So a little play on words in the title, but seriously - Does anyone really doubt that climate change is happening?
From the Washington Post today, front page, "The persistent and dramatic decline in the snowpack of many mountains in the West is caused primarily by human-induced global warming and is not the result of natural variability in weather patterns, researchers reported yesterday." Note that it is NOT the result of natural variably, but it is OUR fault.
The study was published by the journal Science, and explains the problem of "When the snow fields melt earlier and more suddenly, dams are able to capture less of the water and must release more of it to flow on to the ocean." And to think that the Colorado River is already running low because of the demand of Las Vegas and other big cities.
Good thing I don't live on the West Coast, right? Between the mudslides, fires, and now this, I'm lucky here on the East Coast. Well, not really. As much as I would rather deny it, eventually climate change will hit me too. Remember Atlanta last summer? Granted there's no study to say that their lack of water was because of climate change, but it's not outside the realm of possibility.
Does anyone feel safe given the lack of attention, action, and legitimacy that the US gives climate change?
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Does Anyone Drought Climate Change Anymore?
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2 comments:
If you wonder why people doubt climate science, here's a hint: http://www.ucsusa.org/news/press_release/ExxonMobil-GlobalWarming-tobacco.html
With millions of dollars poured into the spread of false and misleading information, it's pretty clear why some people might be confused about what to believe...
It's true, there's some misinformation out there and it's more convenient to believe it than the truth. Another dimension to this must be psychological, and I think it would be fascinating to research. Climate change is such an urgent issue that the message is- the sky is falling. I do actually think that message is being heard by the public. How is it being digested? One, I think people don't care because it isn't directly affecting them and they're- perhaps legitimately- busy doing other things. Two, I think people are very hesitant to believe that the sky is falling. We have it good in this country, and we just don't want to believe (can't believe?) that it could all dissolve so easily. I think the general public has learned to tune out alarmist messages because we're bombarded with them through the media every day. Unfortunately, the scientific community is not crying wolf and our policymakers need to step up to the bat and treat this issue with the urgency it deserves.
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