Global Warming and CO2 Emissions Blog

Treehugger broke the the story at 5AM this morning. Here is an update on the winning of the Nobel Prize by Al Gore and the IPCC:

-Yvo de Boer, the head of the U.N. Climate Change Secretariat, says ""I hope this will enhance further a sense of urgency." ::Reuters

-The right wing smear machine at Fox swung into action, writing off the prize with "Here’s something extraordinary, What do Al Gore, Yasser Arafat, and that crazy Jimmy Carter have in common? They all won the Nobel Peace Prize?" Insulting more people and nations in one sentence than we thought possible. Expect much more of this. ::Think Progress

-Pressure increases for a presidential run. "We believe that under these circumstances he has no choice but to take the one step left to have the greatest impact in changing policy on global warming - run for president," "He is needed now, not in the future" ::National Post

-George Bush's spokesman was more gracious than their Fox poodles. "The president learned about it this morning," said White House spokesman Tony Fratto, who is traveling with Bush in Florida. "Of course he's happy for Vice President Gore and happy for the international panel on climate change scientists who also shared the peace prize." "Obviously, it's an important recognition and we're sure the vice president is thrilled." ::Reuters

Labels: Al Gore, An Inconvenient Truth, carbon dioxide emissions, climate change, documentary, environmental activism, global warming

Conservative columnist , Mark Steyn, published an opinion piece in the OC Register yesterday (Mark Steyn: Warm-mongers and cheeseburger imperialists) in which he uncovered the truth about global warming: the media is ignoring the fact that climate change is a hoax.

In his article, Steyn writes:

Something rather odd happened the other day. If you go to NASA's Web site and look at the "U.S. surface air temperature" rankings for the lower 48 states, you might notice that something has changed.

Then again, you might not. They're not issuing any press releases about it. But they have quietly revised their All-Time Hit Parade for U.S. temperatures. The "hottest year on record" is no longer 1998, but 1934. Another alleged swelterer, the year 2001, has now dropped out of the Top 10 altogether, and most of the rest of the 21st century – 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004 – plummeted even lower down the Hot 100. In fact, every supposedly hot year from the Nineties and this decade has had its temperature rating reduced. Four of America's Top 10 hottest years turn out to be from the 1930s, that notorious decade when we all drove around in huge SUVs with the air-conditioning on full-blast. If climate change is, as Al Gore says, the most important issue anyone's ever faced in the history of anything ever, then Franklin Roosevelt didn't have a word to say about it.

The whole premise of this opinion seems to be that the lower 48 have not been as hot in the last decade as reported. But, that's not the point. No one is claiming that the temps will rise everywhere. In fact, Gore himself suggested that temperatures and climates would shift -- hotter, wetter or dryer in some places. The whole change in temperatures is only a degree or two. So, statistical variations in any given month or year would seem irrelevant.

In fact, one could argue that if global climate change is occurring and more ice is turning to water (as has been suggested), then the additional water in the ocean and air should have a moderating effect. Water has a high specific heat, so lower humidity equals greater temperature variations. I.e., there should be fewer highs and lows.

In essence, whether or not we get 100 year highs is not the point. Furthermore, the lower 48 states may or may not get new highs. This is "global" climate change, not regional climate change.

Labels: Al Gore, climate change, global warming, Mark Steyn

On 7.7.07 more than two billion people will come together during Live Earth. That number is unfathomable - more than one-fourth of the world's population will participate in a single event and demand a solution to the climate crisis. This unique moment presents us with a unique choice.

Do we use this unprecedented opportunity to organize a global movement that will last beyond 7.7.07? Or do we let the moment pass?

I know my answer - and I think I know yours. That's why I am issuing this challenge: Let's use this moment to pledge our support to solving the climate crisis. Just as important – let's ask everyone we know to join us as part of this movement.

