Showing posts with label global warming. Show all posts
Showing posts with label global warming. Show all posts
Monday, June 25, 2007
It Was A Dark and Icky Night
It was a mild January evening, and people had filled the restaurant's outdoor patio. As our group walked past the tables, one of my friends said, "This terrifies me." I don't know if she was reassured later by the chilly April, but we are all supposed to be terrified of the weather now.
It was a dark and icky night as a crowd gathered around the study inside the castle. They were staring at a trail of crimson blood sprayed across the floor and splattered against the walls like a monochromatic Pollack painting.
As we sauntered by the old wingback chair, there was an old crone bleeding out of her right eyeball. One of my companions squealed, "This is terrible!" I often wonder if the fact that the river of arterial flow stopped a few minutes after we left due to massive clots forming in the old woman's head made my friend feel any better. Uncontrolled bleeding gets so much hype. Sometimes it stops on it's own.
Enily Yoffe's column today in the Washington Post is quite juvenile and unserious. I expected more from the woman who pens the Dear Prudence advice column for Slate Magazine when she branches out into reporting on the environment.
Her column dismisses the idea that we should be concerned, saying that the weathermen can't predict the weather this summer, is scaring our children unnecessarily, and gets into some Al Gore bashing. She does this while completely misunderstanding the problem.
Global warming is a misnomer. Global climate change is the term that we should use. Nobody is saying that every square inch on the planet will all warm up by exactly 1.673 degrees on the exact same day.
On average the temperature will be higher. Wild weather events, spikes and drops in temperatures, changes in the gulf stream pattern, and melting ice caps raising the ocean levels will all disrupt stability in our global climate. Heat waves in March that cause trees to bloom might be followed by freezes in April that kill off the young buds.
If your understanding of climate change is that the weather channel just needs to change the average temperatures of each city by bumping the weather up one degree, perhaps you shouldn't agree to write a column in the Washington Post sharing your "knowledge" with the world.
Friday, June 08, 2007
A local tv station ran a survey they reported on the news tonight that showed 43% of people believed in global warming, and 43% didn't. Well, that convinces me. The subject is too controversial to do anything about. The people have spoken.
If a majority of people believed in Santa Claus, should a legislature ban burning fires in the chimney on Christmas Eve in order to protect the big fella? Some of these surveys are getting to be similar in lunacy as to this proposal.
The reason there are representative democracies is that hopefully the people elected will actually study the issue to know the facts. They also will be willing to risk their seats and say no, if the public demands clean chimney laws for December 24th because a rash of Santa revivalism sweeps the nation and people are demanding better working conditions for the bringer of toys.
Although I believe the war in Iraq is wrong, and 70% of the public agree with that position, I don't take comfort in that fact. Some of these same people believe Elvis is alive, Astrology is infallible, and that Bigfoot roams Washington State.
Our system of government is so corrupted by money that the founders concept of citizen legislatures who do the right thing and duly represent their constituents is not functioning.
Global warming is agreed to by most scientists. Many of those who demur are funded by people like Exxon-Mobil. If there is a point of no return on the environment and the politicians are waiting for better polling data, instead of scientific data, then doomed we are indeed.
For now I am cleaning my chimney out, just in case.
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Now I realize that in the Bush Administration the key qualifications for running NASA are that you find homosexuality and abortion offensive and you believe 'The Flinstones' were a documentary, but Michael Griffin, The NASA chief is in line for a Presidential Medal of Freedom if he keeps this up.
This week, National Public Radio asked Griffin whether climate change was a problem mankind should "wrestle with."
Griffin responded as if one of NASA's deep-space probes had dropped him off on Pluto. "I have no doubt that a trend of global warming exists," he said. "I am not sure that it is fair to say that it is a problem we must wrestle with."
Digging his toes deeper into his mouth, Griffin said, "I guess I would ask which human beings -- where and when -- are to be accorded the privilege of deciding that this particular climate that we have right here today, right now, is the best climate for all other human beings. I think that's a rather arrogant position to take. . . . Nowhere in NASA's authorization . . . is there anything at all telling us that we should take actions to affect climate change. . . . NASA is not an agency chartered to, quote, 'Battle climate change.' "
In other words, he is planning on drinking Pat Robertson's Amazing Protein Shake to make it through any discomfort caused by global climate change.
