Status of the Globe: Scientists say the future for Earth is even more bleak than originally thought - by Richard Hartley-Parkinson

Is the party over ?

A prophetic ‘Warning to Humanity’ giving notice of perils facing the Earth has been issued by more than 15,000 scientists from around the world.

The message, posted online, updates an original Warning from the Union of Concerned Scientists and around 1,700 signatories delivered in 1992.

Today, the global scientific community’s view of the future is even more bleak.

Apart from the hole in the ozone layer, which has now been stabilised, every one of the major threats identified in 1992 has worsened.

Runaway consumption of precious resources by an exploding population remains the biggest danger facing humankind, say the scientists.

They urge ‘scientists, media influencers and lay citizens’ to put pressure on governments to reverse the trend.

A host of environmental calamities are highlighted in the warning notice, including catastrophic climate change, deforestation, mass species extinction, ocean ‘dead zones’, and lack of access to fresh water.

Writing in the online international journal BioScience, the scientists led by top US ecologist Professor William Ripple, from Oregon State University, said: ‘Humanity is now being given a second notice …
We are jeopardising our future by not reining in our intense but geographically and demographically uneven material consumption and by not perceiving continued rapid population growth as a primary driver behind many ecological and even societal threats.

‘By failing to adequately limit population growth, reassess the role of an economy rooted in growth, reduce greenhouse gases, incentivise renewable energy, protect habitat, restore ecosystems, curb pollution, halt defaunation, and constrain invasive alien species, humanity is not taking the urgent steps needed to safeguard our imperilled biosphere.’

In their original warning, scientists including most of the world’s Nobel Laureates argued that human impacts on the natural world were likely to lead to ‘vast human misery’.

The new notice, written as an open-letter ‘viewpoint’ article, won the support of 15,364 scientists from 184 countries who agreed to offer their names as signatories.

The authors drew on data from government agencies, non-profit organisations and individual researchers to set out their case that environmental impacts were likely to inflict ‘substantial and irreversible harm’ to the Earth.

Prof Ripple said: ‘Those who signed this second warning aren’t just raising a false alarm. They are acknowledging the obvious signs that we are heading down an unsustainable path.

‘We are hoping that our paper will ignite a widespread public debate about the global environment and climate.’

Progress had been made in some areas – such as cutting ozone-depleting chemicals, and increasing energy generated from renewable sources – but this was far outweighed by the damaging trends, said the scientists.

They pointed out that in the past 25 years:

•     The amount of fresh water available per head of population worldwide has reduced by 26%.
•     The number of ocean ‘dead zones’ – places where little can live because of pollution and oxygen starvation – has increased by 75%.
•     Nearly 300 million acres of forest have been lost, mostly to make way for agricultural land.
•     Global carbon emissions and average temperatures have shown continued significant increases.
•     Human population has risen by 35 per cent.
•     Collectively the number of mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds and fish in the world has fallen by 29 per cent.

Prof Ripple and his colleagues have formed a new independent organisation called the Alliance of World Scientists to voice concerns about environmental sustainability and the fate of humanity.

Source: : Scientists say the future for Earth is even more bleak than originally thought | Metro News

USA - Florida: Some retirees are rethinking Florida after Irma- by Jessica Dickler

Sammy Musovic was planning to buy a condo in Miami's Coconut Grove or South Beach at the end of the year, leaving his Manhattan restaurant business to his two sons.

"I was going to retire and go to Florida, but now I'm definitely reconsidering," the 55-year-old Musovic said after Hurricane Irma wreaked havoc on Florida. "I want to feel comfortable and enjoy myself, I don't want to feel like I'm in danger."

The Sunshine State — which benefits from an overall low cost of living, extensive availability of health-care facilities and recreational activities, including golf, museums and beaches, as well as no personal income tax — consistently ranks among the best place to retire. (Texas has also been considered a top retirement spot, in part because it also has no income tax.)

Of course, that also has to do with the weather, which aside from hurricane season, is generally balmy and beautiful.

But the devastation from Hurricane Irma, fresh on the heels of Hurricane Harvey, which plowed into Houston late last month, has some retirees and soon-to-be retirees like Musovic second-guessing their decision.

Over the last decade, Florida has been the most attractive destination by far for seniors, as measured by average annual net migration for the 55-plus set, according to an analysis of Census Bureau data by William Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution. But it's been steadily losing ground to states like Georgia, Arizona and the Carolinas.

And still, most American retirees are deciding to stay put, and those who do move usually don't go far, according to Rodney Harrell, director of AARP's Livable Communities program. (According to Brookings, less than 1 percent of Americans make an interstate move.)

"These weather events could have a real impact," said Karen Smith Conway, an economics professor at the University of New Hampshire, citing the increased cost of living, particularly with regard to insurance in the storm's aftermath.

Note EU-Digest: And why shouldn't they  be concerned  - Florida infra-structure sucks, antiquated electric grid and water systems, public transportation system - also nothing to write home about. Weather might be nice, cool; and dry in winter, but sweltering and humid in the summer. Retirees who can't drive anymore, or those living in special health-care facilities without family members around, are prone to great stress during the hurricane season

Read more: Some retirees are rethinking Florida after Irma

Water Supplies California: Only 1 year of water left in California, NASA scientist suggests rationing - Lucy Nicholson

NASA’s top water scientist says California only has about one year’s worth of water left in storage, and its groundwater – often used as a backup for reservoirs and other reserves – is rapidly depleting. He suggests immediately rationing water.

California just had the driest January since record-keeping began in 1895, with groundwater and snowpack levels at all-time lows, NASA scientist Jay Familglietti wrote in a column for the Los Angeles Times. He said the state has been running out of water since before the current years-long drought and storage levels have been falling since at least 2002, according to NASA satellite data.

“California has no contingency plan for a persistent drought like this one (let alone a 20-plus-year mega-drought), except, apparently, staying in emergency mode and praying for rain,” said Familglietti. “In short, we have no paddle to navigate this crisis.”


Read more: Only 1 year of water left in California, NASA scientist suggests rationing — RT USA

Turkish dam to transport water to Cyprus in final stages

The first phase of a huge project launched by the Turkish government to transport 75 million cubic metres of fresh water under the Mediterranean to the Turkish part of Cyprus has almost been completed, report Turkish media.

The construction of the Alakopru dam in the Mersin province (where the water will be collected for Cyprus) is expected to be completed in a few weeks, said project director Ali Cakmak. In a few years, water from Anatolia will flow from Alakopru to Cyprus through a 78-kilometre pipeline under the Mediterranean between Mersin and Gecitkoy, near Girne (Kyrenia) in the northern part of Cyprus. About 15 million cubic metres of water will go to the taps of Turkish Cypriot homes, while another 60 million will be earmarked for irrigation purposes, reports Zaman Online. The island of Cyprus (split down the middle by the Turkish military intervention in 1974 in the northern section, where a breakaway Turkish Cypriot Republic was proclaimed that has been recognised only by Turkey) suffers regularly from periods of drought.

The governor of Mersin recently called the project ''the pride of Turkey''. The arrival of water from Anatolia, Hurriyet said, is expected to contribute a great deal to the development of the Turkish Cypriot economy, especially as concerns agriculture. (ANSAmed).

Read more: Turkish dam to transport water to Cyprus in final stages - Economy - ANSAMed.it