Climate Lynx

AMA and the climate health consensus If you search “NASA climate consensus” you will, at least last night and for the last five years, be able to find the climate consensus of the top US and International Science organizations.   Here is what one organizations says: American Medical Association "Our AMA ... supports the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s fourth assessment report and concurs with the scientific consensus that the Earth is undergoing adverse global climate change and that anthropogenic contributions are significant." (2013) 6 Note by column author: “Anthropogenic” means human caused. Citizens Climate Lobby is lucky to have many doctors who are actively trying to make a difference, so we can, as citizens, “grab the bull by the horns” regarding climate change. Here is one of our members and medical doctor: Climate Change will bring Costly Challenges Mark Cannon, MD. PhD. The science showing the negative impacts of h...

Listening to Scientists and Doctors A couple of my CCL compatriots volunteered to write a letter on climate change from their perspective as a scientist and as a medical doctor. These are enlightening letters. I would encourage anyone to study climate change. You do not have to be a scientist, or doctor. With a little study, you will soon see for yourself the consequences, as they apply to you, to our community, and to our country. Before reading the perspective of a scientist, have you ever asked yourself if you could be a scientists or doctor? I have. The unanswered question for me is, “Would I have had the right temperament?”   I have had the good fortune of mixing with doctors and scientists often throughout my flying career.   What I have come to realize is that they all are motivated to do “good” by acquiring and applying knowledge. They are in the business of solving problems for our well-being. This desire to do good manifests itself in the admirable traits of di...

“Climate Change is not politics, it is science”. I say this because understanding science, or at least respecting the experts, is an essential first step in any logical decision analysis. But politics has its role in any solution needing governmental intervention. Solutions are laid out in policy and policy is the result of politics. When politicians do not respect experts, disaster ensues. The weak response from the Trump Administration to COVID-19 is an example of what happens when politicians ignore experts. Scientists told us the virus must feed on our lungs. If we starve the virus of our lungs, we kill it. To do this effectively, we needed a strong national lock down for a minimum of three weeks. The success of this draconian measure would have been measured by the continuous monitoring of COVID-19 cases. Data gates of declining infestations, set by the epidemiologists, gave us goals to meet before reopening societal contacts. Their scientific advice was rejected. The virus, which...

Geo- means earth. This can mean dirt, our planet, or planet systems. Engineering is what, primarily, engineers and scientists do to attempt to make things better, using science, for humanity. This includes civil, mining, dam, and petroleum engineering. What are some of the largest geo-engineering projects? Perhaps the Panama Canal, the Boston Big Dig, the Hoover Dam and/or the shaving off mountain tops to extract coal. In fact, it is estimated we humans move a lot of earth each year. Some estimate 7 gigatons per year. These activities have long term environmental effects on our earth, water, and air. But, what is the biggest on-going geo-engineering project man has been pursuing for years? I believe it is the one where we inject 10 gigatons of carbon dioxide, CO2, into the atmosphere every year. This ought to give you some idea of how much coal, oil, and gas we consume, from which CO2 is emitted. Technically, this injection of CO2 is not geo-engineering.   Geo-engineering i...

Some of us may wonder who keeps track of the earth’s temperature. This year we had a cool long winter. Other places on earth had above average temperatures. The earth is a big place. In fact, the North American Continent makes up only 4.8% of the earth’s surface. There are 7,250 terrestrial temperature stations whose data is accumulated by various organizations. These stations are called the “Global Climate Network”. Our National Climate Data Center, (NCDC) makes its home in Arizona State University and is a prominent repository of weather data. Standardization of measuring equipment for this data collection is stipulated by the World Meteorological Organization. Throughout history, recording weather and linking seasonal weather shifts to a calendar date, has been essential to agriculturally based civilizations. These records have been examined, in detail, by researchers.     Data using modern equipment goes back to about 1850.*   Using this data, the National Aeron...