Misleading Witch Hunts

     There has been a lot of hot air blowing around Capitol Hill. (Yes, that's normal.) Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), head of the House Science Committee is demanding emails and other correspondence from scientists in the US because he, and many others like him, think there exists a vast liberal conspiracy to fool people into believing Climate Change is real. Of course, because of the scientific method, the evidence and data that has been compiled and shared in the scientific community, the results seem pretty clear. Climate Change is real and will continue to get worse as we burn more fossil fuels to power our world.

     Scientists are not taking Congressman Smith's witch hunt lying down. The evidence, their methodology and the peer review process protects against false findings and making things up. Say some scientist decides to fake his results? No problem. Other scientists will review any and all papers published and try to recreate the findings. This ensures that one person can't just make crap up. Peer review. It is a wonderful thing. Now why wouldn't the head of the House Science Committee ignore the very basis of scientific debate in his quest to find scientific truth? The heads of 7 scientific societies have stood up to Congressman Smith in response.

     The issue that we must face now is that many uneducated people and people who do not understand the scientific method (and how it bases findings on hard evidence and repeatable experiments) will see the refusal of these scientists and experts as them trying to hide something. Which is how many conservatives want this to look. It creates a false sense of debate, allowing people, who have no clue how to comprehend or explain how global warming is affecting Climate Change, to dismiss it. Many hide behind their religious faith, saying they believe that God wouldn't let this happen. Or that we can't possibly understand how the world and nature works. Which is their right. Faith and freedom of religion is ensured under the Constitution.

     But, to impose those beliefs and religious faith on others, telling others that their faith scientific inquiry and experimentation to explain the natural world violates their rights ensured under the Constitution. Believing in religious teachings and accepting them as gospel takes a leap of faith. Believing in science and how conclusions are drawn through the scientific method takes a different kind of faith, but it is one built on facts, tangible variables and measurable interactions.

     This fantastic article from The Atlantic, written by Paul Bloom, explains the difference between Why Scientific Faith Is Different From Religious Faith. This is such a delicate subject, especially nowadays. Does anyone really understand what the scientists are saying? How they came to believe in their findings? And if conservative law makers insist on uncovering a so-called global conspiracy to fool people into reducing waste, making clean energy and cleaning up the air and water, why are they not investigating or demanding emails and data from the Fossil Fuel industry and big corporations? Wouldn't these entities have valuable information that could make (or break) this so called witch hunt?

     People need to start asking these questions. One can not come to a reasonable and informed decisions by investigating one side of an issue. One has to examine all the evidence, read all the emails, look at all the conclusions. To do that, there is this thing called the scientific method. It works great! Perhaps the head of the House Committee on Science should look into that.

Reprieve

   The summer was not kind to Climate Guy 73. During the past year, I saw monthly increases in site visits, culminating in the all-time high of 12,436 in April. Ever since, the numbers have dropped so fast you would think you were looking at the temperature graph of the stratosphere for the past 40 years. (Look it up. That was my best science joke ever.)  I figured that people were just probably outside more, it being late Spring and then Summer.  Now, the green of Summer is giving way to the brilliant colors of Autumn as we speak. There is so much to do and see and experience in the world, why waste it sitting  inside on a computer? That has got to be the reason my loyal readers stopped coming by. (I'm sure it would have nothing to do with my erratic blogging, week long absences, or precipitous decline in the quality of my writing. Hey, you have a baby while living in a foreign country, all the while taking german classes to learn a new language.)

     The break was cathartic in a lot of ways, in all honesty. In this business, you can have your throat handed to you in the snap-hiss of a lightsaber. I have been read the riot act by many who think I am too radical, too "Left", that say I taint my message with "environmental alarmism" which damages my credibility. After awhile, I'll be honest, it can get to a person. There is a dread deep down, when it comes to the future of the planet, that this all maybe for naught. Am I making a difference? Are people reading? Am I doing enough?

