Saturday’s enormous eruption of the Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai underwater volcano sent ash 20 kilometres into the stratosphere, accompanied by a 900-kilometre-per-hour sonic boom heard as far away as Alaska and tsunami waves racing around the Pacific.
The blast may be devastating for the people of Tonga and neighbouring areas. The climatic effects of volcanoes are a reminder of Earth’s awesome power but also humanity’s responsibility.
The Tonga volcanoes are sited where the old, cold Pacific geologic plate sinks into the Earth’s mantle beneath the warmer, lighter Australian plate at the Kermadec Trench. When the plate reaches a depth of 100 kilometres or so, its water-rich rocks melt, and the ascending magma creates a volcanic chain. The “Pacific Ring of Fire” reflects this phenomenon, from New Zealand through the Philippines and Japan to Mexico and the Andes.
Volcanoes have a profound impact on short-run climate. They inject ash and, particularly, sulphur dioxide into the upper atmosphere, reflecting the sun’s rays and causing cooling. Halogen compounds may trigger ozone depletion, damaging to human health. Bigger eruptions do not necessarily have the largest effect on climate: it depends on their geographic location, and content of sulphur and other volatile materials.
The super-volcano eruption of Mount Toba in Indonesia about 74,000 years ago may have caused the human population on Earth to dwindle to a few thousand individuals, though this is disputed. Volcanic particles might also have triggered the cold, wet weather of the mid-fourteenth and early-seventeenth centuries, which were followed by famine, plague and war.
The famous Tambora volcano in Indonesia in 1815 created “the year without a summer”, whose gloomy weather inspired Mary Shelley’s classic Frankenstein. A slightly earlier mystery eruption of 1808, possibly a submarine volcano in Tonga, also contributed to this cold period, a time that saw Napoleon’s defeats in the Russian winter and at Waterloo and the collapse of his empire. More recently, the 1982 El Chichon eruption in Mexico and Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines in 1991 cooled Earth by appreciable fractions of a 1°C.
Despite the usual bad-faith commentary, such events do not discredit the knowledge that human emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are driving relentless and dangerous global warming. Volcanic cooling is no more than blips on this trajectory. And volcanic carbon dioxide contributes less than 1 per cent of human emissions yearly.
It is too early to say whether the cataclysm in Tonga will have a wider effect on global climate for a year or two. But it is a reminder that the injection of sulphur dioxide or similar particles into the stratosphere is highly effective in blocking the sun’s rays.
This is the basis for “geoengineering” proposals to offset global warming by artificially carrying reflective particles aloft with aeroplanes or balloons. The material need not be sulphur dioxide; chalk or other stuff could work too.
Compared to the trillions of dollars to retool the global energy economy, geoengineering could be remarkably cheap, as little as $2-2.5 billion annually to cut temperature rises by 1.5°C, the ambition of 2015’s Paris Agreement on climate change.
Geo-engineering, specifically “solar radiation management” (SRM), has often been portrayed as a “last resort”, to be deployed if we perhaps heat the Earth beyond a catastrophic tipping point. Critics have seen it as a dangerous distraction from the essential goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. They fear it will be used as a “get out of jail free card” by fossil-fuel interests. A single wealthy country or even mega-rich individual could introduce such a system on their own, over others’ objections.
It does not cut atmospheric carbon dioxide and its negative side effects such as acidification of the oceans. If halted, warming would resume within a year or so at an accelerated pace. And it could result in shifts in precipitation, leaving some areas inundated and others drought-stricken.
Emotions are so strong that campaigners have opposed even the tiniest of experiments, balloons carrying a few kilograms of particles. The scepticism of environmentalists is understandable given the long history of delays, obfuscation and excuses by those seeking a licence to continue polluting.
Similar arguments were made against the idea of adapting to climate change in the 1990s, and against removing carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere in the 2000s. Now, climate adaptation is accepted as a sad necessity, and an integral part of the Paris Agreement. Carbon dioxide removal on a gargantuan scale by 2050 is the only way that climate models can still hold out any hope of reaching the Paris targets.
Logically, if 1.5°C of warming is still bad, then 1°C would be better. Vulnerable ecosystems, species and human settlements could be saved. So even if we can reduce emissions rapidly, we can offset some of the dangerous possibilities of feedback loops and unexpected consequences by carrying out SRM. That also buys us time to scale up direct removal of atmospheric carbon dioxide.
This is not an argument for rushing into SRM today. But it does encourage learning more urgently. Studying the effects of large volcanoes is useful, but no substitute for well-planned, controlled experiments.
