Northman's Fury

Arctic sea ice is expected to retreat to a record low by the end of this summer, scientists have predicted.

. . .

A team of scientists from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), the University of Washington, and McGill University, found that "positive feedbacks" were likely to accelerate the decline of the region's ice system.

Sea ice has a bright surface that reflects 80% of the sunlight that strikes it back into space. However, as the ice melts during the summer, more of the dark ocean surface becomes exposed.

Rather than reflecting sunlight, the ocean absorbs 90% of it, causing the waters to warm and increase the rate of melting.

Nothing out of the ordinary with the above story. Over the last few years, such stories have become almost commonplace.

Here's why it worries me. A few days ago, climate scientists unveiled a new ten-year climate model that would take into to effect short-term cycles such as El Nino. Here's what it had to say:

the Hadley Centre researchers said that the influence of natural climatic variations were likely to dampen the effects of emissions from human activities between now and 2009.

But over the decade as a whole, they project the global average temperature in 2014 to be 0.3C warmer than 2004.

Meaning that right now, natural cycles are conspiring to make the climate cooler than it would be normally, and yet despite this, the Arctic sea ice is still shrinking. The positive feedback mechanism is apparently already in action. One wonders how much more rapidly the sea ice will shrink after 2009 when we cycle into a warmer period.

Not entirely surprising given the rest of the Bush administrations actions. More like a another signpost of their Corporation-friendly policies, and another nail in our collective coffin.

Fewer U.S. environmental cops are tracking criminal polluters these days, their numbers steadily dropping below levels ordered by Congress.

. . .

The EPA's overall criminal caseload - investigations that could lead to prosecutions later - is declining, according to the agency's figures. It has opened fewer investigations every year since 2002, when there were 484 new investigations and 216 agents. Last year, the number of new cases fell to 305.

The 1990s saw an overall increase in new criminal investigations and increases in the number of agents during seven of 10 years.

"It is difficult to believe that environmental crime suddenly declined precipitously after Bush took office. It is more likely that the administration's enthusiasm for criminal prosecution declined," said Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce committee, who spearheaded the 1990 law.

Fewer agents doing fewer investigations. What could possibly go wrong?

This is consistent with just about every other action this Administration has taken. If you don't like how something is going, stop releasing reports on it, or stop investigating it, or block oversight of it. Basically, remove the accountability. I don't even want to think how long it will take to repair the damage these guys have wrought.