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Bob Wallace

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #400 on: December 11, 2014, 11:58:44 PM »
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If someone can't see how this is self-contradictory on the face of it, there's no use trying to point it out to them.

Why don't you give it a try.

Couch your explanation in terms an intellectual midget would understand since that's what you seem to think I am.

Sigmetnow

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #401 on: December 12, 2014, 02:01:54 PM »
A brief but good summary:
The 7 psychological reasons that are stopping us from acting on climate change.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/12/11/the-7-psychological-reasons-that-are-stopping-us-from-acting-on-climate-change/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #402 on: December 12, 2014, 08:04:10 PM »
Two things with regard to growth.

1) Sustainable growth, or "growth of sustainability" is of course a preferred track.  Such as planting more trees to permit the harvest of more timber... sustainably.

2) A group of Catholic bishops from all continents spoke out recently against climate change and capitalism, "which is a human creation."  When an organization as fossilized as the Catholic Church calls for a major economic change, you gotta figure the rest of the world must realize the problem, too.
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“We express an answer to what is considered God’s appeal to take action on the urgent and damaging situation of global climate warming,” the bishops wrote.

Striking a similar note to Naomi Klein’s recent book, “This Changes Everything,” the bishops’ statement also argued that global capitalism and its economic systems, as currently designed, are incompatible with long-term ecological sustainability: “The main responsibility for this situation lies with the dominant global economic system, which is a human creation. In viewing objectively the destructive effects of a financial and economic order based on the primacy of the market and profit, which has failed to put the human being and the common good at the heart of the economy, one must recognize the systemic failures of this order and the need for a new financial and economic order.”
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/12/11/3602596/bishops-end-fossil-fuels/
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Neven

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #403 on: December 13, 2014, 11:56:53 AM »
I guess the takeaway from that is that there is no apparent problem with growth as long as the inputs are sustainable.

Sure, and living under water is no problem, as long as you can breathe.

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And that the route to sustainability won't necessarily be easy.  (Which was not claimed.)

Indeed, but it will be even more difficult if the root cause of the problem - the need for and aspiration to endless GDP growth -  isn't taken out of the equation.

I know you don't claim that things will be easy, but although your analysis and news links make me very enthusiastic, I'm under the impression that you're one of those people who think we can grow ourselves out of the predicament. And maybe that's true, but there has to be a point where the current economic set-up is changed. No one ever talks about that point, even though the founders of economic thinking did.

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I'm not really sure why you added renewable to the end of your statement.  Renewables are all about sustainable inputs.  And getting off finite energy sources. 

And I'll repeat.  Renewable energy is one part of a larger set of solutions we need to implement to achieve a sustainable economy.

Absolutely, but it's a much stronger solution if the economic system and everything following from it (think consumer culture, public health, wealth disparity, oligarchy) undergoes substantial changes as well.

Can we agree on that? Or do you deny that the need for endless GDP growth (which is an arbitrary human construct, like the bishops say) is at the root of all current global problems?
The enemy is within
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #404 on: December 13, 2014, 05:42:36 PM »
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Bob Wallace

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #405 on: December 13, 2014, 06:08:17 PM »
Quote
I know you don't claim that things will be easy, but although your analysis and news links make me very enthusiastic, I'm under the impression that you're one of those people who think we can grow ourselves out of the predicament. And maybe that's true, but there has to be a point where the current economic set-up is changed. No one ever talks about that point, even though the founders of economic thinking did.


Nevin.  Our problem is not that our economies are growing.  Our problems are the inputs we use to grow our economies.

Can we build decent houses for those people who not live in the squalor of urban slums?  I think we can.  And do it responsibly as long as we use sustainable materials and renewable energy.

Would building that houses grow the economy?  Yes.

I feel like the people who preach "anti-growth" are looking at the very few people living in very large houses and driving very large cars.  And at the people who are worth hundreds of billions of dollars while others scrape for enough to eat. What they are looking at is the uneven distribution of goods across our societies.  That is a different problem.

Where is the damage if every human has a decent place to live, ample food, adequate clothing, good health care if all of that can be provided in a sustainable manner?