At this moment, we should think first of the people of Tonga, suffering the perhaps catastrophic effects of such an eruption. Climate change will bring disaster, of different types, to a much wider area. Learning from the climatic impact of volcanoes is essential to offsetting some of the consequences of humanity’s own folly.
Robin M. Mills is CEO of Qamar Energy, and author of The Myth of the Oil Crisis
'Ghostbusters: From Beyond'
Director: Jason Reitman
Starring: Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace
Rating: 2/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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The Bloomberg Billionaire Index in full
1 Jeff Bezos $140 billion
2 Bill Gates $98.3 billion
3 Bernard Arnault $83.1 billion
4 Warren Buffett $83 billion
5 Amancio Ortega $67.9 billion
6 Mark Zuckerberg $67.3 billion
7 Larry Page $56.8 billion
8 Larry Ellison $56.1 billion
9 Sergey Brin $55.2 billion
10 Carlos Slim $55.2 billion
ACL Elite (West) - fixtures
Monday, Sept 30
Al Sadd v Esteghlal (8pm)
Persepolis v Pakhtakor (8pm)
Al Wasl v Al Ahli (8pm)
Al Nassr v Al Rayyan (10pm)
Tuesday, Oct 1
Al Hilal v Al Shorta (10pm)
Al Gharafa v Al Ain (10pm)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Company%20profile
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
The years Ramadan fell in May
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Abu Dhabi traffic facts
Drivers in Abu Dhabi spend 10 per cent longer in congested conditions than they would on a free-flowing road
The highest volume of traffic on the roads is found between 7am and 8am on a Sunday.
Travelling before 7am on a Sunday could save up to four hours per year on a 30-minute commute.
The day was the least congestion in Abu Dhabi in 2019 was Tuesday, August 13.
The highest levels of traffic were found on Sunday, November 10.
Drivers in Abu Dhabi lost 41 hours spent in traffic jams in rush hour during 2019
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
The five pillars of Islam
Racecard
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
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The years Ramadan fell in May
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company Profile
Company name: NutriCal
Started: 2019
Founder: Soniya Ashar
Based: Dubai
Industry: Food Technology
Initial investment: Self-funded undisclosed amount
Future plan: Looking to raise fresh capital and expand in Saudi Arabia
Total Clients: Over 50
Company%20profile
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'Gold'
Director:Anthony Hayes
Stars:Zaf Efron, Anthony Hayes
Rating:3/5
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlmouneer%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dr%20Noha%20Khater%20and%20Rania%20Kadry%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEgypt%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E120%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBootstrapped%2C%20with%20support%20from%20Insead%20and%20Egyptian%20government%2C%20seed%20round%20of%20%3Cbr%3E%243.6%20million%20led%20by%20Global%20Ventures%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
Specs
Price, base: Dhs850,000
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 591bhp @ 7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.3L / 100km
The%20specs
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Porsche Taycan Turbo specs
Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors
Transmission: two-speed
Power: 671hp
Torque: 1050Nm
Range: 450km
Price: Dh601,800
On sale: now
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
How to join and use Abu Dhabi’s public libraries
• There are six libraries in Abu Dhabi emirate run by the Department of Culture and Tourism, including one in Al Ain and Al Dhafra.
• Libraries are free to visit and visitors can consult books, use online resources and study there. Most are open from 8am to 8pm on weekdays, closed on Fridays and have variable hours on Saturdays, except for Qasr Al Watan which is open from 10am to 8pm every day.
• In order to borrow books, visitors must join the service by providing a passport photograph, Emirates ID and a refundable deposit of Dh400. Members can borrow five books for three weeks, all of which are renewable up to two times online.
• If users do not wish to pay the fee, they can still use the library’s electronic resources for free by simply registering on the website. Once registered, a username and password is provided, allowing remote access.
• For more information visit the library network's website.
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net
Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.
Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.
A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.
Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.
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What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Summer special
Kat Wightman's tips on how to create zones in large spaces
- Area carpets or rugs are the easiest way to segregate spaces while also unifying them.
- Lighting can help define areas. Try pendant lighting over dining tables, and side and floor lamps in living areas.
- Keep the colour palette the same in a room, but combine different tones and textures in different zone. A common accent colour dotted throughout the space brings it together.
- Don’t be afraid to use furniture to break up the space. For example, if you have a sofa placed in the middle of the room, a console unit behind it will give good punctuation.
- Use a considered collection of prints and artworks that work together to form a cohesive journey.
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Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