    Then I look at my son: five months of smile and drool. The kid is easy going and sweet, the center of my universe. One smile from that toothless wonder and I realize that "Fuck yes it is all worth it!" People have to understand that we are damaging our rivers and oceans, leveling our forests, and killing millions of species every year. I owe it to my son to raise that red flag so it does NOT go unnoticed before it is too late, if it isn't too late already. I owe it to everyone's kids to do that! Even if I only get one person every few weeks to stop in and say, "Wow, that guy was funny! And I'm going to look into this Climate Reality Project, or the Anne Arundel County Watershed Stewards, or the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. " That's real all that matters.

     So I amble on. Reading new articles and watching new interviews everyday. Dropping into online communities and sharing what I know and have learned, while trying to learn more. Starting the conversation and reaching out to fill in the gaps for those who want to know more. Of course, this means lots of people rolling their eyes and shaking their heads when they don't like what I have to say. I have been told on more than 734 occasions (not that I'm counting) that I am wrong about the Climate, that Climate Change isn't real. Those people that say this to me ignore the science, the facts, the evidence. I even had a few people tell me that since they KNEW they were right, they didn't HAVE to prove it. It was up to ME to prove them wrong. What?! These are the people that take part in a scientific discussion and ignore the parameters set forth by science to state one's case. Instead, they just dismiss me as a brainwashed liberal who wants to trick people into buying clean renewable energy and plant more trees. They say I am a tree-hugger, a hippie, an Alarmist.

     Look, if you don't believe that Climate Change is real, that it is happening right now and will continue to happen in the future, and that we are the cause...this is not the blog for you. Especially now, with me back from a few weeks break and ready to type! I am trying to open the eyes of people on this planet so they can see how they are affecting the world today with their actions, and how they can affect the future by altering our present course. Some out there call me an Alarmist. I don't agree. Why? Well, it's not Alarmist if it's true, right?

Climate vs Weather

     I think everyone is familiar with this photo of Senate Climate-Change-Denier James Inhofe using a snowball as evidence that climate change doesn't exist. It was snowing outside in Washington that day in the winter, so climate change can't be real, he posited. Which of course is ridiculous. Weather isn't climate. Weather patterns over long periods of time are climate. Besides, there is more to Climate Change than just global warming, which if the Senator would talk with a science teacher, he may understand.  

     Climate Change doesn't mean that the Earth is ONLY getting warmer. It means that due to global warming brought upon by ever increasing CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere, which can and has been directly traced to the burning of fossil fuels by humans, weather patterns over time begin to change. Summer gets longer, Spring and Fall get shorter. Winters can get nastier, storms get stronger. Places around the world get more rain than the normally get on average and there are floods, while others get less and suffer droughts. Sure, these things happen and have happened for millions of years. But, the frequency and the magnitude is increasing. The Extremes get more extreme. The Earth is warming much faster than at any other time that scientists can determine. We can look back at the climate changes over the past million years or so and what we see happening now is unprecedented. Rapid change makes it harder for life to adapt, which leads to mass die offs of species, which is taking place all over the world. 

     This report shows that 2015 is on its way to becoming the hottest year on record, beating the previous record year, which was...2014. Ouch. Not good. Hotter temperatures change the local environment and can shift weather patterns, creating a different climate. Where I grew up in Southern Maryland, you could set your watch by the 4 year snow storm that brought us 20+ inches of snow. Every four years. I vividly remember as a kid those years because we were usually out of school for a week! '79, '83, '87, '91, '96, '00. But, now storms like that are becoming more frequent and the four year interval is less predictable. 2010 saw the four year storm, but then we had another winter with heavy snows in 2013. And again in 2014. The winter of 2015 saw a ridiculous amount of snow in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic (just ask my cousins) and they prediction for this coming winter is again looking like heavy snow along the Eastern Seaboard due to a VERY strong El Niño. As you can see, all of this gets complicated.

