University of Waterloo's report. Under that deal, nearly 200 countries agreed to drastically cut their collective greenhouse emissions.

Climate In 2021, climate ambitions soared and crashed in the U.S. and around the world

In 2021, climate ambitions soared and crashed in the U.S. and around the world

"Under a low-emissions future in the 2050s even the 2080s, we don't really see much change in terms of those climate reliable locations," Scott told NPR. "We pretty much keep all of what we have today."

The report comes just as the world prepares for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, starting Feb. 4.

Athletes and coaches surveyed by the researchers said they're already seeing the effect climate change has on their sports.

"Some of the coaches that did the survey have been coaches in the sport for 30 years," Scott said. "They've traveled the world, back to the same competitions, and they've seen that certain competitions don't happen as regularly or uninterrupted as they used to" because of warmer temperatures.

Rosie Brennan, a U.S. Olympic cross-country skier, said race organizers rely on technology to work around the climate impact — with varied results. Brennan participated in the 2018 Olympics and plans to compete in Beijing.

"I think the thing that we see now is with warmer weather, there's less snowfall, so we're much more reliant on man made snow," she told NPR. "And man-made snow doesn't act the same as natural snow. It tends to be much firmer, it gets icier faster and it's a faster surface."

That has resulted in devastating injuries to athletes — normally a rarity for Brennan's sport, she said.

"I think we have seen that in the last few years there's been a number of World Cup races where people have broken bones from crashing," she said.

Winter Olympic sports like snowboarding could be at risk thanks to a warming climate, according to a new report. Jonathan Hayward/AP

The future of winter sports could be entirely indoors

The Summer Olympics are also feeling the effects of climate change.

This summer's Tokyo's Olympic and Paralympic Games are likely one of — if not the — hottest and most humid Games on record. Daily temperatures reached the high 80s with high humidity that could make it feel more like 100 degrees.

The Tokyo Games Could End Up Being The Hottest Summer Olympics Ever

But winter sports seem acutely vulnerable to the impact of a warmer world.

During the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, skiers were overheating in the same way a marathon runner would at nearly 90-degree weather, according to Scott.

There may come a point when outdoor games may have to move indoors or be held at a different time of year altogether in order to accommodate higher temperatures, he said.

Some countries with traditionally hot climates have already adopted indoor ski resorts.

Dubai opened the first indoor ski resort in the Middle East, which has been deemed the "world's best" — better than even what traditionally wintry conditions like Scotland or Germany can offer — six years in a row.

Thanks to climate change, outdoor winter sports like skiing may go entirely indoors. People dine at a Lebanese restaurant overlooking to indoor ski slope in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in 2012. Kamran Jebreili/AP

But Brennan said a major part of why she loves her sport is lost if this becomes the norm.

"The reason I am a skier is because I love being outside," she said. "I love being in the mountains, I love being in nature. I love being alone on the trail, hearing my own breathing. And none of that is possible when you're indoors."

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(AU SMH) NSW Students Find Tropical Starfish 600km From Home In Climate Change Warning

Sydney Morning Herald - Laura Chung

Snorkelling among grey nurse sharks, turtles and fish on the Mid North Coast isn’t a normal way to spend science class.

But for the students at Great Lakes College in Tuncurry, it’s just another day at school. That was until they spotted a tropical sea starfish species that has not been seen in the area for 12 years.

Science teacher Simon Patterson and his year 9 students were snorkelling at Wallis Lake at the end of 2020 when they spotted a number of starfish they were unable to identify.

A Pentaceraster regulus, found on the NSW coast. The species normally lives more than 600 kilometres further north.

“They were different to what we normally see,” he said. “We took some photos, and I got onto The Australian Museum website – they have this site where you can take a photo of any plant or animal and send it to them and they will send it to the relevant expert.”

The museum’s Marine Invertebrates Collection Manager Stephen Keable received the enquiry and realised the invertebrate had been spotted in the same area 12 years ago.

The large starfish, known as Pentaceraster regulus, is usually found more than 600 kilometres away, along the Queensland coast and have also been found near Lord Howe Island.

“Because there were only two individuals of this species found in 2008, it was thought that they may have been brought into the area by vessels entering the nearby marina,” Dr Keable said.

But he said the new information provided by the students provided evidence that the presence of the species was not a one-off event.

”Whether this particular sea star will have an impact, it is hard to know: it is large, it is a predator, it already occurs there quite commonly at certain times.

