The Ecological Crisis & Its Solution (Part 3): But Wait! There's More!

And It Gets Worse

Methane is another greenhouse gas that we ought to be concerned about. Methane is much less prevalent in the atmosphere than CO₂. However, it traps in 28 times as much heat as CO₂. Currently, about 60% of methane emissions come from human activity. Mass production of beef and dairy contributes to the methane gas problem. One cow produces enough methane in a year to do the same damage as 4 tons of carbon dioxide. Livestock is estimated to produce about 28% of all methane gas emissions.

Furthermore, different greenhouse gases trap different types of heat. The heat from the sun comes in the form of various frequencies of light, most of which are infrared (i.e. wavelengths not visible to the human eye). Different greenhouse gases capture and re-emit light of different frequencies. CO₂ captures certain wavelengths, whereas methane, sulfur dioxide, and water vapor capture other wavelengths. Theoretically, at some point the addition of more CO₂ will stop producing additional global warming as all light that can be captured by CO₂ will be captured by it. At that point, the addition of other greenhouse gases, such as methane, would still be able to capture other wavelengths of light and re-emit them, furthering global warming still. Different types of greenhouse gases produce a compounding affect on global warming.

The problem of global warming is compounded by the fact that warming is leading to an increase in natural emissions of greenhouse gases. As the earth heats up, permafrost that has not thawed for thousands of years is beginning to thaw. Trapped beneath this permafrost are pockets of CO₂ and methane. There is more CO₂ trapped beneath the arctic permafrost than contained in the atmosphere and we have no way of knowing how much of that will be released into the atmosphere as the permafrost thaws. In Siberia, where the permafrost is thawing at an alarming rate, huge pockets of methane beneath the surface have been exploding, leaving behind giant craters. It is not unheard of for entire lakes to go empty over night as the water rushes into the empty spaces left by bursting bubbles of gas beneath the surface. Dozens of giant craters have been found in the Yamal Peninsula, where trapped gasses have burst through the surface of the thawing ground.

The release of additional greenhouse gases into the atmosphere by thawing permafrost isn't the only worry. Bacteria and viruses long frozen in ice can spring back to life when it thaws. In 2016, a spell of warm weather caused an anthrax infected reindeer carcass to thaw, leading to an anthrax outbreak, infecting 21 people and 2,000 reindeer. Anthrax hadn't been seen in the region for 75 years. In 2005, scientists successfully revived bacteria that had been frozen in Alaskan ice for over 30,000 years. In 2007, they were able to revive some bacteria that had been frozen for 100,000 years and other bacteria that had been frozen for millions of years! While not all bacteria can survive for long periods in frozen ice, some can. In 2014, scientists revived two viruses that had been frozen in permafrost for 30,000 years. This sort of research is being done to determine how much of a threat thawing permafrost poses in terms of causing an epidemic. Modern humans have developed some tolerance and immunity to most modern bacteria and viruses, and we have learned how to treat people who contract a disease as a result of these viruses, but we have no immunity to viruses that haven't lived on Earth since long before modern humans emerged! And we certainly don't have any experience treating the diseases that such bacteria and viruses might cause. Furthermore, scientists have found that certain ancient bacteria are naturally resistant to modern antibiotics.

Global warming and melting arctic ice is also causing sea levels to rise. Runit Dome, on Enewetak Atoll, where 73,000 meters of radioactive debris from Cold War era nuclear weapons testing was discarded, will likely be completely submersed within our lifetimes. The dome is not water tight. The people of the Marshall Islands are also going to have to relocate within our lifetimes, since the islands are sinking into the ocean.

Another problem that could come with global warming has to do with thermohaline circulation, the way that ocean currents flow. Currently, the Gulf Stream carries warm water from the Gulf of Mexico up in a northeastward direction across the Atlantic. The warm Gulf Stream waters cause Europe to have a relatively mild climate for its latitude. Melting arctic ice could potentially bring the flow of Gulf Stream waters to Europe to a halt. Between 1957 and 2005, the flow of Gulf Stream waters has seen a 30% reduction. As global warming continues, it is quite possible that the flow of warm water from the Gulf of Mexico to the coast of Europe will cease. This would cause Europe to become much colder. Although average global temperatures will increase, we can expect to see Europe become colder and begin to have harsher winters. Furthermore, the disruption of thermohaline circulation could drastically change weather patterns in other places. We could begin to see hurricanes and cyclones hitting places that have never been hit before. We know that if there were to be drastic changes in the way that ocean currents flow it would cause huge climatological consequences, but we have no idea what the extent of those consequences might be.