A New, Lighthearted Approach To Global Warming

I saw an ad in  The New York Times today for this organization, Save Our Snowmen. It told of a video one could see if you go to their site. So I did. Here it is.


And sure, it's cute and maybe amusing but I wonder if that's what we really need to help gain awareness of global warming and climate change. That is, do we need "cute" to help people pay attention and wake up to what we're doing as people, across the planet?

I guess if it adds people to the cause, it serves a good purpose.

It was followed on YouTube by one the Zurich Insurance also made.



Enjoy your Sunday, y'all and think happy thoughts.

GO CHIEFS!!

Where we are right now, weatherwise

Florida has been in the 80's and very humid.

Southwest Missouri is far under the average for rainfall this year, to date.

New Mexico is extremely dry, still in drought conditions.

California has been in the low to mid- 80 degree weather range.    Most all Winter.

Meanwhile, Australia is burning and drying up, in severe, prolonged drought conditions.



You tell me.

One billion dollar weather disasters in the US

Listening to the Weather Channel last evening, with a lot of thunderstorm warnings all around my new 'burg--yet again--the announcers mentioned that the last several years has seen a great deal of $1 billion dollar weather disasters in the US. They seemed to softly suggest that it was likely due to global warming and/or climate change.

So I Googled:

Billion Dollar U.S. Weather Disasters, 1980–2013

Source: National Climatic Data Center
 

The U.S. has sustained 123 weather-related disasters during the 1980-2012 period in which overall damages and costs reached or exceeded $1 billion at the time of the event. Twelve occurred during 2011 alone—the most for any year on record, with total costs being approximately $52 billion.

Then I searched some more:

NCDC Releases 2012 Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters

According to NCDC’s 2012 weather and climate disasters information, 2012 saw 11 weather and climate disaster events each with losses exceeding $1 billion in damages. This makes 2012 the second costliest year since 1980, with a total of more than $110 billion in damages throughout the year. The 2012 total damages rank only behind 2005, which incurred $160 billion in damages due in part to four devastating land-falling hurricanes.

The 2012 billion-dollar events included seven severe weather and tornado events, two tropical cyclone events, and the yearlong drought and its associated wildfires. These 11 events killed over 300 people and had devastating economic effects on the areas impacted. With 11 events, 2012 also ranks second highest in total number of billion-dollar events behind 2011, which had 14 events.

The two major drivers of the damage costs in 2012 were Sandy at approximately $65 billion and the yearlong drought at approximately $30 billion. Sandy’s large size, with tropical storm force winds extending nearly 500 miles from the center, led to record storm surge, large-scale flooding, wind damage, and mass power outages along much of the East Coast.

So it begs the question: at what point do we learn?

At what point do our nation's leaders stand up, recognize the situation we're in and lead the people, lead the country to what we need?  That is, how soon until they guide us onto a path of far more sustainable lives and living?

We need to get started.

Links: Billion Dollar U.S. Weather Disasters, 1980–2013 | Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0882823.html#ixzz2WWF0Lozm

Billion-Dollar Weather/Climate Disasters

Documentary coming out on climate change evidence

This is a new documentary that just came out of the Sundance Film Festival this year.

Apparently the man who shot it was formerly a global warming skeptic. What he saw and filmed changed his opinion on it completely.



You might watch for it. When it comes, it will likely be at the Tivoli Theater in Westport.

2011's weather catastrophes

"To date, the United States set a record with 12 separate billion-dollar weather/climate disasters in 2011, with an aggregate damage total of approximately $52 billion. This record year breaks the previous record of nine billion-dollar weather/climate disasters in one year, which occurred in 2008. These 12 disasters alone resulted in the tragic loss of 646 lives, with the National Weather Service reporting over 1,000 deaths across all weather categories for the year." --The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Link: http://www.truth-out.org/how-now-brown-cloud-what-smog-hath-wrought/1324077646

I refuse to get on the "global warming bandwagon" but...

