More than 15,000 scientists from 184 countries issue 'warning to humanity'

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NorthStar

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Empirical Audio

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I'm glad you are trying to educate people. The problem in the US is multi-fold:

1) Tribalism in the political parties causes Republicans to ignore solid indisputable science on Global Warming in favor of propaganda from their leaders and the state press, including Brietbart and Fox news. This is already doing irreparable damage to our country and planet.

2) Americans (US) are notoriously wasteful, lazy and cheap, so buying a more efficient car, heatpump or woodstove is not something they are interested in. Their bad behaviors are justified as "freedoms". By bad, I mean wasting fuel and polluting the atmosphere while sitting in their cars parked with the engines idling all times of the year while they stare at their cellphones, usually with the windows down. Or sitting at road construction flagger or a railroad crossing and refusing to turn your engine off. Too lazy to turn the key twice. Pitiful. By bad, I mean having a fire in the fireplace just for "ambience" or trying to heat your house with an old woodstove that does not pass the government emissions regulations. By bad, I mean being too cheap to even replace the light bulbs in your house with LEDs. Even in small businesses like dentists and clinics, they are too cheap to do this. They look at laws that protect the environment as infringements on their personal rights and ways for rich elites to take their jobs away. They are not willing to spend a single dime to help preserve the planet for their children. They only care about the tailgate party and who is getting the beers.

3) Science and technology don't rate and yet it is what got us here and it is the future. Heros in the old days were Edison or Einstein. Today it's some basketball player that steals expensive sunglasses while in China, or a rapper that used to be a street thug. These are the ugly Americans and they are the role models now. This degrades our democracy and reduces respect for education and science. Technology is why the US leads as a world power, not because we have coal mines or steel mills still operating. Children need to be exposed to the world of technology, physics and science so they can understand how important it is. We need respect for science and scientists in the US. How many parents watch documentaries with their kids on how the atomic bomb was made or how nuclear power in submarines came about or the 1892 Worlds Fair in Chicago? Very few I suspect. The average young adult on the street knows very little about what is going on in the world and their own government.

4) Most people don't realize that the CO2 emissions from cars are almost as high as emissions from power plants, and yet all of the focus seems to be on the power plants. Power plant emissions are dropping or flattening out thanks to conversions from coal to natgas. Car emissions on the other hand continue to increase, despite having higher standards for mileage. US population is buying more and more large trucks and SUVs even though they are mostly single drivers and don't even use the pickup bed much. They don't give a thought to the environmental implications of buying a vehicle with a huge engine or a diesel.

5) Ask anyone in a rural area why they run their trucks all day long and they will tell you that "there is no pollution here". They have no idea that every single emitter contributes to the atmosphere of the whole planet and we all suffer because of the weather disasters, either directly or in our pocketbooks. They have no idea that this CO2 stays in the atmosphere up to 1000 years. They have no idea that even small warming of the oceans upsets the equilibrium that impacts fish stocks all over the planet. They have no idea that there are so many CO2 emitters and yet only two can absorb it; trees and the oceans.

You would think that people with half a brain would notice that there are disastrous weather events in the US almost every week now, whether it's wildfires, floods, droughts, tornadoes, hurricanes or extreme heat. It was never like this before and it will only get worse.

The argument from Republican pundits is that the evidence is not strong enough to prove that man is causing this and that climate has changed like this in the past.

They are simply wrong. The science shows without a doubt that man is causing this. It also shows that the RATE of CO2 increase in the atmosphere and the RATE of increase in ocean temperature is unprecedented in the history of the planet for the last 55 million years. This is what makes this Global Warming different from the natural warmings that have taken place in the past.

All it takes is to go to the NASA, NOAA and DOE sites and look at the data yourself. It's not rocket-science. Most of the data goes back 3 million years and some 55 million years. Its in simple form of pie-charts and graphs, so it's not difficult to analyze. The source of the data is explained in detail. If you look at this data and don't conclude that we are causing Global Warming and that we will be F#$%ed in a few decades, you should have paid more attention in school. This is not about expensive homes in Miami Beach getting flooded. This is about the extinction of the human race. This is about global war and global migrations to find food and clean water to drink.

Steve N.
 

Empirical Audio

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jeff1225

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Al M.

