Clay Jones for April 23, 2014

Yes it does. But not with the rapidity as it has in recent decades.

The problem with global warming is not that it is happening. The real issue is the climate models over estimate the change which makes it difficult to decide how serious the problem will be and consequently how many bazillions of dollars would have to be spent to slow it down. Of course the money would come from all the other things we need to do. Also the rest of the world would have to agree and cooperate in the effort. Best bet is to buy flood insurance if you live in Florida.

The USA is rapidly becoming the ONLY nation on the planet, in the UN, and member of every other Int’l organization that does not acknowledge climate change is happening more rapidly and is becoming a threat to people and life everywhere. The only reason for this attitude is the short sighted corporate attitude that it costs too much to make necessary changes and besides, “I’LL BE DEAD BEFORE IT EFFECTS ME.” So many of these claim to be religious but fail one of our first instructions in the bible, to take care of the planet. It amazes me how fathers can look at their children each day and not be concerned about the damage their industries are doing to the planet, and to local air and water. While most of the executives who have contaminated the rivers in W.VA., and N.C. don’t live near those water sources, it is still shocking they don’t feel some sense of duty instead of a sense of, “How can I keep this from hurting my stock value?”There are many commentators in GC who are quick to insult those of us who believe the 97% of scientists, the NOAA, and the images of islands and low lying coastal areas already effected by rising water. The failure to realize that more severe winters is a direct cause of a warmer North Pole is a failure to educate one’s self, or a deliberate desire to be right no matter what the cost.My son recently said, “I don’t know if this climate change stuff is real or not, but what’s the harm in treating it like it is? Will something bad happen to the planet if we do the things that scientists say we need to do?”I agree. While I do believe in this growing threat, I also believe that even if I’m wrong, we should take action.Failing to do so will, if we’re lucky, cost exponentially more in food, water, housing, and living space. If we’re not lucky, money will mean nothing and only the people with the weapons and army strong enough to hold arable land will survive in a land without luxuries, a land that is hostile to those who allowed it to be made toxic.Respectfully,C.

Human activity is almost certainly increasing the rate of climate change; but the climate will change with or without the effects of human activity. We need to invest in mitigation, like evacuating everyone living under an elevation of 200 ft, rather than wasting time and treasure trying to turn back the tide.

Hmm, a few hundred thousand years ago, “people” had to hit one another in the head with a rock to kill each other. Today, we can use a gun and bullet from over a kilometer away, or use a nuclear weapon to kill tens, or even hundreds of thousands of people in a single stroke. We can devastate millions of acres of land for either palm oil, or cattle grazing in excess of carrying capacity.

Nope, there’s no way humans have “advanced” enough to have an impact on the planet, regionally, or more broadly.

I remember the scene from CATCH-22 wherein the old man in the brothel mocks Nately and his optimism that America is winning the war and will always continue to do great things in the world. The cynical old man compares America’s brief moment in the sun to how long frogs have been on earth:.“The frog is almost five hundred million years old. Could you really say with much certainty that America, with all its strength and prosperity, with its fighting man that is second to none, and with its standard of living that is highest in the world, will last as long as…the frog? ” .When I first read that in the late 1960s, I thought how true it was. But now, it seems many species of frogs and other amphibians are becoming extinct. The following is from “Frogs: The Thin Green Line,” a recent “Nova” program on PBS:.“Frogs have been living on this planet for more than 250 million years, and over the centuries, evolved into some of the most wondrous and diverse creatures on earth. Today, however, all their remarkable adaptations and survival tactics are failing them. Recent discoveries are startling: more than a third of all amphibians – most of which are frogs and toads – have already been lost, and more are disappearing every day…” .It is turning out a lot of things we once thought true are changing. Most likely all large wild land predators will eventually exist only in zoos. The Amazon rain forest is gradually disappearing. Fishermen in some places are finding it very hard to make a living. Fertilizer runoff is causing dead zones on the continental shelves. .It’s generally said that Homo sapiens, and his need for space to live and grow food in mass quantities, that is a major part of the problem. What is the solution? Will the Earth eventually impose a solution on us?

Correction: “Frogs: The Thin Green Line” is a “Nature” program. I have a special affection for frogs and salamanders, as I used to “hunt” them when I was about 8 years old. The world is a new and wonderful place full of amazing creatures when a kid is that age. Will children in the future eventually see those creatures only in zoos?

Tigger, read a book. Then comment. Here’s a suggestion:“Global Warming: Understanding the Forecast”, by David Archer. Blackwell, 2007. I warn you, it has numbers in it.

In the U.S., the deciding factor is, of course, MONEY. Those with the money want their wealth TODAY. They want to enjoy their large lifestyle TODAY. They don’t give a damn about the U.S. as a nation, about other nations, nor their own children. Tomorrow’s problems are not theirs.

Correct, 4my. And man hasn’t made a dent in it. Except gore.