Tag: Climate Change

Gonna Be Hot As Hell!

I am sure that this post should get all those juices flowing and the flurry of BS will ensue……cool, huh?

For decades there has been a raging debate, no, an argument, argument has been blowing in the wind…….emotions run high and some billionaires have spent a butt load of cash to stifle the debate on climate change.  I mean the mindless argument that because there is snow there can be NO climate change or should I use global warming?

The debate has gotten sillier by the year…now the entire debate has come down to the exchange of stats and links and when that gets old they trot out a so-called “expert” to insult the other side of the argument…….and in the end nothing is accomplished with the exception of some hurt feelings and the situation gets worse.

But for some the argument is accomplishing the very aim of the debate…..to obfuscate the issue until NO one has any idea of what is being said and the lack of action…….

Heatwave summers will be the norm in Europe by the 2040s as a result of climate change, the Met Office has said.

Average temperatures across Europe will exceed those seen in 2003 – when Britain recorded its highest ever temperature of 38.5C (101.3F) – in more than half the summers that decade.

While the prospect of warmer weather may bring cheer to many, the hot summer of 2003 saw more than 2,000 excess deaths in the UK as pensioners in particular struggled to cope with the heat. More than 20,000 people died as a result of the heat across Europe.

Scientists also warned that climate change was likely to have a series of negative effects for the UK, including food price spikes, increased incidence of asthma and allergies, and more flooding.

Of course this post will ignite a flurry of well meaning comments….the endless array of links and hearsay will be the norm…….and while we spend our time disputing all views the change goes on and people will die……but that is somehow okay….as long as we do not have to face the music….that is until it is too late….and then it will be….just that….TOO LATE!

Developed Nations Give Up on Stopping Climate Change, Turn to Mitigating Impact, Largely Abandoning Third World

Speaking of climate change…..come on…you know damn well that someone somewhere is going on and on about climate change……anyway I read this article and thought I would pass it on to my readers……feel free to let the comments fly.

Developed Nations Give Up on Stopping Climate Change, Turn to Mitigating Impact, Largely Abandoning Third World.

Vortexglobe

Baby it’s cold outside….well maybe not for you guys but I live in the Deep South and 21 with 20 mph wind….it is f*cking COLD!

A good ‘toon….they are predicting snow today in the Deep Gulf South…..it is truly Hell freezing over….

Vortexglobe

Why name a winter storm Leon or whatever….here is a suggestion….name it for what it is……WINTER!

I think that most of us are capable on comprehending what that season translate into….I could be wrong but why not give it a try?

Climate Change Debate

One last note on this…my day of climate change……

There is a debate, believe it or not, going on about the issue of climate change or if you care global warming…..the problem to my thinking is that the debate is seldom cared on at the same time.  Yes we have conflicting points of view and they are very vocal in their positions….the real problem is that the debate is never done face to face.  Instead the discussion is done in 30 second sound bites or 3-5 minute segments on the media we call news…….and then it is usually not the opposing sides but rather one side or the other making their points and NO one challenges their findings, instead the moderator just feeds the position taken, basically soft ball questions….nothing in opposition.

We all have our opinion on the subject……me?  I think man would f*ck up a wet dream……but then it is my opinion and we know what they say about opinions, don’t we?  There is scholarly research done on both sides of the argument……however there are those that are paid by business and industry to come up with a position paper and they use mercenary scientists that will do whatever it takes to earn a buck.

Let me illustrate for you……we will look at a simple statement of what conservs feel and those of liberals…….

Liberal
Global warming is caused by an increased production of carbon dioxide through the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas).  The U.S. is a major contributor to global warming because it produces 25% of the world’s carbon dioxide.  Proposed laws to reduce carbon emissions in the U.S. are urgently needed and should be enacted immediately to save the planet.  Many reputable scientists support this theory.
Conservative
Change in global temperature is natural over long periods of time.  Science has not shown that humans can affect permanent change to the earth’s temperature.  Proposed laws to reduce carbon emissions will do nothing to help the environment and will cause significant price increases for all.  Many reputable scientists support this theory.
There you go…….if you want to debate the subject……pick a side and then build your case around that belief……….
There will Never be a deciding debate on this issue until the players stop acting like cowards and debate one another face to face…..and there will NEVER be a solution one way or the other until the voter learns to listen and understand all sides of an issue……basically, what I am saying is that we will NEVER have a solution of this issue in my life time…….Americans just do not have it in them.  And that is the truly sad part of this situation.

When Hell Freezes!

