Tuesday, February 11, 2020

A Climate Activist Swam Under the Antarctic Ice Sheet to Prove How Quickly Glaciers Are Melting

This is truly amazing. And this is what one man is doing to save our planet. It is also my belief that it's deeply important for each and every one of us to be asking ourselves — WHAT AM I DOING?
These are some of the things that I have questioned myself about and ultimately committed to as a mother and grandmother and a human being who is committed to doing the best that I can to stand in protection of life and to alleviate the suffering in the world. Perhaps this is a glimpse into some of the questions that we all can consider asking ourselves, ones which I have certainly found helpful and empowering...
— Am I researching and learning about the climate emergency?
— Are we working to share what we are learning? Can we see the value of our refusal to be silent or complicit with a mainstream media and corporate politicians who are fueling the epidemic of disempowerment, disinformation, distraction, and deadly denial?
— Am I researching and learning how to follow the money and committing myself to voting OUT of office all those predatory capitalists — both corporate democrats and corporate republicans — who have greatly contributed to the crisis through doing the bidding of their wealthy donors connected with the fossil fuel industry, Wall Street, the military industrial complex, and other enormous special interests?
— Am I committed to voting FOR those who will be relentless in acting on behalf of the people and the planet by uniting us nationally and globally, immediately declaring a climate emergency, and funding and implementing the Green New Deal as though our lives depend upon it — because they do?
— Are we each aware that there is only one presidential candidate in the United States who will do all of the above and who has been speaking about the climate crisis for 30 years — and that that is Bernie Sanders?
— What are the actions that we are taking to in some way, large or small, be part of the national and global movements that are united in fighting the climate crisis?
It is my belief that these are among the many questions that are important to be asking ourselves. Given that the climate emergency is the greatest crisis that humankind has ever faced, it is my belief that there is no greater noble cause than this spiritual revolution to radically transform and heal ourselves, our nation, and our world.
I also believe that there is something that we all can be doing and that there is no action that is too small. We don't have to do what this one amazing man did here. We don't have to go sit on the steps of the Parliament in Victoria like young Indigenous Youth are right now who are demanding that land protectors be valued, respected, and supported rather than dragged off their land and arrested.
For some of us, just researching and embodying a consistent commitment to seeking the truth is a courageous and radical act in today's world. This is my deep prayer — that each of us will be assuming responsibility for doing our part, whatever that may be, to heal and evolve and rise up for our children and all of Earth's inhabitants. This is what I believe is asked of us, nothing more and nothing less. Deep bow of gratitude for each and every one of us who are taking this stand in protection of life. Thank you. — Molly


 By Caroline Catherman and Justin Lear

Fifty-year-old Lewis Pugh says he was terrified when he plunged into the water of East Antarctica in nothing but swim briefs, a swim cap and goggles. He was even more terrified when he swam below the Antarctic ice sheet, through melting tunnels -- though he said it was the most beautiful swim he's ever done.

Pugh is known for swimming in Arctic water to raise awareness for climate change, but on January 23, he became the first person to swim in a supraglacial lake -- a lake that has formed on top of a glacier because of melting ice.

"(The swim) was terrifying for a number of reasons," Pugh told CNN. "First, the water is so cold for a swimmer. It was 0 degrees centigrade, just above freezing. But also, it illustrates very very graphically what is happening in East Antarctica."

The point he was trying to make, he said, is that it shouldn't be possible to do the swim, but it is because of cracks in the glacier.

Pugh said he was motivated by a September 2019 study in the journal Scientific Reports that discovered more than 65,000 supraglacial lakes on East Antarctica's ice sheet.

The study explains that supraglacial water is concerning because it can pour into cracks, fracturing glaciers and speeding up glacier melting and sea level rise.

This alarms Pugh, who says climate change is already moving rapidly. He says he wants immediate action at this November's climate change negotiations in Glasgow, Scotland, which is why he chose to go swimming in an area that he calls "the front line of climate change."

"I'm saying to world leaders please, come to Glasgow, come there with a lot of ambition," Pugh said, "Step up, or step aside, because we simply don't have any more time on our hands."

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