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Yes, it's hot and the inconvenient truth of Greendale is that Sun Green was right.
As the impacts of climate change intensify and accelerate, the denialists only continue to cling to their outdated thinking as they drive us down the wrong fork in the road.
From NBC Meteorologist On Record Heat Wave: 'If We Did Not Have Global Warming, We Wouldn't See This' | ThinkProgress:
Our climate system is breaking records at an unnatural pace with over 15,000 Heat Records.
During the June 22-to-28 period, there were 2,132 warm temperature records set or tied in the U.S., compared to 486 cold temperature records. This includes 267 monthly warm temperature records, and 54 all-time warm temperature records.
For the year-to-date, warm temperature records have been outpacing cold temperature records by about 7-to-1.
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Greenland Ice Sheet Melt Nearing Critical ‘Tipping Point’ | ThinkProgress:
The Greenland ice sheet is poised for another record melt this year, and is approaching a “tipping point” into a new and more dangerous melt regime in which the summer melt area covers the entire land mass, according to new findings from polar researchers.The ice sheet is the focus of scientific research because its fate has huge implications for global sea levels, which are already rising as ice sheets melt and the ocean warms, exposing coastal locations to greater damage from storm surge-related flooding.
Greenland’s ice has been melting faster than many scientists expected just a decade ago, spurred by warming sea and land temperatures, changing weather patterns, and other factors. Until now, though, most of the focus has been on ice sheet dynamics — how quickly Greenland’s glaciers are flowing into the sea. But the new research raises a different basis for concern.
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From June 28 News: Arctic Sea Ice Levels Reach Record Low In June | ThinkProgress:
Satellite observations show the extent of the floating ice that melts and refreezes every year was 318,000 square miles less last week than the same day period in 2007, the year of record low extent, and the lowest observed at this time of year since records began in 1979. Separate observations by University of Washington researchers suggest that the volume of Arctic sea ice is also the smallest ever calculated for this time of year.
Scientists cautioned that it is still early in the “melt season”, but said that the latest observations suggest that the Arctic sea ice cover is continuing to shrink and thin and the pattern of record annual melts seen since 2000 is now well established. Last year saw the second greatest sea ice melt on record, 36% below the average minimum from 1979-2000.
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As Exxon CEO Calls Global Warming's Impacts 'Manageable', Colorado Wildfires Shutter Climate Lab | ThinkProgress:
Fueled by a warming climate, Colorado is experiencing its worst fire season in its history.
It’s also worth nothing that by mid-century, wildfires in the West our projected to be far, far worse. Here’s the grim projection from a presentation made by the President’s science adviser Dr. John Holdren in Oslo in 2010: "We can barely manage the wildfires we have today. How exactly would much of the West “manage” a 4-fold to 6-fold increase in wildfires? And that’s just from a 1°C increase in temperatures. We could see 5 times that this century."
More on the inconvenient truth of Greendale.
Never have I seen a post that is less connected to Neil Young. While I agree that global warming poses major challenges, I don't really turn to Ole Neil for information or prognostication on that subject.
ReplyDeleteIts really sad how wasteful people are with our precious natural resources even after 40 years,. Can't say nobody warned us. Al, Sun, Dr. Hansen. The beat goes on...
ReplyDeleteAnon 8:58, I can see why you might think that. On the face of it, you could say that a post about climate warming is not directly related to Neil, and that we should instead focus on his music. But his music does reflect the issue, e.g. Natural Beauty, After The Goldrush, Greendale, A Fork In The Road, etc. Is Neil an expert on the subject? I doubt he could throw around statistics with the researchers, but it doesn't take an expert to know which way things are headed, and Neil has interjected the whole thing into his music, and therefore exposed those who follow the music to another take on the issue.
ReplyDeleteWe've been down this road before of whether or not the music and the issue meet up in a meaningful way, and I understand the view that it doesn't for some, but I personally think it does. Just as when Neil put out Living With War because no one in the music world seemed to be calling attention to the issues at hand, to me something like that applies in terms of the climate. While it is true that climate change has been widely discussed, it could be argued that it has not been discussed enough, given the stakes, and that Neil's focus on it is welcome input. It's not a stretch to find the thread of the issue in the music going back many years, and as followers of the subtle features of the music, not a stretch for those following Neil closely to take his lead and keep the discussion going.
Just as a side note, I wonder if anyone who saw the movie "Knowing", with Nick Cage, thought what I thought during the concluding moments of the movie, as the "silver space ships" began the process of shuttling off the "chosen ones" to safety- that After The Goldrush could easily have been the soundtrack to that concluding scene. Walked out of the matinee showing of the movie into the parking lot, and was met by the setting sun, larger than life directly in my eyes on the horizon. Turned the car on, and right on cue the CD player played After The Goldrush from Greatest Hits. Freaked me out, especially since I believe that carbon emissions have little to nothing to do with warming. From what I can tell, it is the instability of the sun, but that's a topic for another time. Also, I just reread a comment from Neil on the subject of the last stanza of the song, in which he states that he thinks it really is going to happen. I don't know, timely issue, timely music, maybe time getting short? Something for all of us to be increasingly aware of, wherever it can be found and discussed.
