More Americans convinced of climate change after extreme weather

[EnglishLady]

Conor Skelding - The Lookout

Every summer it seems like a different kind of out-of-control weather pattern decides to strike. In the past month alone, we've experienced deadly Colorado wildfires, early-season heat waves and a wind-whipping hurricane, convincing formerly dubious Americans that climate change is actually real, according to the Associated Press.

"Many people around the world are beginning to appreciate that climate change is under way, that it's having consequences that are playing out in real time and, in the United States at least, we are seeing more and more examples of extreme weather and extreme climate-related events," Jane Lubchenco, head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), told the AP.

Climate change used to be a "nebulous concept," removed from everyday life, said Lubchenco. Not anymore. Extreme weather events have given the term actual meaning, making it more concrete. "Perceptions in the United States...are in many cases beginning to change as [people] experience something first-hand that they at least think is directly attributable to climate change," she said. She cited "skyrocketing" demand for NOAA's data from individuals and groups across America as one way to tell people are paying closer attention to the science behind the storms.

Although it's hard to say that a specific event was caused by climate change, the phenomenon does result in extreme weather incidents happening more frequently. "Where there is more energy in a system, events such as fires, heat waves and storms" will occur more often, Tim Profeta, Founding Director of the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions at Duke University told Yahoo News. And if such episodes lead to an increase in climate awareness, well, that's a good thing, he says.


Add to the above ....

BBC News - Severe flood warnings in South West as heavy rain falls

and ...
BBC News - Russia flash floods: Dozens die in Krasnodar region


somethings going on

 

[OntarioVanMan]

There is a big difference between "Climate Change" and "Global Warming"...platforms...

Yes, the climate is changing always has, always will.......but not by anything man can take credit for....hence the Global Warming caused by man is well just silly...

 

[blackpup]

I thought this very interesting.

James Lovelock on shale gas and the problem with 'greens' | Environment | guardian.co.uk

jimmy

 

[EnglishLady]

I thought this very interesting.

James Lovelock on shale gas and the problem with 'greens' | Environment | guardian.co.uk

jimmy

It was indeed an interesting read.

"What happens is the warm air goes up the east coast of America, melts the ice in Greenland, and the floating Arctic ice swings round beautifully, air conditions the air, and swings down on us. It's all part of global warming "

As for fracking, well ...... after two minor earthquakes at the fracking points, our (UK) G'ment says "oh ok, well carry on carefully" Wow that will work

 

[layoutshooter]

Too bad that this has ALL happened in the past, both before man and since, and will happen again in the future. This is nothing new under the sun. Sooner or later it will get cold again. This 'warm spell' started about 10,000 years ago, it has been rather short and it will end. Just part of the cycle that will affect the planet till it is no more. There is only one thing that never changes, that fact that every thing always changes.

Anyone who really believes that man is the primary cause of warming/climate change has never studied earth history, geology or heard of the term "G Time"

 

[purgoose10]

Well if you want to know what I think (probably don't), I think if we set off a large Nuclear device under Washington DC it will knock the world back into it's right orbit and solve the global problem of over warming.

 

[layoutshooter]

Well if you want to know what I think (probably don't), I think if we set off a large Nuclear device under Washington DC it will knock the world back into it's right orbit and solve the global problem of over warming.

Close but the fall out would mess up the fishing in the area. A better move would be to tie all senators, congressmen, the vice president, president, SCOTUS ETC into chairs. Then flood the room with water until only their useless heads are exposed so that they can continue to spout their swill. When all that 'hot air' hits that water there will be a massive steam cloud produced that can power the nation for ever.

 

[purgoose10]

Close but the fall out would mess up the fishing in the area. A better move would be to tie all senators, congressmen, the vice president, president, SCOTUS ETC into chairs. Then flood the room with water until only their useless heads are exposed so that they can continue to spout their swill. When all that 'hot air' hits that water there will be a massive steam cloud produced that can power the nation for ever.

WOW! Great imagination. lol!

 

[blackpup]

It was indeed an interesting read.

"What happens is the warm air goes up the east coast of America, melts the ice in Greenland, and the floating Arctic ice swings round beautifully, air conditions the air, and swings down on us. It's all part of global warming "

As for fracking, well ...... after two minor earthquakes at the fracking points, our (UK) G'ment says "oh ok, well carry on carefully" Wow that will work

I believe one of DR. Lovelocks points was that, partisans on both sides of the issue have developed a religious belief in the correctness of their view.

jimmy

 

[muttly]

I heard Bill Nye "the science guy" on the radio a while back talking about climate change . He said something like: Global climate change exists. There is no question about it. It is all around us, You can just feel it.
Ok that settles that.

 

[layoutshooter]

I heard Bill Nye "the science guy" on the radio a while back talking about climate change . He said something like: Global climate change exists. There is no question about it. It is all around us, You can just feel it.
Ok that settles that.