Does it really matter? We seem to be talking past the important issue here. Assume for just one moment that humans aren't creating global climate change, but it's happening. Even Dick Cheney has acknowledged that thermometers are not simply hippy science (way to go Dick). We also have a massive problem with oil being located mainly in a place that is not very friendly to us, with citizens who wear suicide vests attached to their body. The supply of oil is not self replicating. We will run out.
The lunatics want us to not have that conversation. God created the world about 6,000 years ago, and it's arrogant of us to think we could harm it. Oh, and it's not good for Exxon's bottom line. Praise Jesus, pass the credit card, I need me some premium.
Even if we are going to be hysterically in denial, the rest of the world isn't. They are going to create green technologies, market them, and profit. Breathing some sulfur coated toxic air as the world passes us by may be spiritually uplifting for this crowd (let's call it Jesus' incense), but economically we will suffer. Our sons and daughters will continue dying to protect the resource, and perhaps you can still believe Moses rode across the Sinai on a T-Rex and still understand this simple fact.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Michael Novak in the National Review's corner, dismisses global warming based on the evidence of Greenland's history. It was green (in part), 1000 years ago, and that's the way people liked it!
It is too bad that Nancy Pelosi did not travel out to Greenland with Eric the Red in 983-986, when the climate was much warmer and Greenland was so named because of its lush meadows and fertile fields — before a new ice age began that over centuries made it seem more like Whiteland. Too bad Pelosi didn't see climate change THEN. People then were glad to see the last days of Global Warming, and dreaded the winters and white-outs to come The Apocalypse Then was the Coming Ice Age.
Look it up in an encyclopedia. Here is what Laura Nivers at the American Enterprise Institute found:
How did a glacier-covered island get the name Greenland? In Norse legends written in the 12th century and later, it is told that Eric the Red explored the southeast and southwest coasts of Greenland in a.d. 983-986 and gave the country its name because people would be more likely to go there if it had an attractive name. Greenland was warmer in the tenth century than it is now. There were many islands teeming with birds off its western coast; the sea was excellent for fishing; and the coast of Greenland itself had many fjords where anchorage was good. At the head of the fjords there were enormous meadows full of grass, willows, junipers, birch, and wild berries. Thus Greenland actually deserved its name. Another attraction of Greenland was that Iceland and northwestern Europe, including England, had a grievous year of famine in 976, and people were hungry for food as well as land.
Now at the time, there were less people on the planet than live in the USA currently. There also was less permanent structures built on coast lines. If your hut was getting affected by rising waters due to sunny Greenland, you would move. Perhaps some of the drought going on in England was due to the warming period of the time, no?
So, they had it made. They could pick up, take a boat trip using 986 technology, and set off for Greenland. Those lucky ducks. I bet we will be able to do the same thing with Los Angeles, Manhattan, and Miami. Let's just put them all in boats, and move up North.
Global warming in an agriculturally based society in the middle ages was disruptive to individuals. Our permanent structures and large economic capital built into them is going to trouble us just a tad if they are underwater. It will be hard to go to a Giants game in a boat. But, we are plucky and will make do.
I get so tired of the right wingers who refuse to listen to reason and science. If there is one freakishly cold snap anywhere on the planet, they scream about it, and say in your face Al Gore. This is considered productive?
Now Michael Novak is going to try investing in real estate on penguin breeding grounds in Antarctica. These wingnuts sure don't live in the reality based world. Perhaps a viking helmet and a bottle of aquavit will be the new fashion accessories at parties for the terminally stupid set.
Somebody save us.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Oil and Gas Executives say government involvement in supporting the development of renewable energy sources is necessary to alleviate the problem of declining oil reserves, according to the results of a survey conducted by KPMG LLP, the audit, tax and advisory firm.
In the KPMG survey, which polled 553 financial executives from oil and gas companies in April 2007, twenty-five percent of the respondents said that at least 75 percent of government funding into energy should be directed at the renewable sources sector and a further 44 percent said that at least 50 percent of funding should be allocated in the same way. These feelings stem from the overwhelming majority, or 82 percent, citing declining oil reserves as a concern.
"These executives are deeply concerned about declining oil reserves, a situation they see as irreversible and worsening," said Bill Kimble, National Line of Business Leader, Industrial Markets for KPMG LLP. "They see renewable energy sources as a lifeline but our survey shows that the execs recognize they cannot count on them as a solution in the short-term. Consequently, oil and gas companies are sending a clear signal to the government that intervention is needed."
