5 ms·

To what extent was the runway there "built" as a permanent installation, vs being an ephemeral phenomenon that is refreshed season by season?

yodon 4y ago
It requires maintenance but it's not like the ice is going to melt in the South Pole "summer."
- TedDoesntTalk 4y ago
  Not yet
  - tomrod 4y ago
    Seems like I just read on HN an article on Antarctic weather patterns (but not ice floes) are self-reinforcing.
    - matthewdgreen 4y ago
      That was one model. I sure hope it’s correct. If there’s one lesson I’ve learned over 30 years of following this topic, it’s that things very rarely break in our favor.
      - luisapic 4y ago
        [dead]
      - ipaddr 4y ago
        After reading endless books from the 70s/80s spreading the fear of entering a new ice age, going through acid rain and a hole in the ozone layer you would be surprised by how quickly important things change.
        namaria 4y ago
        Responding to new evidence is a feature of science, not a bug.
        KennyBlanken 4y ago
        Acid rain was an enormous problem, and is no longer because a large number of countries passed emissions regulations to curb emissions that caused it. Places like London used to have so much air pollution, going outside on a rainy day was hazardous to your health because the fog was toxic. The hole in the ozone layer is repaired because a large number of countries passed regulations prohibiting many uses of ozone-depleting substances, and consumers voted with their wallets as well. Unfortunately, we're not seeing anywhere near the commitment required to slash CO2 emissions, and a huge amount of damage is already done. It's not just climate change, but in the last fifty years, something like 2/3rds of wildlife has disappeared. In barely one generation we've wiped out two thirds of wildlife. That is mind boggling and if it doesn't count as a mass extinction, I don't know what does.
        fomine3 4y ago
        Had consumers voted with their wallets for banning Freon? I don't know. Isn't it just a successful of developing alternatives and regulation? Maybe some consumers voted with their wallets for fuel economy car (thus lower CO2 emissions)
        matthewdgreen 4y ago
        We’re above 1 degree C and heading towards 1.5 very quickly, with rising methane levels from multiple sources. This isn’t the ozone hole. I wish it was.

yodon 4y ago

It requires maintenance but it's not like the ice is going to melt in the South Pole "summer."

TedDoesntTalk 4y ago
Not yet
- tomrod 4y ago
  Seems like I just read on HN an article on Antarctic weather patterns (but not ice floes) are self-reinforcing.
  - matthewdgreen 4y ago
    That was one model. I sure hope it’s correct. If there’s one lesson I’ve learned over 30 years of following this topic, it’s that things very rarely break in our favor.
    - luisapic 4y ago
      [dead]
    - ipaddr 4y ago
      After reading endless books from the 70s/80s spreading the fear of entering a new ice age, going through acid rain and a hole in the ozone layer you would be surprised by how quickly important things change.
      - namaria 4y ago
        Responding to new evidence is a feature of science, not a bug.
      - KennyBlanken 4y ago
        Acid rain was an enormous problem, and is no longer because a large number of countries passed emissions regulations to curb emissions that caused it. Places like London used to have so much air pollution, going outside on a rainy day was hazardous to your health because the fog was toxic. The hole in the ozone layer is repaired because a large number of countries passed regulations prohibiting many uses of ozone-depleting substances, and consumers voted with their wallets as well. Unfortunately, we're not seeing anywhere near the commitment required to slash CO2 emissions, and a huge amount of damage is already done. It's not just climate change, but in the last fifty years, something like 2/3rds of wildlife has disappeared. In barely one generation we've wiped out two thirds of wildlife. That is mind boggling and if it doesn't count as a mass extinction, I don't know what does.
        fomine3 4y ago
        Had consumers voted with their wallets for banning Freon? I don't know. Isn't it just a successful of developing alternatives and regulation? Maybe some consumers voted with their wallets for fuel economy car (thus lower CO2 emissions)
      - matthewdgreen 4y ago
        We’re above 1 degree C and heading towards 1.5 very quickly, with rising methane levels from multiple sources. This isn’t the ozone hole. I wish it was.