The Inuit people of the Arctic remain in tune with their environment in a way that is foreign to the world’s growing urban population. That’s why the environmental changes they are witnessing should serve as a warning to the rest of the world as to what global warming could bring. Here’s one anecdote from a sobering article in The Washington Post:
“Villagers say the shrinking ice floes mean they see hungry polar bears more frequently. In the Hudson Bay village of Ivujivik, Lydia Angyiou, a slight woman of 41, was walking in front of her 7-year-old boy last month when she turned to see a polar bear stalking the child. To save him, she charged with her fists into the 700-pound bear, which slapped her twice to the ground before a hunter shot it, according to the Nunatsiaq News.”
Posted by Melissa Cooley
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77 Comments
The sky is falling! The sky is falling!
(It’s Bush’s fault)
Hank
Hank?
I think you got your threads confused.
I think you meant to post “Nothing to see here, move along”
I think your sky is falling post might better belong on the “Saddam wasn’t home” thread.
Hank how dare you vary from the republican meme of “it’s clinton’s fault”.
Are you ok hank?
There is definetly a warming pattern going on. That much has been made certain by recent events, including the melting glaciers, reduced length of winter ice and the increased fury of cyclones, hurricanes and tornados. Whether it is man made or not, in my opinion, is still up for dispute.
That said, what can we do about it? One interesting part of the Kyoto treaty is the planting of trees throughout the third world countries. Forrests have long been thought of as carbon sinks, and increasing their abundance would help reduce greenhouse gasses.
Well, guess what? Wrong: Young trees will use carbon dioxide and convert it to oxygen, but as the tree ages, its carbon cycle reduces greatly, and it starts producing methane, a worse greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Methane in unbelievable numbers of tons.
Scientist for years had been puzzled by methane signatures in great abundance picked up by satalite observation, espicially over old-growth forrests. Studies were done, and the culprit was identified: trees. When the same readings were done over clear cut areas, the methane signature was missing.
There are actually more trees in the United States today than at any time in the past. Makes one wonder what can be done about that, and if it’s even a serious problem, but it does appear the warm air increases methane production in trees. Interesting additional part of the bigger equation.
http://www.carbon-info.org/carbonnews_028.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4604332.stm
Yes, JM, warmer conditions accellerate methane (and CO2) production. This is one of the well-known positive feedback loops. It will be a very interesting next few years as Greenland continues to melt and coastal sheets disintegrate.
The Great Experiment Continues …
Walker, we are doing our part here in the west by living without trees. :)
Seriously…trees out here tend to grow along creeks and waterways (go figure).
When looking at streamflow issues, the first thing we hear is how we should remove the trees.
I didnt know that in addition to saving water, the “no trees” recommendation also included the added benefit of reduced methane.
Kill a tree, save a cow! Viva la zero sum!
heheheh.
Well I’ll be…
Now global warming is about to get kids eaten by polar bears.
Where is Damoon at?
We should send an army up there to protect those kids from the polar bears because if it saves one life it is worth it.
Does Alaska have CC? If so the mother could have carried a sidearm and shot the hungry bear.
Typically, right wing posters treat this issue as a joke.
I tend to regard such folks as jokes unto themselves.
I wonder if any of us will still be laughing when the water reaches our lower lips.
Don’t worry about it KFG – after we completely dewater the region you won’t have to worry about trees.
JR your overreaching generalization is not only insulting, it is also false. Global warming is a serious issue, and has been for decades/centuries. There is some scientific thought that the earth goes thru these cycles in between ice ages.
Just because some conservatives on this blog do not accept your blaming GW for all global warming (and every other wrong in the universe since time began) does not dismiss the serious nature of it.
Julie, I had the same thought.
Raptor, good points.
Mea Culpa raptor. If you are concerned as to this issue good for you.
I don’t think my generalization was totally unfounded though. It is your party that in large part calls people concerned about the environment “whackos”.
I don’t think I blamed bush personally for global warming on this thread or any other.
I do believe that if you are not part of the solution you are part of the problem.
I don’t think most conservatives even take the issue seriously.
