GREENLAND - Will probably be the focus of near term sea level rise

Greenland is almost all covered by a very thick glacial ice cap. If all of Greenland's ice either melted or slid into the oceans, sea level would rise by about 20 ft. The bad news is that arctic temps are rising rapidly, and Greenland's glaciers are melting rapidly. This melt water is finding its way to the base of the glaciers via vertical caves called moulins. For a great summary of research into this, with pics inside the moulins, see this Washington Post Dec 23, 2020 article (link):

Scientists descended into Greenland’s perilous ice caverns — and came back with a worrying message

Levelized Energy Costs & Geoengineering CO2 to Rock, Class 5 Links

The following links are in the order they were presented in class 5.

Plunging Prices Mean Building New Renewable Energy Is Cheaper Than Running Existing Coal - Forbes, Dec 3, 2018

Levelized Cost of Electricity - Lazard pdf

Antarctica is losing ice at an accelerating rate. How much will sea levels rise? - PBS Video

Apr 10, 2019

Temperature History of Planet Earth - Wikipedia 

Temperature, CO2 and Dust History from Vostock Ice Core - Wikipedia

Glacial rivers absorb carbon faster than rainforests, scientists find- The Guardian, Feb 25, 2019

To combat climate change, these scientists are turning CO2 into rock - PBS News in Iceland

Turning Carbon Dioxide Gas into Rock - Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Oman

Exponential Roadmap - 36 solutions required to slash greenhouse gas emissions 50% by 2030

Federal Flood Insurance CONS and a few pros

With sea levels rising, these strategies could help coastal communities prepare

An excellent article from Yale Climate Connections relating to our discussions in Class 5 about Federal Flood Insurance perpetuating coastal development in locations where major flooding and damage will just happen again.....and we average tax payers will just help out the wealthy homeowners recover and rebuild again.

Geoengineering Policy, Class 4 Links

The below links are in the order they were used in Class 4:

1. Offshore windfarms 'can provide more electricity than the world needs' - The Guardian

2. World Needs to Set Rules for Geoengineering Experiments, Experts Say - Scientific American

3. The Logic behind a carbon Tax - Washington Post

4. Carbon Tax of $75/ton CO2 Proposal by the IMF  - IMF web site

5. Climate Hackers video with various perspectives about geoengineering from around the World 

6. Senate caucus on climate change begun by Senators Mike Braun (R-Ind.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) - Washington Post

New More Severe Sea Level Rise Forecast

From the New York Times:

"The authors of a paper published Tuesday developed a more accurate way of calculating land elevation based on satellite readings, a standard way of estimating the effects of sea level rise over large areas, and found that the previous numbers were far too optimistic. The new research shows that some 150 million people are now living on land that will be below the high-tide line by midcentury."

Carbon Geoengineering, Class 3 Links

The following links were used in preparation of class 3. "Carbon Geoengineering"

Links displayed in Class 3

Guardian article on the Impact of Planting Trees

Afforestation from Project Drawdown

Cross Laminated Timber article in NYT

Guardian article on SUPER PLANTS

George Monbiot video and Guardia article on Let Nature Heal the Planet

National Geographic article on Seaweed 'Forests'

Maine Seaweed company

Marine Permaculture from Project Drawdown 

Fertilize Oceans with Iron - Hot Mess Carbon Capture video from PBS 

Biochar from Project Drawdown

Bill Gates-backed Carbon Engineering company, 15 min video

Relevant links I used but did not display:

Maine Coast Sea Vegetables

The recipe for the Alaria appetizer we served in class

Alaria Recipes from Ayurvedic

In a Climate Crisis is Geoengineering Worth the Risk? a Science News article with good detail on what happened with tests seeding the oceans with iron.

EDF Webinar on Redesigning Nature to Better Deal with Global Warming

Climate Geoengineering and related Book References

This post contains a list of books I have used to prepare my OLLI class, Geoengineering to Combat Climate Change. Below, I present the book title (as an Amazon link), and the author.