     What I have noticed is that when discussing weather patterns, people get angry and things can get contentious. Some dismiss weather changes as normal and ignore the new emerging patterns. But weather patterns aren't the only way to recognize climate change. It can also have an effect on the local flora and fauna. Trees that once thrived in your area with what the local climate used to be are now stressed and struggling to survive. Too much water, extended drought. Too much rain or not enough has thrown their health out of whack. Animals that were once plentiful in an area suddenly decline in numbers, which has a domino effect on other plants and animals. Warmer temperatures can create ideal conditions for certain bacteria and fungi to grow, which can kill plants and trees. Everything is connected. 

     Where we live now, in Southern Germany near the Alps, I have talked at great length the locals about the weather: is it the same as it was 20 years ago? Has anything changed? Is it warmer in the Summer? In the Winter? Does it snow more often or less? Are the thunderstorms more frequent and more powerful? What about insects? Everyone that I have talked to says the same thing: 20 years ago, Autumn started at the end of August but now it starts closer to the end of September. Mosquitoes are a much bigger pest than ever before, they say. Local trees (in yards and in the forests) are struggling in the Summer months due to the reduced rainfall. House fly and Wasp populations have exploded; no one remembers them being so bad, and we live deep in cow country so flies have always been around. This is a place where they don't normally have screens for their windows, but now most people are installing them because these insects have become a major issue. 

     Of course, this is all unscientific. I have to admit that. I'm just out asking questions, getting to know people and trying to improve my crappy german. But, the people I am talking to have lived here most if not all of their lives. We are talking about old farmers, bent-backed from hard work, school teachers, gray-haired and stress-wrinkled from years in the schoolroom. People who's families have lived here for generations. People who learned how to work the land from their parents. That's DECADES of experience, observing the environment and refining methods to be a successful farmer. And now, their methods are not enough due to the changing climate. 

     I find it all fascinating and worrisome. Which is why Inhofe's snowball really frosts my little red wagon. The naysayers always focus on one thing, and that's weather. But it's not about weather, not really. Weather is a factor, but its the weather patterns that we are talking about and studying. They are changing, which bring about other more measurable changes like increases in insect populations or declining plant populations. So if you notice that there are more mosquitoes or a certain weed is suddenly everywhere and you can't fight it back, it may be because where you live the climate has changed enough to create different conditions, conditions that those insects of weed just so happen to thrive in. Something to consider the next time someone throws a snowball and tells you the world is getting colder. 

The White House's Clean Power Plan

    The White House is releasing the new Clean Power Plan for the USA today. It is a revised version of the plan released last year with changes to the plan that addresses concerns raised by opponents of the plan as well as the Supreme Court ruling from this past June. It is a huge step towards showing the rest of the world that America will lead when the Climate Conference in Paris this December takes place.

   
     Watch the video above to learn more. There are better and cleaner alternatives to coal, oil and natural gas, alternatives that greatly reduce pollution in many of its forms. A clean energy future is possible and vital for the future. Back the President and the White House and push for a Clean Energy Future!

Bubkis

     The planet is getting warmer, as we know. The warming is change climate patterns, as we all know. So, imagine my surprise when I read an article this week that said the opposite was true. A report out there this week that says the Earth will have a "mini Ice-Age" by 2030. Yeah, that report is bubkis. I just wanted everyone to be clear on that.

Climate Reality Friday

Happy Friday

Is It Really 97%?

     A recent study of Climate Change peer reviewed papers has dispelled the myth that 97% of climate scientists support the evidence and agree that climate change is happening and that humans are the main driver of the phenomenon. The actual number is 99.9%. That's right. 99.9%. Before the far far right starts its bellowing about how this is all bullshit, take this simple fact into consideration:

     The study, performed by Director James L. Powell of the National Physical Science Consortium,  examined 24,000 papers on Climate Change from 2013-14. Only 5 did not support the theory that Climate Change is happening. Five. Funf! Cinco! Öt! Cinq! Out of 24,000 papers written by certified and reliable scientists in the field of Climate Science, only Five don't think it is happening.

     When does the political spin stop and common sense take over? Anyone know?

