Monitoring the Loss of Arctic Sea Ice
According to this article in Forbes, the satellites that monitor the disappearance of Arctic ice are in the process of dying, and, predictably, the funds required to keep this system running effectively are blocked in the U.S. Congress.
My colleague Gary Tulie notes:
This article makes the case for keeping and updating a fleet of Ice monitoring satellites in order to keep a record of climate change. The continuous record kept over the last 40 years is at risk as the existing monitoring satellites fail. There is a satellite built and ready for launch, but Republicans in Congress have blocked funding for the launch. This is a particularly critical time for monitoring as the Arctic winter has been by far the warmest on record, and we have just entered the melt season – with the prospect of sea ice area and volume hitting record lows.
Thanks, Gary. Anyone who cares a whit for our civilization should be outraged.
Let us hope that more reasonable representatives will be elected to congress so that such essential programs will be funded.
What organization is keeping track of votes in congress against climate change and how is that information being published? This is the first stop in changing a congress to a body that is more responsive to climate change.
If somehow the message becomes: no matter how much money you receive from lobbyists it is your voting record that will determine if you get reelected, then perhaps we can begin to see a change.
Yes, that’s a good idea. Btw, our representatives’ voting record is publicly available.