Global Impact of Melting Snow and Ice

January 5, 2025 / activist360

Two Antartica icebergs floating on calm water with intricate, wave-like formations, set against a dark icy landscape in a serene polar environment. Photo by Torsten Dederichs on Unsplash.

How Melting Ice Shapes Our Climate, Water, and Future—and What We Can Do to Protect It

Did you know that Greenland is losing 30 million tons of ice every hour? This isn’t just a shocking statistic—it’s a wake-up call. The melting of the world’s ice isn’t just a problem for cold regions; it’s an issue that impacts all of us, from the water we drink to the air we breathe. This week we examine the importance of Earth’s ice, the alarming changes it’s undergoing, and why it matters to your life.

The Big Picture: What Is the Cryosphere?

The “Cryosphere” might sound like a complicated word, but it simply means all the parts of Earth covered in snow and ice. This includes glaciers, ice sheets, permafrost (frozen ground), and sea ice.

Why does the cryosphere matter?

Temperature Regulation: The cryosphere reflects sunlight, keeping the planet cool, much like a natural air conditioner.
Water Storage: It stores about 70% of the world’s fresh water, feeding rivers and supporting billions of people.

Without the Cryosphere, Earth would be hotter, drier, and much less hospitable.

Alarming Changes in Ice and Snow

The Cryosphere is changing fast, and the consequences are already being felt worldwide. Greenland is losing ice at an unprecedented rate, enough to raise sea levels significantly in the coming decades. Glaciers in the Alps and Himalayas are melting at record levels, threatening water supplies for millions of people downstream.

In addition, Antarctic sea ice is shrinking, with three consecutive years of record lows. This destabilizes the Antarctic ice sheet, which could lead to catastrophic sea-level rise. And, frozen ground in Arctic regions is thawing, releasing harmful greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane. This accelerates global warming and damages infrastructure in those regions.

Why It Matters to You

Melting ice may seem like a distant problem, but its effects are closer to home than you think.

Rising Seas: As ice melts, sea levels rise, threatening coastal cities and communities. Major cities like New York, Miami, and Mumbai face increased flooding risks.
Water Supply: Snow and ice act as reservoirs, releasing water during warmer months. With less snowpack, regions like the Himalayas and Andes face water shortages, impacting agriculture and drinking supplies for billions.
Changing Weather: Melting ice disrupts weather patterns, leading to stronger storms, unpredictable rainfall, and even impacts on fisheries as oceans warm and acidify.

The Path Ahead: What Scientists Say

The Cost of Inaction

If emissions continue at current levels, global temperatures could rise by 3°C or more by the end of this century. This would push many regions beyond their ability to adapt, leading to economic and human costs that are unimaginable.

Hope Through Action

The good news? Scientists agree that if we act now to limit warming to 1.5°C, we can slow ice loss and reduce long-term damage. This requires cutting emissions by 50% by 2030 and reaching net-zero by 2050.

What Can Be Done?

Global Solutions

To address the challenges posed by melting ice and its global impacts, reducing emissions is a critical step. Transitioning to renewable energy sources like wind and solar can significantly cut greenhouse gas emissions, slowing the pace of global warming and ice loss. Additionally, protecting vulnerable areas is essential. Investing in resilient infrastructure and implementing policies designed to safeguard communities can help mitigate the risks of rising seas and water shortages, ensuring these regions are better prepared for the future.

Individual Steps

You don’t have to be a scientist or policymaker to make a difference. Here’s how you can help:

Advocate for climate-friendly policies in your community.
Use public transport, conserve energy, and support sustainable products.
Spread awareness by sharing what you’ve learned with friends and family.

Summing Up

Saving the world’s ice isn’t just about preserving glaciers—it’s about protecting our homes, food, and future. The actions we take today will shape the world for ourselves as well as future generations. Each degree of warming we prevent reduces the risks to our planet and ourselves. Let’s work together to ensure that ice continues to cool the Earth, sustain life, and inspire hope for a better tomorrow.

International Cryosphere Climate Initiative. (2024). State of the cryosphere 2024: Lost ice, global damage. International Cryosphere Climate Initiative. Retrieved from https://iccinet.org/statecryo24/.

Rethinking AI’s Energy Consumption: New Report

February 11, 2024 / activist360

Photo of night lights from space by NASA on Unsplash.

We read the new report by the Center for Data Inno vation entitled Rethinking Concerns About AI’s Energy Use and share our key takeaways below. The Center for Data Innovation is a leading think tank studying the intersection of data, technology, and public policy.

