<
https://www.sciencealert.com/earth-could-feasibly-descend-into-chaos-physicists-warn>
'The impact of human activity on the Earth system could result in unpredictable
chaos from which there is no return, physicists have calculated.
Using a theory conceived to model superconductivity, a team of physicists led
by Alex Bernadini of the University of Porto in Portugal showed that, after a
certain point, we will not be able to restore equilibrium to Earth's climate.
A finite amount of human activity could result in a Hothouse Earth from which
there is no return. They detailed their work in a paper made available in April
2022 on the preprint server arXiv that remains to be peer-reviewed.
"The implications of climate change are well known (droughts, heat waves,
extreme phenomena, etc.)," physicist Orfeu Bertolami told
Live Science last
year.
"If the Earth System gets into the region of chaotic behavior, we will lose all
hope of somehow fixing the problem."
For some years now, extreme weather events seem to be occurring more regularly.
Wildfires blaze, storms rage, temperatures reach new records. Climate
scientists have warned that this is a consequence of human activity, such as
the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, and increases in farming.
This has led to the proposal of a new geological epoch: the Anthropocene, a
period in which human activity has led to a significant and marked impact on
the entire Earth system, comprised of the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere,
and atmosphere.
The Anthropocene would follow the Holocene, which started around 11,700 years
ago, and scientists propose its beginning around the middle of the 20th century
– the peak of the nuclear era. Bernadini and his colleagues decided to model
the transition from Holocene to Anthropocene as a phase transition and
calculate its future trajectory accordingly.'
Via Rixty Dixet.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