Continuing my posts on climate change, my topic of the day……..I have heard the Middle East called many things…but the one that always gets me is….It is Hell on earth……and then I think about the old saying….”when Hell freezes over”……..

News from the Middle East just brought some of that BS to the headlines…..

(Newser) – Cairo saw a rare and wonderful sight today: Snow. Much of the Middle East has been blanketed by the white stuff in recent days thanks to a region-wide cold snap and winter storm. According to local news reports, Cairo hasn’t gotten snow in more than a century, the LA Times reports. Talk of the weather lit up social media—you can see a nice collection of tweeted images at the Huffington Post—with some joking that it was the mystical work of Gen. Abdel Fattah Sisi. “It’s the first time in my life that I have seen it like this,” one resident told the AFP.

But the snow is causing major problems elsewhere in the region. Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon and Jordan are being hammered by weather they weren’t designed to withstand, sending agencies rushing to distribute blankets and tarps, al-Jazeera reports. Jerusalem, meanwhile, has been hit with three feet of snow, knocking out power and closing roads—and officials today warned that the worst was yet to come. “We are expecting a second storm triple the size of the one we’ve seen now,” one municipality spokesman said, according to the Jerusalem Post.

May not sound like a big deal if you live in Buffalo….but believe me….when there is 3 feet of snow in Jerusalem……it is a big deal.  And more on the way.

Is it possible that this could become the new “normal” for this region……if so, why?  When I was in the Middle East I had been cold but I did not see snow with the exception of a minor flurry when I was working in Aleppo…….this just seems way too odd to be a normal…….thoughts?

7000 Times More Potent!

This week with our hard working Congress in recess until the new year (that was sarcasm in case you missed it) I have decided to focus on the issues.  Issues that we will hear about hourly next year, I after all it is an election year and the BS artists will be out in force.

Today’s topic will be climate change……I know we all do not agree on what is going on with our climate….but reputable research into the effects of CO2 on the environment is overwhelming and it will depend on how it is spun as to whether it is pro or con……that in itself is a sad indictment to our mental capacities……

AS dangerous as CO2 is there is something worse…far worse….and it has been pumped into the atmosphere for decades………

(Newser) – Canadian researchers have detected another greenhouse gas—and its global warming potential is extreme. Over the course of a century, “a single molecule of PFTBA has the equivalent climate impact as 7,100 molecules of CO2,” says a lead author of the study that identified perfluorotributylamine. “We claim that PFTBA has the highest radiative efficiency of any molecule detected in the atmosphere to date,” Angela Hong adds. Electrical items, including transistors and capacitors, have used PFTBA since the middle of the last century, the Guardian reports, though its impact on climate was only now established.

And like certain other industrial chemicals, “it is not being regulated by any type of climate policy,” says Hong. The study’s silver lining: The researchers found that compared to carbon dioxide, there’s relatively little of the stuff in the atmosphere: 0.18 parts per trillion around Toronto, where the study was conducted, versus 400 parts per million of CO2. But while trees and oceans act as carbon sinks, researchers say no one knows how to rid the atmosphere of the chemical, AFP notes, which could stick around for as long as 500 years. “We have to make sure it doesn’t grow and become a very large contributor to global warming,” an expert tells the Guardian.

Sorry but time has long past for the bullshit……and I am sure that this will be a well contested issue come elections…….and I would bet that there will be NO debate among the pros and the cons except in 30 minute statements on competing media outlets…..as Nero fiddled while Rome burned….our politicians are snoozing while the planet is set ablaze in the coming future……I am so proud to be a human it is most unbearable……once again…SARCASM!

Is Ethanol The Answer?

My Earth Day continues………..

Of course, almost yearly we here some goon spout the energy dependency thing…..and after that we here all the bobble heads chanting……”Drill Bay Drill”……and as always I ask….who will do the drilling?   If the answer is BP or Shell or Exxon then there is NO independence from oil….these goofs control the price….no matter where they drill….stop!  And smell the manure that is being spread!

Then there is all the buzz about natgas and ethanol……..and ethanol is where this post is going today……

(Newser) – President Obama, and President Bush before him, fought hard to make ethanol a central part of American energy. But an AP investigation finds that the program as it stands may be doing far more environmental harm than good. The effort to grow corn for fuel has meant the destruction of more conservation ground than “Yellowstone, Everglades, and Yosemite National Parks combined”—some 5 million acres. Billions of pounds of fertilizer have tainted drinking water, rivers, and wildlife habitats; wetlands and prairies have been ruined; and the farming process releases carbon dioxide once held in the soil.