A Friend Of Yours
lol...the Earth has been warming and cooling for billions of years before human beings came along...to think that people can affect the weather is arrogant beyond description...summertime is hot...duh...Al Gore is a huckster who has made millions pandering to those who would foolishly listen to his crap...all while living in a mansion in Tennessee that uses ten times the power of an average American household...oh well...Greendale is still a great album...
ReplyDeleteAnon 8:09, it's easy to pick on Al Gore, because, well, it's so easy. Gore is definitely advancing a bogus, globalist driven fraud of a theory, but natural cycles of warming and cooling aside, what's relevant is that we're in a period of major warming, and we had better wake up as a species and start making some wise choices. When the weather interrupts the growing of food, and the levels of the oceans, with about 90% of the worlds population on coast line, then like I say, it's time to sit up and notice. From the perspective of the environment, Greendale is a great album yes, but not because it trumpeted a theory of warming. In this respect it has more to do with wanton pollution and the need to be good stewards of the earth, not to mention the need to make wise decisions. It's a big topic, and well worth discussing.
ReplyDeleteA Friend Of Yours
So you think its arrogant to think we can alter the climate?
ReplyDeletehuh?
it's just a fact. read some science journals maybe? Or look outside. everywhere you look, man has altered nature.
She's on the run & not too happy.
Do you think its arrogant to beleive that man was created in god's own image? Now that is really arrogance.
face it. your world is about to come crashing down on you.
eb
It's easy to pick on anyone. I love Al Gore. The difference is that humans accelerated global warming this time, Anon. Ever hear of this area of study called "science?" Scientists can mark all the warming and cooling phases beginning with 5 billion years ago through radiometric dating and other experiments. 98% of the scientific community have been warning us about burning fossil fuels since 1970 because they share our ecologically fragile planet. Climate changes come and go naturally as a consequence to plants, animals, bacteria, virus, and fungus. We are breaking all the records due to this mass fluxuation of temperature in the air and water.
ReplyDeletePS Your statement about Al's mansion is unsupported. Check your facts. You and so many others who are in denial over climate warming have slandered his good name.
ReplyDeleteThe world is not going to come crashing down. It's going to be a slow, steady burn like the fires we see popping up here and there. We've see record breaking numbers of ecosystems vulnerable and lost to diseases and infestations.
ReplyDeleteAs my Dad the Jewish Carpenter says, the smartest tool in the toolbox is useless when it goes unused.
@Greg - AFOY - Thanks for seeing both the forest & trees.
ReplyDelete@MNOTR - Well, it does seem that we have a lot of useless tools in the toolbox then. sigh
Don't you think its total arrogance to imagine that we CAN'T impact the planet, since otherwise The Jewish Carpenter's teachings would be entirely otiose?
As others have calculated, if you spread the 7B human population across the globe evenly, over land and water, there would be one person each 300 yards, each releasing as much previously sequestered carbon as burning one mature-growth tree per week. Assuming your view is unobstructed from your assigned position, you’d have 5 of those fires burning within 3 city blocks of you (yours, and one each N,S,E and W), and if you are 6 ft. tall, you’d be able to see a little over 3,300 fires before the horizon blocked your vista.
So doubters, still think we’re too small and insignificant to impact global climate?
If not, that's arrogance.
"Wake up! It's a Monday morning
No time left to say goodbye
Can't breathe and the lights are changing.
You can live your own life
Making it happen
Working on your own time
Laid back and laughin'
Oh no, oh no."
This is the last dance.
Now we're off to go hug a tree...
Whats truly ignorant is that somehow all the plant and animal ecosystems are not connected and interdependent.
ReplyDeletePs my dad really did start out as a Jewish carpenter.
ReplyDeleteIt's inconvenient for people who support industrial society, consumerism, and other related concepts, to think that we CAN impact the planet.
ReplyDeleteBecause once that admission is made, the only solution is to change our behavior in ways that mean we stop supporting the bulk of industrial society and consumerism, which also means that we cease reaping the benefits of it.
It's hard for people to accept that their very own behavior is part of the problem, and needs to change, particularly when we live in a world where feelings of success are derived from the ability to participate in excess.
@Matthew L. - "It's inconvenient for people who support industrial society, consumerism, and other related concepts, to think that we CAN impact the planet. "
ReplyDeleteWe think you nailed it here. Exactly.
Denial is easy. Action takes courage.
I wonder how many musicians are going to be singing Neil's songs during their concerts in the sweltering heat.
ReplyDeleteI like Jesus's teachings, but can he save people from their own stupidity? I mean people can't even follow that one rule about doing right to people.