Bob Wallace

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #406 on: December 13, 2014, 06:19:41 PM »
Quote
Can we agree on that? Or do you deny that the need for endless GDP growth (which is an arbitrary human construct, like the bishops say) is at the root of all current global problems?

I do not at all agree that "endless GDP growth" is at the root of all current global problems.

What is at the root of all current global problems is greed, ignorance, intolerance, fear, want and likely some other motivators that don't come to mind at the moment.

GDP growth isn't creating the polluted air in China.  It's the energy source for China's growth.

GDP growth isn't creating the violence in the Middle East.  That's all about a breakdown of traditional power structures as power around the world becomes more evenly distributed across ages and genders.


Sigmetnow

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #407 on: December 19, 2014, 02:56:31 AM »
Quote
Earlier this year, readers of the Tampa Bay Times’ fact-checking project PolitiFact were asked to vote on what they believe was the year’s biggest lie. And as of Wednesday, the results are in: “Climate change is a hoax” was the overwhelming choice.
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/12/18/3605076/climate-hoax-politifact-lie-of-the-year/
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Bob Wallace

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #408 on: December 19, 2014, 03:05:07 AM »
Tampa is pretty much rednecks on salt water.

Latest US poll -

"Four of five adults, or 82%, say the nation should prepare for damage expected from sea level rise and storms, both of which are exacerbated by global warming...."

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/03/28/poll-climate-change/2028223/

US climate change deniers are largely old white Republican men.  Newspaper readers are heavily skewed toward older people.

Sigmetnow

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #409 on: December 19, 2014, 08:09:14 PM »
Tampa is pretty much rednecks on salt water.
...
US climate change deniers are largely old white Republican men.  Newspaper readers are heavily skewed toward older people.

Which makes it all the more notable that they chose "Climate change is a hoax" as the biggest lie -- these Tampa voters DO believe in climate change.
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Bob Wallace

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #410 on: December 19, 2014, 08:34:51 PM »
I totally misread your first post...               :-[

Sigmetnow

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #411 on: December 19, 2014, 09:28:46 PM »
Thought so.  No biggie. ;)
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #412 on: December 21, 2014, 07:37:41 PM »
"The Oregonian" won't print climate change editorials because it's not a "state" or "local" issue.   :o
(But -- you guessed it -- the coal and gas industries are a big issue to them.)

http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2014/12/why_climate_change_will_not_be.html
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #413 on: December 21, 2014, 07:44:07 PM »
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

wili

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #414 on: December 22, 2014, 04:00:21 PM »
http://www.resilience.org/stories/2014-12-21/what-climate-change-asks-of-us-moral-obligation-mobilization-and-crisis-communication

What climate change asks of us: moral obligation, mobilization and crisis communication

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Climate change is a crisis, and crises alter morality. Climate change is on track to cause the extinction of half the species on earth and, through a combination of droughts, famines, displaced people, and failed states and pandemics, the collapse of civilization within this century. If this horrific destructive force is to be abated, it will be due to the efforts of people who are currently alive. The future of humanity falls to us. This is an unprecedented moral responsibility, and we are by and large failing to meet it.

Indeed, most of us act as though we are not morally obligated to fight climate change, and those who do recognize their obligation are largely confused about how to meet it.

Crises alter morality; they alter what is demanded of us if we want to be considered good, honorable people.

For example—having a picnic in the park is morally neutral. But if, during your picnic, you witness a group of children drowning and you continue eating and chatting, passively ignoring the crisis, you have become monstrous.
"A force de chercher de bonnes raisons, on en trouve; on les dit; et après on y tient, non pas tant parce qu'elles sont bonnes que pour ne pas se démentir." Choderlos de Laclos "You struggle to come up with some valid reasons, then cling to them, not because they're good, but just to not back down."