After A Long Pause...Inhofe Starts Us Off

     Hello there loyal readers! I am so sorry for the long layoff. In addition to becoming a new Daddy (mom and baby are doing great!) I also moved into the new house. It was a long wait, but we made it! We are now making energy with our solar array, heating our water with the Sun, and using a Air/Water Earth Pump to assist the heating and cooling of the house! We couldn't be happier with everything. Well, that's not exactly true. Telekom has made us wait for phone, internet and cable. It is scheduled to be hooked up this Monday. I will believe it when I can log in from my new office in the new house. I will not start the Telekom bashing...as much as I may want too.

     The last month has extremely difficult for me not to blog. Although I didn't post everyday before, I usually attempted to write something for this site everyday. I didn't always finish what I wrote and some pieces still sit in the draft box unfinished and unused. Believe it or not, I have written som real duds. However, you have to spill some salt to make a good margarita, am I right? With all the work in the new house (mostly building my own screens for the windows and unpacking) and the additional work that the baby created and having to drive to the In-laws to get online, blogging took a back burner to the rest of the things we were juggling. But, tomorrow I will put my home-office together. Monday the Telekom technician comes to hook us up. Monday evening I will write a new piece to post for Tuesday...I hope. Now that Mercury is out of retrograde, everything should be okay with the world again, right?

     So here is something to wet your whistle. While I was away, there have been a lot of things written and talked about and picked apart about Climate Change. I have been able to read a few, but not many since my cellphone reception at the new house really blows. (Did I mention that I used up a month's worth of data on my cellphone in just one week? Again, another reason I have not been able to blog. Although, I might have used up that date by sending a ga-zillion pictures of my new son. I think it's allowed in that case, right?) Today, while visiting the In-laws, I hopped online for the first time in a week and I read this gem from the Huffington Post.

     Seems our old friend Senator James Inhofe is at it again. You know, Senator Inhofe has said time and time again that God wouldn't let humans destroy the planet. Inhofe believes completely that He would step in and save us. Yet, Inhofe has taken exception with the Pope, Pope Francis, the voice of The Almighty Himself for the Catholic Church. Pope Frank recently said he believes that humans are mainly to blame for the warming planet. Inhofe shot back (while he spoke at a quasi-Climate conference hosted by the Heartland Institute, those giants of scientific inquiry) that the Pope should stick to what he does best. Which made me think: Isn't speaking for God what The Pope does best?

     Inhofe said we should all stick to what we do best, which in the Senator's case is ignoring the glaring warning signs and planet-sized collection of scientific evidence that says Climate Change is real, it is happening and we are the cause. What Inhofe does best, apparently, is slighting anyone who says Climate Change is real, even when that someone happens to be the Pope! But, I guess when you say with conviction that God would step in and stop Climate Change, if it were in fact real and was in fact happening, only to have the head of the Catholic Church say you are wrong, you might get a little irritated. It's never cool to be knocked down a peg, especially by the Pope when you have been trying to convince everyone you know what God is thinking.

     Regardless if you are religious or not, or Catholic or Christian or an Atheist, knowing that the Pope backs the ridiculous amount of supporting scientific evidence that human are causing the very real phenomenon that is Climate Change, it has got to hold some weight, right. I mean, the church has been notoriously slow to get with the times, move forward on scientific discoveries and move forward. The church has also dealt with their fair share of controversy over the years. Seeing them take such a progressive and informed stance on the issue of Climate Change gives people like me hope. Hope that people that go around saying that God will fix everything for us will realize that that's not how it works. That we have to take responsibility for our actions as individuals and as society as a whole. Even the molasses-on-a-cold-day-when-it-comes-to-taking-a-stance-on-a-new-thing Catholic Church has accepted the evidence. What is taking you so long, Senator?

    I am trying to reach people like you and helping you cut through the bullshit out there that is misleading and incorrect about Climate Change. I put solar panels on my house and reduce my household waste. Those are the things I do best. Maybe Senator Inhofe should focus on what he could do better. You know, like listen to the experts that study climate change and the citizens the Senator represents in the Senate and take action to combat human being's effect on the climate. Then Senator Inhofe could catch up with the Catholic Church and be as progressive as they are.

