A geek at the peak, in a world at the peak
According to a new report, the last 60 years have been the hottest in Australaia…for the past thousand years! Known natural causes can’t explain it entirely. In Australia, since the 1950s, each decade has been warmer than the one before it. Just another data point that supports the theory of human-caused climate change.
Read more over at the Guardian.
Bad news for our atmosphere…at a time when we should be reducing carbon emissions, consumption of the most CO2-laden fossil fuel, coal, is increasing, up by 5.4% over last year. Renewable energy solutions continue to make progress, but it’s a drop in bucket and doesn’t even offset these increases in fossil fuel usage.
While I continue to believe that we have developed the technology to afford-ably implement the type of massive change that’s needed to maintain atmospheric balance, it’s quite clear that we lack the social and political willpower to do so. What a shame.
Read more about coal usage over at Treehugger if you’re interested.
Sometimes the level of stupidity in this country really surprises me. First there was Virginia, which viewed the term ‘sea level rise’ as a ‘left-wing term’ and instead mandated that the scientifically-observed rise in sea levels instead be referred to as ‘recurrent flooding’. Morons. Sea level rise is only a ‘left-wing term’ in as much as the ‘right wing’ types deny science in favor of short term gain and profit. Science is not political, it is factual, and those who deny science bring shame to this great country of ours.
The problem is not confined to Virginia though…neighboring state of North Carolina is trying to out-stupidify Virginia, with a recently passed bill that states that the state must ignore the science that is attempting to predict future sea levels based on our changing climate, and instead use only historical data to predict future sea levels. Because, you know, the Earth is in a constant state of equilibrium with absolute no changes to its atmospheric composition, you know. This means that rather than plan for a potential thirty nine inch rise in sea levels that scientists are predicting as a strong possibility by 2100, North Carolina will instead plan on a mere eight inch rise in sea levels. Coastal developers worry that planning for a thirty nine inch sea level rise will harm the coastal economy, so rather than plan for what scientists think will happen, they’re instead focusing on how they can maximize profit in the short term, and leave future generations to deal with this.
Morons.
As Steven Colbert put it, “If science gives you a result you don’t like, pass a law saying the result is illegal. Problem solved.”
If you’ve thought the past few winters in the Northern Hemisphere were a bit unusual and inconsistent, well, get used to it, for it’s probably only going to get worse as our global climate continues to change. Scientists expect more ‘unusual’ winters, and less ‘average’ winters. What scares me is that we’re already seeing this effect, when we’re so far away from the global temperatures predicted for the coming decades.
Read more over at Scientific American.
Despite overwhelming scientific evidence pointing to the dangers of increased greenhouse gas emissions, our species still managed to hit a record for 2011 with a 3.6% increase at a time when science says we need to be decreasing that instead. Our record gas emissions have us on track for a 3.5C or higher global temperature rise. Check out the full report over at Treehugger.
We’re moving the wrong direction and let’s face it, we don’t have a political or social system that will effect the real, tangible change required to avoid high levels of global warming. This planet will continue to warm and we can expect global climate patterns to change. Sea levels will rise. Food production will be impacted (at a time when a grown global population places more demand on that system). Our children will ask us why we did this to the planet, and we won’t have a good answer…but we cannot deny that we knew what we were doing.
If this is important to you, prove it. Drive less. Vote for politicians who do not deny the science behind global warming (there are both Republicans and Democrats who believe in science here). Buy less ‘stuff’. Support truly eco-friendly businesses (not ones that are just good at greenwashing). Better yet, teach your children about the impact our choices have on this planet, and what it means for their own future.
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