Dear Climate Change - Thanks!
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by Richard Maltzman,
Dave Shirley
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Date
NOTE and FAIR WARNING: this posting is a bit tongue-in-cheek
Here’s a basic project management truism: Risks = Threats + Opportunities
That is, a project’s risks are made up of uncertain events, which, if they were to occur, have a negative OR positive effect on project objectives. So, for example, if the cost of labor were to suddenly drop in a labor-intensive project – that is indeed a risk. A positive risk, for sure, and thus, an opportunity – but a risk nonetheless.
Of course, we tend to think of climate change as a threat.
But (and it's a big but) recent key stories about climate change and some positive effects of climate change got me to thinking… I began to wonder. Hmmm…. Climate change has a positive effect for society over there, it has some positive effects for (apparently) the environment over here, and... another story over there... well, it made me think about the opportunities provided by climate change.
So here, for your consideration, are several documented stories (including the spawning of a huge project, at the end – we always save the best for last) that speak to the 'bright side' of climate change.
This of course is written with tongue (at least partially) in cheek., a little like Monty Python's "Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life".
But there are some points to note here. See what takeaways you gather from these sub-stories…
Climate Change Winners and Losers
From The Atlantic
Larger climate shifts have catalyzed the rise and fall of whole societies. The Mayan Empire, for instance, did not disappear “mysteriously”; it likely fell into decline owing to decades of drought that ruined its agricultural base and deprived its cities of drinking water. On the other side of the coin, Europe’s Medieval Warm Period, which lasted from around 1000 to 1400, was essential to the rise of Spain, France, and England: Those clement centuries allowed the expansion of farm production, population, cities, and universities, which in turn set the stage for the Industrial Revolution. Unless greenhouse-effect theory is completely wrong—and science increasingly supports the idea that it is right—21st-century climate change means that sweeping social and economic changes are in the works. Click here for the whole list of winners and losers.
Zippity-doo-dah Zebrafish
Working with Ian Johnston at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, scientists have found that raising zebrafish at warmer temperatures as embryos actually improves their ability to adjust to both higher and lower temperatures as adults.
The case of the Big-Headed Ant
Pheidole megacephala, also known as the big-headed ant, is one of the top 100 most invasive species on Earth. Hordes of these insects thrive in South America, Australia and Africa, and their voracious populations spread rapidly. As invasive animals, they steal habitat and resources from native species, disrupting regional ecosystems and jeopardizing biodiversity. They have even been known to hunt bird hatchlings.
Researchers have estimated that 18.5 percent of the land on Earth currently supports the big-headed ant. But as temperatures shift in the coming decades, the habitat range of these cold-blooded animals will likely shrink substantially. Some climate models suggest that the ant's range will decrease by one-fifth by the year 2080. How native insects will respond to these changes, however, remains unclear.
Hail Brittania!
A rise in global temperatures caused by greenhouse gas emissions could create a boost for the British economy.
Farming, forestry and tourism will all benefit from warmer summers, according to the National Adaptation programme, published by Defra, the environment ministry.
The shipping industry could also stand to profit from the shorter sea routes caused by the melting of the ice caps.
"Shorter shipping routes will reduce transportation costs due to less Arctic ice," the report stated.
Another unexpected positive effect from rising temperatures may lead to improved health across the UK, as pleasant weather encourages them to spend more time outdoors, where exposure to sunshine would boost vitamin D levels. Research suggests that sunlight improves moods as it stimulates the pineal gland in the brain to produce chemicals called tryptamines. Happy Shiny British people. Yay!
A real Internet Short Cut
But the project that really grabbed my attention and made me thankful for climate change – one that made me go out and buy two Hummers and just leave them running full time - is this one, from Scientific American. (By the way, I have to run out and add gas to the blue one. Be right back).
Okay. Added 22 gallons to the blue one; the yellow one only needed 3. I'm back now.
Anyway, the Internet fiber-optic short-cut story goes roughly like this:
- Arctic ice is disappearing, rapidly
- This opens the “channel” for a major undersea fiber-optic cable
- This cable will connect Asia and Europe by crossing the Arctic Circle
- This avoids normal (and longer) route which involves crossing the entire Atlantic or Pacific Oceans
It’s quite amazing, actually. An Anchorage-based telecom company named Quintillion Networks will connect remote communities in Alaska and Canada to the high-speed internet, many for the first time.
Some statistics here:
In March, the Arctic sea ice, at its maximum for the year, was at 5,507 million square miles. That’s – wow, well, that’s a lot of ice. And it blocks the progress of things like pipes and wires and cables. However it is the lowest ever recorded measurement since satellites started tracking this in 1978.
And so, this lower amount of ice has enabled the cable. It's lit fire to the wire. It's broken bones for the phones, given choice to your voice, eased your mp3s, lowered the miles for the files, allowed us to say "see you later" to the data, and... OK, I will stop now.
The cable will be laid in phases.
Phase 1 is the Anchorage to Nome route, allowing access from mainland Canada and the USA to Japan.
Phase 2 is the Pacific segment, which will connect Nome to Tokyo
Phase 3 will extend the cable from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska to London
It’s amazing. And it’s all thanks to climate change!
Go Climate Change, Go!
Don’t worry, we will be a little less sarcastic in our next post….
Posted
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Richard Maltzman
on: June 15, 2016 09:59 PM |
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