Elizabeth Kolbert of The New Yorker did not appreciate being ambushed by the local press.
But the superstar journalist, though wary, was a good sport when she was gently questioned by a fellow journalist in the nearly empty lobby of the Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland Monday night.
"Turnabout is fair play, I guess," she said to her interrogator, smiling but looking uncomfortable as she defended her well-known role as a global warming alarmist by saying humbly -- and disingenuously -- that she's not a scientist but merely a reporter who relies "on the consensus of the scientific community."
Kolbert had parachuted deep into Flyover Country to deliver a lecture/slide-show about global climate change to 960 Pittsburghers at the Drue Heinz Lectures series.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Global warming may cost $20 Trillion
Global warming will cost the world a huge amount of $20 Trillion over 2 decades for finding cleaner energy sources.
The treaty, replacing the Kyoto Protocol when it expires in 2012, could shape the course of climate change for decades to come. The Kyoto pact requires 37 industrial nations to reduce greenhouse gases by a relatively modest 5 percent on average.
A Primer on Climate Change
An increasing number of Canadians, including Evangelicals, say they are concerned about the environment. So Faith Today asked two experts to share their understanding of climate change, informed by an evangelical perspective.
The sign in front of the church read “So you think this is hot?” It was an uncharacteristically warm August in 1972. A searing heat wave was gripping the West Coast. This clever pastor had just set up his Sunday sermon – he didn’t even need to complete his comparison.
Today that witty sign feels dated and not quite as funny. Global warming commands headlines and climate change is talked about everywhere from elementary schools to Parliament Hill.
The media often show us some amazing photos of planet Earth taken from space. Who doesn’t wonder at the beauty of our watery blue planet, hanging like a jewel?
This “beautiful, warm, living object,” recalls James Irwin, an Apollo 15 lunar module pilot, “looked so fragile, so delicate, that if you touched it with a finger it would crumble and fall apart. Seeing this has to change a man, has to make a man appreciate the creation of God and the love of God.”
Indeed! Although in the whirl of our lives today many of us can easily take for granted the ordinary blessings of God’s good Earth, many of us are also trying to assess the dire warnings about climate change that are abroad in our day.
No respected voices are claiming that the Earth is likely to crumble and fall apart, but an increasing number of Earth scientists, climatologists and astronauts are encouraging us to recognize today that something fundamental is changing on the planet. Humans now have the power, leveraged through our remarkable machines, to alter entire Earth systems significantly.
The sign in front of the church read “So you think this is hot?” It was an uncharacteristically warm August in 1972. A searing heat wave was gripping the West Coast. This clever pastor had just set up his Sunday sermon – he didn’t even need to complete his comparison.
Today that witty sign feels dated and not quite as funny. Global warming commands headlines and climate change is talked about everywhere from elementary schools to Parliament Hill.
The media often show us some amazing photos of planet Earth taken from space. Who doesn’t wonder at the beauty of our watery blue planet, hanging like a jewel?
This “beautiful, warm, living object,” recalls James Irwin, an Apollo 15 lunar module pilot, “looked so fragile, so delicate, that if you touched it with a finger it would crumble and fall apart. Seeing this has to change a man, has to make a man appreciate the creation of God and the love of God.”
Indeed! Although in the whirl of our lives today many of us can easily take for granted the ordinary blessings of God’s good Earth, many of us are also trying to assess the dire warnings about climate change that are abroad in our day.
No respected voices are claiming that the Earth is likely to crumble and fall apart, but an increasing number of Earth scientists, climatologists and astronauts are encouraging us to recognize today that something fundamental is changing on the planet. Humans now have the power, leveraged through our remarkable machines, to alter entire Earth systems significantly.
for more Click here
Monday, January 28, 2008
World tour to create awareness about global warming
News Flash:
CHENNAI: Seeking to create awareness about the danger of global warming, two youths from Tamil Nadu on Sunday embarked on a year-long world expedition during which they propose to impress upon lawmakers of the United States the need to ratify the Kyoto protocol.
This is the seventh such expedition for the environmentalists-- T Srinivasa Rao and R Gnanasekaran--who have already travelled around the world six times for the cause of nuclear disarmament, environmental protection and preservation of rain forests.
Chief Minister M Karunanidhi felicitated the duo at a function here and flagged off the expedition, sponsored by various PSUs and private companies. The youth have planned to traverse 30 countries across five continents in a Hyundai Tucson SUV in 365 days. They would first stop over at New York and cover most parts of the US and Latin America in the first leg, Rao told PTI.
