We're Toast 52

This post is a collection of links that support my increasingly strong feeling that the human race (or at least our technological civilization) is doomed. It is part of an ongoing series of posts. 

The marsh in summer

• The Green Economy Is Hungry for Copper—and People Are Stealing, Fighting, and Dying to Feed It. "With the possible exception of gold, no other metal has caused as much destruction as copper. In the coming years, we’ll need more of it than ever." Maybe it's time to look at asteroid mining?
• FBI informant’s book predicts far-right violence: ‘we should be afraid’. "Joe Moore, who for years investigated the Ku Klux Klan, issues a chilling warning for the 2024 election and beyond. We are also seeing signs of it in Canada. 
• The gigantic and unregulated power plants in the cloud. "Recently a Dutch hacker was able to take control of 4 million solar panel installations (FTM (Dutch), Euractiv, Victor Gevers). And this wasn’t the first time something like this has happened either."
• Understanding the Impact of COVID-19 on Personality and Brain Function: A Grim Reality or a Wake-Up Call? "Kevin Kavanagh, MD, examines a summary of studies on how COVID-19 may damage the brain's frontal lobes, alter personality traits and cognitive functions, and potentially reshape society's dynamics." Keep those boosters up date and wear your masks!
• Highlights from 'State of the Climate in 2023'. "Greenhouse gas concentrations, the global temperature across land and oceans, global sea level and ocean heat content all reached record highs in 2023, according to the 34th annual State of the Climate report."
• When will climate change turn life in the U.S. upside down? "Intensifying extreme weather events and an insurance crisis are likely to cause significant economic and political disruption in the U.S. sometime in the next 15 years." You ain't seen nothin' yet!
• Scientists sound the alarm after making concerning discovery about cooling power of sea ice: 'We could be missing a considerable part'. "Researchers raised concerns after discovering sea ice in the Arctic and Antarctic is losing its cooling powers, per an article published on earth.com. After analyzing satellite images from a 43-year span, scientists at the University of Michigan revealed the devastating impact of rising global temperatures."
• How climate change has pushed our oceans to the brink of catastrophe. "For decades, the oceans have absorbed much of the excess heat caused by greenhouse gases. The latest observations suggest they are reaching their limits, so how worried should we be?"