Too Much BS

     Dear Senator Inhofe: CO2 is good for sodas, not for maintaining a healthy biosphere. You say CO2 is necessary to grow things, yet you fail to realize that too much is detrimental. Don't believe me? Well, oxygen is essential for humans to live, but too much oxygen and one little spark and ...BOOOOOOOM! It can explode. Oxygen doesn't sound so good in that case, does it?

     Or how about sugar? Sugar (or glucose) is necessary for our bodies to metabolize and go about its daily routine. Its the source of energy that life requires to, well, live! Without it, our cells would die, and so would we. While sugar is essential to our very existence, our bodies cannot handle too much sugar. Too much sugar can cause people to get really fat. Or develop diabetes. The body’s routine functions become seriously impeded with too much sugar, and over a long period of time can lead to serious health concerns or even death! Did you know that?   

     How about Red Wine? Studies have shown that Red Wine has some very beneficial components that can help our bodies. Many doctors say that a glass of wine with dinner can flush the body of toxins, promote heart health and keep our arteries clear. But if you drink too much wine, you can get intoxicated. Being drunk can cause you to stumble around, knock shit over and yack in the toilet. And when you wake up in the morning after a night of wine-drinking, the headaches can be wicked! Kind of like what the human race will feel like when we wake up one morning after all of this binging on oil. 

Saturday Slap in the Face

Tesla, Batteries and the Energy Revolution

     Tesla announced its new battery storage system last week. Tony Stark himself- oops, sorry- I mean Elon Musk himself introduced the new energy storage system that could be the game changer renewable energy advocates have been waiting for to jumpstart the Energy Revolution. You can read about Tesla and Mr. Stark's...(damn, did it again...) Mr. Musk's breakthrough and announcement here.

     If you visit this site, you already know I am a HUGE advocate for clean renewable energy, sustainability and energy independence. Energy storage has long been the missing link when it comes to energy production from renewables. Opponents of solar and wind power have often moaned that because the Sun goes down or that the wind stops blowing, renewables are unreliable and cannot replace fossil fuels as out main source of energy. Well, I think Tony's- (shit) Elon's announcement basically tells those people that they can "Suck it!"

     An energy storage system for homes and businesses as well as for utility companies is a game-changer. It is the missing link between energy production and usage/demand. The biggest argument against renewables is that they are unreliable for the reasons I mentioned above. With a battery storage system in place, one can make energy with their PV system during the day and store it to use at night. Or they can store wind energy when the wind is blowing and use it when the winds die down. Here is a great article from the Washington Post that talks about Tesla's plans and the coming "Energy Revolution".

     Anyone seen this cartoon before?

     You may remember it from my post on March 31st:  Electric Cars and Dirty Energy.  In that post, I talked about how this meme represented an opportunity to be more sustainable. Instead of using energy from coal-fired power plants, you could use a solar array to charge your electric car, eliminating fuel costs and CO2 emissions. The Tesla Battery takes this idea one step further...and its a big step! Now, when you are at work, your PV system can make a ton of energy and store it in the battery. When you come home, that energy in the battery can be used to charge your car and power the house when the family is home watching tv, making dinner, surfing the net and playing video games. Sustainable energy system. Holy crap!

     Already, I have had some friends dismiss the Tesla Battery because of cost. If you check back to my post Electric Cars and Dirty Energy, you will see how a broke down what a person could save in gas by driving an electric car charged by a solar array. The payback on the Return On Investment starts immediately with these systems. Money for fuel is now earmarked for to pay-off the array. Now, imagine not only saving money in gas, but in utility bills as well! I realize that the cost is quite substantial, but Banks realize that Solar is a good investment. The numbers don't lie. You reduce your monthly utility and fuel costs by going solar, which frees up capital to pay the bank back it's money. You make the Bank whole, and you reduce your monthly bills once the system is paid off. You were already spending that money before, except now there is an end in sight. You are eliminating those costs completely after a few years.