Sigmetnow

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #415 on: December 22, 2014, 04:51:35 PM »
NPR's favorite interviews:  about that discussion with Katherine Hayhoe.
Quote
KATHERINE HAYHOE: One of the biggest issues I often get asked is if God is in control, how could this happen? Or to put it another way, doesn't the idea that humans could change climate threaten the idea of the sovereignty of God? And the answer to that is actually pretty simple. It's free will. God gave us the brains to make good choices, and there's consequences to the choices that we make. And that's what climate change is. It's a consequence to the fact that we have an industrialized society that depends on coal and oil and gas for many of our resources.
http://www.npr.org/2014/12/21/372236813/staff-picks-an-evangelical-christian-who-believes-in-climate-change
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AbruptSLR

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #416 on: December 22, 2014, 07:43:47 PM »
The linked article provides a long-term prospective about how civilizations collapse and how these lessons relate to our current prospects:

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/making-sense/indiana-jones-collapsed-cultures-western-civilization-bubble/
“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.”
― Leon C. Megginson

Bob Wallace

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #417 on: December 22, 2014, 07:55:51 PM »
From the "Indiana Jones" article...

Quote
With apologies to the green movement, “sustainability” is a myth.

Solar power is a myth?  Wind power is a myth?  Organic farming is a myth?

BAU will seal our doom.  But we're smart enough to move away from BAU and create a new sustainable BAU.

Laurent

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #418 on: December 23, 2014, 09:03:04 PM »
Top Scientists To Media: Stop Using ‘Skeptic’ To Describe Climate Science Deniers
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/12/10/3601948/scientists-media-skeptic-deniers/

Sigmetnow

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #419 on: December 24, 2014, 01:33:53 AM »
Investors, many from South America, are buying expensive properties in Miami Beach without concern for sea level rise.  And Miami Beach needs that, to get property tax money to install pumps against the flooding....
Quote
Many buyers come from South America, more concerned by currency instability in their home countries than encroaching saltwater: “They want somewhere safe to park their money,” said Zalewski, whose firm tracks applications. “A lot of buyers here never step foot in the condos. They’ll sell them before the water makes it to the bottom floor of their buildings, anyway.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/storyline/wp/2014/12/22/miamis-climate-catch-22-building-luxury-condos-to-pay-for-protection-against-the-rising-sea/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #420 on: December 24, 2014, 01:43:35 AM »
Ouch.
When asked how his administration had most helped the country's women this year, Australia's Prime Minister Abbott claimed his elimination of the carbon tax aided them the most.
Quote
"It’s very important to do the right thing by families and households. As many of us know, women are particularly focused on the household budget and the repeal of the carbon tax means a $550 a year benefit for the average family."

The absurdity of the Prime Minister’s most recent comments have been highlighted, however, as women – and men – across the country have put Abbott at the centre of a satirical social media campaign, #ThanksTony.
http://tcktcktck.org/2014/12/tony-abbott-fire-claims-scrapping-carbon-tax-helped-women/65815
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Bob Wallace

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #421 on: December 24, 2014, 02:12:27 AM »
Abbott nullifies a tiny bit of the US's George W. shame.

Laurent

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #422 on: December 25, 2014, 06:54:45 PM »
EXCLUSIVE: Ice in the Arctic and Antarctic is 'not melting', says global warming expert
http://www.express.co.uk/news/nature/548516/North-South-poles-not-melting-Dr-Benny-Peiser

TerryM

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #423 on: December 26, 2014, 08:58:39 AM »
EXCLUSIVE: Ice in the Arctic and Antarctic is 'not melting', says global warming expert
http://www.express.co.uk/news/nature/548516/North-South-poles-not-melting-Dr-Benny-Peiser


Thank heaven!


Does he have any advice for those of us mowing our lawns, on Xmas, in Canada?
Terry

werther

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #424 on: December 26, 2014, 10:01:09 AM »
The Express on poles not melting:
I guess there's no surprise there. A quick search on the web is enough. As the conservative and UKIP parties are the main vehicles in the UK for anthropogenic climate change denial, the opinions ventilated through The Express Newspapers have only one objective. Deep black BAU to continue.
A variant of that misinformation network exists in the Netherlands too.

Sigmetnow

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #425 on: December 28, 2014, 03:07:46 PM »
The current Pope has no problem addressing denial, and summoning action.
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Following a visit in March to Tacloban, the Philippine city devastated in 2012 by typhoon Haiyan, the pope will publish a rare encyclical on climate change and human ecology. Urging all Catholics to take action on moral and scientific grounds, the document will be sent to the world’s 5,000 Catholic bishops and 400,000 priests, who will distribute it to parishioners.

