Future Fear

U.N.: 1M species threatened as global extinction rates speed up
UPI reports: "According to the new report, the planet's species extinction rate is accelerating. More than half a million species are currently without sufficient habitat for long-term survival. Several thousand are likely to disappear within a few decades."

Comment: This is a great tragedy. I believe we are called to be good stewards of God's creation. We should not callously destroy the abundant life He has created.  In the end, we will end up harming ourselves because so much of what we take for granted is dependent on the cycle of life that includes these animals threatened with extinction.

Roaring Waves & Seas

Strong winds are supersizing the ocean's biggest waves
NBC News reports: "Strong winds are driving the ocean’s biggest waves to dizzying new heights. That’s the potentially ominous finding of new research that analyzed more than 30 years’ worth of global wind and wave measurements to see how they changed over time. The University of Melbourne researchers behind the work, published April 25 in the journal Science, say the supersized waves could compound the effects of rising sea levels, leading to more frequent flooding and accelerated coastal erosion."

More rain in Mozambique, deaths up to 38 after 2nd cyclone
The AP reports: "More rain is forecast for northern Mozambique, where the death toll from Cyclone Kenneth jumped to 38, as flooding and pounding rains hampered efforts to deliver aid to badly hit communities several days after the storm. [...] It was the first time in recorded history that two cyclones had targeted Mozambique in a single season."

Comment: I wanted to note that in case it is lost amid the day's other news.  The first report suggests that climate change will cause huge waves, rising sea levels, larger coastal storms and greater storm damage to the coasts. I see clearly the linkage with "nations in distress" as few countries are prepared to deal with catastrophic coastal damage in a yearly basis. The second report notes that this is the very first time in recorded history that two cyclones have hit Mozambique in the same season.

Fear for the Future

Doomsday Clock frozen at two minutes to apocalypse - BBC
BBC World News reports: "The 'new abnormal' the world is facing from risks like nuclear war and climate change has led the symbolic Doomsday Clock to be frozen at the closest it has ever been to midnight. The clock, created by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (BAS) in 1947, intends to warn of impending disasters. Its 2019 setting was announced on Thursday - staying in the same perilous position it was set at last year. The BAS has warned we are 'normalising a very dangerous world'. It marks only the third year the clock has been so close to midnight - first reaching the position in 1953 after the US and the Soviet Union tested highly destructive hydrogen bombs. [...] The group cites nuclear weapons and climate change as the two major ongoing threats to mankind - and warned their risks were being "exacerbated" by the 'increased use of information warfare to undermine democracy around the world'."

Comment: I know that there will be some who will call this "fake news" but I think it's important to remember that this is an old group made up of professionals who take a long-term view. They are not highlighting short-term political or partisan issues, they look at long-term threats to civilization. When we talk about people being afraid and apprehensive about the things coming upon the world nuclear war and climate change are at the top of the list.

Roaring Waves - Future Fear

Greenland ice melting faster than previously thought: study - UPI.com
UPI reports: "The Greenland Ice Sheet is melting faster than scientists had previously thought - a lot faster. According to a new study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the Greenland Ice Sheet is now melting four times faster than it had been prior to 2003, National Geographic reported. [...] 'The melting process is going non-linear in time. It will accelerate. This means sea-level rise will accelerate," Bevis said. 'That is bad news at most coastlines, including most of the Atlantic coast, all of Florida, all of the Gulf Coast of the USA, but also worldwide.'"

Comment: I know I lose subscribers when I post such news but the links have been established between ice melt, sea-level rise, storms and coastal flooding.  More than that, as our frequent visitors know, the editors believe this is a reflection of unfolding BP and backed up by scripture. You are free to not believe in climate change. You are also free to not live on the coast, lol.

Fear for the Future

UN climate report calls for immediate action to curb global warming - UPI
UPI reports: "The latest report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change calls for "rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes" to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The IPCC report, which was produced with the help of 91 authors and review editors from 40 countries, was approved over the weekend at a meeting in South Korea. [...] The UN report warns the most serious impacts of climate change could arrive as early as 2030 if carbon emissions aren't significantly reduced."

Comment: Most governments are run by ideologues and not pragmatists and since all of this costs money and there are other more immediate and tangible things to spend money on, nothing will be done about this. This means we will be able to look back in the future and confirm that the climate-change skeptics had it wrong. It's not the best way to win an argument.  

