Hot enough for ya... to stop denyin'?
Even though a weather-climate correlation should always be heavily qualified, it's getting harder and harder to ignore the day-to-day situation that suggests a larger trend.
Hot enough for ya... to stop denyin'?
Hoo-boy, been something of a scorcher, no? As you might have guessed, Earth to Philly kind of took the summer off. Hey, it was just too hot to blog!
And even though a weather-climate correlation should always be heavily qualified (and never are by the "Omigod, a snowstorm! So much for global warming!" crowd), it's getting harder and harder to ignore the day-to-day situation that suggests a larger trend.
July 2012 was the hottest month ever recorded in the contiguous United States. During that month, the surface ice in Greenland disappeared so quickly that slackjawed scientists are still scratching their heads over how such a thing could be possible. And Richard Muller, one of the most prominent voices for what may be politely termed climate-change "skepticism" has loudly proclaimed that he was 100% wrong - the planet is indeed warming, he says, and "humans are almost entirely the cause."
Still, as we approach a cliff of no-turning-back finality, there's a distinct lack of public discourse about what needs to happen soon to avoid such a point. Earth to Philly will keep hammering away to help get this message out, but ours is a tiny (and shrill?) voice compared to who we need to hear from: At the very least, Romney and Obama should be making bold policy prescriptions that explicitly address this crisis with urgent foresight.
For Romney, tiptoeing around the issue makes perfect sense, given the large number of GOP power brokers who are as steadfast about the "hoax" of climate change as about the hoax of evolution. But Obama, who ran on explicit promises to green the presidency, is still making relatively small steps and carrying them out quietly, a pattern that can hardly be called "leadership" on the issue.
Whoever wins in November, the problem isn't going to go away. And 54.5-mile-a-gallon cars in 20 years is a tiny, if laudable, stopgap for something we must address on many levels, and in many arenas at once. For that we are going to need leaders who can inspire true change.
And what sort of change would that be, exactly? Well, there's one that's inescapable sooner or later, but we can't wait till later. We need to be generating meaningful discussions about this right now.
Hell, I'll have beach front property in Cheltenham...cha ching!— phillyphilip- its amazing to me that people still deny that the earth is warming. whether or not its human-caused should be the only debate remaining. and the fact that 98% of real scientists so its so, i'll have to go with that. i'm just an average joe, what do i know? i aint no scientemist. it cracks me up when other average joes get so angry when climatologists present their research, as if they know better. they don't go to the dentist and debate with the dentist as if they know better. its all political, and it should very aparant where these climate change "skeptics" are getting their talking points by now.— jakeAZ
- its amazing to me that people still deny that the earth is warming. whether or not its human-caused should be the only debate remaining. and the fact that 98% of real scientists so its so, i'll have to go with that. i'm just an average joe, what do i know? i aint no scientemist. it cracks me up when other average joes get so angry when climatologists present their research, as if they know better. they don't go to the dentist and debate with the dentist as if they know better. its all political, and it should very aparant where these climate change "skeptics" are getting their talking points by now.— jakeAZ
- Google all the info on faked science of global warming and how the top people fooled everyone. As I read this article it is a nice cool 71 on an August night.— Taxpaying Voter
- Google any info on anything and how top people fooled everyone.
As I read this article weather is still not climate, and never will be.— PhillySnowball - Awesome, maybe now Greenland will become a terrific tourist desination for swimming, beaches, watersports,etc become kinda like a huge island retreat like in the Carribean. Remember glaciers melt, earth temps and climates change hence why the Ice Ages happen and lakes, rivers, Grand Canyon, Great Lakes, etc were all formed and still formeing over millions and millions of years And what is no turning back finality? What is a normal global temperature?— uandwhosearmy
- Plus its summer, 90 degree + days,sometimes 100 dergees, humid, been like that for the 40 + yrs I have been here. And down here the snow storms and storms in general sometimes hit or miss with weather patterns. IM sure Glen Hurricane Schwartz can explain weather patterns and such better than Vance the 'journalist'. So what a hot summer!?! Its called seasonal changes. Wait til winter for the cooling.— uandwhosearmy
- "ne of my favorite philosophical tenets is that people will agree with you only if they already agree with you. You do not change people's minds."......Frank Zappa. And for deniers, the more facts you present, the more they stick their head in their shell, in the sand, or up their a**. After all, to acknowledge the facts only serves to shine light on their stupidity.
