We're Toast 53

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. 

Lake Ontario on a blustery day

Earth may have breached seven of nine planetary boundaries, health check shows. "Ocean acidification close to critical threshold, say scientists, posing threat to marine ecosystems and global liveability."

Mounting research shows that COVID-19 leaves its mark on the brain, including significant drops in IQ scores. "A large and growing body of evidence amassed throughout the pandemic details the many ways that COVID-19 leaves an indelible mark on the brain. But the specific pathways by which the virus does so are still being elucidated, and curative treatments are nonexistent. Now, two new studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine shed further light on the profound toll of COVID-19 on cognitive health." Given how many people have had COVID-19, and some several times, this is not good news and will have substantial long-term social effects.

Antarctica’s 'doomsday' glacier is heading for catastrophic collapse. "As a six-year investigation into the Thwaites glacier in Antarctica wraps up, the scientists involved are pessimistic for the future of this glacier and the consequences for sea level rise."

First Israel’s Exploding Pagers Maimed and Killed. Now Comes the Paranoia. "The explosion of thousands of rigged pagers and walkie-talkies will likely make Hezbollah operatives fear any means of electronic communication. It’s having the same effect on the Lebanese population."

Where the sea wall ends (gift link). "At a time of fast-rising seas, the ocean is eating away at this barrier island and others like it. But humans, who have held their ground here for over a century, are planning new condos." 

I’ve studied geopolitics all my life: climate breakdown is a bigger threat than China and Russia. "‘Risk’ analyses largely ignore the dangers of the climate crisis. Unless we wake up to them, they will soon outweigh all others."

Droughts likely to be even longer in the future due to climate change. "Major climate reports may be underselling the risks of rising emissions." Not good news for the US southwest.

US Militarism Is a Leading Cause of the Climate Catastrophe. "US military interventions are not just wars on people — they’re also wars on the climate."