We're Toast 54

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. (And based on the results of last week's US election, probably sooner than I originally thought). It is part of an ongoing series of posts. 

Autumn Leaves

• ‘Wicked problem’: five charts that show how the climate crisis is making Australia more dangerous. "A report by BoM and CSIRO checks ‘vital signs of Australia’s climate’ – and shows temperature trends will only worsen."
• Satellite images show major expansion at Russian site with secret bioweapons past (gift link). "New construction at a military research site near Moscow reveals a specialized laboratory complex designed to research and handle deadly pathogens, experts say." It could be just because they want to do research to protect against pandemics, but given past history, I have my doubts.
• How Oceans are becoming an Acid Bath. "Oceans have saved us from the worst impacts of global warming but are turning acidic as a result of carbon pollution."
• Microplastics Likely Causing Wave of Cancer in Young People. "Millennials and zoomers have a new thing to worry about."
• We’ve Slipped Back into that Alternate Universe. "Took a nap, what a bad dream! Trump got elected, and the Senate was taken over by GOP! Like an alternate world! I mean, a rapist felon in the WH, a Senate that would work with Trump to make sure they can’t be voted out–that could never happen. What? No. Come on. No don’t tell me that. I said no."
• ‘Minimal progress’ made this year on curbing global heating, report finds. "Analysis by Climate Action Tracker puts median temperature rise by 2100 at 2.7C if current policies continue." I really didn't intend the title of this blog topic to be literal. 
• Space trash is falling from the sky. And that’s not the worst of it (gift link). "The world needs to clean up its junk."
• World on track for hottest year ever as carbon pollution hits record levels. "Extraordinarily warm ocean temperatures in the Atlantic are helping to fuel an unusually active hurricane season."
• Expert: Trump's second term will create "hellscape". "If you haven't freaked out yet about Trump resuming office, Al Franken's latest podcast episode, "The Coming Hellscape," might do the trick. His guest, political scientist Norm Ornstein, and longtime observer of American politics, says Trump's victory could be devastating to the country."