H -°, L 7° | Tomorrow: 
H 17°, L 4°There are plenty of reasons to visit America’s East Coast. Most people seek the culturally rich cities, natural beauty and funny accents. Urgency is not often on one’s mind when planning an eastbound adventure. Unfortunately, barring major changes, much of the current East Coast won’t be around for our grandchildren. There is no indication the globe will cease to warm up over the next century, and as a result, there are plenty of indications that the Atlantic will lap up everything from Nova Scotia to Florida in the not-too-distant future.
The vast majority of climate change predictions, backed by voluminous research, are extremely depressing, and the natural reaction to the discomfort they engender is either ignorance or disbelief. That is an understandable coping strategy, especially when confronted with panoply of signs that mankind is about to jump head first into the abyss. Still, this cannot detract from the immense danger implicit in denying the demonstrable fact that the globe is warming, and at a rate that will inevitably transform civilization as we know it for the worse.
Of course, there are far less innocuous rationales for mounting a strong denial campaign to neutralize all responsible efforts to avert ecological disaster. Operating on the basis of their own rational self-interest and exhibiting the purest form of capitalist behavior, many corporations are expending copious war chests to protect their bottom line: The exploitation of natural resources for profit. Therein lies the source of the recent flurry of climate change denial and corporatist subterfuges of reform initiatives. The global economic system, based soundly upon self-interest, exploitation and myopia, will continue to put off sacrifice and long-term security in exchange for short-term competitive advantage and growth.
In spite of corporate financing of dissenting studies and the increasingly tiresome attacks on Al Gore, global scientific and popular opinion is resolute in its acceptance of climate change and its catastrophic consequences. Still, it is worth reviewing a few key concepts in light of the American right’s rapturous embrace of fantasy over facts.
A good scientist is characterized by his or her caution when drawing conclusions from data. In this sense, science is a very conservative discipline. So when scientific communities around the world aggregate decades of their data, critically analyze them and publish results, one can be confident beyond a reasonable doubt their conclusions are accurate — if not, the data is freely available for any skeptic to independently verify. Most people understand this and trust the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s prediction that by 2100 the global temperature will rise at least 2.0?F and probably much more. The effects on sea level, plant and animal life, as well as weather patterns, implied by these predictions would be disastrous on a scale scarcely imaginable.
Does this mean every year will be hotter than the last? The five warmest years on record were within the past 12, and it’s certain the overall trend will be toward warmer and warmer weather. But the most immediately noticeable effect will be violent fluctuations in the weather cycle. Despite the many stunted understandings of climate change expressed by the media, a major, anomalous snowstorm is in fact a validation of climate change theory and not evidence that Gore is wrong.
Now, though the unprecedented nature of the current warming trend remains an incontrovertible fact, human culpability has been slightly more difficult to conclusively prove, at least as the primary cause. Still, it’s clear modern man has played a significant role in melting the glaciers and sending the Maldives the way of Atlantis.
Consider this: worldwide, the combustion of fossil fuels adds about 21.3 gigatones of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year, outstripping the natural capacity of plant life and the oceans to absorb CO2 by about 10.5 gigatones. That is an enormous and grossly unnatural quantity of a potent green house gas to add to the atmosphere on a yearly basis, and all of it has a human origin.
Time isn’t just running out for a good chance to prevent the worst consequences of climate change; fossil fuels, the workhorse of the modern world and the root of humanity’s contribution to global warming, are quickly running out. Within the next few decades, major sources of the world’s energy will run dry, starting with oil and ending a decade or two later with coal. On our current path — not seriously developing renewable, clean energy alternatives — Iraq and Afghanistan will become mere preludes to much larger wars for the remaining resources. Millions will die by strife and starvation all because we chose to avert the struggle and sacrifices required to build a sustainable society today.
That is the heart of the problem. Any intellectually honest person can understand and have confidence in the consequences of doing nothing. However, it’s a far taller order to find the courage to do the right thing and struggle for the dramatic changes in lifestyle, industry and consumption essential to overcoming the 21st century’s greatest threat.
Sam Stevenson ([email protected]) is a graduate student in public health.
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Waterworld was a really bad movie, Sam. Stop drinking the bong water and fantasizing about Al Gore starring in your sequel.
IP hash: d0ca982a
So you are at the forefront of the struggle to replace base load coal power plants with pebbl-bed nuclear power plants?
PS. Please stop regurgitating the big steaming load of pelosi that the IPCC scammers have dumped on the public.
PPS. Want to worry about climate change? Then worry that it might get colder - now that would kill millions, if not billions.
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Before any intellectually honest person should take any of your scary predictions seriously you need to explain how humanity survived the Medieval Warm Period.
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dude, the world has been cooling for 10 or 15 years. Go suck off Al Gore and his fantasies some more. Global warming is anti-capitalism, plain and simple, as well as a hoax, sham, and mockery of everything scientific
IP hash: f13f4493
The fantasies are embedded in your editorial statements, Steve! The greatest threat in the 21st century is your belief in Anthropogenic Global Warming, in the face of mounting evidence that it is false. Unlike you, I will provide sources that the interested Badger can access for their own edification.
Steve’s Fantasy Statement 1.
“So when scientific communities around the world aggregate decades of their data, critically analyze them and publish results, one can be confident beyond a reasonable doubt their conclusions are accurate.”