     Americans love their credit and love to finance things. Here's an opportunity to finance something that is worth more after it is paid off, unlike your car, that drops in value as soon as you drive it off the lot. You are already spending the money for gas and electricity right now. Investing in solar, a battery system for your home and an electric car transfers what you are spending for gas and electricity to paying back your loan. Tac credits for solar, the battery and an electric car significantly reduce your initial upfront costs, which means the government pays you for doing this. Winner winner chicken dinner!

     And THAT is what is meant by the Energy Revolution. The Tesla Battery pack means no more blackouts, no more rate hikes, no more transmission fees and hidden costs. No more days at the gas station, filling up with Super Unleaded because Regular is "out" or the pump is broken. All it takes is thinking outside the box a little bit. Outside the box, where power is clean, renewable and works for you. Thanks Elon Musk! I just can't wait until he builds the Iron Man suit.

Sustainability

     Here is my favorite video on Sustainability. In my travels, I have learned that many people think they know what it means, but actually have it wrong. I did, too! There's know shame in learning something new. Watch and enjoy.

Movie Review: Antarctica A Year on the Ice

     I watched a really spectacular movie yesterday evening. Antarctica: A Year on the Ice was filmed and directed by Anthony Powell during the course of one year at McMurdo Station on Ross Island. I can't even begin to describe the video, pictures, events and breathtaking scenery. I have always had a strange fascination with Antarctica, and after watching this movie, I have come to realize I am not alone. You can watch the trailer below.

     From hurricane-like storms, to massive ice sheets; from seals and penguins to the Southern Lights and star like you have never seen before. Antarctica is a global treasure, barely touched and unspoiled. Except, its delicate and immense beauty is threatened by our way of life. Rising sea temperatures, melting ice... you know what's happening around the world today. Its having an effect on the Southern Continent.

     The film is available on iTunes, Amazon and just about anywhere you can do an online search. There are free versions out there is you don't want to pay .99 cents to rent it.

Obama's Anger Translator

     The White House Correspondence Dinner is always funny. Every year, I love watching the clips and reading the jokes. It one of those few times in politics that the "truth" is met head on and sarcasm rules supreme.

     Below is the Presidents speech, complete with anger translator "Luthor" (Keegan-Michael Key from Comedy Centrals Key and Peele). This is pretty funny, and when POTUS starts talking about climate change, well its spot on. Enjoy.

   
   

Cloudy Days

     I took this picture this morning. I love how the clouds looked with the Sun streaming through. The fact I got the solar farm in the shot was just a bonus. I've taken so many of that thing over the past few months. Of course the one driving by at 60 mph from the car is the best one. A nice way to wake up in the morning, yes?

     Believe it or not, the clouds don't stop the solar array from making electricity. This a common misconception that many people have about solar energy. Many detractors of solar power like to wax on about how cloudy days mean no electricity. As usual, they don't know what they are talking about.

     Think about it this way: On a cloudy day, is it dark like it would be at 2am? No, it isn't. Why not? Because the Sun's rays still penetrate the clouds. Even the most menacing storm clouds don't make it so dark that you can't see. So, the fact that there is enough light to allow you to see when it's cloudy means the Sun's rays are still hitting the Earth, and any solar panels positioned to catch them. (Do I sound like a Public Service Announcement?)

     It is even possible, under the right conditions, to produce more electricity on a partly cloudy day than on a hot sunny day. PV panels can get too hot from all that sunshine and sometimes part of the array will shutdown so the panels can cool down. Cloud cover keeps the temperature low, which can keep more panels cooler during the day, thus allowing them to operate longer. All that can mean more energy produced!

    (The heads of anti-solar people everywhere just exploded. Because I'm sure they all read this blog, right?) 

     So, on cloudy days, photovoltaics keep right on converting sunlight into energy. That means when it's cloudy, you can still charge your computer, wash your kids dirty clothes in the washing machine, go for a walk without a flashlight or turn the tv on so you can watch the Stanley Cup Playoffs. You know, all the important things in life.

The more you know...