Yep, the climate is changing. It has been changing since the day the earth was formed. Of course we can 'feel it'. We are surrounded by it!

 

[AMonger]

Alaska used to be tropical. Lush, green plants year-round, never a hint of snow. Who's to say that that's not normal and that Alaska and other frigid parts of the globe aren't an aberration?

Well, it turns out they are. We are just coming out of an ice age. What you see around you now, the current climate, is the end of an ice age, an ice age being one in which there is ice at the poles and glacial activity on the continents--that's now. Being that we are coming out of an ice age, it's bound to get warmer.
To the disappointment of Obama, Raul Castro, the Chinese government, Hugo Chavez, and the US senate, there's no need to abolish capitalism.

 

[Monty]

To the disappointment of Obama, Raul Castro, the Chinese government, Hugo Chavez, and the US senate, there's no need to abolish capitalism.

Amen Brother Monger!

 

[Turtle]

At one time the Earth was one big snowball, a planet not unlike the ice planet Rura Penthe, or Hoth. It melted. There's a reason you can find abundant fossils of saltwater creatures in Montana, it's because it was once covered by a great ocean. Greenland got its name not because those who named it were fans of irony and oxymorons, bur rather because it was a very green land. Lush like Alaska. The Sahara Desert was once a tropical forest. The butterfly that lives for a day lives an eternity, and thinks that's all there is. Humans aren't much different. Except butterflies generally don't overthink it.

 

[EnglishLady]

National Geographic

"Aren't temperature changes natural?

The average global temperature and concentrations of carbon dioxide (one of the major greenhouse gases) have fluctuated on a cycle of hundreds of thousands of years as the Earth's position relative to the sun has varied. As a result, ice ages have come and gone.

However, for thousands of years now, emissions of GHGs to the atmosphere have been balanced out by GHGs that are naturally absorbed. As a result, GHG concentrations and temperature have been fairly stable. This stability has allowed human civilization to develop within a consistent climate.

Occasionally, other factors briefly influence global temperatures. Volcanic eruptions, for example, emit particles that temporarily cool the Earth's surface. But these have no lasting effect beyond a few years. Other cycles, such as El Niño, also work on fairly short and predictable cycles.

Now, humans have increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by more than a third since the industrial revolution. Changes this large have historically taken thousands of years, but are now happening over the course of decades.

Why is this a concern?

The rapid rise in greenhouse gases is a problem because it is changing the climate faster than some living things may be able to adapt. Also, a new and more unpredictable climate poses unique challenges to all life.

Historically, Earth's climate has regularly shifted back and forth between temperatures like those we see today and temperatures cold enough that large sheets of ice covered much of North America and Europe. The difference between average global temperatures today and during those ice ages is only about 5 degrees Celsius (9 degrees Fahrenheit), and these swings happen slowly, over hundreds of thousands of years.

Now, with concentrations of greenhouse gases rising, Earth's remaining ice sheets (such as Greenland and Antarctica) are starting to melt too. The extra water could potentially raise sea levels significantly.

As the mercury rises, the climate can change in unexpected ways. In addition to sea levels rising, weather can become more extreme. This means more intense major storms, more rain followed by longer and drier droughts (a challenge for growing crops), changes in the ranges in which plants and animals can live, and loss of water supplies that have historically come from glaciers.

Scientists are already seeing some of these changes occurring more quickly than they had expected. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, eleven of the twelve hottest years since thermometer readings became available occurred between 1995 and 2006."

I highlighted the apt points (IMO) in blue - I like blue






Global Warming Interactive, Global Warming Simulation, Climate Change Simulation - National Geographic

 

[Turtle]

is changing the climate faster than some living things may be able to adapt.

The extra water could potentially raise sea levels significantly

As the mercury rises, the climate can change in unexpected ways.

In addition to sea levels rising, weather can become more extreme.

These are all common and important qualifiers that most people will often overlook as important as a qualifier, and take everything in those sentences to be far more absolute, as if those words were never used at all. My favorite is "could potentially", which is incredibly redundant, but it's better than "will potentially", which I have seen on occasion. Yeah, the extra water could, potentially, raise sea levels. It could also, potentially not. It could, potentially, evaporate into clouds and cause the deserts to be rained on more often resulting in a near-instant cessation of world hunger.

The article states quite plainly that the planet has gone through many coolings and warmings, so anything weather-related could, potentially, happen. Because it's happened before. If we have another Pompeii tomorrow, you can bet your last Pound that it will be blamed on human induced climate change.

Could potentially doesn't mean anything. It's like countless commercials for aspirin and other things where they tell you "nothing works harder for your ailment". Nothing? What's that mean? It means absolutely nothing. Take Bayer because nothing works harder. Well, even if that were true, it doesn't mean that Exedrine doesn't work exactly as hard.