You mean all these years we have been spending money to figure out how to live in outer space, when we should have figured out how to live under water?
Julie, maybe I missed it, but where did JR engage in “blaming GW for all global warming”? And libertarians are generally regarded as a separate class from “right wingers,” BTW.
You were saying something about “overreaching,” darlin’?
I meant Raptor.
Oops.
See what we mean about dumbass posts, Crux?
I was gonna ditto rage.
No one here blames bush for global warming.
I do though, blame him for not acting, and maybe taking the last clear shot at slowing it.
(who wants to bet they bring up clinton right…about…NOW!)
But it doesnt matter since armageddon is right around the corner.
Cant wait.
Rage, don’t worry about it, I’ve been compared with worse things and I take it as a bit of a compliment actually darlin’.
And if you repent of your homosexual ways KFG you can have eternal life with Christ who loves you.
It is not too late. Armageddon has not come yet.
heheh Ben. Removing the trees from our waterways just makes the water run faster to you all. Maybe THAT is why the ks water office hates trees. They dont get the water to eastern ks fast enough!
I love your posts Ben.
Thank you, ma’am! I think my skin is returning to its normal shade now. . .
KFG,I think the issue should have been acted on before GW or Clinton. But it’s become an issue that no politician wants to touch because they might be labeled an alarmist or whatever. That’s a crime because it is a serious issue and needs attention.
Maybe if we take out all the trees the water can seep down to the aquifer and replentish?
So what does gay marriage have to do with this thread nathan?
Please tell us if global warming is god’s punishment for gay people wanting to marry!
If you want to chase me around the threads today nathan to avenge the ass kicking I gave you yesterday, feel free to do so.
As for me, I’m just gonna refer readers to the end of this thread.
http://blogs.kansas.com/weblog/2006/03/thank_goodness_.html#comments
KFG,
I figure if you have nothing better to do than constantly bash Christians I will constantly talk about your being homosexual and how it is not too late to repent of your sins.
1st Corinthians 6:9-11
9. Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals,
10. nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.
11. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
You too can be washed and sanctified KFG!
hee hee. I love it when nathan takes the bait. Please, keep it up. Since you posted this, I hear the sounds of people running toward christ right now.
You got it KFG – Phelps is right! We are being punished for not putting you to death!
KFG,I think that Nathan just wants your bod. He focuses on your homosexuality and insists that you repent but nothing is said of any other sins that need repenting (coveting, lying, false idols, etc). I think he’s jealous of your gf.
You could at least address the thread Nathan while you are pursuing your little thread hopping…..Crusade
Do you think your God would approve of our stewardship of the Earth?
heheh julie.
In a previous thread, GMC70 was hot for ME. I never thought about my gf. Just dare me to post the link.
If nathan did see my girlfriend, a very hot six figure salary geophysicist, he would indeed be jealous. BTW, she’s a good kisser too.
I see how god is punishing my gf and I heheheheh.
Nathan, I am just going to short circuit the b.s. here and post a link to your greatest hits on gay marriage and gay people. No one cares, but it should save you the trouble of repeating it all here.
As I notice, your posts on the subject havent changed in almost 2.5 years.
http://blogs.kansas.com/weblog/2005/07/has_phelps_shoc_1.html#comments
Oops, 1.5 years. I am laughing so hard I cant type.
heheheh
Nathan says: “Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified”.
See rage, I told you that you must be washed in the marinara sauce before you are re-issued pirate regalia.
And julie, that is why it cant be alfredo.
Ramen!
While kfg and nathan are throwing curses and prayers at each other, back to the blog:
One thing that interests me: Nature rarely, if ever, produces something that it can’t use in some other benificial way. To produce something detremental to itself would be violating itself.
With that in mind, just what does nature do with the methane trees,and animals for that matter, produce? The nature of nature is that it is a very complex organism. So why produce methane, a known poisoness gas? Nature doesn’t drive cars, generate mega-watts of electricty, except in storms and some animals. So where does methane enter the equation? Anybody?
Maybe methane was meant to slap humans off the face of the earth for destroying God’s creation like we have.