Translated into english, this means we are running out of oil. Demand is increasing quicker than new oil deposits are being found and we are going to run out of oil. Not tomorrow. Some of the big Saudi oil fields are producing less oil. This will mean higher prices, and more inflation.
The democratic party should seize on this report. The freaking oil executives think we need to get into alternative fuels. They are starting to diversify themselves because they know what's going on. Our denialist administration, and very stupid members of congress like Senator Coburn who reject global warming are irrelevant.
Oil will not last forever to meet demand. We need alternative energy investment. We will not fight wars in the middle east, and our air will get cleaner as a result. It's a win win for everybody.
Or, we could pretend it doesn't exist, be totally screwed when there isn't enough energy to power our economy, and then say we should maybe do something, while we move to the tropical climate of Buffalo.
Sometimes doing the right thing is the smart political thing too.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
For the third time this month, I had to cut the lawn. You see, we have been having record and near record highs this month and that means more lawn mowing for yours truly. We are going to be 83 tomorrow. According to weather.com's historical averages, we should just be hitting 70 right now. We have had well over a dozen days near or above 80 already, plus a freak snow storm all in the month of April.
On average, it doesn't hit 83 until July. Now I know days above average don't make a scientific point. It pisses me off to no end when dishonest hacks like Matt Drudge get all excited when it ever gets cold and he mocks Al Gore for being so silly.
However, when I moved to the North Carolina mountains, one of the first things I did was look at historical averages because I was excited about snow. We had a few storms of either a dusting or an inch or two but nothing major. I talked to my neighbor who has lived here all of her 50+ years, and she told me that we haven't got a major life stopping heavy snow for 15 years when her teen-ager was three. They used to get them all the time. My plans on making snowmen with the toddler were crushed this winter.
Everywhere I have lived in the past two decades or so, we tend to hit alot more historical highs than lows. That is what scientists are telling us as well. On average, our temperature is rising. It's frustrating that we even have to debate that issue. What man created pollution and activities are doing to create these warmer averages can be debated, even though most scientists not in the employ of Exxon-Mobil think we have a great deal to do with the matter.
So, this summer, I will be mowing the lawn alot instead of enjoying it on the week-ends. Global warming sucks.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
While people on the right seem to enjoy pointing out any time it is colder than average on a particular day with a mocking sneer about Al Gore's weight, the weather this winter appears to me to be a good indication as to what is going to happen with global warming. Every day is not going to be hotter. It will be hotter on average. This winter we had record heat in December, then freezing cold in April.
In my neck of the woods, we had record high heat in March that convinced trees to bloom over two weeks early, then when the freak snowstorm came, it killed off the local apple crops. The damage estimate is at 90% or above.
When I moved to the mountains, I looked at the average snowfall totals and got all excited. The toddler and I would get to build snowmen. Growing up in Southern California, one often wore shorts in December. Dissapointed by the below average snowfall, I was chatting about the weather with my neighbor. We have not had a severe snow season in over 15 years now. She has lived here all her life. Her son was three then, and 18 now. The weather here is still nice mind you. But it's gradually changing. We have more record high days than record lows. We have hot Decembers, and April temps of 14 degrees.
No matter how much global warming denialists want to pretend there isn't something going on. It is all around us. You just have to pay attention.
Monday, April 02, 2007
James Inhofe through a staff member reacted in anger to the Supreme Court's ruling today that authorized the EPA to regulate CO2 as a greenhouse gas.
Global warming skeptics reacted strongly Monday to a Supreme Court ruling that the Environmental Protection Agency has the power to regulate carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from cars, calling the decision "bad news" for the country and predicting that the economic fallout will be "vast."
"While we are still reviewing the case for its regulatory implications, having the authority to regulate C02 as a pollutant and justifying that authority are two different things," Marc Morano, spokesman for Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, told Cybercast News Service.
"CO2 is not an air pollutant and should not be treated as one," Morano added.
I see. When it comes to people like Morano and Inhofe, they know much better than scientists who have been euthanizing animals with CO2 for a long time now.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a safe and humane method of euthanasia that is a preferred technique for use with adult rodents. The gas is inexpensive, nonflammable, and nonexplosive. Furthermore, several rodents can be rapidly euthanized simultaneously.
This to me seems to set up a great way to end up the debate. CO2 is wholesome for us as mother's milk, and apple pie so let's put Inhofe and Morano in a glass container with pumped in CO2 and they can vindicate themselves once and for all against those pencil neck geeks with their schooling, and degrees, and their fancy latin words.