As I said, I refuse to get in on the global warming mob because I think it's crucial to watch the "bigger picture" and not go by a cold day or hot spell. That said, I have also pointed out that a "bigger picture" does, I think, come from the melting of the ice caps and glaciers 'round the world. Now, today, comes this little tidbit of information having to do with last month's temperatures: "All 50 States Have Set High Temperature Records This July." Yep, that's what it said. With July's data now in the books, we got hot last month, coast to coast. But wait! There's more! "There have been 2,068 record high daily maximum temperatures in the United States..." And yet more: "More remarkably, and consistent with the expected effect of higher greenhouse gas concentrations, nights have been even warmer — 4,638 record high daily minimum temperatures were recorded, 3.4 percent of all readings." How will this month fare? Who can say? It could go either way, certainly, but as I say this, it's 106 or 107 degrees outside here in Kansas City. As for hope in the future, there is also an article over at Think Progress telling of "GOP Congressman: If We Take The Senate And White House In 2012, The EPA Will Be ‘Discontinued.’" Not very hopeful. Apparently the rich and corporations don't care for clean air, water and soil after all. Links: http://thinkprogress.org/green/2011/07/25/277576/all-states-high-temperatures-july/; http://thinkprogress.org/green/2011/07/27/280925/gop-2012-epa/

Russia's ugly situation

This is how serious it is: Russia fought a deadly battle Tuesday to prevent wildfires from engulfing key nuclear sites as alarm mounted over the impact on health of a toxic smoke cloud shrouded over Moscow. The emergencies ministry said that over the last 24 hours, 247 new fires had appeared, more than the 239 that were extinguished, and 557 fires were still raging across the affected region. The heatwave has a huge impact on all areas of Russian society and economists warned Tuesday the record temperatures could have cost the country 15 billion dollars and undercut a modest economic revival. Worst hit has been the agriculture industry, which has seen 10 million hectares of land destroyed. Climate change, anyone? Link to original post: http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/08/10-1

Two big compromises

It seems the 2 big compromises this week--that of the Copenhagen Summit on global warming (or climate change or pollution or whatever you want to call it) and health care reform, here in the US, have a great deal in common.

Both of them have people for them. Both have people against them. Both have people, somewhere in the middle who say this is the best we could get and that they are improvements and that we need to wrap our arms around them and move on.

God, I hope they're right.

On the Copenhagen summit on climate change, it seems we made progress, this time, as the US was for some good, solid action. This in stark contrast to the Kyoto Protocol that the George W. Bush administration kept us out of. At least we made that better transition. We're in on this one. We don't have to be embarassed this time and we've had input on this.

As to who knows what's in this thing right now, who can say? Frankly, following the mess this week that has been the negotiations on health care in the Senate has been demanding enough.

First, as I noted here, the White House threw out the single-payer option we needed so desperately.

Then, they threw away the "public option" so the insurance companies could stay happy and we wouldn't give them any real competition.

That stunk.

But the fact is, now people are coming out on all sides, some saying we should throw it away; others that we should keep it and that it does do some good.

It's disappointing and the Democrats caved but apparently, according to what the Congressional Budget Office says, it will help us, as a nation, to have smaller budget deficits.

I just wish it had done a lot more for the average Joe on the streets--the "you and me" of the world. I wish the Democrats had been more for us instead of for the insurance companies.

But so it goes.

Let's hope it's all progress.

In both cases, this is what compromise looks like.

We need more of that here in the States.

Links to related stories:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carl-pope/yes-it-is-the-end-of-the_b_397683.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/johann-hari/they-didnt-seal-the-deal_b_397765.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kevin-grandia/cope-en-blame-em-today-fi_b_398006.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/greg-mitchell/health-bill-limits-aborti_b_398084.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sen-paul-g-kirk-jr/a-rebuttal-to-howard-dean_b_398218.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-lux/that-gollum-like-feeling_b_398034.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-tv/arianna-on-ed-it-is-absur_b_393480.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/18/taibi-kuttner-debate-heal_n_397757.html