Hi, Ted. I am also a green republican, and have 23 years as a foreman/supt/multi-tradesman
forms, frame, finish, along with electric and plumbing, tape and texture, etc., and also Irish.
I agree that the ice extent is from fresh water melt influx, but the actual volume of ice is still decreasing rapidly. The amount of open water in the summer has increased the water temperature and has been considered in runaway since 2007.
You will find this of interest;
http://arctic-news.blogspot.com/2015/02 ... -2031.htmlhttp://arctic-news.blogspot.com/2014/09 ... gency.htmlWith so little progress toward mitigation, and the little time left to have an impact, I think the battle to save the biosphere is actually lost. The root cause is overpopulation grossly past sustainability, even if everyone turned green with solar power and no kids. I don't think the odds of reducing population enough in time, or enough green practices in time, are good.
The possibility of a 90+% crash before 2023 is there with the dollar collapse, Cascadia, La Palma or Katla, all due now, or soon.
If they occur after, then the only way to stop thermageddon is to blow Yellowstone with over a hundred drilled nukes. There also is the possibility that may not be enough, and Toba could also be blown ten years later to account for thermal momentum. Only then would there be a return to the interglacial and glacial cycles. At least with the minimum amount of radiation.
If the process actually stops at a Permian Extinction type scenario, then the recovery time could be 50 million years. We will not know, being extinct.