Roaring Waves

Increase in size, frequency of ocean storms a threat to global fisheries - UPI.com
UPI reports: "Many studies have suggested rising atmospheric and ocean temperatures, as well as a slowdown in atmospheric currents, will inspire more frequent and larger storms, especially ocean and coastal storms. The latest study -- published Monday in the journal Nature Climate Change -- showed an uptick in large storms is likely to make fishing more dangerous. Larger storms could also damage fish habitat and disrupt fish breeding grounds."

Comment: Science and Bible prophecy agree, coastal flooding and fearsome storms will be quite damaging to coastal nations and their economies. 

Future Fear - Roaring Waves

U.S. government report blames humans for climate change - UPI.com
UPI reports: "Humans are to blame to for global warming, according to the most comprehensive climate change report yet produced by the federal government. [...] The report points to the burning of fossil fuels and the destruction of forests as the primary causes of the nearly 2 degrees Fahrenheit of warming over the last century. It also blames man-made climate change for increases in extreme weather events, including larger tropical storms, rising sea levels, coastal flooding, prolonged droughts and dangerous heatwaves."

Comment: I know I get push-back every time I post one of these, but I honestly don't find any contradiction here at all with Bible prophecy. The increase in extreme weather events, coastal flooding and rising sea levels is entirely consistent with our expectations based on specific prophetic scriptures. I think part of the problem is that a certain segment of the BP community has come to accept the notion that "global warming" is part of a liberal political agenda and therefore is always suspect. Well guess what, liberals are no longer in power and global warming is still a thing. The environment doesn't vote and knows nothing of political agendas. I think it's important to untangle this issue from rival political agendas and accept that whether or not global warming is caused by human activity or is part of the natural weather cycle, or some combination of the two, it's still happening.

Rumors of War - Fear for the Future

Bomb shelter sales boosted by North Korea threat - UPI.com
UPI reports: "Businesses across the United States -- and Japan -- are reporting an increase in sales of bomb shelters and other survival items as rhetoric over nuclear weapons ramps up. [...] The bump in U.S. sales this week, though, appears to be coinciding with increased threats between North Korea's military and U.S. President Donald Trump. [...] While some bomb shelters are small -- little larger than panic rooms that can fit in a garage and sell for $10,000 -- others can cost millions and offer luxurious living for years."

Donald Trump: Military 'locked and loaded' for North Korea - UPI.com:
UPI  reports: "President Donald Trump tweeted Friday that U.S. armed forces are 'locked and loaded' in case the North Korean government takes aggressive action -- escalating hostile rhetoric with the regime of Kim Jong Un. 'Military solutions are now fully in place, locked and loaded, should North Korea act unwisely,' Trump stated. 'Hopefully Kim Jong Un will find another path!' Later Friday afternoon, Trump retweeted a post by U.S. Pacific Command that said B-1 bombers on Guam 'stand ready' if called upon."

Comment: Maybe it's time for the government to dust off those old civil defense plans and maybe acquaint the public with what to do in case of an emergency. We all need to be prepared, right, not just Ventura County. Duck and cover!

Future Fear - Rumors of War

Doomsday Clock closer to end of world due to nukes, climate change, Trump - UPI.com UPI reports: "The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists on Thursday said the Doomsday Clock is now 30 seconds closer to midnight, or the end of the world, partly because of President Donald Trump. The clock is now 2 1/2 minutes to midnight, the closest since the nuclear arms race during the Cold War."

Comment: Personally, I think this is more liberal hand-ringing and it has everything to do with Trump and very little to do with fear about what is taking place in the world. Still, it's indicative of a mindset of fear over the problems we face now and those looming on the horizon.

Roaring Waves - Future Fear

NOAA: 2016 was hottest year in modern history - UPI.com
UPI reports: "For three consecutive years, the record for 'hottest year in modern history' has been broken. As NOAA and NASA declared this week, the average global temperature for 2016, 58.69 degrees Fahrenheit, bested the 2015 average by 0.07 degrees. The record for hottest year has now been broken five times during the 21st century -- 2005, 2010, 2014, 2015, and 2016. Scientists began tracking global temperatures in 1880."

Future Fear - Roaring Waves

Scientists: Unchecked Arctic melting may bring irreversible change - UPI.com
UPI reports: "In the Arctic Resilience Report, released Friday, the team of scientists said Arctic ice is melting faster than ever before and it will probably only get worse. In fact, the ecological change currently happening in the Arctic region is unprecedented, they say, and could one day become irreversible. [...] If the Greenland sheet melted away completely, global sea levels would rise by about 25 feet, the report warns."