— CiceroSpuriousDeodatus - The ice sheet melting in Greenland happens every 150 years. Read the original article, the researchers say this. If it was due to global warming, why has it happened on a consistent basis before man made greenhouse gas emissions became significant. So how can this be part of "man made global warming"?— mjc1
- All I know is one of "global warmings" biggest advocates, Al Gore, recently invested millions in coastal waterfront property. I guess he is no longer concerned about rising sea levels. That speaks volumes to any thinking citizen that is not swayed by the environmental extremist agenda.— MilesLong1
- Tell ya what Cic, when wealthy elites like Al Gore cease travelling around the country in private jets and armadas of huge gas guzzling SUV's, creating a larger "Carbon footprint" than I could ever possibly hope to create, I'll change my so called polluting ways. Until then...forget about it. I see you like to quote FZ. Why do I have a sneaky suspicion Ms. Pinky was written about you and your ilk?— MilesLong1
- Then why is the average temprature still below what it was before the little ice age and the dark ages of Europe? Please explain.— Mystified
- I'm truly MYSTIFIED, who writes this trash.— Mystified
The experts at Philadelphia's Energy Coordinating Agency answer your energy questions in our regular feature Stay Warm, Stay Green. Send in your question or questions to energy@phillynews.com.
Look for Jenice Armstrong to supply tips on green living as well as occasional columns on the subject of Green. She also blogs at Hey Jen.
Becky Batcha stays tuned for the here-and-now practical side of conservation, alternative energy, organic foods, etc. - stuff you can do at home now. Plus odds and ends.
Laurie Conrad recycles from her ever-growing e-mailbag to pass along the latest travel deals, fashion statements, household strategies, gadgets, cool local events and other nuggets of interest to those who appreciate a clean, green world.
Vance Lehmkuhl looks at topics like eco-conscious eating, public transportation and fuel-efficient driving from his perspective as a vegetarian, a daily SEPTA bus rider and a hybrid driver, as well as noting the occasional wacky trend or product. Contact Vance with your 'green' news.
Ronnie Polaneczky sees the green movement through the eyes of her 12-year-old daughter, who calls her on every scrap of paper or glass bottle that Ronnie neglects to toss into the house recycling bins. Ronnie will blog about new or unexpected ways to go green. She also blogs at So, What Happened Was...
Sandra Shea and the DN editorial board opine on any green-related legislation or policy. And we'll pass along some of the opeds on the subject that people send us.
Jonathan Takiff will be blogging mainly about consumer electronics - those things that we love to use and that suck too much energy. He'll spotlight green-conscious gizmos made in a responsible fashion, both in terms of materials used and the energy it takes to run them.
Signe Wilkinson draws the comic strip Family Tree, which follows the Tree family as they try to live green in the face of nattering neighbors, plastic-wrapped consumer products, and the primal teenage urge to spend vast quantities of money on hair care products of dubious organic quality.
In addition to these updates from our newsroom bloggers, watch for an occasional feature, Dumpster Diver Dispatches, from Philadelphia's original "green" community of artists, the Dumpster Divers. You'll learn about creative ways to reuse and recycle while you reduce, and about the artists who are making little masterpieces from what others throw out.
Sept. 17: A head start on cold season
Oct. 8: Help with fuel bills
Oct. 29: Last-minute ways to winterize
Nov. 19: Budgeting for the big bite
