The National Climate Data Center reports that October was the 332nd consecutive month of above average temperatures. That means that anyone 27 years-old or under has never seen a colder-than-average month in their lives.

CO2 Levels are the Real Issue but few are paying attention

Please watch this short video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxQNy8G1cIQ&feature=plcp

Hurricane Sandy and Climate Change

Hurricane Sandy is predicted to potentially be the largest hurricane observed in the northeastern United States. Just last year, we got socked to the tune of $15.6 billion in damages by hurricane Irene.  Hurricanes, like heat waves and droughts are becoming more frequent and more extreme. This is what climatologists have been warning us will happen if we keep burning fossil fuels.

Every 24 hours humans pump 91 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere?  CO2 lingers in the atmosphere for over 100 years.  As a result, the CO2 concentration has jumped from an 800,000 average of 280 parts per million to today’s 393 parts per million. That’s a very sudden jump of 113 parts per million!

The more CO2 in the atmosphere, the hotter the atmosphere gets. The hotter the atmosphere gets, the more moisture it holds. The more moisture it holds the bigger and more frequent the storms get. As the atmosphere gets hotter it causes severe storms and flooding in some areas and heat waves cause severe droughts and wildfires in other areas. 

The CO2 we put in the atmosphere comes from burning fossil fuels such as oil, coal, and natural gas. For example, with every gallon of gas you burn, you put 20 pounds of CO2 into the atmosphere and that stays up there for over a hundred years. Even the Marcellus Shale natural gas that our government touts as our energy future is a fossil fuel and puts 117 pounds of CO2 into the atmosphere for every one million BTUs of energy it creates.  Keep in mind; we pump 91 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere every 24 hours.

This summer we saw 75% of the Arctic Polar Ice Cap melt away, we saw record heat waves, droughts and wild fires, so there is now no doubt that global warming is happening. If we plan to survive on this planet, we have to stop burning oil, coal and natural gas as quickly as possible.

Think about it like this; you are in a car speeding toward a solid wall. If you speed past a given point, applying the brakes will be too late to avoid a fatal crash. We have already passed that line pumping CO2 into the atmosphere. We are passed the point of avoiding a collision but we still have a short window of time to prevent it from being fatal.

Politicians and fossil fuel industry people say it will hurt the economy to change to clean green energy. But, you know what? Switching to clean energy will boost our economy and create jobs. How many Katrina’s, Irene’s, and Sandy’s do we have to pay damages for before we figure it out?

 But, the most baffling consideration is: If we don’t stop burning fossil fuels right now when we hit the wall the economy will be a moot point!

Why Won't Candidates Talk About Global Warming?

Why isn’t climate change being discussed in the Presidential debates? It is the most ominous threat to the survival of humanity, yet not only are our presidential candidates not talking about it, they are talking about burning more fossil fuels as part of their future energy plans.

 Every 24 hours humans pump 91 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere?  CO2 lingers in the atmosphere for over 100 years.  As a result, the CO2 concentration has jumped from an 800,000 average of 280 parts per million to today’s 393 parts per million. That’s a very sudden jump of 113 parts per million!

The more CO2 in the atmosphere, the hotter the atmosphere gets. The hotter the atmosphere gets, the more moisture it holds. The more moisture it holds the bigger and more frequent the storms get. As the atmosphere gets hotter it causes severe storms and flooding in some areas and heat waves cause severe droughts and wildfires in other areas. 

The CO2 we put in the atmosphere comes from burning fossil fuels such as oil, coal, and natural gas. For example, with every gallon of gas you burn, you put 20 pounds of CO2 into the atmosphere and that stays up there for over a hundred years. Keep in mind; we pump 91 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere every 24 hours.

This summer we saw 75% of the Arctic Polar Ice Cap melt away, we saw record heat waves, droughts and wild fires, so there is now no doubt that global warming is happening. If we plan to survive on this planet, we have to stop burning oil, coal and natural gas as quickly as possible.

Think about it like this; you are in a car speeding toward a solid wall. If you speed past a given point, applying the brakes will be too late to avoid a fatal crash. That’s where we are now pumping CO2 into the atmosphere. We have now passed the point of avoiding a collision but we still have a short window of time to prevent it from being fatal.

Politicians and fossil fuel industry people say it will hurt the economy to change to clean green energy. But, you know what? Switching to clean energy will boost our economy and create jobs. But, the most baffling consideration is: If we don’t stop burning fossil fuels right now when we hit that wall the economy will be a moot point!

This season's Arctic sea ice loss was over 75% of it's original area. Only around 24% remained this year. This year's loss was equivalent to the land mass of Alaska and Canada combined. NOAA says that ElNinio has stalled. No one has an idea what impact that will have on weather but it is suspected that it will extend droughts in the south western United States.