“It’s impacting the local environment somehow, but there needs to be some fairly detailed research.“

Year 11 student Baden Bell, who is considering a career as a marine biologist, said spotting the starfish was exciting to find but raised concerns about climate change.

“Climate change could have impacted the environment and moved it more south, we don’t know what the effects will be on our local ecosystem,” the 16-year-old said.

“It was a great experience to be a part of. We are not only observing and looking at starfish, but we also got to capture them and collect them and talk to scientists.”

Australian Museum marine invertebrates collection manager Dr Stephen Keable holds Pentaceraster regulas. Credit: Rhett Wyman

Extreme weather Lake Cargelligo in the state’s west was battered by violent thunderstorms earlier this week.

Sydney smashes January humidity records as La Nina nears its peak

Samples of the starfish will now be housed at the Australian Museum among its invertebrate collection, which spans 100 years.

The collection plays a vital role in documenting where species originate, how they change over time as well as providing insight into the biodiversity of a region.

Warming oceans are thought to be responsible for the starfish’s expansion to the small coastal town, and its presence is indicative of the impacts of climate change on marine ecosystems.

The world’s oceans recorded their hottest year in more than 60 years , with the past five years the warmest on record, and scientists are concerned about how marine life would be able to adapt.

Please Explain podcast Please Explain co-host Nathanael Cooper.

What is the impact of the maritime heatwave?

Chief scientist and director of the Australian Museum Research Institute Professor Kristofer Helgen said the new find highlights why collaboration between museums and citizen scientists is vital.

Since 2003, about 198 species have changed their distribution ranges – 87.3 per cent of these have shifted poleward.

Centre for Marine Socioecology Director and Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies Professor Gretta Pecl, who published the research with colleagues in 2020, said some species would significantly impact their new ecosystem structure and function, human health and food security.

“The fact these species are adjusting their distribution is a positive sign, they are adapting to the climate. We want to adapt, it’s just that the rate of change in different species is different,” she said.

“I think of ecosystems and distribution of species as an ecological fabric of the planet, the threads are being pulled at different rates, creating holes and clumps and changes to the fabric: not everything can shift at the same rate.

“That means that all those connections, all of those threads are all changing. It is a bit of a nightmare, trying to establish what the net effect of all those are.”

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Marine climate responses - CSIRO

(USA ABC News) How Young People Can Make Effective Change In The Climate Crisis, According To Experts

ABC News (America) - Julia Jacobo

The consequences of a century of global warming is on their shoulders.

Young climate activists on the fight for Earth. Activists share how they fight climate change ahead of COP26, the 2021 U.N. Climate Change Conference. Jeff J. Mitchell/Getty Images 3min 20sec

The fate of the world is in their hands. The youngest generations may feel that they have the smallest ability to impact the devastating effects of climate change at the moment but also shoulder the burden of its future effects.

This responsibility -- along with the prospect of living under a looming humanitarian crisis -- sparked by rising sea levels and extreme weather events exacerbated by climate change -- has caused widespread psychological distress among young people.

Many say they don't trust their leaders to make the right decisions for them and the planet. They are frustrated with older generations for putting them in this position and they are scared about the future of the planet -- about what living conditions will look like decades from now.

But it has also sparked a camaraderie among young people, who are using their collective voices and actions to become the most vocal generation to fight for the planet in recorded history.

"The climate emergency is already here," 19-year-old Jeeva Senthilnathan, an engineering student at the Colorado School of Mines, told ABC News. "We're seeing the entire climate emergency in front of our eyes."

Older generations have a responsibility to foster and encourage young people's goals to conserve the planet as well, Lise Van Susteren, a general and forensic psychiatrist who has researched how climate change has affected the psychological health of young people, told ABC News.

"We have to listen," Van Susteren said. "They recognize that the cumulative toll of climate change is on their shoulders."

Young people attend 'Die-In' protest during Global Climate Strike to demand action be taken on climate change in Krakow, Poland, Oct. 14, 2019. NurPhoto via Getty Images

These are the things young people can do to get ahead of climate change:

Make your voice heard

One of the biggest assets young people have in the climate fight is the ability to make themselves be heard on a global scale.

Ever since Swedish teen Greta Thunberg inspired millions of teens to skip school to demonstrate for climate change in 2018, the world's media has been paying attention to youth climate strikes.

