Tod HynesCo-Founder, MIT Climate & Energy Ventures

WHRC President Dr. Phil Duffy Testifies to Congress

Name: WHRC President Dr. Phil Duffy Testifies to Congress
Uploaded: 2018-06-11T14:25:34+00:00
Duration: 1 min 18 s
Channel: Tod Hynes
Description: Dr. Phil Duffy testifies to Congress that thawing permafrost is releasing greenhouse gases from dead organic matter, a process accelerated by human…

11 Jun 2018 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

1:18

Dr. Phil Duffy testifies to Congress that thawing permafrost is releasing greenhouse gases from dead organic matter, a process accelerated by human activity. He warns that 2-3°C of warming could trigger tens of meters of sea level rise, and argues the U.S. should lead on climate action.

Questions this video answers

June 11, 2018

An enormous quantity of carbon—dead organic matter (dead animals and plants).

"Tens of meters" of sea level rise.

Chapters

There's an enormous quantity of carbon tied up in frozen permafrost. It's starting to thaw. It's starting to release greenhouse gases that threatens to become an unstoppable process which would greatly amplify global warming.
Well, where did the greenhouse gases come from if we didn't have people to create them?
It's dead organic matter, dead animals and plants.
That's a threat that would exist if people never existed.
It's a threat that would exist, but the activities of people are unlocking that threat.
What do you say to people who theorize that the Earth is returning to its normal temperature? You don't think Maybe it was 30 degrees warmer when dinosaurs roamed the Earth?
If you want to characterize a temperature above today's temperature as normal, you're free to do that. But that doesn't mean that's a planet that we want to live on. If we let the Earth.
I don't want to get philosophical.
I'm not getting philosophical. I'm getting extremely practical.
You're what?
I'm being extremely practical.
Yeah.
If we let the planet warm 2 or 3 degrees, we will have tens of meters of sea level rise and the community where I live will essentially cease to exist. You know, look, we're the United States. We should be leaders here, not followers. It's as simple as that.