Notes on Global Warming

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A critic of mine (Justin) wrote the other day: “The notion that humans cause climate change is ridiculous. Anyone familiar with history of the Earth knows that the Earth has undergone multiple climate changes, most happened before humans were around. The idea that we humans can stop climate change is pure fantasy.”  Well now. Just who is it who have determined, from the evidence, the history of the earth? I’ll give you three guesses, but the answer’s pretty obvious to most of us: SCIENTISTS! (Although those supporting creationism, the Garden of Eden, the snake and all that—or are heavily vested in polluting industry—will dispute it)

A scientist is not some greedy financier draped in narcissism who can sell himself to the public like a snake-oil salesman or side-show barker. It’s someone whose work is his or her life—a life of endless search for lingering nuances of reality. There are no “alternative facts” in science. The rules don’t change for convenience. Fakers are ostracized.

97% of recognized scientific experts (from 80 nations) agree that Global  Warming is real and that human influence is the dominant cause—and that dramatic weather changes are an offshoot of that warming.  The offhand dismissal of that reality by those determined to remain willfully ignorant out of inconvenience to their political philosophy should be condemned—out of regard for survival of the human race. Donald Trump can call it all “fake news” as much as he wants, but he’s a mere clown dominating the stage for a relative nano-second of humanity’s existence.

More numerous and more violent storms (currently Harvey, Irma, Jose, Lee and Maria), flooding, drought, record heat, wildfires all have been tied to global warming—as surely as 2 plus 2 equals 4. Global Warming, now in Climate Change mode, is no more “a hoax” than is gravity.

A few brief comments from scientific consensus: "Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, and since the 1950s, many of the observed changes are unprecedented over decades to millennia,” Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide have increased to levels unprecedented in at least the last 800,000 years. Human influence on the climate system is clear. "Increasing magnitudes of [global] warming increase the likelihood of severe, pervasive, and irreversible impacts.”

Global warming, climate change and human responsibility are an objective truth—as sure as the earth is not flat, or that it revolves around the sun.

As a parallel to atmospheric and related sciences, consider medical science, where professional dedication and research are equally ever proceeding with intensity. If 97% of medical experts agreed on my diagnosis and treatment, would I want my doctor to be some disgruntled attention-seeking crackpot from the other 3%?

DID YOU KNOW? The National Academy of Science was founded in 1863 as a result of an Act of Congress that was approved by Abraham Lincoln, the nation’s first Republican president. Lincoln is called up on occasion in attempts to rub his fame and character onto the current GOP, but he is most often conveniently ignored in favor of someone such as seemingly senile-stricken Ronald Reagan of more modern times.

the NAS is charged with "providing independent, objective advice to the nation on matters related to science and technology.” In 2005, the national science academies of the G8 forum (including the National Academy of Sciences) and science academies of Brazil, China, and India (three of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases in the developing world) signed a statement on the global response to climate change. The statement stressed that the scientific understanding of climate change had become sufficiently clear to justify nations taking prompt action.

On May 7, 2010, a letter signed by 255 Academy members was published in Science magazine, decrying "political assaults" against climate change scientists. And along came money-minded racist Donald Trump who tweeted Nov. 6, 2012, “The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.” In the first presidential debate in 2016, Hillary Clinton brought up her and Trump's differences on climate change. Here's how the exchange unfolded: Clinton: “Some country is going to be the clean-energy superpower of the 21st century. Donald thinks that climate change is a hoax perpetrated by the Chinese. I think it's real.” Trump: I did not. I did not. I do not say that.” Clinton: “I think science is real.” Trump: “I do not say that.”

In a complete turnaround from Abraham Lincoln, Trump recently decided to disband the federal advisory panel for the National Climate Assessment, a group aimed at helping policymakers and private-sector officials incorporate the government’s climate analysis into long-term planning. And at last report, Sept. 17, it was reported that Donald  still plans to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate agreement unless there are major changes made to the carbon emissions pact.

Within moments of Donald’s inauguration in January, the official White House website deleted nearly all mentions of climate change. The one exception: Donald’s vow to eliminate the Obama administration’s climate change policies, which previously had a prominent and detailed web page on whitehouse.gov

He just couldn’t wait to start sticking it to a world in which the UN’s World Health Organization estimates one in every eight deaths world-wide can be attributed to air pollution exposure.

FROM WIKIPEDIA: ”The Paris Agreement (French: Accord de Paris), Paris climate accord or Paris climate agreement, is an agreement within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) dealing with greenhouse gas emissions mitigation, adaptation and finance starting in the year 2020. The language of the agreement was negotiated by representatives of 196 parties at the 21st Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC in Paris and adopted by consensus on 12 December 2015. As of August 2017, 195 UNFCCC members have signed the agreement, 160 of which have ratified it.

“In the Paris Agreement, each country determines, plans and regularly reports its own contribution it should make in order to mitigate global warming. There is no mechanism to force a country to set a specific target by a specific date,[7] but each target should go beyond previously set targets.

“In June 2017, U.S. President Donald Trump announced his intention to withdraw the United States from the agreement, causing widespread condemnation in the European Union and many sectors in the United States . . . [Just couldn’t bring himself, I guess, to alienate in any way the industrial-financial portion of his support base]

“In July 2017, France’s environment minister Nicolas Hulot announced France’s five-year plan to ban all petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040 as part of the Paris Agreement. Hulot also stated that France would no longer use coal to produce electricity after 2022 and that up to 4 billion euros will be invested in boosting energy efficiency."

Vive la France!

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