Methane can be used in some circumstances as a nutrient but not in the normal sense. I may also be an agent to eliminate pest species; that has happened before in geologic history. The build-up of toxic (to some organisms) O2 led to extinctions.
KfG – your gf is a geophysicist? I’d like to meet her – discuss various science-related matters.
No KFG, that was what the Bible said, I was just qouting it.
I figure if I am going to constantly be bashed for being Christian and have to constantly hear about how I am interjecting my faith into everything I might as well just do it.
So here you go.
1st Timothy 1:9-11
9. realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers
10. and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching,
11. according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted.
I will keep praying that one day you will come to know Christ instead of rebeling from him KFG.
Interesting, Ben. I did a little reading on it, and it is used to help warm the planet. Evidently, it layers and keeps heat in. It is also used by MrMethane in, let’s say, unusual ways: http://www.mrmethane.com/
Nathan
Address the thread while
you save our souls.
Does your faith have a position on stewardship of the Earth?
Your take on global warming or environmental protection ??
Ben, I would LOVE for you two to meet and chat. She would like that since I exhaust my science knowlege in about two minutes with her. Your posts remind me of things she would say…with a little WALKER humor thrown in. heheheh. She plays guitar too! A damn stratocaster in fact.
Actually, she is as smart as you as analytical as DD, as funny and cute as JR, as kind and big hearted as Damoon, as steady and responsible as XXX, as dry as Rage, as liberal as PL, and well, I could go on. She owns big guns :) but she doesnt hunt. She’s a vegetarian. :(
Oh, and lest I forget, she is as HOT as tara. heheheh.
Maybe I can get her to come with me to the next gathering, but she isnt very social or outgoing.
In fact she likes numbers and animals better than people. I dont know what she sees in me but I hope she never gets her glasses changed!
And boy does she have opinions about global warming!
Ksfarmgrrl, you sound so excited about her. You must be really happy!I’m almost envious :)
I humbly adore her tara. She is the love of my life. We have been together almost four years. That’s a lifetime by lesbian relationship/dog year calculations. :)
And of course, you are not just a pretty face kiddo. You hold your own here and whoop ass too! You go girl!
Thanks, ks!I’m glad you make yourself visible. Once people see that most gay couples are normal, healthy people who want nothing more than to build a life with the one they love, equal rights will follow.
I remember a Newsweek article/pictures when Mass allowed gay marriage. People were shocked because instead of the cracked out, tutu wearing crazies everyone was expecting, there were pictures of cute 70 year old couples waiting their turn. Couples hushing their children. Normal, nonscary people. I thought it was really powerful.
I think it is more of a stereotype for people to think that everyone who opposes Homosexual marriage thinks that everyone homosexual is wierd.
I have several homosexual friends and none of them are wierd at all.
JR,
I do believe we are to be good stewards of the earth.
kfg,Like your thinking on this thread as usual.Wish I could meet up with you and your significant other on my way out (or back from) Denver next month…I miss your potato salad already:)
“cracked out, tutu wearing crazies”
Huh? did you see my first STRAIGHT wedding pictures? Well, it was the 70’s.
Let’s just say there were several unfortunate incidents at my first wedding. Said incidents resulted in some VERY unhappy lutherans.
heheh
Cool mrC. let me know details.
Did you somehow know one of the above mentioned unfortunate incidents involved potato salad?
In fact, it’s been banned from lutheran potlucks since!
Potato salad in and of itself can be a religious experience – it should not be banned!!!ok, I’m having cravings for my Grandmother’s potato salad. She can no longer make it :( and nobody makes it like her.
Nathan – “I do believe we are to be good stewards of the earth.”
Well, we sure ain’t doing a very good job of it!
Meanwhile, the Great Experiment continues …
OMG, we are so off topic here, but I cant resist one last joke.
Three little kids were instructed to bring something to show and tell the next day to illustrate their respective religious traditions.
One kid brought a star of david and talked about being jewish. The second brought a crucifix and talked about being christian.
The third kid brought a big corning ware thing. When asked why, he said “we’re lutheran and this is our family’s covered dish for potlucks”.
hehehheh.