Most Americans believe that Climate Change, at least from the norms we've experienced in our lifetimes, is changing. What most Americans don't buy into is that it's all, one hundred percent, caused by humans and the release of greenhouse gasses. Part of the reason they aren't buying into it is the most common solution for the problem is money, most often from the US, to be given to everyone else. For 20 year people harped about Global Warming. The problem is, over those 20 years, the Earth stopped warming and started cooling. That freaked 'em out. Then it suddenly became Climate Change, which encompasses pretty much all of the weather, and anything unusual (meaning, it doesn't happen every day) gets blamed on Global Warming. Except Earthquakes due to fracking. They don't like fracking, either, so fracking causes earthquakes. But all other non-fracking related earthquakes are caused by Climate Change. Every time a colvano burps - Climate Change. Every time there's a record temperature set, even if it's one degree F above 138 years ago, it's due to Climate Change. And humans, mostly Americans, caused it.

 

[EnglishLady]

I thought it was about the most balanced article on the subject that I had seen in some time.

It acknowledges factors that have played havoc before, but took substantially longer to effect weather patterns than it "seems" to be doing now.

"The average global temperature and concentrations of carbon dioxide (one of the major greenhouse gases) have fluctuated on a cycle of hundreds of thousands of years as the Earth's position relative to the sun has varied. As a result, ice ages have come and gone"


And what is the mitigating factor now? .......... Man and his greenhouse gas ...... burp!
causing the fast forward to the next potential catastrophe

"Changes this large have historically taken thousands of years, but are now happening over the course of decades."

 

[layoutshooter]

I thought it was about the most balanced article on the subject that I had seen in some time.

It acknowledges factors that have played havoc before, but took substantially longer to effect weather patterns than it "seems" to be doing now.

"The average global temperature and concentrations of carbon dioxide (one of the major greenhouse gases) have fluctuated on a cycle of hundreds of thousands of years as the Earth's position relative to the sun has varied. As a result, ice ages have come and gone"


And what is the mitigating factor now? .......... Man and his greenhouse gas ...... burp!
causing the fast forward to the next potential catastrophe

"Changes this large have historically taken thousands of years, but are now happening over the course of decades."

But this has taken place over thousands of years. Around 10,000. Ice ages are not ONLY caused by the relative position of the sun. They can also be caused by the failure or changing of ocean currents. Those currents are always changing. They have also been caused by the position of the earth's plates. When there was one 'super continent', called "Rodinia" by some, the earth was a solid ball of ice. Ice that was miles thick.

This is not even the first "hot" period in living people's memory. It was this hot in the mid 1930's, the 'dust bowl' days. That period was followed by some of the colder times in recent history.

One has to go back about 100 million years and study the climate changes over times that long. That is around how long the continents have be in their present places.

 

[EnglishLady]

But this has taken place over thousands of years. Around 10,000. Ice ages are not ONLY caused by the relative position of the sun. They can also be caused by the failure or changing of ocean currents. Those currents are always changing. They have also been caused by the position of the earth's plates. When there was one 'super continent', called "Rodinia" by some, the earth was a solid ball of ice. Ice that was miles thick.

This is not even the first "hot" period in living people's memory. It was this hot in the mid 1930's, the 'dust bowl' days. That period was followed by some of the colder times in recent history.

One has to go back about 100 million years and study the climate changes over times that long. That is around how long the continents have be in their present places.

IMO the focus in the article is on Greenhouse gasses, though it still does mention,

"Occasionally, other factors briefly influence global temperatures. Volcanic eruptions, for example, emit particles that temporarily cool the Earth's surface. But these have no lasting effect beyond a few years. Other cycles, such as El Niño, also work on fairly short and predictable cycles"

 

[layoutshooter]

IMO the focus in the article is on Greenhouse gasses, though it still does mention,

"Occasionally, other factors briefly influence global temperatures. Volcanic eruptions, for example, emit particles that temporarily cool the Earth's surface. But these have no lasting effect beyond a few years. Other cycles, such as El Niño, also work on fairly short and predictable cycles"

I don't buy that argument either. When Krakatoa blew up in 1883 the effects lasted more than 70 years. Methane, a green house gas is produced by the earth at far greater levels than man could even dream of.

The problem is those who push the idea that man, and mainly the US, are the primary cause have little credibility. They have no PROOF and often what they call 'proof' is either made up or just wrong.

They are trying to use the 'climate change' stuff to say that the Great Lakes are too low or too high. Yet nothing they say holds, are you ready for this, water. LOL The REAL fact is, they have NO IDEA why the Lakes have their high and low cycles. Those cycles seem to be an 80 cycle. There has been no correlation to snow pack, lack of snow pack, rain or lack of rain to account for it. The major high cycle took place during a prolonged drought.

They have blamed earth quakes, on 'climate change'. They said, back when I lived in England, that Washington DC would be under 4' feet of water by the year 2000. Did not happen. In the '60's they said all the dirt in the air would start an ice age, Did not happen.

What it all boils down to is that they ain't got a clue what is going on and are just using this as excuse to control what people do. Governments are involved which is ALWAYS bad.