I have tried to list the books in the order that I found most useful for this class. My previous post on this blog lists WEB links that I found very valuable and used for this class. Now the books:

A Case For Climate Engineering by David Keith

The Planet Remade by Oliver Morton

DRAWDOWN: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming
edited by Paul Hawken

Hack The Planet by Eli Kintisch


And below are two books I have used in previous classes on climate change that I highly recommend:

The Long Thaw  by David Archer.....the link is to a new publication of the 2009 version that I have

The Water Will Come by Jeff Goodell... "An immersive, mildly gonzo and depressingly well-timed book about the drenching effects of global warming, and a powerful reminder that we can bury our heads in the sand about climate change for only so long before the sand itself disappears." (Jennifer Senior, New York Times)

Solar Radiation Management Web Links from Class 2

Video - Cirrus and Marine Cloud Effects

Video - TED talk by Prof. Stephen Salter about Marine Cloud Brightening Technology

Video - By PBS on solar reflectors

Video - By The Economist about Pinatubo and aerosol injection into the stratosphere

Video - CEC17 / Climate Engineering Conference 2017

Doug Tallamy Lecture on Oct 21 - Restoring Nature's Relationships

"Doug Tallamy, award-winning author and ecologist, will give a free public lecture at the City of Rehoboth Beach on Monday, October 21st. The lecture will begin at 10 a.m., as part of the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on Trees (MACT) meeting. Tallamy, a professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, has authored 95 research publications and has taught insect-related courses for 39 years. Chief among his research goals is to better understand the many ways insects interact with plants and how such interactions determine the diversity of animal communities. His book Bring Nature Home:  How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens was published by Timber Press in 2007 and was awarded the 2008 Silver Medal by the Garden Writers’ Association. The Living Landscape, co-authored with Rick Darke, was published in 2014. Tallamy’s new book Nature’s Best Hope will be published in 2020. Among his awards is the Garden Club of America Margaret Douglas Medal for Conservation and the Tom Dodd, Jr. Award of Excellence, the 2018 AHS B.Y. Morrison Communication Award and the 2019 Cynthia Westcott Scientific Writing Award.

Tallamy will speak about how the specialized relationships between animals and plants are the norm in nature rather than the exception. Those specialized relationships provide our birds with insects and berries, disperse our bloodroot seeds, pollinate our goldenrod, and more. Plants that evolved in concert with local animals provide for their needs better than plants that evolved elsewhere. Tallamy will explain why this is so, why specialized food relationships determine the stability and complexity of the local food webs that support animal diversity, why our yards and gardens are essential parts of the ecosystems that sustain us, and how we can use our landscapes to connect the isolated habitat fragments around us. It is time to create landscapes that enhance local ecosystems rather than degrade them."

The lecture is free and open to the public, there is not a need for a reservation. The lecture is scheduled for Monday, October 21, at 10 a.m., at the Mayor's Advisory Committee on Trees meeting. The lecture will be held in the 2nd floor commissioners room at City Hall, 229 Rehoboth Avenue, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Thank you and best wishes to enjoy the lecture.

Kind regards,

Krys Johnson
Communications Department
City of Rehoboth Beach

Above information provided by OLLI Geoengineering class member Denise.

Geoengineering to Combat Climate Change - Class Schedule

Oct 9 - Overview of Geoengineering Approaches

Oct 16 - Solar Radiation Management, aka Solar Geoengineering, with emphasis on stratospheric aerosol injection.

Oct 23 - Greenhouse Gas Removal, aka Carbon Geoengineering, with emphasis on Nature

Oct 30 - Geoengineering Policy Issues

Nov 6 - Focus on Geoengineering topics of class' choice (select topics at end of Oct 23 class)

Classes will begin at 9 am in room 102 of the Fred Thomas Building, Lewes.