According to Vatican insiders, Francis will meet other faith leaders and lobby politicians at the general assembly in New York in September, when countries will sign up to new anti-poverty and environmental goals.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/27/pope-francis-edict-climate-change-us-rightwing
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #426 on: January 02, 2015, 12:14:27 AM »
"And Then There's Physics" explains "Things I thought were obvious!" about climate change.
https://andthentheresphysics.wordpress.com/2015/01/01/things-i-thought-were-obvious/
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Laurent

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #427 on: January 02, 2015, 08:21:20 AM »
John Cleese on Stupidity

Laurent

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wili

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #429 on: January 02, 2015, 11:18:14 AM »
Apologies if this has already been linked. Well worth a watch, even if you don't make it through the whole thing:



Chris Hedges - "The Myth of Human Progress and the Collapse of Complex Societies" - Full Speech
"A force de chercher de bonnes raisons, on en trouve; on les dit; et après on y tient, non pas tant parce qu'elles sont bonnes que pour ne pas se démentir." Choderlos de Laclos "You struggle to come up with some valid reasons, then cling to them, not because they're good, but just to not back down."

Sigmetnow

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #430 on: January 03, 2015, 12:16:40 AM »
How Fox News Covered Pope Francis' Action On Climate Change:
Skepticism, Fearmongering, And Comparison To "Widespread Population Control"
http://mediamatters.org/blog/2015/01/02/how-fox-news-covered-pope-francis-action-on-cli/201994
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JimD

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #431 on: January 03, 2015, 05:18:03 PM »
How Fox News Covered Pope Francis' Action On Climate Change:
Skepticism, Fearmongering, And Comparison To "Widespread Population Control"
http://mediamatters.org/blog/2015/01/02/how-fox-news-covered-pope-francis-action-on-cli/201994

My wife is Catholic and one of here brothers is a priest.  They believe that the conservatives in the Church will eventually assassinate the pope due to his extreme 'liberal' views.  There is strong resistance (hatred) of him in very conservative Catholic circles.
We do not err because truth is difficult to see. It is visible at a glance. We err because this is more comfortable. Alexander Solzhenitsyn

How is it conceivable that all our technological progress - our very civilization - is like the axe in the hand of the pathological criminal? Albert Einstein

Sigmetnow

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #432 on: January 04, 2015, 03:02:10 AM »
It's about time! 
Back in the headlines: Climate coverage returns to its 2009 peak
http://www.dailyclimate.org/tdc-newsroom/2015/01/climate-change-coverage-2014
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #433 on: January 05, 2015, 12:41:57 AM »
Weighing the desire to fly home for the holidays against the reality of one's carbon footprint.
Quote
It is very, very strange to be in a position now — and I don’t think I’m alone — where I find myself weighing seeing the people I love against my own complicity in the global climate crisis. I don’t know if this particular point of tension has ever existed before in our cultural consciousness: Never before has our economy been so effortlessly globalized that jobs pull people back and forth across countries and oceans, and never before have we had so much evidence that the systems and habits we’ve created to actually live in that economy are quite literally destroying the planet.
http://grist.org/living/love-and-long-distance-travel-in-the-time-of-climate-change/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #434 on: January 05, 2015, 02:36:45 AM »
The aviation industry faces tough challenges to reduce its carbon emissions.
Quote
Aircraft currently contribute about 2.5 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions. That might not seem like much, but if the aviation industry were a country, it would be one of the world’s top 10 emitters of CO2. And its emissions are projected to grow between two and four times by 2050 without policy interventions.
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/every-time-you-fly-you-trash-the-planet-and-theres-no-easy-fix/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #435 on: January 05, 2015, 04:45:39 PM »
Former (anti-AGW) Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli finds a more comfortable niche growing oysters in the Chesapeake Bay.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/ken-cuccinellis-post-politics-endeavor-oyster-farming/2015/01/04/1dc34126-8a15-11e4-8ff4-fb93129c9c8b_story.html
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #436 on: January 06, 2015, 03:25:35 AM »
Former (anti-AGW) Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli finds a more comfortable niche growing oysters in the Chesapeake Bay.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/ken-cuccinellis-post-politics-endeavor-oyster-farming/2015/01/04/1dc34126-8a15-11e4-8ff4-fb93129c9c8b_story.html
Does anyone have the heart to tell him that ocean acidification may decimate his oysters?
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #437 on: January 06, 2015, 03:26:46 AM »
@MichaelEMann: In wake of '14 record glob temp, climate deniers will go from "temp data show a hiatus" to "can't trust the data"
#IntellectualInconsistency
https://twitter.com/michaelemann/status/552172316193734657
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #438 on: January 06, 2015, 04:48:14 PM »
Quote
Make no mistake about it, there is no longer any rationale for division between science and faith.
...
But there are some in our society who specialize in human values, they think about what actions reflect ethical and moral values we hold as a collective society; in some cases, these are religious leaders.

