As severe storms and the resultant flooding continue to batter the Midwest with deadly results, the media is filled with scary stories of the destruction and misery being inflicted. We see headlines about 300,000 Chicagoans without power, state of emergency declarations across four other states, dozens killed by storms from Texas to Minnesota, flooded interstates, and thousands of flooded homes and businesses. It's now commonplace to see news footage of people being rescued off their rooftops, many saying goodbye to their homes for good.
But no news outlet has had the courage to state the obvious: This is the face of global warming. This is it. While no single weather event can be directly pinned to global warming, these are the predictions of the world's best scientist come to terrifying life. Scientists are certain that these deadly events will only become more common -- and more extreme -- as the earth continues to heat up. More intense rainfall, more extreme flooding, more crippled infrastructure and unsanitary conditions, more homes and businesses lost. More, more, more...
These glimpses from storm-ravaged Middle America ought to be a wake-up call. How many more American lives must be lost and property destroyed for this administration to take action?
What will the next pictures look like? Blackouts? Looting? Riots?
Will it have to reach the level of Southeast Asia, where the worst floods in recent memory have affected an estimated 28 million people? In Bangladesh at least 678 are dead and over 50,000 are suffering from flood-related diseases -- millions more now find themselves homeless.
What's it going to take for this White House to act? I hope not that.
Karl Rove should do one last thing before he heads back to Texas to spend more time with his family, bailing out his own flooded basement: he should have the courage to demand that the administration face this problem and DO SOMETHING.
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i have been saying for a couple of years now how disappointed i am in what passes for journalism in this country.
what ever happened to analytical, critical journalism? here, in houston, the local CBS affiliate has what is arguably the best local news (by peer review and awards). there is one thing however that really bothers me about them, and the way they describe their services by way of self-promotion: they claim to "help [us] make sense of [the] world."
by definition, making sense of something involves critical thinking and analysis. NEVER have they critically analyzed any item in their reporting. NEVER have they reported a flood in ohio, and commented that these storms that began to affect americans in houston are now drowning cities as far away as the great lakes may very well be a result of global climate change. NEVER ONCE have they taken a few minutes to have their meterologist comment on the connection between global warming and these mega storms.
it makes me sick...GOOD FOR YOU!
And the midwest and W's Texazz are floating away. Nah, it's not global warming. At least that's what they want us to believe. ("Happy Feet 2" will feature Antarctica as a Caribbean island at this rate!)
Why did the governments not trust the wisdom of indigenous peoples all along the way, that this would be the results of abusing there mother, earth.
Scientists take too long to justifiably describe the facts of the obvious and government can not loose faith of the people. Now the governments primary job is to keep the masses at bay and control world wide chaos.
The media all want to take the credit for being the "first with the late breaking news", all in the name of gaining (greed) readership. The news journalist and talking heads are all more important than the news itself.
Industry will not be able to keep up with the necessary demands to appease the fear and panic that will inevitably arise.
The oceans are being raped , pillaged and plundered, now they are literally dying, (at least the part that can feed people directly)
Oh well it's all a mute point now. I've been telling about this inevitability now since 1962. I could see it coming without scientist. I am the (self proclaimed) scientist and researcher. I didn't need an institution to justify my findings or argue he facts.
So now all I can say is, "I told you so".
My understanding is that both Japan and France and Japan are having unforseen problems with their reactors.
I'll look for info.
Thanks.
P.S. Ever hear of Tokyo?
Our planet ranges in temp to the average of 42 degrees experienced in an ice age to the estimated 72 degree planetwide average between ice ages when there is no polar ice whatsoever.
Our current global average is 52 degrees.
It was estimated to be at 72 degrees when the peat bogs that created all that circumpolar oil and gas that the arctic circle nations are so eager to lay claim to were created. The earth will warm no matter what we do, just as it will cool no matter what we do-that's the cycle
TRUE.
But read this, and I think your concerns will be somewhat calmed:
://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/26/world/asia/26china.html?ex=1345780800&en=c2fb14345e2905b1&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss
Thanks.
will decrease. The planet, because of the energy output from (2), had always radiated more energy into space than received from the sun. That radiation is mostly in the far infrared, while the input from the sun is in the visible and ultraviolet. The addition of infrared absorption in the atmosphere is what is screwing us. The right-wing wackos are in business only because of wide-spread scientific illiteracy.