And Now a Word From Your Mother... Earth That Is
All right I feel compelled to jump in here on behalf of Mother Earth and say a few words about Global Warming.
There are record snowfalls in the eastern part of the U.S.; heavy rains out west and generally odd weather in between... heck they are calling for snow in Mobile Alabama!! So naturally folks are jumping up and down and yelling that this is further proof that Global Warming is a hoax. So here's a look at some of the science (thanks to the Union of Concerned Scientists):
"Over the last 25 years, Earth’s global average temperature has been increasing at more than twice the rate of the last century. In fact, nine of the warmest years on record have occurred in just the last 10 years! Scientists from NASA and other research institutions routinely collect temperature data from around the world and have records of the Earth’s average temperature going back to the 1880s, when temperatures were first recorded. The data shows that, globally, the last decade has been the warmest ever recorded (emphasis added).
This warming has been accompanied by a decrease in very cold days and nights and an increase in extremely hot days and warm nights. Additionally, the oceans reached their highest recorded temperature in the summer of 2009. Oceans have absorbed much more heat from global warming than the air at the Earth’s surface because water is much better at retaining heat.
However, surface temperature is only one indicator of climate change. Patterns of rainfall and snow, droughts and storms, and lake ice also are changing. Plant and animal behavior are changing. Glaciers are melting and sea level is rising. These shifts are well documented and are largely attributed to human-caused global warming. Scientists can now positively identify the “human fingerprints” associated with these changing patterns."
But what about cooling? Didn't we hear that we were headed for another ice age not all that long ago? Well actually that apparently was a myth or at least a hiccup on the road to Global Warming - check out this chart: http://www.ucsusa.org/assets/images/gw/50-year-global-temps.png "Focusing on relatively short time periods to claim global warming is not happening is a misleading way to use statistics. These false claims have become so persistent that late last year the Associated Press asked a team of independent statisticians to review global temperature data without revealing to them what the data represented. All of the statisticians concluded that the data showed an unmistakable upward trend over time."
Doesn't look like the whole cooling thing is a reality, does it?
The concept and science of Global Warming aren't new. Heck, we've been hearing about it for years! One April in the early-to-mid 1990s I was standing in the front lobby watching it snow. Big fluffy flakes of snow and I myself said "Global Warming my ass". I - unlike so many others - was kidding.
Alternative forms of energy have been around for quite some time too, solar panels are not new folks. It is kind of sad actually that it has taken this long for such things to be talked about and not be labeled hippy-tree-hugger-nonsense. Okay some people still do call it that but there is more conversation now and that is a good thing. The same goes for organic farming, gardening, etc. Not new! Whole Foods is a phenomenon in retail food stores - not new! Quite a few natural health food stores have been around for decades. This one is just bigger. The conversation continues in these directions as well.
It boggles my mind that so many (or maybe it is simply loud not many) people think that Global Warming is a hoax and that there is no way humanity could destroy the planet. Even if you do not believe in Global Warming people who went to high school all learned about the ecosystem and how small changes can impact it in negative (and positive) ways. You also have heard about how companies have polluted areas (brown fields) to the extent that the ground is toxic - people did that, humanity polluted those areas into toxicity.
I also have to disagree with some folks I know who are convinced that God gave us this planet to do whatever we want with it/to it. I was taught we are to be good stewards of God's creation including the planet. Good stewards don't destroy the things they are charged with caring for, they protect it, nurture it... Get the picture?
For more information check out the Union of Concerned Scientists web site: http://www.ucsusa.org/
So... be kind to your mother. This is the only planet we have. We may be tenants and not the owner but we can't simply trash this place and then move in the middle of the night.
There are record snowfalls in the eastern part of the U.S.; heavy rains out west and generally odd weather in between... heck they are calling for snow in Mobile Alabama!! So naturally folks are jumping up and down and yelling that this is further proof that Global Warming is a hoax. So here's a look at some of the science (thanks to the Union of Concerned Scientists):
"Over the last 25 years, Earth’s global average temperature has been increasing at more than twice the rate of the last century. In fact, nine of the warmest years on record have occurred in just the last 10 years! Scientists from NASA and other research institutions routinely collect temperature data from around the world and have records of the Earth’s average temperature going back to the 1880s, when temperatures were first recorded. The data shows that, globally, the last decade has been the warmest ever recorded (emphasis added).
This warming has been accompanied by a decrease in very cold days and nights and an increase in extremely hot days and warm nights. Additionally, the oceans reached their highest recorded temperature in the summer of 2009. Oceans have absorbed much more heat from global warming than the air at the Earth’s surface because water is much better at retaining heat.
However, surface temperature is only one indicator of climate change. Patterns of rainfall and snow, droughts and storms, and lake ice also are changing. Plant and animal behavior are changing. Glaciers are melting and sea level is rising. These shifts are well documented and are largely attributed to human-caused global warming. Scientists can now positively identify the “human fingerprints” associated with these changing patterns."
But what about cooling? Didn't we hear that we were headed for another ice age not all that long ago? Well actually that apparently was a myth or at least a hiccup on the road to Global Warming - check out this chart: http://www.ucsusa.org/assets/images/gw/50-year-global-temps.png "Focusing on relatively short time periods to claim global warming is not happening is a misleading way to use statistics. These false claims have become so persistent that late last year the Associated Press asked a team of independent statisticians to review global temperature data without revealing to them what the data represented. All of the statisticians concluded that the data showed an unmistakable upward trend over time."
Doesn't look like the whole cooling thing is a reality, does it?
The concept and science of Global Warming aren't new. Heck, we've been hearing about it for years! One April in the early-to-mid 1990s I was standing in the front lobby watching it snow. Big fluffy flakes of snow and I myself said "Global Warming my ass". I - unlike so many others - was kidding.
Alternative forms of energy have been around for quite some time too, solar panels are not new folks. It is kind of sad actually that it has taken this long for such things to be talked about and not be labeled hippy-tree-hugger-nonsense. Okay some people still do call it that but there is more conversation now and that is a good thing. The same goes for organic farming, gardening, etc. Not new! Whole Foods is a phenomenon in retail food stores - not new! Quite a few natural health food stores have been around for decades. This one is just bigger. The conversation continues in these directions as well.
It boggles my mind that so many (or maybe it is simply loud not many) people think that Global Warming is a hoax and that there is no way humanity could destroy the planet. Even if you do not believe in Global Warming people who went to high school all learned about the ecosystem and how small changes can impact it in negative (and positive) ways. You also have heard about how companies have polluted areas (brown fields) to the extent that the ground is toxic - people did that, humanity polluted those areas into toxicity.
I also have to disagree with some folks I know who are convinced that God gave us this planet to do whatever we want with it/to it. I was taught we are to be good stewards of God's creation including the planet. Good stewards don't destroy the things they are charged with caring for, they protect it, nurture it... Get the picture?
For more information check out the Union of Concerned Scientists web site: http://www.ucsusa.org/
So... be kind to your mother. This is the only planet we have. We may be tenants and not the owner but we can't simply trash this place and then move in the middle of the night.
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