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I'm glad you are trying to educate people. The problem in the US is multi-fold:

1) Tribalism in the political parties causes Republicans to ignore solid indisputable science on Global Warming in favor of propaganda from their leaders and the state press, including Brietbart and Fox news. This is already doing irreparable damage to our country and planet.

It's insanity. To my knowledge, the US is the only country in the world where a major political party engages in climate change denialism. I guess that's part of our American exceptionalism (being sarcastic here). And yes, Breitbart and Fox News are pure propaganda indeed. But people, including otherwise intelligent ones, like to be brain-washed, it seems.

4) Most people don't realize that the CO2 emissions from cars are almost as high as emissions from power plants, and yet all of the focus seems to be on the power plants. Power plant emissions are dropping or flattening out thanks to conversions from coal to natgas. Car emissions on the other hand continue to increase, despite having higher standards for mileage. US population is buying more and more large trucks and SUVs even though they are mostly single drivers and don't even use the pickup bed much. They don't give a thought to the environmental implications of buying a vehicle with a huge engine or a diesel.

Last year I decided to pull the plug on my large car and switched to a Nissan Versa SV. Not only is gas consumption cut in half, but it is so much more fun to drive! How the car whizzes around corners is just a delight.

As for the rest of your post, Steve, it's all spot on. Great summary!
 
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NorthStar

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What's Up With That is an absolutely joke website run by by a non-scientist (TV weather man). He famously miss-read a NOAA report on ice melting thinking that the ice caps were increasing in mass. Total joke.

This is a new website to me, and I'm just learning more about it. I have read another article or two since then and I must admit that I wasn't impressed with some of the narrative.
Thank you for your feedback Jeffrey as I will be cautious from now on and I will refrain to share links from that website; I will concentrate instead on solid sources we can highly trust.
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@ Steve N., good post above. Yesterday I replied in part, with sincerity and some emotions from the heart, and also fear, fear of not be able to address this very important subject with assertivity and due diligence.
Then approximately two hours later I removed my reply, mainly because it was written in the moment of emotional fear.
I've reread your post since, taking my time. You touched many important points, and each world country has a responsibility, not only Canada but also Brazil, USA, China, India, UK, Russia, Saudi Arabia, France, Asia, Australia, Japan, Pakistan, Turkey, Africa and Alaska. ...Central America too and Ireland and Iceland. ...Brief it's not only from the two or three counties who contribute the most and with high populated areas, but a global issue as it also effects all surrounding neighbor countries, the global atmosphere. The Paris Accord is for the best. I believe there is only one country now remaining in joining the common global effort in saving thr human race and in preserving the vital planet's resources...air, water and healthy economic and ecological balance...respect of human lives through intelligent actions.

It is great to have beautiful families, healthy children we all love, wanting the best future for them, and to our grandchildren. We are 7.5 billion of us. This is the air above we all breathe, this is the water our planet gives us to drink and survive. This is the sun that projects rays in combination with clean water and oxygen to grow food and live. The air quality in Delhi is absolutely intolerable, from burning croplands around...the major reason; vehicles account for about 20% according to studies. I'm just mentioning one world's example. This is man-made.

The fragility of Earth under constant beating by the human beasts makes it crack and rupture under pressure. Under ground it is shaking and fracturing and quaking. On ground it is cancerous air where we need to cover our faces with masks for protective anti-blood pressure and high level of mental and physical stress. We are giving our children the spreaded gift of disease and infectional viruses of death?

The air and the oceans are not only infested of CO2 but also of ?? radio activity from melted chemical debris. The cure for cancer is in preventive man-made garbage. If that isn't affecting the atmosphere and the food from our gardens and oceans, then what is. Our planet the way we're doing our things is not a rose garden ?

I am not very good with words. I prefer the words of professional scientists from all over the world with a common agreement.
 
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Empirical Audio

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It's insanity. To my knowledge, the US is the only country in the world where a major political party engages in climate change denialism. I guess that's part of our American exceptionalism (being sarcastic here). And yes, Breitbart and Fox News are pure propaganda indeed. But people, including otherwise intelligent ones, like to be brain-washed, it seems.



Last year I decided to pull the plug on my large car and switched to a Nissan Versa SV. Not only is gas consumption cut in half, but it is so much more fun to drive! How the car whizzes around corners is just a delight.

As for the rest of your post, Steve, it's all spot on. Great summary!