I was the lucky one that got to take home the leftover potato salad from the picnic, the best ever and my hips thank you, Ksgrl!Glad to hear how happy you are in your relationship.HA! You may not think your homosexual friends are weird, Nathan, but I’ll bet they find you plenty strange!LOLOLOL
Geez I gotta choke back a blush……..
For real.
I thought I was the dry one though:)
I don’t know how anyone can read love like that expressed and find it wrong.
But I always address the thread.
GLad to hear good stewards of the Earth Nathan.
Expand on that can you? Do you think we are doing so? Your ideas?
Hey TARA? How about a global warming cartoon?
JR,
Instead of walking me into what ever it is you are trying to, could you please ask me a specific question?
Yeah, I think in general we are doing a good job.
I gratefully accept the compliment myself. C’est l’vie! :-)
Damn, I’m pretty knocked down, too.”as steady and responsible as XXX”.I won’t forget that, KFG.
To me, you’re the bomb! We’re all better for having met you.
Hee, maybe I’ll do one with color and glitter, JR.Unfortunately, I’m one of the pessimistic ones. I think we may be past the point of no return…Unless science hands us a miracle, we might as well party on…work on coping mechanisms like high altitude cities…maybe underwater colonies? :)
To loosely paraphrase a professor of mine, well, look at the bright side. All of these storm systems make for some great surfing…
That’s all I’m good for is a chuckle? Damn kfg, I’m . . . whatever. Hey, I did like your tater salad. That’s gotta count for something!
You are multitalented Walker. She shares that with you too!
I meant all those things as compliments…
Nathan
I’m not walking you into anything. I just wanted your take on the environment……..
Now THAT part is directed to your first two sentences.
But then you start “walking” with
“Yeah I think we are doing a good job”
Now beleive me. It takes every bit of restraint I have not to pounce on that. (ANybody who reads me knows that)
Instead…..I am going to be restrained and ask you if there is anything you think we should be doing differently. One way or another….more toward protection like the Endangered species act…..or the other way toward easing restrictions.
I promise not to pounce until you are done.
It is your turn. How may we best be stewards of creation. (That is not a shot)
For starters I think we need more nuclear power.
I think it would take away our dependence on coal and oil buring energy production and seriously reduce emmsions and waste.
True as to dependence and emmissions. Go ahead.
See? I can “listen”.
I think the Endangered species act is a good idea in theory and works well in general.
I think there needs to be more common sense approaches with the Endangered species act towards things.
The sea turtle is a perfect example. There used to be a legitimate business operation that raised sea turtles. They would sell like 90% of them and release 10% into the wild.
It was a positive gain for sea turtles. Yet when the Endangered species act said that sea turtles were an endangered species they shut down that operation.
Now the population is not getting any better when they had a company doing something positive to help the population.
There are many more examples of the rigidness of the act when a balance can be met to meet both human needs and the environment.
Hey, I knew that . . . just messin’ widya:-)
Nathan,Good examples. Another is the Malibu fire in SOCA. For years the city, county and residents had been begging for brush reduction to decrease the fire hazard in the mountains. But because there were a couple of endangered species there, a lizard and a bird, nothing was allowed. When the fire started, every lizard and bird had their habitat destroyed and many families lost everything, some their lives. Ridiculous.
Nuclear energy should be the energy of the furure. There have been vast improvements in construction, safety, and the process as a whole. But I’m afraid three mile island is going to scare people fro allowing it to happen.
The issue of where to store nuclear waste is sort of problematic.
I did not know that example Nathan. I will look into that. I like where you are going so far.
J M Fire is a part of nature. Brush is a part of nature.
JR,
Ben and I actually had a good discussion on this at the picknic.
He was talking about how you could back mix weapons grade uranium into the already depleted uranium to make new fuel.
His idea of swords into plowshares.
Another interesting sidenote from our conversation was about how the amount of radioactive waste that comes out of a coal burning plant is much more than Nuclear energy.
Either way you are seeing a decrease in waste with Nuclear power.
I am sure he can explain it much better than I, but that is the jist of it.
I was sorry I did not get to visit with Ben more. I still need to hit the archives as to his posts the last global warming thread.I thought you could benefit more talking to him and perhaps I was right.