How about it sirs?
Monday, March 19, 2007
Ex CIA Chief John Deutsch Talks Up Global Warming
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The United States must act to cap its emissions of greenhouse gases and join the fight against climate change or risk losing global leadership, a former CIA director said in a report released on Monday.
"The United States must adopt a carbon emission control policy," John Deutch, head of the Central Intelligence Agency in 1995-96, said in a report to the Trilateral Commission, a grouping of business and opinion leaders from Europe, the United States and Asia.
Well, this should get the wingnuts all riled up. A Clinton cabinet member, CIA head, and trilateralist all in one talking about the need to prevent global warming through caps. I believe the right blogosphere will collectively explode in fury, confusion, and conspiracy theories on this news.
I myself think this is a plot between George Soros, Al Gore, and the CIA personally. But don't let them know I said this.
Monday, March 12, 2007
Let's see how the base over at Free Republic respond. I am hoping that they decide that they have been emotianal, anti-intellectual, and take this moment in time to reflect on how they have rejected science just because people like Rush Limbaugh tell them to ignore reality.
Let's dive right in, and see some Freeper consciousness changing.
Shep needs both hands, a map, and a flashlight to find his own arse in the dark.
From what I hear, every poof in the East Village can find it just fine.
What a sniveling, little "John Edwards" Shep is.
I think its dangerous in general to go around calling someone a "John Edwards", but in this case its warrated.
Oh my God I saw that and was STUNNED! I couldn't believe Shep would be so biasaed like that. I've always really liked him, but now I will be VERY suspicious of his reporting, etc.
The guy isn't especially bright - I didn't think highly of him before and certainly don't now.
Comment #11 Removed by Moderator
I believe Shep's ass has been found in the dark plenty of times so he doesn't need to look for it.
No, he belongs in a mental institution for the insane.
"Smarmy, gay and stupid is no way to go through life, son."
But what he did today goes too far. Never again will I watch someone who's so biased. The least he could've done is to allow the guest to spew his side of the issue and Shep could've just asked some questions without sounding so biased. It was like Al Gore interviewing that global warming idiot. .
One lonely freeper did have another opinion.
Some of you people have seriously lost your collective minds.
Screaming and cursing at the television, calling someone gay for not agreeing with you? Crimminy...
In the grand scheme of things, who really cares what one reporter, on one network, says?
Jesus, calm down...
They yelled at him, especially for taking the Lord's name in vain.
Maybe next time the Freepers will come to their senses. Maybe next time.
Former US vice president Al Gore's climate change film will be sent to all Welsh secondary schools and colleges, says the Welsh assembly government. Environment Minister Carwyn Jones said An Inconvenient Truth, which won the best documentary Oscar, would be a "valuable resource".
It looks at the scientific evidence for the causes and likely impacts of global warming.
It sure beats what is going on here in America. Jerry Falwell is running around saying that Satan is making us think there is global warming to distract us from evangelism, Bush is blowing up the world, while Cheney smirks every time the words "global warming" are mentioned. I hear smirks aren't taxable in Dubai btw.
Wales taking the phenomena of man made atmosphere change seriously is an excellent step in the right direction.
Monday, February 26, 2007
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Five Western U.S. states have formed the latest regional pact that bypasses the Bush administration to cut emissions linked to global warming through market mechanisms, according to Oregon's governor.
Oregon, California, Washington, New Mexico and Arizona have agreed to develop a regional target for reducing greenhouse emissions in six months, according a statement from Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski.
During the next 18 months, the governors will devise a market-based program, such as a load-based cap and trade program to reach the target. The five states also have agreed to participate in a multi-state registry to track and manage greenhouse gas emissions in their region.
While Cheney still snickers about global warming, and commander fucknuts is impotent to challenge his big polluting contributors, state governors including Republicans have decided that they just won't wait Bush's incompetency out until January 2009, and they need to act now.
Friday, February 23, 2007
The vice president agreed that the earth is warming but, like President Bush, maintained there is debate over whether humans or natural cycles are the cause— a position that puts the administration at odds with the vast majority of climate scientists.
Color me impressed. He admits many people have had to cancel ski vacations, but the top scientists like Karl Rove remain unconvinced of why, so he is reserving judgement until the temperature reaches Hades.
Who the hell are these people? It would be fascinating to hook these people up to a polygraph to resolve the big unanswered question: Are they this fucking stupid or are they lying because they don't give a shit what happens in 50 years?
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