January 30, 2005
Bad Week for Global Warming News
The last week has not been a good one for news on global warming. In fact, we haven't had any good news for quite some time. A flurry of reports were released - my guess is to coincide with the Davos World Economic Forum. The two most astonishing pieces of news were: 1) the temperature of the planet might rise by 11 degrees Celsius (that is 19.8 degrees Fahrenheit) (Bleak Results from the World's Largest Climate Experiment); 2) and that the point of "no return" could be as close as 10 years (Climate Change: Countdown to Global Catastrophe) with disaster striking by 2026 (Climate change 'disaster by 2026').
There is a very good discussion of what is happening at the Antarctic - Antarctica, Warming, Looks Ever More Vulnerable, which talks about the actual loss of icecap. Most alarming in the wake of the Asian tusnami is the information that an ice shelf the size of Texas could go crashing into the sea. I have no idea the size of a wave that would be caused by such a massive displacement, but it would make the last tsumani look very small indeed.
As we all know, there are vested interests in denying global warming, or downplaying it. Therefore it is not surprising that "quieting articles" are also present in this week's news. One example is Cahill's NYT article - 'Extreme Weather': You Do Need a Weatherman, which is a very loose review of "Extreme Weather: A Guide & Record Book." The article is a clear effort in that direction. We also get the heads up that Oil firms fund climate change 'denial'. Well, that is no surprise either as they have been doing that all along.
Certainly the pressure is on for the US to do more about global warming. Also released in time for the Davos meetings is the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy 2005 Environmental Sustainability Index (link is to the Executive Summary). It shows that the United States (the largets generator of global warming gasses though China is rapidly "gaining" ground) ranks 45th out of 146 nations in addressing the issue. That is behind nations such as Botswana and Bhutan. At the bottom of the list are nations where the US hand has been quite visible - Haiti and Iraq.
I would like to highlight the ClimatePrediction.net program. This is a public effort to generate the computing power necessary to run climate scenarios. Individuals can donate their computers as part of a distributive computing network. The basic model software is downloaded to your computer and then runs in the background whenever you are connected to the internet. The project then uses this network to run the massive calculations necessary. It is an ingenious (and apparently effective) approach. It has allowed the project to run numerous scenarios that would take years even using super-computers. It is a painless way for individuals to contribute. The project allows you to specifiy how much of your disk space and bandwidth you are willing to contribute, and when it can be used. Here is the link for more information.
Sources and Resources
Calculating temperature equivalents - Temperature Unit Conversions
1/23/05 Lean, Independent/UK, Global Warming Approaching Point of No Return, Warns Leading Climate Expert
1/24/05 Barringer, NYT, Nations Ranked as Protectors of the Environment
1/26/05 Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy, 2005 Environmental Sustainability Index - Executive Summary (REPORT)
1/24/05 McCarthy, Independent/UK, Climate Change: Countdown to Global Catastrophe
1/25/05 International Climate Change Taskforce, Meeting the Climate Challenge (Summary at Center for American Progress) (REPORT)
1/25/05 Rohter, NYT, Antarctica, Warming, Looks Ever More Vulnerable
1/26/05 ClimatePrediction.net, Bleak Results from the World's Largest Climate Experiment (Report Link)
1/26/05 Black, BBC, Alarm at new climate warning
1/27/05 Adam Guardian/UK, Oil firms fund climate change 'denial'
1/27/05 Connor, Independent/UK, Global warming is 'twice as bad as previously thought'
1/30/05 Cahill, NYT, 'Extreme Weather': You Do Need a Weatherman
1/30/05 BBC, Climate change 'disaster by 2026'
Posted by rowan at January 30, 2005 9:12 AM | TrackBack | [eMail this article!] |It is my bet that we are already passed the 'no return' phase. If not, I doubt enough people will change their behavior should media and politics address the issue in a responsible manner.
I, also, do not foresee the USA ranking any higher on the list above. It is all about business as usual, or until the competition becomes too great. How far away are we from that? Already there are signs that our government is preparing for this competition. There is a reason the Cold War weapons are not being dismantled and new weapons are being created.
Kiss the polar bears bye-bye:
I just read where they are threatened by global warming. If they go extinct, it may well be the death knell, the true point of no return for many on the planet. It's a hell of a thing for this to be happening.
When China completes their 3 gorge dam, it will have 9 times the electrical output of Hoover dam - then there will industrialization on one hell of a massive scale 'over there'. If anyone thinks the US has lousey pollution standards, you ain't seen nothing yet once Chinese industry gets going with that much available power. With power comes capital and with capital comes cars and oil consumption. They have 1.3 billion people. It's not looking so good for the planet, folks.
Posted by: goesh at January 31, 2005 11:41 AM