I do like the direction you are taking here.
Go on. What else can we do for the environment?
I like solar power. I have not studied it a whole lot, but I have seen some really good uses of it.
I don’t think it can substitute for our power needs, I think it can be a good suppliment though.
I think it would be great if more people used some sort of solar power at their homes. If this involves improving the technology or helping make it more accesable or cheaper then lets do it.
I have friends who use solar power to heat their water and use solar power to generate electiricity and it is pretty slick stuff especially when it comes time to pay the electric bill.
You don’t need to build some huge solar station, but I think it has potential on the individual levels.
Solar does have incredible potential. Imagine all the unused empty rooftops, sides of tall south facing bulidings etc. These are valuable on an on site capacity as well as being fed into the grid.
Go on.
JR,
LOL. I could go on for the next week or two rambling.
In response to the original topic:
I look at this thread and see an anecdotal story which does little to further the discussion on Global warming in any meaningful way.
It seems like any kind of “strange” weather occurance is cause to shout GLOBAL WARMING these days.
It is like the latest buzz word.
I think we have some progress you and I here tonight Nathan.
The origin of the thread was a bit anecdotal. That is the editorial board writers fault.
You are a young guy Nathan. Presumably you will have kids sometime.
So before you dismiss global warming as the topic of the day and nothing more with no attendant relevance, stop and think.
There are more than 6 billion people on this planet.
I do not share your religious faith. I apologize if I seem to mine it here.
Your faith says that 1 person, Adam, was given dominion over the planet…..or creation.
That dominion is now shared 6 billion fold. Some have more to say as to the care of creation. Many more have less say.
Is it not incumbent on all according to their power to do so to do the very best to preserve and revere and protect the world that we have?
You see the Earth as a gift from God. I see it as the end result of billons of years of life making life.
For both of us I think it is a thing best treated with an eye to caution as to screwing it up.
I thought Metrosexual was the latest buzz word. Or am I behind a week or two:)
Global warming is cyclical. Ask the dinasours.
I was sorry I did not get to visit with Ben more. I still need to hit the archives as to his posts the last global warming thread.I thought you could benefit more talking to him and perhaps I was right.
I do like the direction you are taking here.
Go on. What else can we do for the environment?
“Yeah, I think in general we are doing a good job.”
My professional opinion (shared by most other scientists) is that we are doing an abysmal job of stewardship.
JR,Yes, fire and brush are a part of nature, but in many cases, fires are suppressed before they do what nature intended. When that happens, brush, dead trees, etc, are allowed to accumulate until they are way beyond what nature intended. It is man’s interference in the natural process that causes the most damage.
The Malibu and Yellowstone fires prove that. If the species protection act is going to interfere with the natural process, serious measures need to be taken to prevent The tragedies that occured because of the out of control fires. Those measures include brush removal, if controlled fires are not practical.
When man involves himself in the natural process, bad things can happen. Witness global warming, if it is indeed caused by man.
I think we basically agree J M.
Fire has not in many cases allowed to fill its natural function due to un natural suppression.
But I think interference with fire by suppression has less to do with species protection and more to do with real estate protection. Homes where they really shouldn’t be protected from fire. That’s a sprawl issue. Perhaps if folks choose to live among nature they should be prepared to sacifice their homes for it.
And the Great Experiment continues …
http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/breaking_news/14224487.htm
Caribbean coral suffers record deathSETH BORENSTEINAssociated PressWASHINGTON – A one-two punch of bleaching from record hot water followed by disease has killed ancient and delicate coral in the biggest loss of reefs scientists have ever seen in Caribbean waters.
Researchers from around the globe are scrambling to figure out the extent of the loss. Early conservative estimates from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands find that about one-third of the coral in official monitoring sites has recently died.
“It’s an unprecedented die-off,” said National Park Service fisheries biologist Jeff Miller, who last week checked 40 stations in the Virgin Islands. “The mortality that we’re seeing now is of the extremely slow-growing reef-building corals. These are corals that are the foundation of the reef … We’re talking colonies that were here when Columbus came by have died in the past three to four months.”