A recent news splash was made of predictions of an encyclical soon to be given by Pope Francis, the spiritual leader of the Catholic Church with its 1.2 billion members. This encyclical is expected to further solidify the Catholic Church’s strong stance on climate change and its focus on the impact to people around the globe. As examples of this tradition, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops made early and public statements about the challenge of climate change. Among other statements, in 2011, Pope Benedict XVI strongly supported international climate change action. And now, Pope Francis continues that tradition. But this soon-to-be released encyclical should properly be viewed as a continuation of strong statements he has made since ascending to the papacy.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2015/jan/06/pope-francis-plants-flag-in-ground-on-climate-change

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Sigmetnow

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #439 on: January 07, 2015, 01:54:52 AM »
Former (anti-AGW) Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli finds a more comfortable niche growing oysters in the Chesapeake Bay.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/ken-cuccinellis-post-politics-endeavor-oyster-farming/2015/01/04/1dc34126-8a15-11e4-8ff4-fb93129c9c8b_story.html
Does anyone have the heart to tell him that ocean acidification may decimate his oysters?

Thank you, Joe Romm!
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What’s the next step for a science-denying former politician? Launch a new business venture that will be utterly destroyed by human-caused climate in the coming decades. And if you wanted to pick a business venture that would be the most vulnerable to climate change, you could hardly do better then Ken Cuccinelli’s new oyster farm on super-low-lying Tangier Island, Virginia.
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/01/06/3608217/ken-cuccinelli-irony-alert/
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Laurent

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #440 on: January 13, 2015, 09:31:30 AM »
West Virginia Revisits Science Standards
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/13/us/west-virginia-revisits-science-standards.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

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The changes go far beyond mere tweaks and have importance beyond the boundaries of West Virginia, said Minda Berbeco, programs and policy director for the National Center for Science Education, based in Oakland, Calif.

Sigmetnow

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #441 on: January 15, 2015, 01:17:07 AM »
To avoid upsetting farmers, USDA calls it "weather variation" instead of climate change.  I wonder how many farmers would change their tune if the only money available was for "climate change"?

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/01/14/3611294/farmers-climate-change-weather-variation/
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AbruptSLR

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #442 on: January 15, 2015, 06:16:26 PM »
According to the linked RTCC article: "The US Senate is set to reveal whether it accepts the scientific consensus on climate change later this week."

http://www.rtcc.org/2015/01/14/is-global-warming-real-us-senate-could-decide-on-friday/?utm_source=Daily+Carbon+Briefing&utm_campaign=5f254271aa-cb_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_876aab4fd7-5f254271aa-303439889
“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.”
― Leon C. Megginson

Sigmetnow

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #443 on: January 15, 2015, 10:19:54 PM »
I take this as a good sign:

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@EPAResearchNews: Jan 19th @MichaelEMann lecture in @tcddublin moved to bigger venue to accommodate demand!. Get your tickets here: http://t.co/e6h9KZ85wi
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #444 on: January 16, 2015, 03:54:41 AM »
Australia named the worst-performing industrial country on climate change.  On the bright side, Denmark is the best.  :D
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/dec/08/australia-named-worst-performing-industrial-country-on-climate-change

