Climate & Energy Leader at WMO | Climate Science & Policy Expert | Sustainable Energy Advocate | TEDx Speaker | GITEX IMPACT Leader
I cannot agree more with this Op-ed by Jeff Goodell Earlier this week, the Third Avenue Bridge in Manhattan had to be shut down because the bridge – which pivots to allow ships to pass – wouldn’t close correctly. Why? Because it was so hot in New York City that the metal in the bridge swelled, and the closing mechanism wouldn’t work. Firefighters had to spray water on the structure for several hours to cool it off before the bridge could be reopened to traffic. From hurricanes knocking out #power grids to record-breaking #heatwaves making it too hot for firefighters to fight fires, the signs are everywhere. Our infrastructure, economic systems, and cultural practices are increasingly maladapted to our rapidly warming world. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) plays a crucial role in addressing these challenges. Here’s how: 🔍 #WMO provides vital data that helps us understand and predict extreme weather events, enabling better preparedness and response. #EW4ALL 📊 By supporting cutting-edge climate science, #WMO helps us understand the impacts of climate change and develop effective mitigation strategies. #G3W 🌐 #WMO fosters international collaboration, ensuring that countries share knowledge and resources to tackle climate challenges collectively. Consider the wildfires in California, the extreme heat in Europe causing thousands of deaths, or the sea walls that no longer protect coastal cities as #sealevelsrise. These issues underscore the need for a global, science-based approach to building resilience. Rebuilding our world requires a holistic approach, rethinking how we live, where we get our energy, and how we build our cities. This is where the #WMO’s work is invaluable. The climate crisis is not just about technology; it’s about changing our entire way of life. The sooner we stop clinging to the old ways and focus on building a smarter, more sustainable future, the better off we – and every living thing on this planet – will be. https://lnkd.in/eH3zY-G7
What a stupid title. It should say "A world built by ignorants who cannot comprehend that climate is dynamic and always changing".
It has been 95F+ in north-central Montana for the last week, and no relief in site @3000ft. It is predicted to be 104F by next Sunday, 07/21/24! It has not been this hot this early for so many days since I've lived here in 1995, or since 1981 when I first came here. I'm at nearly the 48th parallel!
<sarcasm> Let's follow the malthusian doctrine and reduce the world's population. Who is going to stick up their hand to be the first one to give this world a chance? </sarcasm>
Reading the comments here, it seems the angst is gathering steam in people who cannot or will not accept humans (global governance) are slowly Disrupting the infrastructure, agriculture and biosphere more broadly by actively doing nothing (or worse) to mitigate overconsumption which leads to massive problems everywhere. https://history.aip.org/climate/timeline.htm https://science.nasa.gov/resource/graphic-temperature-vs-solar-activity/ https://theconversation.com/the-three-minute-story-of-800-000-years-of-climate-change-with-a-sting-in-the-tail-73368 Mass Extinctions and Their Relationship With Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Concentration: Implications for Earth's Future https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2022EF003336 Observational determination of surface radiative forcing by CO2 from 2000 to 2010 https://www.nature.com/articles/nature14240 Observational Evidence of Increasing Global Radiative Forcing https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2020GL091585 Large-scale indicators of the state of the climate system and human influence https://essd.copernicus.org/articles/15/2295/2023/ GHG -> energy imbalance https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-24544-4
Which ‘old ways’???….our ever increasing thirst for screen devices, analytics, AI functionality, growing middle classes, ease of transport, faster information, disposable items, fast fashion, new cars, convenience…sorry, but at least give some examples of how the ‘old ways’ are the problem?? Also, the old ways never invested trillions into a crisis that isn’t actually a ‘crisis’…the real crisis is your misinformation and/or distortion of science and distraction from the real problems 😔
It would be great if we could point our finger at one aspect, with one associated impact and one effect and take one action and tada, thwart climate change. But after 3.8 billion years of R&D, Mother Nature has created the most intricate, interdependent system of ecosystems. While we track many of the key forces, such as the tipping points, which the Stockholm Resilience Centre and the PIK - Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research have researched, what we do not know is what are the very subtle cumulative triggers that start the domino effect. Even if we were masterful at making incredible behaviour change, it could take 10 years to know whether we have made the fundamental shift to drawdown. Hanging your hat on one manifestation, or another, or citing that money matters over life is fine but not evidence of ecological literacy. Humans are tool makers and shapers, we can be innovative, but these skills need to be merged with how the planet actually functions to be successful.
The Third Avenue Bridge incident highlights how climate change is making our infrastructure increasingly vulnerable.
BS. WMO will creat more issues than they fix. Is this the first time this has happened? I worked in the New Orleans area on and along the Mississippi River for over 30 years. Spent a lot of time working on ships made of steel, river barges, float deck crane barges made of steel. Guess what happens when the sun comes out and hits the steel it gets hot from the sun. Hell it gets hot 🥵 down in New Orleans. I bet if you ask an old timer who worked around steel when they were younger if the steel ever got hit from the sun. Think it is about time the WMO go find something else to worry about. This is nothing new.
And this has ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with improper maintenance due to budget cuts and a lack of qualified personnel/tradsemen, and municipal authorities prioritizing photo ops, saving the climate and feeding union leadership over doing their actual jobs. :D
"Are You Climate Ready?" at @AYCR1234
1moEven the simplest example, when it gets very hot, walking your dog on the road is an issue, as pavement gets so warm it can burn their paws. Yesterday, I was in Paris, Ontario for lunch on the patio at Stillwater, ( good food, good service, btw). It started to rain, not just a light shower, a deluge, with rain coming in waves. Normally storms of high intensity are of short duration, this one enabled the inside of our vehicle to have a wash, as we had left the windows open about an inch to let the heat escape. There are so many things we take for normal, and we need to understand there will be no normal as the climate continues to change.