A science-based explanation of the tipping point ought to stress the fact that it must be considered a double whammy. Not only will we be unable to heal the planet once we go over the edge, but also we will enter a downward spiral. A good analogy to this would be end stage diabetes. No matter how often you dialyze the blood, your life is still slipping away. It’s simply a matter of how long you can postpone death, unless of course medical science can discover a miraculous remedy. Don’t count on that coming soon.

Not all of the planet will experience warming with the same intensity. One might assume that currents which carry the never near Greenland’s melting ice could bring cooler summers to certain localities.

Meanwhile not all climatologists buy into the two-degree Celsius increase as the threshold for alarm. Some say it’s five degrees and so of course there are models in between both figures. Let’s see where the jet stream goes and what it does next.

Don’t forget that ocean life is affected by air temperature. This includes the slowing of ocean currents caused by warmer air which are supposed to reverse the cooler water at the bottom with the surface water. It is believed that life on Earth originated on the ocean floor (Benthos), so from there the chain of life went to the land. There’s still a lot to learn about the vulnerability of this chain. Some scientists passionately believe that is strong evidence to support the premise that if benthic life forms start to fail, from pollution or heating, all land-based life will eventually be seriously affected.

Meanwhile, what may be the first noticeable phenomenon to actually disrupt human life: heating in the equatorial latitudes causing micro organisms in the soil to emit CO2, which in turn causes heating in the temperate regions, which in turn causes a further release of CO2. Intuitively one might think that then the micro organisms could change the chemical balance of the soil. What’s more certain is that life will become more difficult for humans and other life forms. A host of social problems will arise, resulting in societal turmoil. For a well written, engaging novel on this subject, please read “The Ministry for the Future,” by Kim Stanley Robinson.

We can’t predict all the consequences of warming. Take for example the release of methane from under the arctic permafrost. Methane is purported to be 100 times more potent than CO2 as a greenhouse gas. In the Siberian tundra, a crater 60 to 80 feet wide has appeared and then two more of these deep, explosive craters were found shortly afterward.

With all of the worrisome ecological mishaps and damage that have been observed in the last 50 years you could write many books. Check out old issues of World Watch Institute’s Annual Reports and also back issues of their magazine.

Allan Frank

Phillipsport