Bishop scores 92% on LCS scorecard

This may be old news, but I just went on the League of Conservation Voters website and looked up their scorecard. In the 2nd session of the 109th Congress, our representative, Tim Bishop, scored a 92% rating. I haven't given an in-depth look to what the bills were, or who else might have scored higher than him, but this is pretty impressive, and shows that we at least have a forward-looking representative in terms of the environment. If things fall into place for the rally, I'd love to invite him.

Warning on Warming

This is another good article by Bill McKinnon, who's one of the people behind Step it Up. This appeared in the New York Review of Books, but don't let that scare you, this article isn't too long. It's nevertheless, informative to read, and gives really good talking points you might want to pass on to your fellow man.

Warning on Warming

By Bill McKibben

Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis: Summary for Policymakers

Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. IPCC, 18 pp., available at www.usgcrp.gov/usgcrp/links/ipcc.htm#4wg1

When the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued its latest report in early February, it was greeted with shock: "World Wakes to Climate Catastrophe," reported an Australian paper. But global warming is by now a scientific field with a fairly extensive history, and that history helps set the new findings in context— a context that makes the new report no less terrifying but much more telling for its unstated political implications.

Read the rest of the article at:

http://www.nybooks.com/articles/19981

Meltdown

This is a long, but really good, article I found on a website called The Christian Century.

Meltdown

Running out of time on global warming

by Bill McKibben

We need a movement to combat climate change, we need it fast, and we need it to involve as many churches as possible. And you can help make it happen the Saturday after Easter.

http://www.christiancentury.org/article.lasso?id=2978

Climate change: scientists warn it may be too late to save the ice caps

I've felt for awhile that it's no longer possible to prevent global warming from happening. All we can do is try to limit the damage or prepare in advance so that whatever needs to be done is more efficient. Articles like this prove my point. On a brighter note, I like the new ads on television that raise awareness of global warming. Especially the one with the guy on the train tracks who says that global warming won't affect him, he gets off as you hear the train coming and behind him you see a little girl right in the path of the train. Very effective, and explains perfectly how serious this is and how we're obligated to do what we can. Now if only this issue can move from the ads to the actual news. The day where global warming displaces 24/7 coverage of a washed-up dead junkie supermodel and that psycho hose beast Britney Spears cannot come soon enough.

Climate change: scientists warn it may be too late to save the ice caps David Adam, environment correspondent
Monday February 19, 2007

Guardian

A critical meltdown of ice sheets and severe sea level rise could be inevitable because of global warming, the world's scientists are preparing to warn their governments. New studies of Greenland and Antarctica have forced a UN expert panel to conclude there is a 50% chance that widespread ice sheet loss "may no longer be avoided" because of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Such melting would raise sea levels by four to six metres, the scientists say. It would cause "major changes in coastline and inundation of low-lying areas" and require "costly and challenging" efforts to move millions of people and infrastructure from vulnerable areas. The previous official line, issued in 2001, was that the chance of such an event was "not well known, but probably very low".

The melting process could take centuries, but increased warming caused by a failure to cut emissions would accelerate the ice sheets' demise, and give nations less time to adapt to the consequences. Areas such as the Maldives would be swamped and low-lying countries such as the Netherlands and Bangladesh, as well as coastal cities including London, New York and Tokyo, would face critical flooding.

The warning appears in a report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which assesses the likely impacts of global warming and will be published in April. A final draft of the report's summary-for-policymakers chapter, obtained by the Guardian, says: "Very large sea level rises that would result from widespread deglaciation of Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets imply major changes in coastlines and inundation of low-lying areas, with greatest effects in river deltas.

"Relocating populations, economic activity and infrastructure would be costly and challenging. There is medium confidence that both ice sheets would be committed to partial deglaciation for a global average temperature increase greater than 1-2C, causing sea level rise of 4-6m over centuries to millennia." Medium confidence means about a five in 10 chance.

The revelation comes as a new report points out that greenhouse gas emissions running into hundreds of millions of tonnes have not been disclosed by Britain's biggest businesses, masking the full extent of the UK's contribution to global warming. According to a report by Christian Aid, only 16 of Britain's top 100 listed companies are meeting the government's most elementary reporting guidelines on greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, almost 200m tonnes of damaging CO2 is estimated to be missing from the annual reports of FTSE 100 companies. The figure is more than the annual reported emissions of Pakistan and Greece combined.

This month the IPCC published a separate study on the science of climate change, which concluded that humans are "very likely" to be responsible for most of the recent warming, and that average temperatures would probably increase by 4C this century if emissions continue to rise. Even under its most optimistic scenario, based on a declining world population and a rapid switch to clean technology, temperatures are still likely to rise by 1.8C.

The new report is expected to say this means there is "a significant probability that some large-scale events (eg deglaciation of major ice sheets) may no longer be avoided due to historical greenhouse gas emissions and the inertia of the climate system". Scientists involved with the IPCC process cannot talk publicly about its contents before publication. But a senior author on the report said: "It's not rocket science to realise that with the numbers coming out from the IPCC [science report], the warming by the end of the century is enough to do that." The report's conclusion poses a conundrum for governments of how to address a problem that is inevitable but may not occur for hundreds or thousands of years. "That's for the policy makers to decide but it really is a very difficult question," the source said. "Those are moral questions and the answer you give will depend very much on which part of the world you live in."

Jonathan Overpeck, a climate scientist at the University of Arizona, said the key question was not whether the ice sheets would break up, but how quickly. Some models suggest rapid melting that would bring sea level rises of more than a metre per century. "That would be much harder for us to cope with," he says.

The IPCC science report predicted sea level rises of up to 0.59m by the end of the century. But that does not include the possible contribution from ice sheets, because the experts judged it too unpredictable to forecast over short timescales.

I Sexed Up my Blog

Yes, in the words of Tony Blair, I "sexed up" my blog. It's still not where I want it to be, but I feel a few adjustments have added a lot. I still need much assistance on the rally that I'm planning for April 14. Someone who is bilingual (English and Spanish) would be very helpful, as Patchogue is a heavily Spanish area and I'd like to print up flyers in Spanish that can be put up in the local bodegas and other Latino owned businesses.

Update on Global Warming rally

Just to give a heads-up on the rally I have planned. It will be on Saturday, April 14, and hopefully it will take place at the brick courtyard where the military recruitors and Northfork Bank are, in Patchogue. I sent a letter to the Patchogue Village Board. It will be an informational gathering, hopefully with volunteers to hand out pamphlets and a few speakers. More info as it develops.

Sorry

I'm really sorry. I know it's been a month since I last updated. What can I say? Typical busy stuff going on. I know that's not really an excuse, but it's the best I can come up with. Anyway, there's going to be a day of national action surrounding global warming. It's called Step It Up, and I'm planning an event in Patchogue. At this point, I'm not sure I'll go for a march. I think just a rally with a few speakers and activities would be much more effective, as my main goal is drawing in those who aren't political and aren't informed on this as a hot topic. It's on Saturday, April 14, which is also Earth Day. If you want to get involved, please contact me at jblanch3@optonline.net.