Comment: Everyone knows that climate change is a myth, right? Nothing to see here folks, move along, move along. 

Future Fear

AP - Scientists to announce "Doomsday Clock" time
AP reports: "Rising tension between Russia and the U.S., North Korea's recent nuclear test and a lack of aggressive steps to address climate change are putting the world under grave threat, scientists behind a 'Doomsday Clock' that measures the likelihood of a global cataclysm said Tuesday. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announced that the minute hand on the metaphorical clock remained at three minutes-to-midnight. The clock reflects how vulnerable the world is to catastrophe from nuclear weapons, climate change and new technologies, with midnight symbolizing apocalypse."

Global Government - Future Fear - Roaring Seas & Waves

My Way News - Nearly 200 nations pledge to slow global warming
My Way News reports: "Nearly 200 nations adopted the first global pact to fight climate change on Saturday, calling on the world to collectively cut and then eliminate greenhouse gas pollution but imposing no sanctions on countries that don't. The "Paris agreement" aims to keep global temperatures from rising another degree Celsius (1.8 Fahrenheit) between now and 2100, a key demand of poor countries ravaged by rising sea levels and other effects of climate change."

Future Fear - Roaring Waves

My Way News - Study sees possible dip in world carbon dioxide emissions
My Way News reports: "Global carbon dioxide emissions may be dropping ever so slightly this year, spurred by a dramatic plunge in Chinese pollution, according to a surprising new study released Monday. The unexpected dip could either be a temporary blip or true hope that the world is about to turn the corner on carbon pollution as climate talks continue in Paris, said the study's authors, a scientific team that regularly tracks heat-trapping pollution."

Global Government - Future Fear - Roaring Waves

Global climate conference reaches draft agreement - UPI.com
UPI reports: "Delegates from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change approved a draft agreement Saturday aimed at slowing global warming and reducing carbon emissions worldwide. The 48-page document will now be used as a basis for further discussion beginning Monday to hammer out a comprehensive settlement, not an easy task with 195 countries involved in COP21 -- the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties."

Future Fear - Roaring Waves - Global Government

With climate at 'breaking point', leaders urge breakthrough in Paris - Reuters
Reuters reports: "World leaders launched an ambitious attempt on Monday to hold back rising temperatures, with the United States and China leading calls for the climate summit in Paris to mark a decisive turn in the fight against global warming. In a series of opening addresses to the U.N. talks, heads of state and government exhorted each other to find common cause in two weeks of bargaining to steer the global economy away from its dependence on fossil fuels. [...] If a signed deal now appears likely, so too is the prospect that it will not be enough to prevent the world's average temperature from rising beyond 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels. That is widely viewed as a threshold for dangerous and potentially catastrophic changes in the planet's climate system."

Future Fear - Roaring Waves

My Way News - Absurdly hot October as Earth sets 8th heat record this year
My Way News reports: "Even in a record-breaking hot year for Earth, October stood out as absurdly warm. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said that last month globally was 58.86 degrees (14.98 degrees Celsius). That's the hottest October on record by a third of a degree over the old mark, 'an incredible amount' for weather records, said NOAA climate scientist Jessica Blunden. October's temperature was the most above-normal month in history."

Future Fear

My Way News - World Bank: Climate change could result in 100 million poor
My Way News reports: "Climate change could push more than 100 million people into extreme poverty by 2030 by disrupting agriculture and fueling the spread of malaria and other diseases, the World Bank said in a report Sunday."

Fearsome Events - Future Fear

My Way News - Report: 14 wild weather events last year goosed by warming
My Way News reports: "Dozens of scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and across the world examined 28 strange weather conditions last year to see if global warming partly increased their likelihood or their strength. In a series of papers in a 180-page, peer-reviewed report, the scientists spotted some effects of climate change in half of them. In other weather events, scientists found no evidence of climate change making conditions more likely or stronger."

Future Fear

My Way News - An intolerable unimaginable heat forecast for Persian Gulf
My Way News reports: "If carbon dioxide emissions continue at their current pace, by the end of century parts of the Persian Gulf will sometimes be just too hot for the human body to tolerate, a new study says. How hot? The heat index — which combines heat and humidity — may hit 165 to 170 degrees (74 to 77 Celsius) for at least six hours, according to numerous computer simulations in the new study. That's so hot that the human body can't get rid of heat."