Hilarious Must See Video - Please watch

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/09/04/792061/must-see-video-what-if-a-tv-weather-forecaster-told-the-truth/?fb_action_ids=4167204615070&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=288381481237582

This part of the latest NOAA report about global temperatures:


Global Highlights
• The average combined global land and ocean surface temperature for July 2012 was 0.62°C (1.12°F) above the 20th century average of 15.8°C (60.4°F). This is the fourth warmest July since records began in 1880.

• The globally-averaged land surface temperature for July 2012 was the third warmest July on record, at 0.92°C (1.66°F) above average.

• The Northern Hemisphere land surface temperature for July 2012 was the all-time warmest July on record, at 1.19°C (2.14°F) above average.

• ENSO-neutral conditions continued in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean during July 2012 as sea surface temperature anomalies in that region continued to rise. The average July worldwide ocean surface temperature ranked as the seventh warmest July on record.

• The combined global land and ocean average surface temperature for January–July 2012 was the 10th warmest such period on record, at 0.53°C (0.95°F) above the 20thcentury average.

Richard Whiteford

Humans are at the fulcrum point of deciding; do we want to continue pursuing unbridled unsustainable capitalism and destroy our earthly life support system, in which case economy will become a moot point; or do we make environmental protection and health our top priority and survive as a species?

There isn’t a more perfect example of why money should be removed from our political process than Senator James Inhofe (R-OKL).  He’s the epitome of a bought politician.

There are few as zealous against environmental protection as he. His most recent escapade was championing a bill S.J. Res 37 using an obscure Congressional Review Act to try to block the EPA’s Mercury and Air Toxics Standards rule. Lucky for humanity, he lost.

The EPA’s Mercury and Air Toxics Standards require steep reductions of mercury, lead, arsenic, and other toxic pollutant emissions from coal-fired power plants.  It is estimated that the reduction of these pollutants will save 11,000 lives annually, prevent more than 100,000 asthma and heart attacks yearly, and it’s estimated to reduce associated medical cost by $80 billion annually.

Senator Inhofe is also one of the staunchest deniers of climate change. He held witch hunt hearings against established peer-reviewed climatologists like Dr. James Hansen at NASA and Dr. Michael Mann, a scientist on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) trying to discredit them by misquoting their scientific reports and telling outright lies about their science.

In his effort to discredit real climatologists, Inhofe pushed junk non peer-reviewed science and quack scientists like Fred Singer, Richard Lindzen, and Frederick Sietz whose fake “science” has been publicly summarily and repeatedly debunked. They also have been exposed for receiving thousands, in some cases millions, of dollars from the fossil fuel industry either directly or funneled indirectly through extreme conservative “think tanks” like The Heartland Institute and the George C. Marshal Institute. Basing his “proof” that climate change is a hoax on their phony science, Inhofe coined his infamous phrase, “climate change is the biggest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people”. He, more than anyone, is responsible for derailing vital climate change legislation in congress. 

If his campaign contributions were overlooked one might think he were insane. After all, on the Rachel Maddow Show on March 15, 2012 Inhofe said, “I was actually on your side on the issue (global warming) when I was chairing the committee (Senate Environmental Committee) and I first heard about this. I thought it must be true until I found out what it would cost (to fix it).”  What?

Perhaps he meant to say, how much it paid to be a denier. According to Opensecrets, Inhofe accepted $311,800 in oil contributions during the 110^th Congress.  He received $662,506 from oil companies between 2000 and 2008, making him the top congressional recipient of oil money.  He has received $152,800 in coal industry contributions during the 110^th Congress.  Opensecrets listed Inhofe’s top five campaign contributors from 2005 to 2010 as: Koch Industries - $41,800, Murray Energy - $31,100, Reed Elsevier Inc. - $29,450, OEG Energy - $21,800, and Contran Corp - $21,500. Inhofe’s campaign contributions from the fossil fuel industry since 1998 total $1,189,050. No wonder he’s against environmental regulations! While he was receiving all of this money he’s been serving on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works; as Chairman from 2003 to 2007 and now as Ranking Minority member. Talk about the fox in the hen house!

After his junk science and his quack scientists were summarily discredited, he tried a new tactic - religion. In a radio interview with Vic Eliason on Voice of Christian Youth America, Inhofe said “only God can change the climate, and the idea that manmade pollution could affect the seasons is “arrogance”. In his book, The Greatest Hoax: How the Global Warming Conspiracy Threatens Your Future, Inhofe quotes Genesis 8:22, “as long as the Earth remains there will be springtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, day and night “, as his biblical foundation for disbelieving human caused climate change.