Here is the report:  https://germanwatch.org/en/download/10407.pdf
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #445 on: January 17, 2015, 02:15:27 AM »
An interesting comparison of US Climate Debate versus Climate Reality.

https://twitter.com/alexsteffen/status/555892013225095169
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viddaloo

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #446 on: January 17, 2015, 11:02:24 AM »
Some interesting news over at NASAwatch:

Political Climate Change Ahead for NASA and NOAA

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By Keith Cowing on January 8, 2015
Senate Commerce Names Subcommittee Chairs: Ted Cruz for NASA, Marco Rubio for NOAA, Space Policy Online

"The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee today announced who will chair its subcommittees in the 114th Congress. Ted Cruz (R-TX) will chair the subcommittee that oversees NASA, while Marco Rubio (R-FL) will chair the one with jurisdiction over NOAA."

2014 U.S. temperature exceeds 20th-century average for the 18th consecutive year

"Second warmest December boosted 2014 to 34th warmest year for contiguous U.S; eight weather and climate disasters exceeded $1 billion in damages."

Climate Denier Ted Cruz Is Poised to Become a Lead Senator on Science, New Republic

"Texas Senator Ted Cruz, another climate denier, may be next-in-line to become chair of the Subcommittee on Science and Space, which oversees agencies like the National Science Foundation, NASA, and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy."

Marco Rubio says human activity isn't causing climate change, LA Times

"I do not believe that human activity is causing these dramatic changes to our climate the way these scientists are portraying it," Rubio said on ABC's "This Week."

Ted Cruz Takes Space And Marco Rubio Takes Earth:
How The Senate Flip Could Undermine Science

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Both have gone on record denying human-caused climate change.

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Both Cruz and Rubio are believed to have presidential ambitions, and may feel the need to solidify their staunch Republican and Tea Party-driven ideals as a way of distinguishing themselves in a primary. Overseeing these committees could provide an easy outlet for such an undertaking.
« Last Edit: January 17, 2015, 11:30:04 AM by viddaloo »
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JimD

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #447 on: January 17, 2015, 04:43:00 PM »
viddaloo

Exactly.

There is going to be big kickback in the US over the next two years.  Not only are many of the now much more powerful conservative Republicans climate change deniers they are in the money pockets of the fossil fuel industry.  They are climate change deniers, they hate environmentalism, they will focus the economic system even more in the favor of the rich, and so on.

It seems highly likely that the US will be a non-participant in any meaningful change along the lines of what we talk about here.  It will be a doubling down on our bets on maintaining the Empire.
We do not err because truth is difficult to see. It is visible at a glance. We err because this is more comfortable. Alexander Solzhenitsyn

How is it conceivable that all our technological progress - our very civilization - is like the axe in the hand of the pathological criminal? Albert Einstein

jai mitchell

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #448 on: January 17, 2015, 08:25:23 PM »
This is a very clear and important lecture from a Professor of geology at the University of Bringham Young in Utah. 

Dr. Barry Bickmore - How to Avoid the Truth About Climate Change

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are not tri-color bar graphs
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viddaloo

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #449 on: January 18, 2015, 04:06:13 AM »
It seems highly likely that the US will be a non-participant in any meaningful change along the lines of what we talk about here.  It will be a doubling down on our bets on maintaining the Empire.

The gulf between glossy words about current and future 'action' to handle climate change and what's actually being done (the exact opposite, ie a worsening) will probably expand even faster? My prediction is that America will someday get a president whose ability to say pretty words (never meant by neither him/her nor the speechwriters) will exceed even Farack Obama. So I think the 'R' section of the Ruling Party will continue down this road, and not openly contest the science of global warming.

I live in a country that recently got its first ever openly climate denier government, but once they were in office, they carried forth the tradition of 'taking climate change very seriously', which is 'the new black', to use that expression. In a nutshell the new way of promoting BAU is to pretend with increasingly convincing and fine words that one is trying to move away from fossil fuels. At least that's the trend over here in Europe. It looks good on television, so I expect America to follow suit.
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