Revisiting the Energy Consumption Myths of Digital Progress

The concerns surrounding the energy consumption of digital technologies are not a recent phenomenon. Historically, predictions have often overstated the environmental impact of technological advancements. For example, during the late 1990s, it was inaccurately predicted that the digital economy would consume half of the electric grid’s capacity. These estimates have consistently been proven wrong, as evidenced by the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) current estimation that data centers and data transmission networks each account for only about 1–1.5% of global electricity use.

Similarly, the energy consumption attributed to streaming services like Netflix has been grossly overestimated. Initial claims equated watching 30 minutes of Netflix to driving almost 4 miles, a figure later corrected to resemble the energy used for driving between 10 and 100 yards. Such errors highlight the importance of accurate data and assumptions in forming energy policies.

AI’s Energy Use

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) gains momentum, it faces scrutiny similar to past technologies. Critics fear that AI’s energy consumption, especially for training large deep learning models, could have severe environmental repercussions. However, early claims about AI’s energy use have often been exaggerated. To address these concerns effectively, the report advocates for several policy measures:

Developing Energy Transparency Standards: Establish clear guidelines for AI model energy consumption to ensure transparency and informed decision-making.
Voluntary Commitments on Energy Transparency: Encourage the AI industry to adopt voluntary measures for disclosing the energy use of foundation models.
Evaluating AI Regulations’ Unintended Consequences: Consider how regulations might inadvertently impact AI’s energy efficiency and innovation.
Leveraging AI for Decarbonization: Utilize AI technologies to enhance the energy efficiency of government operations and promote decarbonization efforts.

With diminishing returns on enhancing model accuracy due to already high-performance levels, the focus of AI models (such as OpenAI’s GPT-4 and Google’s Gemini) is increasingly shifting towards optimization. Developers are now more inclined to refine AI models for efficiency rather than pursue marginal accuracy gains. This pivot reflects a maturing industry where optimization takes precedence, aiming for sustainable advancement without the unsustainable expansion of model sizes.

Further, the report also points out that AI offers significant potential to mitigate climate change and support clean energy by optimizing the integration of renewable sources into the grid and enhancing the efficiency of the electric grid through predictive maintenance, grid management, and dynamic pricing across transportation, agriculture, and energy sectors. This suggests a future where AI improvements are nuanced, focusing on energy efficiency and specialized performance enhancements.

Towards a Sustainable AI Future

The path to a sustainable AI future involves demystifying the technology’s actual energy footprint, addressing misconceptions, and implementing policies that promote transparency and efficiency. By learning from past misestimations and focusing on accurate data, we can ensure that AI contributes positively to our environmental goals, debunking myths and fostering innovation that aligns with sustainability.

Unveiling the New Face of Climate Denial: A Comprehensive Analysis by CCDH

January 28, 2024 / activist360

*Cover of The New Climate Denial: How social media platforms and content producers profit by spreading new forms of climate denial.*

The landscape of climate denial has undergone a significant shift, as revealed in the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) study published on January 16, 2024. The report, titled “The New Climate Denial,” sheds light on the evolution of climate denial rhetoric, particularly on platforms like YouTube.

The Rise of ‘New Denial’ on Digital Platforms

Historically, climate denial focused on outright denying global warming and its human causes, a stance referred to as “Old Denial.” However, CCDH’s study, utilizing an advanced AI tool to analyze transcripts from 96 YouTube channels, uncovers a notable transition. In 2023, approximately 70% of climate denial claims on these channels fell under what CCDH terms “New Denial.” This modern form of denial doesn’t dispute the existence of climate change but instead targets climate solutions, science, and advocates, marking a substantial increase from 35% in 2018.

Implications for Digital Policy and Monetization

The report’s findings are a clarion call for a more comprehensive approach to combating climate misinformation. It suggests that digital platforms, particularly Google, need to redefine their policies to include “New Denial” under climate denial content. Furthermore, it advocates for the demonetization of such content, cutting off a significant source of revenue for channels spreading these misleading narratives. Per the report, YouTube makes up to $13.4 million a year from channels posting denial content.

For climate advocates, this report is not just an analysis but a strategic guide. It urges them to adapt their strategies in response to this evolving landscape of climate denial. The study emphasizes the need for vigilance and innovation in communication strategies to effectively counteract the new tactics employed by climate change deniers.

In summary, “The New Climate Denial” report by CCDH highlights a concerning trend in climate misinformation, urging immediate action from digital platforms and climate advocates. This study is crucial for anyone seeking to understand and combat the evolving nature of climate denial.