Letter: In pursuit of wealth and extinction
(Felipe Dana | AP file photo) NYU student researchers sit on top of a rock overlooking the Helheim glacier in Greenland on Aug. 16, 2019. As warmer temperatures cause the ice to retreat, the Arctic region is taking on new geopolitical and economic importance, and not just the United States hopes to stake a claim, with Russia, China and others all wanting in.
Thing is, Arctic ice is like a big firewall between heat and temperature change. Ice absorbs a lot of heat while maintaining a constant temperature. Once Arctic ice is gone, however, then oceanic heat will be free to drive rapid temperature change.
One side of Donald Trump’s mouth says, “It’s all a hoax.” The other side of his mouth says, “I want to buy Greenland,” presumably because, as the Arctic ice melts, there’s all that oil and gas to be had — ka-ching, ka-ching, baby.
Rolling back the rules on methane releases from oil and gas wells gets us to the treasure even sooner but at a substantial risk of extinction for humanity. He and his Kremlin pals are out to have the richest bones in history I guess.
Charles Ashurst, Logan
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