Meanwhile scientists measure 91 million tons of CO2 pumping into the atmosphere globally every 24 hours. They watched CO2 levels rise 116 parts per million (PPM) in the last 120 years, or so, to today’s 396.18 PPM. This steep jump in CO2 levels comes after an 800,000 year period of CO2 levels hovering at a steady natural average of around 280 PPM. That sudden jump is not natural and we know it comes directly from burning fossil fuels. Scientists also observe the ten hottest years on record occurring since 1998. To continuing to burn fossil fuels is total insanity.

Now, if Senator Inhofe were so religiously inspired where is his love and compassion for the humans that suffer now from pollution and climate change around the planet?  In fact, considering that his state, Oklahoma, suffered from extreme droughts and tornadoes in 2011 and ranchers lost over 117,000 head of cattle, and many their livelihoods, how can he possibly deny climate change and keep a straight face?  

Campaign financing PAC and Super PAC money keeps legislators like him in power. Inhofe doesn’t represent the people of Oklahoma; he’s a pimp for the fossil fuel industry.  His brand of politician is destroying our democracy and our ability to survive on this planet.

 It’s all about money, but if we disrupt earth’s life support system, the economy will be a moot point.  It’s time for people to pay attention and change the system.

Wild fires, wild storms, early excessive heat. CO2 levels at the highest ever, now 396.48 PPM. That's 116 PPM higher than any time in at least the last 800,000 years.

My testimony at the EPA last week:

May, 24, 2012
EPA Docket Center
Room 3334,
1301 Constitution Ave., NW,
Washington, DC, 20460. 

Reference: Public hearings on proposed carbon pollution standard for new power plants.

I’m sure you know that CO2 levels are now at 396.18 parts per million (PPM) according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. That’s over 116 PPM higher than any time in the last 800,000 years during which it hovered around 280 PPM. That increase happened in roughly the last 120 years.

We know beyond any doubt that this rapid increase is due to humans burning fossil fuels. We are also seeing the effects of this level of CO2 in frequent and severe storms in some areas and more prolonged severe droughts in others. These events are causing billions of dollars in property and business losses and displacing millions of people globally. It will, in the near future, cause catastrophic disruption to water supplies, agriculture production, and food availability to millions of people on several continents leading to famine and wars.

Due to this, and given no matter how you burn oil, gas, wood or coal, it’s end product is CO2 that further exacerbates the problem. That’s why this proposal for a carbon pollution standard for new power plants won’t work. 

 At this writing there is no known technology that can “reduce” CO2 emissions from burning fossil fuels or to sequester it. That’s a pipe dream. Our only option is to stop burning it. Shift the oil company subsidies to non-carbon based energy technology as soon as possible and get that technology moving.

Much of the delay is caused from the politicization of climate change by anti-science campaigns well funded by the fossil fuel industry and orchestrated by “think tanks” like the Heartland Institute and the George C. Marshall Institute, to name a few. With the overwhelming peer-reviewed science that supports the fact that climate change is real, dangerous, and urgent, how did the government let hearsay triumph science?

The United States Government has squandered precious time by not taking this problem serious enough years ago when we could have lessened the impacts of climate change by keeping CO2 levels lower. What’s even worse, the United States’ leadership on the world stage has been abysmal causing critical delays in worldwide cooperation.

The Administration needs to get some backbone, shut the climate deniers up, and get us off of fossil fuels now. For the sake of the continuation of the human race why in the name of God aren’t you doing this?
Richard Whiteford – The Climate Reality Project
908 Covington Drive

Downingtown, PA 19335   610-246-7974 - Savebisophere3@verizon.net

“Follow the money” advised Deep Throat, the clandestine informer in the movie All the President’s Men about the Watergate break-in. Well, that advice also applies to the massive disinformation campaign financed by the fossil fuel industry and promoted by the Heartland Institute to convince government officials and the public that climate change is a hoax in spite of the fact that peer reviewed science and every National Academy of Science on the planet proves otherwise.

 Very little of Heartland’s anti-climate “science” is peer reviewed which means that it is not really science. Much of it comes from the infamous Fred Singer and his phony Science and Environmental Policy Project (SEPP). Fred Singer is the “scientist” that the tobacco industry held up against medical research to claim that smoking doesn’t cause cancer. Then the chemical industry paraded him out to claim that CFC’s didn’t destroy ozone in the atmosphere. Now, in perfect succession, he goes against overwhelming evidence that proves climate change is very real and at a very dangerous level. In fact Singer is so bogus that he listed Fredrick Seitz as Chairman of SEPP on his IRS 990 forms for two years after Seitz died.  Not only that, there are some highly questionable money transactions being investigate with both SEPP and Heartland along with a few other “think tanks”.