Thanks.

I hate to criticize my fellow Americans, but their values have cratered and their behavior is totally unacceptable.

It's a shame that the political divides in the US are causing professionals like me to seriously consider relocating to Canada and other places. I want to tour BC and see what my options are.

BTW, I own a Tesla, which I dearly love. Never buy any gas car again.

Steve N.
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DaveC

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To a certain extent we're already going to experience a lot of negative effects from our pollution, maybe the silver lining will be people coming together to find solutions and work to mitigate disasters and sea level rise instead of engaging in nuclear war.

I also don't think we can anticipate the effects of the pollution and as a result it's likely to be a lot worse than predicted as feedback mechanisms speed up the effects of warming. This will leave most animals unable to adapt and lots will probably die off, many think a mass extinction event is already underway.

IMO the solution is going to have to be technology based and we'll need to learn to manipulate weather and climate somehow... this combined with reducing pollution is the only way out of the mess we're in.

The good news is natural environments do tend to recover once the problems have been fixed... I grew up near the Chesapeake Bay and when I was a kid there were bans on fishing some kinds of fish due to overfishing and all shellfish were toxic. Once the pollution got under control the bay did recover. I haven't kept up with how it's doing recently but I do remember the ban on fishing and eating shellfish ending as the bay recovered. Considering the massive area that drains into the bay and how many people live there I think it's pretty amazing the problems were able to be mitigated.
 

Empirical Audio

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I heard a sobering thing on the news last night (the real truthful news, not Fox or Breitbart etc..):

Worldwide, 32.5 million barrels of oil are burned and put into the atmosphere every day by vehicles and power plants.

I cannot understand how anyone could think that this will not damage the planet and the atmosphere. And this is not even counting all of the burning coal emissions. The only CO2 sinks are trees and oceans, mostly trees, and if we are not clear-cutting or burning them to plant crops, we are thinning to prevent wildfires. The wildfires will happen anyway because thinning them increases the temperature, weakening them and allowing beetles to attack. I live in the forest, so I see this first-hand. We deal with wildfires every year and they are more prevalent every year, and larger. Huge expanses of forest in Colorado are dying because it's too warm for them now. They are full of insects.

More trees and lots of CO2 reduction by both vehicles and power plants is our only hope.

An international Climate study organization did an analysis last year that has never been done before. They calculated how much CO2 reduction world wide would actually keep the ocean temp rise checked at 2 degrees F. This would mean that weather conditions would stabilize to only a bit worse that what we experience now. It would save millions from starvation. The answer?

The entire planet would have to cut CO2 emissions in half every decade for 100 years.

How likely is that?

Steve N.
Empirical Audio
 
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NorthStar

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DaveC

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I heard a sobering thing on the news last night (the real truthful news, not Fox or Breitbart etc..):

Worldwide, 32.5 million barrels of oil are burned and put into the atmosphere every day by vehicles and power plants.

I cannot understand how anyone could think that this will not damage the planet and the atmosphere. The only CO2 sinks are trees and oceans, mostly trees, and if we are not clear-cutting or burning them to plant crops, we are thinning to prevent wildfires. The wildfires will happen anyway because thinning them increases the temperature, weakening them and allowing beetles to attack. I live in the forest, so I see this first-hand. We deal with wildfires every year.

More trees and lots of CO2 reduction by both vehicles and power plants is our only hope. How likely is that?

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

Thinning is a great thing in some areas, like here in Colorado. It makes for a much healthier ecosystem and when fires do come through they aren't as hot so more survives. The current state of the forests are a result of clearcutting and replanting trees too close together so nothing else survives, so many areas are Pine Barrens, nothing can really survive in between the trees. In areas that have been thinned we are seeing meadows come back, and wildlife variety and health improve. It is a huge improvement and a huge benefit.

On the car thing I've been thinking about converting my car to E85 as ethanol is carbon neutral (ok, corn ethanol is debatable but it's close)... oh, and 104 octane equivalent but that has nothing to do with it. ;)
 

Empirical Audio

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Thinning is a great thing in some areas, like here in Colorado. It makes for a much healthier ecosystem and when fires do come through they aren't as hot so more survives. The current state of the forests are a result of clearcutting and replanting trees too close together so nothing else survives, so many areas are Pine Barrens, nothing can really survive in between the trees. In areas that have been thinned we are seeing meadows come back, and wildlife variety and health improve. It is a huge improvement and a huge benefit.