Sign the 7.7.07 Live Earth Pledge:

http://liveearthpledge.org/algore.php

The 7.7.07 Live Earth Pledge:

I PLEDGE:

1. To demand that my country join an international treaty within the next 2 years that cuts global warming pollution by 90% in developed countries and by more than half worldwide in time for the next generation to inherit a healthy earth;

2. To take personal action to help solve the climate crisis by reducing my own CO2 pollution as much as I can and offsetting the rest to become "carbon neutral;"

3. To fight for a moratorium on the construction of any new generating facility that burns coal without the capacity to safely trap and store the CO2;

4. To work for a dramatic increase in the energy efficiency of my home, workplace, school, place of worship, and means of transportation;

5. To fight for laws and policies that expand the use of renewable energy sources and reduce dependence on oil and coal;

6. To plant new trees and to join with others in preserving and protecting forests; and,

7. To buy from businesses and support leaders who share my commitment to solving the climate crisis and building a sustainable, just, and prosperous world for the 21st century.

Sign the Live Earth Pledge by visiting:

http://liveearthpledge.org/algore.php

Together we were able to make March’s Congressional hearings a huge moment by collecting more than 500,000 messages and demonstrating the significant public support for solving the climate crisis to our elected leaders and the media. Our next opportunity to demonstrate this growing movement will come on 7.7.07

Live Earth will not just be a 24-hour concert – but the launch of a massive campaign to demonstrate that the political will exists to solve the climate crisis.

Sign the Live Earth Pledge by visiting:

http://liveearthpledge.org/algore.php

As our movement grows larger we will shake loose the paralysis currently gripping our political system. Working together we can get it done.

Thank you,

Al Gore

P.S. You can still sign up to host a Live Earth House Party by visiting:

http://joinliveearth.org/gore

Labels: Al Gore, carbon credits, carbon dioxide emissions, environmental activism, global warming, Live Earth

In Hollywood, after the Oscars and all the parties and glitz and glamor, most "winners" will likely curl up in bed or take a vacation until the congratulatory phone calls cease. Next, I suppose they might have a spa day complete with massage, manicure and pedicure, followed by a power lunch with their agent to plan their next big move.

Maybe that's how they do it Hollywood, but somebody forgot to tell Al Gore.

Just days after An Inconvenient Truth won a couple of Oscars, Al Gore is making a move, not a movie. His move could hardly be considered "lateral" -- some might even consider it a demotion. Gore has decided to pursue the mundane business of delivery guy.

No, you won't find him racing around Manhattan atop a speeding 10-speed with courier bag in toe.

No, he has not taken a position with the Postal Service or FedEx or UPS.

On March 21st, Gore will be towing 10s or 100s of thousands of messages from YOU to Congress. So, whether you are a proponent of taking rational steps to curb greenhouse gas emissions OR if your think this whole "global warming thang" is just a hoax, you can take advantage of this free. limited time offer to have Al Gore deliver your message to congress -- no postage required.

Click here to send your message: http://algore.com/cards.html

Labels: Al Gore, carbon dioxide emissions, environmental activism, global warming

Al Gore is ready to build on the success of "An Inconvenient Truth" and start organizing to solve the climate crisis. He's working to get hundreds of thousands of messages to Congress demanding real action to stop global warming. And he's asking for our help.

Can you help out by signing the petition at the link below? If you do, Al Gore will personally deliver our comments to Congress. I just did it myself and it only takes a second.

Visit MoveOn.org to send a message to congress now:
http://pol.moveon.org/climatecrisis/

Labels: Al Gore, carbon dioxide emissions, environmental activism, global warming

In search of industry support, Al Gore presented at a conference Wednesday hosted by Wal-Mart at its Bentonville, Ark., headquarters.

Dubbed the quarterly sustainability network meeting, the conference included Gore's presentation on the dangers of global warming, as well as one from officials of the Rocky Mountain Institute and the Evangelical Environmental Network.

The meeting also included discussions with Wal-Mart's suppliers on how sustainability can impact the supply chain and benefit the customer, according to the statement from the world's largest retailer. Suppliers who were at the meeting included Procter & Gamble, Sara Lee Apparel and Paramount Classics.

