"The Arctic is genuinely collapsing. Scientists used to call these things the canary in the mine. What they say now is, The canary is dead. We are at the top of Niagara Falls, Tina, in a canoe. There is an image for your viewers. We got here by drifting, but we cannot turn around for a lazy paddle back when you finally stop pissing around. We have arrived at the point of an audible roar. Does it strike you as a good time to debate the existence of the falls?" ~Barbara Kingsolver, Flight Behavior, p. 367
Digby nails it.
My question to climate change deniers is this: what if you're wrong? The only thing that will happen if the world addresses climate change will be a somewhat orderly change in the way we use energy, some economic reorganization and a whole lot of jobs and business being done to switch to different energy sources. The changes that are being proposed to mitigate climate change are far less cataclysmic than the changes that would be imposed by unaddressed climate change itself. Therefore, a fairly simple risk assessment suggests that anyone with a brain should take the prudent course and assume that the consensus that climate change is man made is the correct one and take steps to deal with it before it's too late.
"What if," indeed.
Showing posts with label climate change. Show all posts
Showing posts with label climate change. Show all posts
February 24, 2014
September 21, 2013
The Bell Tolls For Thee
This was on the front page of today's Arizona Republic.
Phoenix summer was hottest ever: 3 months of misery wasn't all in your head
The story explained the average temperature in Phoenix from June through August was 95.1 degrees. This was followed by a little table listing the five hottest summers on record, dating from 1895.
The four hottest summers were 2013, 2011, 2007 and 2002.
Coincidence, I'm sure.
What I found interesting about this story (and not in a good way) is that the words "climate change" were never mentioned, and there was only a brief one-sentence quote in the story from a climate scientist.
The story also includes this, almost as a throwaway.
It wasn’t just Phoenix that simmered this summer. It was the fifth-hottest summer worldwide since record-keeping began in 1880, and the 15th-hottest in the United States, Crouch said. Most of the hotter areas were in the West.
Nationwide, the numbers reflect a warming trend of 1 degree over the past century. In Arizona, the increase has been about 2 degrees, he said.
It is a thoroughly irresponsible lapse in journalism to write these facts and not provide the explanation behind them--namely, that global warming is taking place, and humans are the cause.
Nonsense like this is why nothing will be done, and humans will continue their slide into the abyss, taking the planet with them.
Phoenix summer was hottest ever: 3 months of misery wasn't all in your head
The story explained the average temperature in Phoenix from June through August was 95.1 degrees. This was followed by a little table listing the five hottest summers on record, dating from 1895.
The four hottest summers were 2013, 2011, 2007 and 2002.
Coincidence, I'm sure.
What I found interesting about this story (and not in a good way) is that the words "climate change" were never mentioned, and there was only a brief one-sentence quote in the story from a climate scientist.
The story also includes this, almost as a throwaway.
It wasn’t just Phoenix that simmered this summer. It was the fifth-hottest summer worldwide since record-keeping began in 1880, and the 15th-hottest in the United States, Crouch said. Most of the hotter areas were in the West.
Nationwide, the numbers reflect a warming trend of 1 degree over the past century. In Arizona, the increase has been about 2 degrees, he said.
It is a thoroughly irresponsible lapse in journalism to write these facts and not provide the explanation behind them--namely, that global warming is taking place, and humans are the cause.
Nonsense like this is why nothing will be done, and humans will continue their slide into the abyss, taking the planet with them.
May 20, 2013
"Men argue. Nature acts."
The images coming out of Moore, Oklahoma are just incredible.
51 people dead (as of this writing). A mile-wide swath of destruction. At least an EF-4 in strength, perhaps an EF-5. 200+ mph winds.
And even after this, there will still be assholes who deny the reality of climate change.
51 people dead (as of this writing). A mile-wide swath of destruction. At least an EF-4 in strength, perhaps an EF-5. 200+ mph winds.
And even after this, there will still be assholes who deny the reality of climate change.
July 4, 2012
Asshat of the Day
Ian Shapira, for writing this idiotic article for the Washington Post.
Shiver or swelter?
It is a question that hardly anyone who has endured both Snowmageddon and Derecho Damnation wants to confront, if only because the question itself triggers its own torment.
In these end times, when the power goes out for what feels like forever, which form of suffering is more painful: freezing temperatures or triple-digit heat? In Washington, where caveats and serious deliberation reign supreme, many veterans of prolonged outages can’t summon a clear-cut answer.
He then rambles on about the most desirable ways to die (throwing in a bit of chain-saw decapitation for shits and giggles), finally coming down on the side of freezing to death.
Oh, for frak's sake. Is this a waste of typeface or what?
Why don't you try this idea on for size, Mr. Happy-Go-Lucky. Maybe if our elected officials would pull their heads out of their asses and actually do something about climate change, we wouldn't have to worry about either one of these grisly ends.
Cripes.
Shiver or swelter?
It is a question that hardly anyone who has endured both Snowmageddon and Derecho Damnation wants to confront, if only because the question itself triggers its own torment.
In these end times, when the power goes out for what feels like forever, which form of suffering is more painful: freezing temperatures or triple-digit heat? In Washington, where caveats and serious deliberation reign supreme, many veterans of prolonged outages can’t summon a clear-cut answer.
He then rambles on about the most desirable ways to die (throwing in a bit of chain-saw decapitation for shits and giggles), finally coming down on the side of freezing to death.
Oh, for frak's sake. Is this a waste of typeface or what?
Why don't you try this idea on for size, Mr. Happy-Go-Lucky. Maybe if our elected officials would pull their heads out of their asses and actually do something about climate change, we wouldn't have to worry about either one of these grisly ends.
Cripes.
January 16, 2011
The Blind Leading the Blind
This is the front-page headline in my local paper this morning.
Weird Weather
(The headline on the website says "Year of weather extremes ends with plenty of precipitation.")
Yet, after discussing the entire year in detail and using phrases like "above average," "in spite of a strong La Nina weather event," "a year of weather extremes," and "fifth-warmest December on record," not one mention was made of global climate change.
There are none so blind as those who will not see.
Weird Weather
(The headline on the website says "Year of weather extremes ends with plenty of precipitation.")
Yet, after discussing the entire year in detail and using phrases like "above average," "in spite of a strong La Nina weather event," "a year of weather extremes," and "fifth-warmest December on record," not one mention was made of global climate change.
There are none so blind as those who will not see.
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