Communicating Climate Change (and other issues)

[PottercountyWXobserver]

Afghanistan was the only country, other than the US, that did not ratify the kyoto protocol(Canada later dropped out). China has spent over a trillion $ on clean energy and transportation. How much have we spent? We have wasted trillions on a useless war in Iraq.

This! The US has done jack. The US remains a big problem with energy plans.

[PottercountyWXobserver]

Two heat waves in between 2003 and 2010 that killed 150,000 Humans. That is insane and wasn't alarming enough to have any major intervention of this problem.

Heat waves in the United States now days are well prepared for so that death tolls won't be like 1988, 1995 or 1980.

Look at last summer, the death toll was great, the last I saw was 72 people, but we torched like we never torched before in modern times.

That creates a huge mirage.

If 70K Americans kicked the bucket, **** would hit the fan.

Maybe another heat wave killing 100K humans will do it. Without pure intervention of information to the masses death and destruction will only cause stern reaction.

When the NH warms another 1, 2, 3C it's going to be so much worse. It's clear to me now that we will react to death and not be proactive to prevent it.

Majority of humans have no responsibility and hold no consequences for their actions. Unfortnately major death tolls will do nothing in convincing most people, as long as its not killing them who cares right??? >.< I'm almost positive even an ice free arctic will not provide enough evidence for society, they will more than likely treat it as an option to settle new fresh land and leave behind the deserted wastelands of ignorance and self waste.

[The_Global_Warmer]

Majority of humans have no responsibility and hold no consequences for their actions. Unfortnately major death tolls will do nothing in convincing most people, as long as its not killing them who cares right??? >.< I'm almost positive even an ice free arctic will not provide enough evidence for society, they will more than likely treat it as an option to settle new fresh land and leave behind the deserted wastelands of ignorance and self waste.

I completely agree at this point. In Florida they are now facing it and are finally taking action.

In NY City if SLR rises 4 more feet then 34% of the city's streets will be flooding risk zones up from 11% now. so a rare category 2 or 3 makes bee line for the City at the right angle in the future it could be devastating.

11% of Delaware might go under water by 2100.

We could build a 10 billion dollar blocking system, or a 50 billion dollar one. What's that the same price as a few fighter jets?

http://blog.cleanenergy.org/2012/09/05/sea-level-rise-in-florida-is-no-laughing-matter/

http://gothamist.com/2012/09/11/as_tides_rise_new_york_is_slow_to_p.php

http://www.wboc.com/story/19548156/report-lists-costs-to-protect-del-bay-towns-from-sea-level-rise

http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120826/NEWS/208260335/1018/OPINION

Comment from the link above:

Next May co2 is going to hit 400PPM in Hawaii.

Decade Total Increase Annual Rate of Increase

2002 – 2011 20.72 ppm 2.07 ppm per year

1992 – 2001 16.00 ppm 1.60 ppm per year

1982 – 1991 15.10 ppm 1.51 ppm per year

1972 – 1981 13.95 ppm 1.40 ppm per year

1962 – 1971 8.88 ppm 0.89 ppm per year

2012 with so far a slightly negative enso on the year is going to be about 2.2 to 2.5ppm higher than 2011, stronger nina.

If we had a strong nino we would of been 3ppm or higher, we are increasing faster and faster.

Wait until we discover another 500 billion barrels of oil in the arctic, we will burn it all.

We found just in the last couple years well over 100 billion never explored in the Barrents.

More and more countries will keep using it because it's easy technology.

I think methane between 2013-2020 will increase 3-5x over in the arctic region being released and 5-10x from 2020-2030.

Warming is going to accelerate within 10 years, soon there will be no more stalling periods from major negative factors like the Sun, PDO, ENSO to slow GHGs. We will warm faster and slower but not near stoppage or stoppage in a short enough term.

I fear the most a .4 to .6C increase in 15-20 years shortly, I imagine GHG warming as a revved up motorcycles being held down by a chain and the chain is about to break.

We hardly ever hear that the next warming period will be with GHG higher than we have seen them so far.

[The_Global_Warmer]

Speaking of Communicating Climate Change. I know Obama is not the God of Green Energy Solutions. But to take the position Mitt and most of the GOP supporters have, which is also the super super majority of Denier's political positions is quite unfathomable to me.

The most up to date data we now have is up to the end of August. This accounts for ENSO, after the major global flooding made its way back into the waters we saw things return back to normal so to speak. Regardless, what Romney is saying is so sad.