The protests, filled with passionate young people, and often led by Thunberg, now 19. They have captured the attention of the world's media, reverberating with the anger and angst the young attendees feel about the future.

Young people, especially teens, are experts at arguing with their parents, Van Susteren said, adding that, when it comes to the climate crisis, that catharsis is "absolutely critical."

"Don't hold it in," she said. "If it's churning inside you, let it out. Talk about it. Don't stop talking about it."

Students, who are dealing with other overlapping crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic and racial injustice, are pushing to bring those topics into the classroom.

Senthilnathan, who has not only led climate strikes but has also met with local legislators to discuss policy, said more of those type of interactions will move the needle on awareness.

"When they work together and put their voices together, it has much more impact," Van Susteren said. "Make as much noise as you can."

But beware of the "false dichotomy" between collective action and individual action, Morgan Edwards, an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a leader of the university's Climate Action Lab told ABC News, adding that reducing personal emissions or shaming others' lifestyles is not fulfilling or effective.

"There's no price of admission to the climate movement," she said. "Trying to think just about how you can reduce your personal emissions can feel really lonely, whereas, being part of something bigger, finding a community to take action together with -- I think that's a much more empowering way to think about climate change centers the conversation around those who are responsible for the crisis, which isn't you as an individual."

Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg joins a Fridays for Future climate protest, Feb. 21, 2020, in Hamburg, Germany. Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Participate in local politics

As young people grow to voting age, it will be important for them to use that power to spark change.

And if they believe that none of the candidates are up to the task, young people can run for office themselves.

Senthilnathan has already run for city council in her town in Golden, Colorado. Although she was not elected she encourages her peers to continue to fight for those positions of power.

"Election after election after election, we're still seeing the fact that the climate emergency isn't really being addressed," she said. "Running for like a city council position is a great place where they can like input those policies."

One of Senthilnathan's goals is to become an adviser to the White House on climate policy, she said, adding that it will be important for people her age to not let older generations tell them they are too young to lead.

"As youth, we barely have any resources to run for office," she said. "I hope people are paying attention to the youth who are trying to make a change."

Apply your interests to the climate fight

Young people do not need to dedicate their entire lives to climate activism to make a big difference in protecting the environment, the experts said.

"The best way to take climate action is to think about the thing that you already love to do," Edwards said. "So if you're, if you're an artist, you can make art about the climate crisis. If you're a writer, you can tell stories."

While studying for her engineering degree, Senthilnathan learned that about 40% to 50% of pollution comes from construction engineering. This is something she hopes to address in future policy, she said.

"I think, whatever you're interested in, climate intersects with that," Edwards said. "Bringing conversation into the things that you already love, I think, is the most one of the most sustainable ways to take action."

For college students who feel like they can't get involved in the climate crisis because their major has nothing to do with the environment, Senthilnathan said there are ways to apply every course of study to the climate fight. For instance, people with a focus on business administration or property management can apply their studies to finding ways to construct and maintain buildings with more sustainable materials and less toxic waste, she said.

"I think we need so many more perspectives coming into the climate crisis, and to really be thinking about how it interacts with all of these different fields," Edwards said. "So it's not just a science or policy or an engineering problems."

Living with fear of the future

Senthilnathan got a front row seat to the climate emergency after multiple wildfires destroyed hundreds of homes near Boulder, Colorado, just weeks ago.

Winds that help spread the fires rapidly were so high that they broke her window, Senthilnathan said, describing that week as "terrifying" and "emotional." There was dust and debris all over Jefferson County, where Senthilnathan lives, and because her father had contracted COVID-19, she had no where to escape to.

Activism is the only way she knows how to take control of her destiny, rather than live in fear, she said.

It will also important for young people to find like-minded peers to discuss ideas over, Van Susteren said. It's easy to feel like an outcast or "the weird one" when you're young, especially when older people keep telling you you're too young to know anything.

In the past, kids who found that their concerns about the climate were not taken seriously felt like outsiders, Van Susteren said.

"Kids find that when they talk to each other, they feel a sense of camaraderie," she said. " This is critical, because it makes them feel like they're not weird," Van Susteren said.

Van Susteren also advised young people to find a mentor who does not write off their concerns.

"They want their teachers and administrators to provide the space and the time for them to talk about their fear, and they want their school districts to create the curricula that enable them to speak intelligently about climate," Van Susteren said. "And also to show that the adults who are involved in education, understand what it is that they are going to need to know."

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