"We are all passionate about making real progress regarding the environment," said a statement from Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott. "By working together, we can help each other save money, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and pass the savings on to our customers. Sustainability is good for the environment, and it's also good for business."

In addition to his remarks to the conference, Gore screened his movie, "An Inconvenient Truth," about the threat of global warming.

Earlier this year Wal-Mart announced that it would seek to eliminate 30 percent of the energy used by stores, with the corporate goal of eventually being fueled 100 percent by renewable energy. The retailer also plans to eliminate 25 percent of the solid waste from U.S. stores in the next three years, with the corporate goal of producing zero waste.

Additionally, Wal-Mart is targeting increased efficiency of its truck fleet by 25 percent over the next three years, with efficiency doubled within 10 years except in the North, where Wal-Mart utilizes white reflective roof membranes, resulting in a 10 percent lower cooling load.

Labels: Al Gore, carbon dioxide emissions, environmental activism, global warming

Hi. My name is Mike Taus and I live in Kailua on the Windward side of Oahu in Hawaii. My wife, two daughters and I moved here almost a year ago from California mostly to escape the toxins and find a peaceful place.

Last night we had a sitter, so my wife and I decided to go see the Al Gore movie, An Inconvenient Truth. Truthfully, I had been eager to see it for some time. Some would say that I am a liberal, others might think me moderate and a few might even consider me conservative. I consider myself political only to the extent the important issues are at stake. I am disenchanted with the politics of the day and certainly do not follow the ongoing battle closely. But, I have been moved from time to take action.

In my opinion, An Inconvenient Truth is not a political movie. True, it is Al Gore's story/mission that is central to this movie. But I tend to agree with Gore's statement that this is a moral issue.

We, the voting population of the United States -- and perhaps only a subset of us with the time and resources to act -- are responsible for affecting change. The sort of change I am referring to is the reversal of a trend that has been growing for more than 100 years. This is not a trend of evil corporations, as some on the left might characterize the issue.

In my estimation, we as consumers are just beginning to awaken from a 100 year binge. A binge of consumption that began, when we as a civilization believed that nature’s boundaries were far too limitless for our actions to have material consequences.

We are all innocent and blameless in this process. Like an alcoholic, who began consuming innocently and over time becomes consumed himself, we must awaken to the realization that we have the potential to do massive and perhaps irreversible harm. Unfortunately, it often takes a catastrophic event to awaken an addict. Similarly, it may take a global catastrophe to awaken the world.

Today, we see the by-product of our industrialization all around us. We consume fish with elevated mercury levels. We dig deep wholes in remote mountains to bury away our nuclear waste. We have left to waste vast swathes of forest that will take centuries to repair, if ever. In many places, we breath air that is thick with smog. We drink water out of bottles to avoid ordinary drinking water.

But, perhaps the scariest of these by-products is the pervasive molecule of carbon-dioxide or CO2. Yes, the same stuff that we exhale with each breath and that is consumed by plants in exchange for oxygen, seems to be directly linked with the rise in global temperatures, the melting of ice caps and the siginificant increase in unusual weather patterns.

If you are not convinced that CO2 is to blame, that is okay. I cannot say with 100% certainty the this is true. Scientists rely upon correlations and this case the data seems to support a stron correlation. The two graphs below do a fair job of illustruting this connection:

For some, this may not be proof of anything. For others it may be convincing. For me it is a start. For those that have seen the movie, you may recall a prediction that ocean levels could rise as much as 20 feet. My home in Kailua is about 8 feet above sea level. For hundreds of years, people have moved close to the ocean for commerce, weather, etc. The consequences of a increasing global temperatures and rising ocean levels are obvious. So, we have a clear moral obligation to investigate this issue fully and act accordingly.

More importantly, we are morally obligated to begin acting in such a way as to reduce CO2 emissions before we can prove with 100% certainty that this link is factual. We cannot wait, because we risk too much.

I ask anyone who is interested to get involved here or elsewhere. All sources, facts and opinions are welcome.

Labels: Al Gore, carbon dioxide emissions, environmental activism, global warming