Climate Change Observations #1

Here’s a week’s reading about climate change happening now.

1. The Face of Climate Change: Walloped Wildlife and Flowers in the Colorado Rockies
2. Scientists Adopt Tiny Island as a Warming Bellwether
3. Climate change helps local man set Arctic sailing record
4. Warming Lakes: Barometers of Climate Change?
5. Climate-change denial getting harder to defend
6. Climate change may force evacuation of vulnerable island states within a decade
7. Dutch Drinking Water May Be Hurt by Changing Climate, Pollution
8. Polling climate change in thirteen countries
9. Climate Change And Seafood Supply: Developing Countries Most Vulnerable To Ocean Acidification
10. Pentagon Study Cites Climate Change as National Security Threat
11. Climate Victims Deserve a Hearing, Whether Here or in The Hague
12. Climate Change’s Effect On Marine Life Will Leave Winners And Losers
13. Climate change cripples forests
14. Global Warming Is Already Causing Loss of Life and Damage to the Economy Around the World: New Report
15. Climate change is already damaging global economy, report finds
16. Research reports climate change could cripple Southwestern forests
17. Are we wrong about climate change?
18. Carbon Feedback From Thawing Permafrost Will Likely Add 0.4°F – 1.5°F To Total Global Warming By 2100
19. Unanimous vote to support climate change refugees
20. Climate Change Offers Grim Long-Term Prognosis for Seafood

I have Google Alerts configured to send me links to anything published about “climate change” every day.  Often the daily update links to climate change deniers, or just to articles about climate change in general, but frequently enough, it finds articles that relate stories about places around the world where climate change is happening now.  The links above are just a week’s worth of stories I found interesting.  I get many more links total.

I am not a scientist, but like Bob Dylan’s famous line, “You don’t need a weather man To know which way the wind blows,” I feel keeping the pulse of what’s happening is revealing.  I’ve given up thinking humanity will work on limiting climate change, so now I’m just an observer.  Go configure a Google Alert for yourself and read the stories.   [Or for that matter, create an alert on any topic and just watch it.  It’s a real learning experience.]

And there’s more than one story happening.  The political fight against even believing that global warming is happening is fascinating.  It’s the forces of greed versus the forces of science.  It’s a story of how delusion works wonders on minds who refuse to listen.  It’s a story of psychological warfare and FUD.

I don’t know what will happen.  However, if the liberals are wrong, the worst that happens is we spend billions making America very energy efficient.  If the the conservatives are wrong, millions die and suffer.  In making a moral decision, it’s not about who is right, but the harm you cause by thinking you’re right.

JWH – 10/7/12