Good News for the Stranded Scientists

By now, most of you have heard the hilariously funny tale of the Akademik Shokalskiy stranded in Antarctic ice:

They went in search evidence of the world’s melting ice caps, but instead a team of climate scientists have been forced to abandon their mission … because the Antarctic ice is thicker than usual at this time of year.

The expedition is being lead by Chris Turney, a climate scientist….

Much of the media has avoided making the connection of the purpose of the expedition and the result, but the background of the leader of the expedition, Chris Turney, gives it away:

I am an Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow and Professor of Climate Change at the University of University of New South Wales where my team and I are focussing our efforts on using the past to better understand the changes we are seeing today. To do something positive about climate change, I helped set up a carbon refining company called Carbonscape which has developed technology to fix carbon from the atmosphere and make a host of green bi-products, helping reduce greenhouse gas levels.

I have avoided commenting on this story – it seemed much too easy to have a laugh at the good fortune.  But today, this news came out:

According to a December 31 news release from the University of New South Wales, scientists estimate that by 2100, global average temperatures will rise at least 4 degrees Celsius if carbon dioxide emissions are not scaled back.  Additionally, researchers say that the continued increase in global average temperatures will result in an additional 4 degrees Celsius by 2200. 

So, perhaps Chris and his buddies can just hold out for somewhere between 100 and 200 years, and they should then be able to float right on out of their comedic prison!

God must be having a good chuckle at this one.