New Pieces of the Climate Puzzle
News out of Moscow this morning that Russian scientists are evacuating a research station near the North Pole early due to the increasing effects of climate change. Usually the floating ice station is abandoned in late August, but this year the 21 researchers and two dogs will leave now, in mid July.
Meanwhile, on the opposite end of the earth, satellite photos of the Wilkins Ice Shelf in Antarctica reveal that the huge tract of ice is “hanging by a thread”. Neal Young who is a glaciologist with the Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre in Hobart, says the breakup of the Wilkins Ice Shelf is inevitable and could lead to the de-stabilization of the entire peninsula.
Just two more examples of what is happening around the globe due to climate change. And while the ice caps melt, species die and we continue to pump out millions of tons of pollutants, George Bush has decided that his administration can’t be bothered to do anything about it. Not only that, but we have discovered that Vice President Dick Cheney edited a recent EPA report on greenhouse gasses, and just today Bush lifts the executive ban on off-shore oil drilling. Instead of funding new research into alternative and clean energy sources, this administration continues its long conflict of interest with big oil and the fossil fuel industry to help pollute our environment while contributing to global warming.
Worst. President. Ever.
I’m just saddened by the continued evidence that our leaders choose not to lead the world in alternative energy research. America is perceived as a leader in so many things from being the biggest a$$es (quite often) to being seen as the most successful economic world power. Why do our leaders seem to be determined to ignore the benefits of clean energy and alternative power sources? What are they so afraid of…if they took the lead and charged full-on into research, they’d probably own controlling interest in those industries just as they seem to with big oil and fossil fuels.
Okay, rant over. I return you all to your desperate dog-paddle to keep your own heads above water as the ice shelves melt!
;-p
Truer words were never spoken Jiffy. As usual it all comes down to money. Bush, his family, friends and relatives are deep, deep into the oil industry as their connections to Saudi Arabia evident. They have vested interests in keeping fossil fuels in style for as long as possible, and the nation suffers for it. November cannot come fast enough.
First, I wholeheartedly agree that this is quite possibly the worst administration ever. They’ve done nothing for “the People”.
And I appreciate wanting to find cleaner burning and more efficient fuels, but I have a hard time believing we’re the sole cause of the climate getting warmer. The Earth has had periods of warmth and cold all on its own long before we were ever a consideration. It’s not unheard in the geological record for a large portion of the North American continent to be under water.
We certainly aren’t helping the air quality around our large cities, and we need to clean that up for sure. And drilling for more oil isn’t the answer.
I was going to send you this link earlier today about Schwarzenegger’s comments this morning in an interview with George Stephanopoulos:
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/07/13/schwarzenegger-bush-2/
Good timing with your post.
Patrick, your points are well taken. I don’t think man is the only cause of climate change. In fact, I do believe that the Earth warms and cools with natural cycles over time, but that our influence is now having an disturbing effect on those cycles. No one I’ve ever spoken with or read online can tell me that taking millions of tons of carbon that has been locked inside the soil for eons and releasing it as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere is a good thing or will have no detrimental effect. Such a great shift in basic earth chemistry has never happened in the planet’s past any any time, and yet here we are, doing it now.
And as far as off-shore oil drilling goes, it won’t help reduce the price of gas. It will only serve as a band-aid to our oil addiction. An addiction that we need desperately to break ASAP. And then there are the environmental consequences that are bound to happen.
It all adds up to no good.
“Such a great shift in basic earth chemistry has never happened in the planet’s past at any time…”
Personally, I’d consider the oxyphotosynthetic transformation of the Earth’s biosphere from anaerobic to aerobic as qualifying in this regard – around 2.4 billion years ago, if I understand it correctly. We tend not to think of oxygen as being poisonous, but it was deadly to most life on Earth at that time, and the introduction of large amounts into the atmosphere is considered to have been a catastrophic environmental event. Whether or not it was ultimately “detrimental” depends on your bacteriological point of view, I suppose.
Of course, that doesn’t change the fact that Bush is taking advantage of the current situation to leverage some long-coveted gains for his oil industry cronies… 🙂
For me it goes beyond the worry of global warming. We can argue both sides of the coin, humans have made it worse vs. it is a natural cycle. The point is I don’t want my children growing up in such a polluted world. I recently came home from a two month teaching experience in New Zealand and cried when I saw the sky in Los Angeles and all the litter. I hate that as Americans we aren’t leading the world when it comes to cleaning up the environment and finding alternative energy sources. It makes me physically sick to see the mounds of garbage and waste, six cars in someone’s drive way, and hummers racing down the road. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying America is the only guilty country of such a thing, but I am saying we need to start thinking differently and begin making better choice. Afterall, a good planet is hard to find.
If I’m stuck on this continent, I might as well up and move to New York like I’ve been longing to do. At least we’ll sink first.
Here’s another one for you: “White House buries climate change deaths report”
http://tinyurl.com/5vfzkp
i recently watched a nat.geo. show about an exposed coral reef that protruded some 20 ft. out of the water, meaning that the water level there was at least 20 ft. higher than it is now for quite some time.it truly amazes me at how tiny mens minds have become.
Seriously, you want to get serious about global warming? disband the mega cities like la, chicago and ny. stop, by force if neccessary, the clear cutting of the rain forest.and how about limiting families to one vehicle?
No, none of this will be done. Why? because the powers that be know global warming is a crock. think global warming supporters mccain and obama will shut down 1/3 of the governments buildings to save energy? not a chance. they want more buildings and more bodies using more energy. simply put? the earth will not let the parasites of man destroy her.she’s taken direct hits from space and survived.
Can we clean up our mess and limit pollution? absolutely.but i say we start with the biggest waste of resources on the planet and that being our triplicate copy government, both federal and state.
take the money from the theorists and give to the pioneers of alternative energies and recycling.
and one more thing to consider??
Scientists1 analyzing observations of polar wander conclude that between 1900 and 1992, the Earth’s pole of rotation has drifted southward along the 79.2 ± 0.2°W longitude; that is, roughly toward Toronto, Ontario. What is involved here is a change in pole position relative to fixed stars or to far-distant pulsars. The speed of this drift, or pole shift, approximates 33 ft per century. It is due to “some sort of mass redistribution” within the Earth.2 Thus, the Earth is currently undergoing a very slow shift in the average location of the north pole of the rotation axis.
There are greater things than we puny humans.