For My Grandchildren

From the March 2012 TED Conference in Long Beach California, NASA climate scientist Dr. James Hansen talks about why he must speak out climate change. A powerful and moving video – please watch, and share with your family and friends, and on social media.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWInyaMWBY8]

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For a summary of Dr Hansen’s talk, go to The Solution to All Our Problems on Martin’s Lack of Environment blog. I agree with both Dr. Hansen and Martin Lack about the importance of implementing a carbon fee & dividend as soon as possible; indeed it is one of the major policies of Citizens Climate Lobby, a group that inspires me in much of the climate work that I do. However,  I would go further and assert that implementing a price on carbon is the first step towards addressing the climate crisis, but the climate crisis (and ocean acidification, biodiversity loss, water and air pollution, etc) has been brought on by a world view that places humans above the natural world. We have somehow convinced ourselves that what happens to the water, air, and creatures around us won’t ultimately affect us, which of course is nonsense. Corporate well being is not more important that human and ecosystem well being.  It’s that mindset that needs to change if we are to live sustainably on this amazing planet that we are lucky enough to be alive on.

Do you want to become a climate hero, for your children and grandchildren? Join other parents and grandparents at Citizens Climate Lobby who are speaking out on this issue. Dr. Hansen had this to say about CCL:

“Most impressive is the work of the Citizens Climate Lobby, a relatively new, fastgrowing, nonpartisan, nonprofit group with 46 chapters across the United States and Canada. If you want to join the fight to save the planet, to save creation for your grandchildren, there is no more effective step you could take than becoming an active member of this group.”

Climate Skeptic Monckton Claims to Have Discovered Cure For HIV, Multiple Sclerosis

Introducing the new, amazing “MonckWOW”:

It turns out that the August and Exalted Lord Monckton ‘s scientific expertise (despite the fact that he has no scientific education) is not limited to being the world’s foremost climate expert — he is also a medical practitioner of the highest caliber.
He claims to have developed a cure for HIV, the flu, malaria, muscular sclerosis, and the common cold.

Check out the latest video from Climate Crock debunker Peter Sinclair. I found the most ironic part to be anti-science climate denier and journalist James Delingpole complaining about being “intellectually raped” by scientist and President of the Royal Society Sir Paul Nurse after Delingpole was unable to respond to Nurse’s “unfair question” on the scientific consensus on climate change.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hl2lShU6zD0&feature=digest]

21st Century Flat Earthers – Climate Change Deniers

Here’s a recent video from the U.S.-based League of Conservation Voters:

A disturbing trend has emerged among many Republican Senate candidates: a refusal to accept the sound and settled science that man-made carbon pollution is causing the planet to warm. If these candidates win in November, the number of card-carrying members of this “Flat Earth Society” will rise exponentially in the world’s greatest deliberative body. Take action: pledge, share, vote at www.flatearth.tv.

More links:

Flatearth.tv

Skeptical Science

Climate Change: The Basics of 350

From Hans Hansen, this explanation and video of the importance of 350 parts per million of C02:

What does the number 350 mean?

350 is the most important number in the world—it’s what scientists say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Two years ago, after leading climatologists observed rapid ice melt in the Arctic and other frightening signs of climate change, they issued a series of studies showing that the planet faced both human and natural disaster if atmospheric concentrations of CO2 remained above 350 parts per million.

Everyone from Al Gore to the U.N.’s top climate scientist has now embraced this goal as necessary for stabilizing the planet and preventing complete disaster. Now the trick is getting our leaders to pay attention and craft policies that will put the world on track to get to 350.
Is 350 scientifically possible?

Right now, mostly because we’ve burned so much fossil fuel, the atmospheric concentration of CO2 is 390 ppm—that’s way too high, and it’s why ice is melting, drought is spreading, forests are dying. To bring that number down, the first task is to stop putting more carbon into the atmosphere. That means a very fast transition to sun and wind and other renewable forms of power. If we can stop pouring more carbon into the atmosphere, then forests and oceans will slowly suck some of it out of the air and return us to safe levels.
Is 350 politically possible?

It’s very hard. It means switching off fossil fuel much more quickly than governments and corporations have been planning. But we can change that–if we mobilize the world to swift and bold climate action, and shift the world to a clean energy future.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvkzDQh5zfc]