Happy Earth Day

     "Now I know why I am here. Not for a closer look at the Moon, but to look back at our home, the Earth."        
                                                                                                     - Alfred Worden, Apollo Astronaut

     "Look again at that dot. That's here, that's home, that's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there--on a mote of dust in a sunbeam."
                                                                                                      - Astronomer Carl Sagan

Denial in the Time of Climate Change

     I found this online yesterday: a "Denial Guide". Used by dysfunctional families everywhere, this blue-print is also used by Climate Change Deniers in there campaign to make it appear as if there is a debate about Anthropogenic Climate Change. This is how they create doubt and  confuse people into thinking that Climate Change isn't happening...or that Climate Change IS happening, but is natural and is not caused by humans...or that it is natural but is good for us! What these Deniers say always depends on who they are talking to and in which situation. Their message is always catered to their audience.

     Many of you may be surprised to learn that this script isn't new. The blueprint has worked effectively for the past 160+ years: for opponents (past and present) of Darwin's Theory of Evolution, for Watson and Crick's DNA model, for the Tobacco Companies in the 1960's and 70's who claimed that smoking was not bad for you. That's why the Fossil Fuel industry uses it today...its effective! Imagine if Albert Einstein had let the naysayers affect his theory on General or Special Relativity?

     Geneticist Sean B. Carroll wrote "The Making of the Fittest: DNA and the Ultimate Record of Evolution", in which he identified the "six core features of denialism". The comparisons between what happened with the Tobacco Industry

Volcanoes vs. Fossil Fuels

     Next time some one tells you that volcanoes cause more global warming than burning fossil fuels, show them this little graphic. Then politely inform them that before the Industrial Revolution just over 200 years ago, there weren't any CO2 emissions from the burning of fossil fuels. Then tell them that over the past 200 years, we have cut down almost 50 percent of the worlds forests.

     Then ask them again, "Do you really believe humans cannot have a lasting and dangerous effect on the planet's atmosphere?"

Oh, The Things People Say

     Former HP executive Carly Fiorina the other day blamed environmentalists for California's record drought. She said that environmental groups blocked the construction of new dams and reservoirs over the past decade or so, which has only made California's water shortage issue worse. Apparently, it has nothing to do with the lack of precipitation.

     I guess Ms. Fiorina (a potential presidential candidate) doesn't understand that if those reservoirs had been built, they too would all be low right now. You know, due to the lack of rain and snow which has lowered the water levels across the state. Reservoirs catch and hold rain water and snow melt...they don't make rain. To put it in laymen's terms: if you have 8 empty glasses outside and it doesn't rain, and you add 4 more empty glasses and it doesn't rain...you still have empty glasses! Someone should show her a poster of the Hydrological Cycle, which can be found in every 6th Grade Science classroom in the country.

(Illustration from Trenberth et al., 2007, Estimates of the global water budget and its annual cycle using observational and model data, Journal of Hydrometeorology.)

     The sad part is that some people out there will hear or read Ms. Fiorina's words and actually believe them. They will blindly support her and push for more reservoirs, so they can have more empty ones to be concerned about, without regard for the real facts and evidence. The MOUNTAINS of evidence! Facing and acknowledging climate change and the fact that humans are causing it is too much for many to face, because it means they have to change how they live, which many are unwilling to do, regardless if it means leaving this whole mess to their kids and grandkids to deal with.

     However, there is silver lining to what Ms. Fiorina said. She has graciously given me some really good material for this blog. If she believes that environmentalists are to blame for California's water shortage, I wonder what else she may believe:

- That Narcotics Anonymous is the main reason that there is a drug problem in the United States.

- That if there were no Gun Control Advocates, than there would not be a gun issue in this country.

- That coal ash and chemical spills are good for rivers and streams.

- That polar bears are to blame for the ice melting in Antarctica.

- That if the poor had more money, than they would make all of us poor.

- That since sea level is rising, there really isn't a drought.

- That if we put more cars on the highways, traffic would get better.

- That if we all held our breath, breathing would be easier.

     Good grief. It just goes to show you, even a former CEO of a Fortune 500 company can be completely clueless. Someone should hire her an adviser to prevent this kind of crap.