“This is an ecological disaster,” says an environmental advocate. In fact, some environmental groups and big oil companies are fighting on the same side against the ethanol mandate. The Obama administration argues that even if such programs take a toll now, they’re an investment in future renewable energy that may be cleaner. But the AP investigation indicates that the White House is taking an unrealistically rosy view of the program—boosting corn yield assumptions, for instance, to make ethanol sound as green as possible. In further ethanol news:

  • The White House may actually be poised to reduce the amount of ethanol required in fuel blends, Politico notes. A draft of an EPA document set for release today suggests a drop to 2012 levels amid clashes between top special-interest groups.
  • The AP is getting some serious flak for its investigation from the ethanol industry, which calls it “rife with errors.” “There is probably more truth in this week’s National Enquirer than AP’s story,” says an advocate. But the AP points to government data and peer-reviewed journal articles to back its claims.
  • For a brief overview, the AP offers up a fact sheet.

We can pretend all we like but ethanol is not the answer….may be, at best, one of the pillars of Independence….but by NO means a solitary solution.

Dumping For The Sake Of Dumping

Today is Friday and I decided to make it a Earth Day….I try to keep to a theme as best I can daily…but since I will not lower myself to posting on the ACA I guess I will give you all the info that you cannot use……you’re welcome!

Whether you are a proponent of climate change or not…matters not…..there is a problem with the emissions of plants in this world…..these places are dumping lots of crap into the atmosphere…..

Newser) – Want to personally thank those largely responsible for putting greenhouse gases into the air? Fewer than 100 phone calls will do the trick. According to new research, 90 companies have produced 63% of the emissions of carbon dioxide and methane since the dawn of the industrial age. Chevron, BP, and Exxon together caused more than 9% of emissions alone, the Guardian reports. All but seven offenders on the list are oil, gas, and coal producers—roughly 30% are state-owned—while half the emissions were produced in the last 25 years, the analysis shows.

“There are thousands of oil, gas, and coal producers in the world,” says a climate researcher. “But the decision makers, the CEOs, or the ministers of coal and oil, if you narrow it down to just one person, they could all fit on a Greyhound bus or two.” Al Gore calls the research a “crucial step forward,” one that he sees as spreading the onus of taking action from governments to corporations. “Those who are historically responsible for polluting our atmosphere have a clear obligation to be part of the solution,” he says. The analysis will be published in Climatic Change.

There is a problem……and NO one wants to handle it or find a solution that will benefit the world……companies do not want to pay for the trash they produce…..let ask the disbelievers…..do you pay monthly for the pick up of the trash you produce?  If so, why can’t these polluters do the same without some PR nightmare of how it would screw the consumer….these companies have been doing just that for decades, if not longer……but as usual…Americans will wait until there is NO hope to try and repair the damage they have made….. so typical!

Why The Uproar Over Climate Change?

We hear daily from all sorts of pundits and politicos about the subject of climate change, the politically correct way of saying global warming…….we hear from the right about what junk science it is….we hear from the left about the consequences of doing nothing……you choose your side….but before you do please investigate both sides both making some bonehead statements……

Me?  I am on the side that we humans are gonna f*cked this planet until there is nothing left to save…..but that is my opinion….and I do what I can to help….I realize it may be too little but at least I am trying to make change….how about you?

But now back to the original question……why the uproar?

Maybe this will help to explain why………

UN scientists see bad things happening to the world’s food supply in the next several decades even as demand increases, reports the New York Times. A draft report by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007) predicts that climate change will cut agricultural production by 2% per decade through the end of the century. That reduction comes as demand rises 14% per decade thanks to the ever-growing world population. The panel’s previous report in 2007 was more optimistic, notes the Times. That one said that while some areas of the world would see less production, those losses would be offset by gains in colder climes. Now, the UN scientists predict a net loss, reflecting new research that shows crops are more sensitive than thought to hot temperatures. Another tangible sign of the times: President Obama yesterday ordered federal agencies to help state and local governments better prepare for rising sea levels, storms, and droughts, reports the Washington Post.

Okay, believe it or not….that is up to you….but if you are a gardener you have experienced some changes in growing habits of the veggies…….and if this is true……expect massive price increases to the point that some foods will be price prohibitive for some people……

If the food source suffers…how long will it be before the aquifers begin to show problems?

Finally, when the food runs out….in which direction will the fingers point?

Now here is where I would like everyone’s thoughts on this situation…..