Oceans Are Rising Faster And Faster

Thankfully the amount of climate crisis deniers is falling. More and more of us are coming to the realization that our planet, while it is massive, is very susceptible to the industrialization and pollution that we put into the ecosystem. Unfortunately, that increasing awareness has not stopped the dire predictions for the effects of our man-made change in the climate. The oceans are now expected to rise more than ever before.

From The Washington Post:

Thirty-two scientists from federal and non-federal institutions contributed to the report, which took nearly two years to complete. The Climate Change Science Program, which was established in 1990, coordinates the climate research of 13 different federal agencies.

Tom Armstrong, senior adviser for global change programs at USGS, said the report "shows how quickly the information is advancing" on potential climate shifts. The prospect of abrupt climate change, he said, "is one of those things that keeps people up at night, because it's a low-probability but high-risk scenario. It's unlikely to happen in our lifetimes, but if it were to occur, it would be life-changing."

In one of the report's most worrisome findings, the agency estimates that in light of recent ice sheet melting, global sea level rise could be as much as four feet by 2100. The IPCC had projected a sea level rise of no more than 1.5 feet by that time, but satellite data over the past two years show the world's major ice sheets are melting much more rapidly than previously thought. The Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets are now losing an average of 48 cubic miles of ice a year, equivalent to twice the amount of ice that exists in the Alps.

Four feet may not sound like a lot, but when you examine world geography along the thousands upon thousands of miles of coastline, the results are devastating. Not only will rising seas wipe out many coastal cities and ports, but regions inland will see drastic changes in their weather patterns, leading to more instability than what we see now. There is a lot more in the report and I suggest everyone read it...and then get into action, reducing your own impact and advocating for change in our communities and national governments.

Here in America, we must make sure that President Obama and Congress spend money to ensure we switch to clean energy to rebuild our infrastructure. That means less cars, more mass transit and ridding ourselves of coal and oil power and replace it with solar and wind. There's no more time to waste.

The Coming Water Shortage

Make no mistake about it, water supplies are already dire in many places around the world. The poorer the country, the less access there is to clean, portable water. Thousands of people die due to easily treatable diseases that were stamped out in much of the western world a long time ago. Yet things are going to get much worse for us all if we do not drastically change the way we do things here on Earth.

From MSNBC:

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Half the world's population could face a shortage of clean water by 2080 because of climate change, experts warned Tuesday.

Wong Poh Poh, a professor at the National University of Singapore, told a regional conference that global warming was disrupting water flow patterns and increasing the severity of floods, droughts and storms — all of which reduce the availability of drinking water.

Wong said the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found that as many as 2 billion people won't have sufficient access to clean water by 2050. That figure is expected to rise to 3.2 billion by 2080 — nearly tripling the number who now do without it.

Most of those numbers are especially focused on the Asian continent, where burgeoning urban populations not only strain water infrastructure but pollute the supply nearby. Rising ocean levels are also a problem for low-lying areas in South Asia. Even in one of the richest areas of the world, California, will begin to suffer as the snowpacks of the Sierra Mountains continues to dwindle year by year. Much of the arid state relies on the snowpack through the dry summer and fall months. There are countless other problem spots, but all can be dealt with if we plan ahead, conserve better and stop emitting so much damn carbon into the atmosphere.

The Climate Is Changing Faster Than You Think

Last month in my piece about Rob Marciano ridiculing Al Gore, a couple of commenters spouted their mistrust of Al and their insistence on still thinking that climate change is debatable. Of course as I pointed out in that comment section, neither backs up their statements with any proof, just a ton of rhetoric. People like them, deniers such as Senator Inhofe continue to dismiss the reality facing the planet (and those that live on it). Though they are right about one thing, it isn't as bad as Al says, its worse.

From The Courier Mail:

The report, prepared by Dr Graeme Pearman, former head of the CSIRO's atmospheric research unit, found temperatures and greenhouse pollution were rising faster than forecast by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

The report, prepared for the Climate Institute, noted that the IPCC's recent Fourth Assessment Report used material published up to mid-2006, but many important new observations had been published since.

"These suggest that the IPCC assessment is underestimating the risks of adverse impacts due to increased warming during this century and that impacts previously considered to be at the upper end of likelihood are now more probable," the report reads.

I wonder if that makes them happy? At least they can say with some sort of credibility that Al was wrong. Of course, it is just a shame for all of us that are going to have to live with the problems that climate change will present.

There's Nothing To See Here But A Nobel Peace Prize

Now it is official, Mr. Gore has won the Nobel Peace Prize along with the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for their efforts to fight global warming. Congratulations to the man and the organization that have done the most to spread the message and take action for what is most definitely the problem in the world we must so urgently address. The prize is truly an honor to whomever wins it and Al Gore is no exception.

Now, everybody back to work.

What? You were expecting a declaration for him to run for President? When we have all these great candidates in the race already? Hillary, Obama, Edwards and Nobody all look goo..... Okay, I'm sorry. I really wanted him to run too, but with this last vestige of hope now officially over and the Nobel in the right hands, this is the end for a 2008 Gore Presidency. Face it, the guy is now on "International" status, why would he want to be kicked around again by a Republican nominee and the scores of pundits (even though they do it already anyway)?

The man that was born to run has found a higher calling and frankly, selfishly, that makes me sad. Sure, I want the Earth cleaned up, I really do not want to live in filth and my future generations screwed by our current state of affairs. But I want a leader in the White House damnit! Hillary, meh....Obama the outsider is full of insiders and my other hope for some semblance of leadership had to take a hit in the gut and accept federal matching dollars, a move that will severely impact the campaign even if he does fight back against the two frontrunners.

So basically, today was a great day for Al Gore and the environment, but the campaign drums keep playing the same incessant beat.