The duo was scheduled to meet UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and present a book on their travel experiences during their previous expedition. Rao said they would create awareness about the danger of global warming, besides meeting US lawmakers to urge them to come to the UN fold on the Kyoto Protocol.
Although the US was a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol, which had the objective of reducing Greenhouse gases that caused climate change, the Government had not ratified it yet. "We are also planning to utilise the election fever prevailing in the US.
We will try to meet Presidential hopefuls like Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama and get their support on the issue," he added.
CHENNAI: Seeking to create awareness about the danger of global warming, two youths from Tamil Nadu on Sunday embarked on a year-long world expedition during which they propose to impress upon lawmakers of the United States the need to ratify the Kyoto protocol.
This is the seventh such expedition for the environmentalists-- T Srinivasa Rao and R Gnanasekaran--who have already travelled around the world six times for the cause of nuclear disarmament, environmental protection and preservation of rain forests.
Chief Minister M Karunanidhi felicitated the duo at a function here and flagged off the expedition, sponsored by various PSUs and private companies. The youth have planned to traverse 30 countries across five continents in a Hyundai Tucson SUV in 365 days. They would first stop over at New York and cover most parts of the US and Latin America in the first leg, Rao told PTI.
The duo was scheduled to meet UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and present a book on their travel experiences during their previous expedition. Rao said they would create awareness about the danger of global warming, besides meeting US lawmakers to urge them to come to the UN fold on the Kyoto Protocol.
Although the US was a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol, which had the objective of reducing Greenhouse gases that caused climate change, the Government had not ratified it yet. "We are also planning to utilise the election fever prevailing in the US.
We will try to meet Presidential hopefuls like Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama and get their support on the issue," he added.
Effects of Global Warming
The predicted effects of global warming on the environment and for human life are numerous and varied. It is generally difficult to attribute specific natural phenomena to long-term causes, but some effects of recent climate change may already be occurring. Rising sea levels, glacier retreat, Arctic shrinkage, and altered patterns of agriculture are cited as direct consequences, but predictions for secondary and regional effects include extreme weather events, an expansion of tropical diseases, changes in the timing of seasonal patterns in ecosystems, and drastic economic impact. Concerns have led to political activism advocating proposals to mitigate, eliminate, or adapt to it.
Top effects of Global Warming
Top effects of Global Warming
- Say Goodbye to That Tropical: Island VacationIndonesia's environment minister announced this year that scientific studies estimate about 2,000 of the country's lush tropical islands could disappear by 2030 due to rising sea levels.
- Say Goodbye to Discoveries of Sharks That Can WalkScientists recently revealed a “lost world” of marine life off the coast of Indonesia, including 20 new species of corals, 8 species of shrimp, a technicolor fish that “flashes” bright pink, yellow, blue, and green hues, and sharks that “walk” on their fins. (“Avon Lady. Candygram.”) However, marine biologists warn the threats posed by global warming means millions of other crazycool sea creatures may become extinct before we ever discover them.
- Say Hello to More Mosquitoes :Get ready for more mosquitoes. Mosquitoes like to live in drains and sewer puddles. During long dry spells (brought on by higher temperatures) these nasty, stagnant pools become a vital source of water for thirsty birds ... which provide a tasty feast for the resident mosquitoes. At the same time, these dry spells “reduce the populations of dragonflies, lacewings, and frogs that eat the mosquitoes.”
- Species Disappear: The latest report from the World Conservation Union says that a minimum of 40 percent of the world’s species are being threatened ... and global warming’s one of the main culprits.
- More Bear Attacks: Earlier this year, Moscow warned its citizens to beware of brown bear attacks. In Russia, it’s been too hot in the winter for bears to sleep. When bears can’t hibernate, they get very grouchy and become “unusually aggressive.
- Death March of the Penguins: Scientists blame global warming for the declining penguin population, as warmer waters and smaller ice floes force the birds to travel further to find food. “Emperor penguins ... have dropped from 300 breeding pairs to just nine in the western Antarctic Peninsula.”
- Jellyfish Attack: Ouch! At least 30,000 people were stung by jellyfish along the Mediterranean coast last year; some areas boasted more than 10 jellyfish per square foot of water. Thank global warming: Jellyfish generally stay out of the way of swimmers, preferring the warmer, saltier water of the open seas. Hotter temperatures erase the natural temperature barrier between the open sea and the shore. The offshore waters also become more saline, causing the stinging blobs of hurt to move in toward the coastlines (and your unsuspecting legs).
