The question of "Why Seven Meters" is a really good one. And there is a good answer for this. But the answer requires some preliminary work. Sea level changes every century as climate conditions change. After an ice age, sea level will rise as the glaciers shrink. As another ice age grows, sea level will fall as water is captured on the continents. Between ice ages, continents rise as well when released from the weight of thousands of feet of ice. Without human intervention, we would likely see the trend of slow sea level rise continue as it has for centuries.
What IS lightblueline:
Lightblueline is a volunteer public education effort that transforms the science of global climate change into a public action. We are painting the seven meter above sea level line on the streets of the world to remind everyone that human induced climate change will, if we do not act NOW, create a new climate, and a new coast line. We chose seven meters, as this is the effect of the ice on Greenland (only) melting.
Ice melting across globe at accelerating rate, NASA says: CNN.com 12/17/2008. By Emanuella Grinberg
You can read the whole story here:
Ice melting across globe at accelerating rate, NASA says
Excerpt below:
"(CNN) -- Between 1.5 trillion and 2 trillion tons of ice in Greenland, Antarctica and Alaska have melted at an accelerating rate since 2003, according to NASA scientists, in the latest signs of what they say is global warming.
This speech marks the beginning of a new era in US federal support in stopping climate change.
Matthew Yi at the San Francisco Chronicle (11/15/2008) writes about this new executive order. Something that will, no doubt, have impacts at the local level too.
Read the whole article here:
Governor tells staff to prepare for warming
Excerpt:
"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed an executive order Friday directing state agencies to study the effects of global warming and recommend how the state needs to adapt to such changes in land use planning and building new infrastructure.
National Geographic reports that the sea level rise in this century will be somewhere between two and a half and six and a half feet. Of course, looking at the next five-hundred years (which is what lightblueline suggests we do, since we do that anyhow for floods and earthquakes) this would translate into a rise between twelve and a half and thirty-two and a half feet. Split the difference and you have about the seven meter rise lightblueline has always been focused on.
Source:New York Times Magazine, July 26, 2008. by Stephan Faris
This story notes that Greenland may hold great mineral wealth under its ice sheet, and mining companies are lining up!
Read it HERE:
Ice Free
Here is an excerpt:
Source: Ventura County Star, June 27, 2008. by Zeke Barlow:
Here is some press for the SLAP action this weekend, with quotes from Alec. Check out the article:Teens' warning on global warming will be overhead
Excerpt below:
The Worldwatch Institute posted an essay from James Hansen on the 20th anniversary of his first testimony to congress. It's worth a read (excerpts below):
James Hansen, June 23, 2008
Tipping Points Near
Today, I will testify to Congress about global warming, 20 years after my June 23, 1988 testimony, which alerted the public that global warming was under way. There are striking similarities between then and now, but one big difference.