While Romney Mocks Sea-Level Rise, City Planners across the Country Take Action

September 7, 2012 By Don Lieber

At the Republican national convention last week, Mitt Romney mocked efforts to address climate change, specifically deriding President Obama for seeking to address rising ocean levels. Here’s what he said:

“President Obama promised to begin to slow the rise of the oceans…(pause to allow for laughter) and to heal the planet. My promise … is to help you and your family.”

Romney sought to draw an emotive distinction between ‘healing the planet’ and ‘helping families’.

Outside the GOP convention center, however, city planners make no such distinction and are already taking action to address the very same sea-level rise and other climate-change-related risks which Romney derides.

Urban planners across the United States are incorporating rising sea levels in planning and construction of infrastructure, public works, social services and building construction.

The new Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, designed with sea level rise in mind. (Image credit: ImageShack user ledjes)

• In Boston, the recent construction of the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Charlestown took into account sea-level rise: the hospital was built 12 feet higher than sea level, patient rooms are on the higher floors, and mechanical and electrical systems are housed on the roof instead of in the basement like traditional buildings.
  

• In New York City, planners are institutionalizing climate change within their routine municipal planning and operations.
  
  An enhanced tree pit in Brooklyn absorbs runoff and filters pollutants. (Image credit: NYC DEP)
  The New York City Council recently passed legislation making the city’s two climate change panels, the New York City Panel on Climate Change and the New York City Climate Change Adaptation Task Force, permanent. In addition, the city has taken steps to reduce vulnerability to climate impacts by implementing green infrastructure to reduce stormwater runoff and by flood-proofing vulnerable structures.
  

Local governments across the nation are taking the issue seriously.

Portland, Maine, has experienced so much severe flooding since 2010 that it is initiating a state-wide review and initial plans for sea-level rise adaptations.

• The City Council of Portland, Maine, is preparing a “Sea-Level Rise Adaptation Plan,” while the Natural Resources Council of Maine says, “widespread action” is needed to avoid the worst scenarios of rising sea-levels.
  
• In Maryland, the state Department of Natural Resources has established a project entitled “Coastal Land Conservation in Maryland: Targeting Tools and Techniques for Sea Level Rise Adaptation and Response.” The purpose is to help Maryland proactively adapt to sea level rise and increased storm events associated with climate change. State planners, unlike Mr. Romney, understand the importance of climate-change induced sea-level rise: over the past 100 years, Maryland has seen a foot of relative sea-level rise, causing the disappearance of 13 Bay islands.
  
• The California State Land Commission issued a report titled “Sea Level Rise Preparedness,” which stated: “Sea level rise is an issue that has far reaching consequences for California. Sea level rise threatens coastal communities and infrastructure… nearly half a million people, thousands of miles of roads and railways, major ports, airports, power plants and wastewater treat-ment plants are at risk….”
  
• Multiple county municipalities across Florida are initiating plans to address rising sea-levels.
  

The list of local, city, and state action to address rising sea levels is in fact too long for the scope of this article. The author of this article invites readers, however, to google “sea-level rise planning” and review the available literature, including this excellent overview by the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Mr. Romney, in his 10-second convention-speech soundbite, dismissed ‘the rising oceans’ as unimportant — even silly. Contrast that with the official website of the City of Boston, which states: “The climate will continue to change…. some changes, such as sea-level rise… pose major risks to Boston, its infrastructure, its tax base, and its residents. For these reasons, Boston has a responsibility to prepare for climate change, even as we work to lessen its impacts.

It’s a striking contrast: planners across the country — with an actual sense of responsibility to families — beginning to take meaningful steps to address rising sea-levels while Mitt Romney, whether for political expediency or ignorance, simply mocks the issue.

[The_Global_Warmer]

So on one hand we have a man trying to be the new president who laughs at Sea level Rise.

and another who is President who wants to slow sea level rise but is allowing companies to drill for oil in the arctic ocean.

Unbelievable. No it's not, it's real!

[dabize]

So on one hand we have a man trying to be the new president who laughs at Sea level Rise.

and another who is President who wants to slow sea level rise but is allowing companies to drill for oil in the arctic ocean.

Unbelievable. No it's not, it's real!

Now THAT is something to be alarmed about, and it can't reasonably be considered "scaremongering" to say so.

[dabize]

Now THAT is something to be alarmed about, and it can't reasonably be considered "scaremongering" to say so.

http://www.tomdispatch.com/blog/175595/tomgram%3A_lewis_lapham,_the_rule_of_money/

This article nicely sets the sociopolitical context in which the problem of communicating the facts about and importance of AGW to our collective future MUST be considered.