False! The data bases themselves have been repeatedly ‘adjusted’ and corrupted by the Global Warming proponents, as clearly demonstrated at the Climate Research Unit (CRU) of East Anglia UK. Dr. Phil Jones, the erstwhile manager of the primary CRU data base used for climate research supporting the UN-IPCC claims of Man Made Global Warming, has been forced to admit that the CRU no longer has the original temperature data: “We do not hold the original raw data but only the value-added (quality controlled and homogenised) data.” (sic)
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6936328.ece The “adjustments” made to the climate data have been poorly documented or, in many cases, are nonexistent. The reasons for the temperature “adjustments” cannot be peer reviewed and the original temperature data is gone! What is left is undocumented and unverifiable garbage, regardless of the empty claims of “quality controlled and homogenized value added”. Without the original data, all of the vaunted peer reviewed papers based on the corrupted data base and published in support of the UN-IPCC since 1980 are also garbage. GIGO. Garbage In - Garbage Out. No scientist worthy of a BS degree would ever “lose” or fail to back up their original datasets, unless they have real reason to prevent open disclosure and peer review of their subsequent “adjustments”.
Steve’s Fantasy Statement 2. “…if not, the data is freely available for any skeptic to independently verify.”
False! For 15 years and more, various researchers have been requesting access to the original databases, as well as the adjusted and “value added” data bases. Their access has been deliberately thwarted. A classic example again involves Dr. Phil Jones at East Anglia - CRU and a Freedom Of Information Act data request in 2006 from a fellow named Willis Eischenbach. The behind the scenes efforts at CRU to prevent the information release is revealed by Phil Jones and others internal emails! A fine narrative of this twisted tale is told at http://wattsupwiththat.com/2009/11/24/the-people-vs-the-cru-freedom-of-information-my-okole%E2%80%A6/ . This will suffice to refute Steve’s fantasy statement but other similar cases have been documented as well. A case of NASA foot dragging is available at http://wattsupwiththat.com/2010/02/17/after-two-years-of-stonewalling-nasa-giss-foia-files-are-now-online/ and the subsequent legal actions taken to get NASA GISS to release data is documented at http://wattsupwiththat.com/2009/11/24/cei-files-notice-of-intent-to-sue-nasa-giss/ .
As a result of forced testimony by Dr. Phil Jones, now stripped of his position as the head of the CRU, the UK Information Commissioner ruled the CRU had broken Freedom of Information rules by refusing to hand over raw data. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1254660/Climategate-professor-Phil-Jones-admits-sending-pretty-awful-emails.html#ixzz0iSnJZhBK
Steve’s Fanatasy Statement 3. Most people understand this and trust the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change�s prediction that by 2100 the global temperature will rise at least 2.0?F and probably much more.”
False! The UN-IPCC predictions are highly questionable and, in many cases, already shown to be wrong! The UN IPCC has recently been forced to acknowledge that their assertions of impending collapse of Himalayan glacier systems was not based on peer reviewed science but only an opinionated assertion made by one of the advocates of Man Made Global Warming. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2010/01/20/ipcc-admits-error-on-himalayan-glacier-melt-fiasco/ Similar UN-IPCC claims of rain forest vulnerability have been refuted. Their claim was supported by a World Wildlife Fund advocacy article and rife with errors. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2010/03/11/another-wwf-assisted-ipcc-claim-debunked-amazon-more-drought-resistant-than-claimed/ A previous discovery revealed that UN IPCC published as peer reviewed “science” a graph placed on Wikipedia by an unknown Norwegian ecologist. It was a classic “data rip”, asserted to be UN IPCC peer reviewed “science”. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2009/09/27/more-on-the-hanno-wikipedia-graph-in-the-un-climate-report/
The fantasy has been demonstrated to be continued belief in the UN-IPCC assertions of Anthropogenic Global Warming. Any intellectually honest person can understand the facts and reject the fantasy, Steve.
The Planet Is Fine. Get A Real Religion!
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“Unfortunately, barring major changes, much of the current East Coast won�t be around for our grandchildren.”
Mr. Stevenson, what you’ve just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.
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1) A religion will not save you as no one know what happens after death. Living a life for others will mean you will have a life after death as people will remember you for the work you did for others. 2) We need concern ourselves not with the water levels, but with the impacts or footprints of our lives generally. Melting ice will decrease the density of ocean water increasing the rate of evaporation, thus spreading the impacts not only to the east coast, but to the world. The melting ice will create ocean water stratification. Cold water near the ocean floor will drive seismic activity, decrease the strength of the magnetosphere while creating a more circular orbit. CONCERNING as the orbit allows us to maintain our position as earthlings.
3) Debate is good, but action is better. Be a positive force within your community! Live for tomorrow. We want to leave our children with a place habitable for life and we need leave it better than how it was left for us. Please spend your summer planting trees. Find open lots and plant trees. Thank you.
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If you really care about the children then you best try to keep the pelosi-heads in DC from putting them deeper into debt bondage with their earmark bribed boondoggles and unfunded entitlements.
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If one wonders why the climate alarmist movement is suffering from a credibility problem, one only needs to read some of the claims:
Climate change is already having �pervasive, wide-ranging� effects on �nearly every aspect of our society,� a task force representing more than 20 federal agencies reported Tuesday.
Here are some of the devastating non-trends in US Climate:
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2010/03/19/devastating-non-trends-in-us-climate/