The Heartland Institute boasts of feeding their disinformation to 7,300 state elected officials and 8,400 county and local officials. They say “they reach more elected officials, more often, than any other think tank in the U.S.” Considering that Heartland is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization with restrictions on lobbying activities it would seem they are in violation of the nonprofit laws.

In preparation for its International Conference on Climate Change from May 21 - 23 in Chicago, Heartland sponsored the most sophomoric hysterically lunatic billboard campaign depicting people who believe in the peer reviewed proven climate science as being like some of the world’s most notorious criminals like Charles Manson, Ted Kaczynski, the infamous Unabomber, and Osama bin Laden. Really now!

Considering all of the above, who in their right mind would give the Heartland Institute the time of day – other than likeminded paranoids?  Besides the fossil fuel industry and the tobacco industry it will be interesting to see who continues to fund them, and even more interesting, who with any serious level of credibility will be willing to be seen in public with them. 

Here's a great link to an analysis of how the planet is heating up:
http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2012/03/16/445846/breaking-news-the-earth-is-still-warming-a-lot/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+climateprogress%2FlCrX+%28Climate+Progress%29

Are Humans Suicidal?

http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2012/02/21/428884/crossing-the-line-heartland-institute-peter-gleick-and-andrew-revkin/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+climateprogress%2FlCrX+%28Climate+Progress%29

An Open Letter to the Heartland Institute

As scientists who have had their emails stolen, posted online and grossly misrepresented, we can appreciate the difficulties the Heartland Institute is currently experiencing following the online posting of the organization’s internal documents earlier this week. However, we are greatly disappointed by their content, which indicates the organization is continuing its campaign to discredit mainstream climate science and to undermine the teaching of well-established climate science in the classroom.

We know what it feels like to have private information stolen and posted online via illegal hacking. It happened to climate researchers in 2009 and again in 2011. Personal emails were culled through and taken out of context before they were posted online. In 2009, the Heartland Institute was among the groups that spread false allegations about what these stolen emails said. Despite multiple independent investigations, which demonstrated that allegations against scientists were false, the Heartland Institute continued to attack scientists based on the stolen emails. When more stolen emails were posted online in 2011, the Heartland Institute again pointed to their release and spread false claims about scientists.

So although we can agree that stealing documents and posting them online is not an acceptable practice, we would be remiss if we did not point out that the Heartland Institute has had no qualms about utilizing and distorting emails stolen from scientists.

We hope the Heartland Institute will heed its own advice to “think about what has happened” and recognize how its attacks on science and scientists have helped poison the debate over climate change policy. The Heartland Institute has chosen to undermine public understanding of basic scientific facts and personally attack climate researchers rather than engage in a civil debate about climate change policy options.

These are the facts: Climate change is occurring. Human activity is the primary cause of recent climate change. Climate change is already disrupting many human and natural systems. The more heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions that go into the atmosphere, the more severe those disruptions will become. Major scientific assessments from the Royal Society, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, United States Global Change Research Program and other authoritative sources agree on these points.

Here’s the rest of the letter and the signatories:

What businesses, policymakers, advocacy groups and citizens choose to do in response to those facts should be informed by the science. But those decisions are also necessarily informed by economic, ethical, ideological, and other considerations. While the Heartland Institute is entitled to its views on policy, we object to its practice of spreading misinformation about climate research and personally attacking climate scientists to further its goals.

We hope the Heartland Institute will begin to play a more constructive role in the policy debate. Refraining from misleading attacks on climate science and climate researchers would be a welcome first step toward having an honest, fact-based debate about the policy responses to climate change.

• Ray Bradley, PhD, Director of the Climate System Research Center, University of Massachusetts
• David Karoly, PhD, ARC Federation Fellow and Professor, University of Melbourne, Australia
• Michael Mann, PhD, Director, Earth System Science Center, Pennsylvania State University
• Jonathan Overpeck, PhD, Professor of Geosciences and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Arizona
• Ben Santer, PhD, Research Scientist, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
• Gavin Schmidt, PhD, Climate Scientist, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies
• Kevin Trenberth, ScD, Distinguished Senior Scientist, Climate Analysis Section, National Center for Atmospheric Research

CO2 emissions jumped 5.9 percent in 2010 according to the Global Carbon Project, an international body of scientists that follow the numbers.

North American Bat Death Toll Exceeds 5.5 Million From White-nose Syndrome

On the verge of another season of winter hibernating bat surveys, U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service biologists and partners estimate that at least

5.7 million to 6.7 million bats have now died from white-nose syndrome.

Biologists expect the disease to continue to spread.

CO2 levels averaged out to 392.95 Parts Per Million last week. That is really high. Check it out! http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/trends/