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Global Warming: What, Me Worry? |
Current rating: 0 |
by Molly Ivins
(No verified email address) |
05 Apr 2006
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Many “journalists” let the bullies on the right cow us with the “liberal media” nonsense and reported there was “a debate” over global warming. There was no debate. The only question is how fast it’s happening. And the answer that keeps coming up is “faster than we thought. And still faster.” |
On the premise that spring is too beautiful for a depressing topic like Iraq, I thought I’d take up a fun subject—global warming.
Time magazine warns us to “Be Worried. Be Very Worried.” On the other hand, my sister is on the Global Warming Committee of the Unitarian Church in Albuquerque, N.M. They go around replacing old light bulbs with more energy-efficient models. My money’s on my sis.
It’s a good thing the phrase “the tipping point” became a cliche just in time to help us describe global warming. Just a few years ago, we were more or less cruising along on global warming, with maybe 50 years or so to Do Something about it. Suddenly, the only question is how soon to push the panic button, and 10 minutes ago appears to be the right answer.
People in journalism are the worst criers of “Wolf!” imaginable. We are always setting off alarms about Ebola, or avian flu, or the impending water shortage, or the Social Security crisis, or killer bees, or the pine bark beetle, or anorexia among teenagers (surpassed only by obesity among teenagers). Boy, if we can’t sell you a scare with a few headlines and some mashed facts, no one can.
Naturally, having listened to the media set off endless alarms, the public is inclined to discount them, not to mention that global climate catastrophe is not an inviting topic. We’re somewhere between “Don’t Panic Yet” and “Panic Now!”—edging toward “Now!”
What is happening is not just what climatologists told us would happen, but global warming turns out to reinforce itself by a number of feedback mechanisms. For example, when the polar icecaps start melting, there’s less blinding bright ice to reflect heat back into the atmosphere—over 90 percent of sunlight simply bounces off ice and back into space. Whereas the dark water left behind by melted ice does the opposite, pulling in more warmth and accelerating the process.
The political fight over global warming is over, except for the Bush administration, which has some weird problem with science in general. I’m still not sure what’s behind that: I recall Rush Limbaugh and the radio right taking great glee in pooh-poohing the Kyoto treaty and the whole idea of global warming. Maybe they associated global warming with Canadians or something equally awful.
You might think some premise like, “The whole world is getting hotter, and disastrous consequences will ensue,” would be more persuasive than, “I don’t like Canadians, they’re wusses,” but I suspect part of the fun of being Rush Limbaugh is never having to say the word “responsible.”
The shame for journalism is that it has always been so easy to expose those few “scientific” voices claiming there is nothing to global warming. When the money for “scientific research” on such a subject comes from oil companies, skepticism is required.
Instead, many “journalists” let the bullies on the right cow us with the “liberal media” nonsense and reported there was “a debate” over global warming. There was no debate. The only question is how fast it’s happening. And the answer that keeps coming up is “faster than we thought. And still faster.”
Time magazine, in its warm and fuzzy way, proposes that capitalism can solve much of the problem of global warming—Henry Luce would be so proud. Can’t you see it now? Boy, I’ll bet those titans can hardly wait to cut into next quarter’s profits. The insurance industry, for obvious reasons of its own, has long taken global warming seriously. By simply refusing to insure housing or enterprises near low shores, insurance can make quite a difference.
It’s true the United States could make a good thing out of specializing in green energy and green technology—but we are still living with an administration that subsidizes the oil industry. The question is where the political leadership is going to come from before we reach the Panic Point, before Miami Beach sinks underwater, before Wall Street needs a seawall.
Al Gore is all we’ve got, and the right wing is still prepared to dismiss him with contempt and ridicule, not because he’s wrong but because they’d rather talk about the time he was supposedly advised to wear earth tones.
As the Earth drifts toward crisis, our president does not yet seem capable of grasping even the First Rule of Holes. We’re in one, and it is time to quit digging.
At the very least, it is time to replace those old light bulbs. Get busy, team.
Molly Ivins writes in this space every month. Her latest book is “Who Let the Dogs In?”
© 2006 TruthDig.com, LLC
http://www.truthdig.com |
Copyright by the author. All rights reserved. |
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Regarding "Global Warming: What Me Worry? |
by Peter K Anderson
hartlod (nospam) bigpond.com (verified) |
Current rating: 0
07 Apr 2006
Modified: 04:35:04 AM |
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If you consider the slide of Atmospheric Absorbance of incident energy, you will note for example that it is not even possible for '90% of sunlight' to even reach the surface, let alone be 'bounced back into space by ice'.
The 'colour' of water will not alter the available energy from that incident Radiation either; the atmosphere blocks all but a small portion still. Even as the water is warmed however (by any interactions possible BY water in its liquid form or soluted molecules there in present), the liquid will display turbulence and limit the amount of kinetic energy that remains to be measured then as 'temperature'.
It is also that this incident radiation is NOT 'Heat' even, another misnomer fostered within the "Media Release' reporting used by 'climate science'.
'Heat' is a measure (on a scale it is labeled 'Temperature') of the average kinetic energy (represented by their velocity) of the atoms/molecules of the sample, another style of measure of this energy being 'Pressure'.
The Photons representing the energy of the Radiation are only within the bounds of the region of the Atmosphere, but are not themselves the atoms/molecules of the atmosphere, and so cannot be included in any regarding of 'temperature' or 'pressure'.
You will note also that the median Temperature of the surface is produced in the Land surface if you consider the chart below, with the liquid of the Oceans following a muted trend led by the Land Surface.
The delay (around 15 years it seems still) is the time lag for the processes of Conduction and Convection to produce an OBVIOUS effect in the transport of induced kinetic energy from the Land surface to the Ocean. The muting of the trend of 'temperature rise' within the Oceans is due to the processes of Turbulence available with the liquid. These effects are cumulative also.
Notice also please the link to Human Population there in indicated, with referenced placement on the Curve projection OF that population. Then notice please the third slide, the geographical Density of Human Population, as at 1994.
It is the disposition of Humanity and its alterations to the surface PREVIOUS to 1994 that we are NOW observing. What is YET to be observed will be due to the KNOWN alterations, due to Humanities sprawling production of Habitat, from 1994 until NOW. Again I would mention that cumulative manner of these effects.
References for these slides are contained in the URL given.
There is little altering 'light bulbs' will achieve, little that can be achieved by the remediations proposed by the "Kyoto Treaty" and little to validly involve any 'blame' of 'oil companies' that has any validity in the reality we all face.
It seems that the need to have & own 'property' is producing the 'blinding glare', not the need to drive a car.
Your's, Peter K. Anderson a.k.a. Hartlod(tm)
From the PC of Peter K Anderson
E-Mail: Hartlod (at) bigpond.com |
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See also:
http://www.climateimc.org/?q=node/348
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Re: Global Warming: What, Me Worry? |
by Peter K Anderson aka Hartlod(tm)
hartlod (nospam) bigpond.com (unverified) |
Current rating: 0
07 Apr 2006
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Realise also that the motion of the (Primary)Oscillation of Climate into the present (Secondary) Period of recurring glaciations coincides with the rise of the 'Human Species', from around 2 to 3 million years previous to the present.
It is indeed that the 'Media' is over involved with the platforming of 'climate science', but that is simply as the 'Media' has been the platform 'climate science' has used to garner support for the presented 'situation.
It is also that much of what the "Media" has mentioned has 'stuck', even within those realising the 'Media Frenzy Factor'.
Your's again,
Peter K. Anderson a.k.a. Hartlod(tm)
From the PC of Peter K Anderson
E-Mail: Hartlod (at) bigpond.com |
