Chris Cantell Discusses Science: Antarctic Iceshelf Crashing Down! by Milota Sidorova

How many years does it take to understand, that it is not economical growth, neither political systems that can save human civilization? It's been just few hours, since listening to the philosophical on-line lecture of Arun Manilal Gandhi, the fifth grandson of Mohandas Gandhi. His fluent intelligent peaceful speech flew from the meeting hall of Stanford University right down to audience's hearts. As his father and grandfather, he is involved into the nonviolence politics. His powerful words spoke to me. Among passive violence, that is the input for anger and real violence, he pointed out several 'main sins'. Wealth without work, wisdom without responsibility, also wasting of natural resources. The way of achieving the progress is in the tolerant point of view and lowering our demands. One must admit that 21.century doesn't know the modesty. Real consequences of our global politics are more and more visible. But still, while everyone keeps talking about the problems, no one really carry on for the solution. Let's talk about global warming up?Boring? Well, everyone knows that no one can really do something against it. Who can stop the rising sea levels, glacier retreat, Arctic shrinkage, extreme weather events, expansion of tropical diseases, changes in the timing of seasonal patterns in ecosystems? Nobody.Better give up. Why do we burn?Instead of contemplating about never ending philosophical theories of ability and disability of human civilization, let's review latest weather forecast facts.Almost 160 miles square chunk of Antarctic ice has collapsed in the last days. The glacial sized at least seven times of Manhattan area has torn off the Wilkins ice shelf. According David Vaughan, British Antarctic Survey, the ice dated back almost 1,500 years. ''We don't see that very often,'' he claimed. Whereas icebergs naturally break up from the mainland, such collapses are unusual yet more devastating. Scientists had noticed the first sign of crashing on Feb 28 and prepared the shooting gear (few static cameras even the helicopter) to catch this unique moment. Although the ice forms just 4 percent of Wilkins ice shelf, the missing piece can trigger the future damages. Still, the scientists hope, that the ice will survive till next year. While the rest of the world is nearing to spring, the most separated continent is at the end of the Antarctic summer. Vaughan quotes that the break up is only natural consequence of global warming up. The collapses are more seriously in last decades, whereas the most dramatic ones happened between 1995 and 2002. The recent collapse shouldn't impact the sea levels. Nevertheless the major area of Antarctic continent maintain even lower its temperature, the key western part gets warmer and warmer. "These are things that are not re-forming,"said Sarah Das, a scientist from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. She worries about tipping point and large-scale impact in the climate system. Many of wise people suggest that the warming will lead to possibly irreversible effects all around the world."These are things that are not re-forming," Das said. "So once they're gone, they're gone."Maybe a human too.

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080325/ap_on_sc/antarctica_collapse;_ylt=AlbMEoAaJixAsKjnAEYb.MGs0NUE

by Milota Sidorova for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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Edited by: Katarina Bosanska