On the car thing I've been thinking about converting my car to E85 as ethanol is carbon neutral (ok, corn ethanol is debatable but it's close)... oh, and 104 octane equivalent but that has nothing to do with it. ;)

Thinning around populated areas makes sense. They do prescribed burns here twice a year. The problem is wilderness areas. Once these become tinderboxes due to the increased heat and beetle-kill, there will be enormous wildfires. Its already starting. Some of the largest dead forests are in Colorado. These dead forests not only eliminate CO2 sink, they add to the CO2 emissions when they burn.

To have any impact, we need to be planting more evergreen trees on unused lands. The federal government should be funding this, if we had one.....

Steve N.
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NorthStar

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A quick view of some of my background...thirty years (I started in the mid 70s):

http://www.brinkmanreforestation.ca/
http://www.brinkman.ca/


=====

We all love National Geographic, for some of world's best pictures and planet and wildlife and humanity concerns. They hire some of the best photographers and best writers, a life magazine.

http://press.nationalgeographic.com/2017/10/18/national-geographic-magazine-november-2017/

Bob, are you the slightly less hairy person standing left of center wearing the stars and stripes?
 
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NorthStar

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Empirical Audio

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It would not surprise me at all if it is determined that the increased incidence of earthquakes from tectonic shifting is due to Global Warming. Maybe increases in the earths crust temperature and the resulting expansion is enough to prompt more earthquakes. Maybe it will make them larger and more damaging.

I can see a future where most countries are in a disaster recovery mode constantly, with growing expenditures needed to help the victims of disasters that are becoming more common every day. These expenditures will bankrupt some countries, like Puerto Rico. Others will have negative growth. Flood victims will have to rebuild every 2-3 years. It's already happening in some locations. Ask the people in Houston.

Steve N.
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the sound of Tao

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Thinning is a great thing in some areas, like here in Colorado. It makes for a much healthier ecosystem and when fires do come through they aren't as hot so more survives. The current state of the forests are a result of clearcutting and replanting trees too close together so nothing else survives, so many areas are Pine Barrens, nothing can really survive in between the trees. In areas that have been thinned we are seeing meadows come back, and wildlife variety and health improve. It is a huge improvement and a huge benefit.

On the car thing I've been thinking about converting my car to E85 as ethanol is carbon neutral (ok, corn ethanol is debatable but it's close)... oh, and 104 octane equivalent but that has nothing to do with it. ;)

Generally increased temperatures will further increase wild fire risk... it is more likely long term there will be a more defensive attitude to urban planning particularly in asset protection zones on and around the urban fringe.

Infrastructure will be more challenged across the board and a community’s capacity to pay for everything might make some of the freedoms we expect about where to live also be challenged. Large scale endemic revegetation and habitat corridor needs to be managed in a way that balances the need to also protect life (all species) and property (a comforting but vulnerable human notion in the face of competition and survival).

In landscape design both fire design for the urban edge strategies and generally dealing with an increasingly hostile environment are just part of the challenges that we face. Last night my design students presented their projects for sustainable landscape design with planting’s that better survive inundation, provide habitat and diversity, make spaces that encourage better human relationships and make us more nourished and healthier, engage in adaptive reuse and aim to be less resource intensive in both creation and in operation and have viable end of life options using life cycle strategies to minimise waste... and these designs are ultimately more beautiful and engaging and full of meaning because they are honest and real and look for a way forward in a world that includes the future of change.

Approaching the world in a more sustainable way isn’t just gloom and doom... it’s full of opportunity for a better world and life for all when it is approached in a committed and completely whole way.
 

NorthStar

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Puerto Rico's electricity is still not restored for a bit over 50% of its population.
The disaster is not only economic but also human greed over the grid.
http://money.cnn.com/2017/11/14/news/economy/prepa-whitefish-congress-hearings/index.html

Texas flood victims are still living in motels, some of them.
CNN is getting the news too, after everyone else:
http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/14/health/scientists-warn-humanity/index.html

Earthquakes, one has just happened near Iran-Iraq border. Those countries around could benefit of some forests, and rain.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/12/middleeast/iraq-earthquake/index.html
 
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