- Suffocating the Lemmings :Lemmings like to burrow under the snow when they hibernate for the winter. Warmer temperatures cause rain to fall during the winter months, where it freezes into a hard sheet of ice above the sleeping lemmings, who can’t crack their way out come spring.
- Greenland’s Melting :Greenland is melting at a rate of 52 cubic miles per year—much faster than once predicted. If Greenland’s entire 2.5 million cubic kilometers of ice were to melt, it would lead to a global sea level rise of 7.2 meters, or more than 23 feet.
- Less Ice in the Arctic: The amount of ice in the Arctic at the end of the 2005 summer “was the smallest seen in 27 years of satellite imaging, and probably the smallest in 100 years.” Experts said it’s the strongest evidence of global warming in the Arctic thus far.
- Say Farewell to Glaciers: “In Glacier National Park, the number of glaciers in the park has dropped from 150 to 26 since 1850. Some project that none will be left within 25 to 30 years.”
- The Oceans are Turning to Acid: It sounds like a really bad sci-fi movie, but it’s true: The oceans are turning to acid! Oceans absorb CO2 which, when mixed with seawater, turns to a weak carbonic acid. Calcium from eroded rocks creates a “natural buffer” against the acid, and most marine life is “finely tuned” to the current balance. As we produce more and more CO2, we throw the whole balance out of whack and the oceans turn to acid.
- Mediterranean Sea? :Try the Dead Sea.Italian experts say thanks to faster evaporation and rising temperatures, the Mediterranean Sea is quickly turning into “a salty and stagnant sea.” The hot, salty water “could doom many of the sea's plant and animal species and ravage the fishing industry.”
Causes of Global Warming
The Earth's climate changes in response to external forcing, including variations in its orbit around the Sun (orbital forcing),volcanic eruptions, and atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. The detailed causes of the recent warming remain an active field of research, but the scientific consensus identifies elevated levels of greenhouse gases due to human activity as the main influence. This attribution is clearest for the most recent 50 years, for which the most detailed data are available. Some other hypotheses departing from the consensus view have been suggested to explain the observed increase in mean global temperature. One such hypothesis proposes that warming may be the result of variations in solar activity.
None of the effects of forcing are instantaneous. The thermal inertia of the Earth's oceans and slow responses of other indirect effects mean that the Earth's current climate is not in equilibrium with the forcing imposed. Climate commitment studies indicate that even if greenhouse gases were stabilized at 2000 levels, a further warming of about 0.5 °C (0.9 °F) would still occur.
None of the effects of forcing are instantaneous. The thermal inertia of the Earth's oceans and slow responses of other indirect effects mean that the Earth's current climate is not in equilibrium with the forcing imposed. Climate commitment studies indicate that even if greenhouse gases were stabilized at 2000 levels, a further warming of about 0.5 °C (0.9 °F) would still occur.
What is Global Warming
Global warming is the increase in the average temperature of the Earth's near-surface air and oceans in recent decades and its projected continuation.
The global average air temperature near the Earth's surface rose 0.74 ± 0.18 °C (1.33 ± 0.32 °F) during the 100 year period ending in 2005. The Intergovernmental panel of climate change(IPCC) concludes "most of the observed increase in globally averaged temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations" via the greenhouse effect. Natural phenomena such as solar variation combined with volcanoes probably had a small warming effect from pre-industrial times to 1950 and a small cooling effect from 1950 onward. These basic conclusions have been endorsed by at least 30 scientific societies and academies of science, including all of the national academies of science of the major industrialized countries. While individual scientists have voiced disagreement with the conclusions of the IPCC, the overwhelming majority of scientists working on climate change are in agreement with the conclusions.
The global average air temperature near the Earth's surface rose 0.74 ± 0.18 °C (1.33 ± 0.32 °F) during the 100 year period ending in 2005. The Intergovernmental panel of climate change(IPCC) concludes "most of the observed increase in globally averaged temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations" via the greenhouse effect. Natural phenomena such as solar variation combined with volcanoes probably had a small warming effect from pre-industrial times to 1950 and a small cooling effect from 1950 onward. These basic conclusions have been endorsed by at least 30 scientific societies and academies of science, including all of the national academies of science of the major industrialized countries. While individual scientists have voiced disagreement with the conclusions of the IPCC, the overwhelming majority of scientists working on climate change are in agreement with the conclusions.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)