Republicans are usually really bad on cause-and-effect relations but they might want to pay attention to this. The more the climate becomes unstable, the more Mexicans are going to lose their jobs and farms. Which means even more will come to US looking for work as long as folks are willing to hire them.
Anyone willing to pass some immigration reform yet?
Also, more on how the Senate knows nothing about science.
Well, bad enough our coastal cities may drown and that famine may occur worldwide. Now we may not be able to drown our sorrows should the world dramatically change.
Here is a prime example of what happens when corporations sink their venomous fangs into public news. If you only read the headline you would be correct in thinking "oh man, I didn't know solar plants were so bad for us".
Read the article, however, and you run into information like "According to the developer, the Amargosa (solar) plant would produce about 4.9 pounds of carbon monoxide per megawatt hour of electricity produced, compared with 822 pounds per megawatt hour for a natural gas plant."
Wow, wait a minute. I thought you said the solar plants would WORSEN things? Worsen as in being more polluting than doing nothing? Sure. If I stopped breathing the Earth would have more oxygen. But I don't plan on dying right now.
And sure, if plants here - where there is a lot of sun - replaces a more inefficient fossil fuel facility somewhere else, then yeah, the local environment may suffer a bit. Overall, however, we're in better shape for it.
That said, measure the impact responsibly, and move forward if the plan looks to benefit more people than, say, plopping a few more oil derricks off the American coast. Yes, there is a cost to develop. But casting doubt on methods that are WAY more safe than those currently in use only earns you thirty pieces of silver and a reputation for being a corporate whore.
My other example of corporate propaganda comes from NPR, now apparently funded by Monsanto. In an article that should be touting the benefits of grass-fed beef - which should be obvious - the article snidely goes about trying to diminish what thinking people and our ancestors knew: animals each grass to survive when given a choice, not corn meal or the ground up bits of other animals.
Monsanto, and their paid NPR reporter, wants you to question what just seems right and obvious. Once again, why should I donate to put more of this filth on the air?
Well, you can't get any of the rabid Republicans to admit there is such a thing as climate change going on, but they'll soon know the problems it creates when their coffee changes due to the new environmental challenges created by the world getting warmer.
Bonus coffee story on why dark coffee is better for you.
I have having a conversation with someone the other day and this story from Marketplace came to mind. Basically, it concerns the destruction of forests in Montana thanks to milder winters there in recent years.
The lack of good solid cold snaps is letting a native beetle species flourish and destroy large tracts of pine trees. Granted, Montana may have two Democratic senators and a governor, but it's a pretty conservative place. Without being too giddy about it, I'm pretty sure these folks are reaping what they sowed when mocking climate change news. Now it is in their backyards, literally.
Sometimes it takes a harsh lesson to learn truth and put aside politically motivated myth, and this *is* a hard one to learn at that. Hopefully these folks will teach their conservative brethren the fallacy of their rhetoric. I mean, Georgia is turning into a desert and that hasn't changed any minds.
In short, conservatives need to get on board and help address the threats that affect ALL of us. Too bad that you can look at the majority of the commenters on this story and still see a lot of kool aid drinkers.
Honestly, when our economy fails and the ecology collapses, I won't have one iota of humanity left for these bastards. I hope they starve outside whatever front door I have while I help protect those who actually realize that our actions have consequences. Let those whose greed destroy our world suffer for their misdeeds.
I love Bill Nye's bit in this segment:
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
"A big blizzard proves there's no global warming in the same way being out of milk proves there's no such thing as cows."- Dana Gould
Want to know why is REALLY starting a "War on Christmas"? It is the conservative and their pals in the Big Oil offices who are harming our traditional views.
If the holiday season included the concept of snow and Santa Claus to you, you'd be interested in hearing that our poles are melting faster than ever and that, thanks to climate change causing emissions, reindeer are dying off. Basically, the population of certain caribou have fallen to like 1/7th of their numbers since the 1950s.
Here's more on the caribou species in question.
Back in September, the International Fund for Animal Welfare asked the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to put these creatures on the endangered species list.
Today being the last day they could do so, the Service failed to act. I heard about this yesterday on Here and Now.
So, you know, when all the reindeer have gone, be show to plant a solid kick in the tailbone of your nearest Rethug Talibangelical climate change denier when you have to tell your kid that Rudolf is extinct.
Republicans are dumb. Like monumentally stupid.
Don't believe me? They elected Michael Steele to lead them. Sure, as a Token Leader since they're racists and all, but really, read his thoughts on Greenland. Amazing.
Then again, these are the same idiots who cream their pants hoping to touch Sarah Palin. The same folks who decided that electing a religious nutjob cocaine addict wouldn't screw up America. The same folks who look to Dick Cheney AND Ted Nugent for inspiration.
Seriously, go have a kool-aid party out in Nebraska and quit trying to destroy my country and my planet.
You actual conservatives should be ashamed at yourselves for letting this happen to your party. I can't take you morons seriously anymore.
How global warming is already affecting us and the tough choices we have to make
You know, for a business show, Marketplace really does focus on the important issues like global climate change without the usual crazy lies and BS you'd get from conservatives. Instead of focusing on crazy people like Inhofe, the show talks to the people who can best evaluate and prepare us for what is likely to come.
Check out their latest special segment here.
For the climate change deniers in your life. That said, the morons won't listen to reason so why bother?
Here in Nevada we aren't quite onboard the renewable energy thing yet. I mean, today is the first cloudy day we've had in quite awhile. We get A LOT of sun here. We also get a fair amount of wind. Up north there are quite a bit of geothermal resources which, admittedly, are getting somewhat used.
So, we've got some mandates to get our grid on more renewables. Is there a new solar array in the hojillion square miles of unused government land out there? No. How about vast farms of wind turbines? Not so much.
No, our energy company's solution to global warming is to...wait for it...mix wood chips with the coal.
Yeah! Problem solved. Oh wait, one thing: we live in a FREAKING DESERT! We don't HAVE quick growing forests on the edge of town to exploit. We barely have any trees as it is.
Christ, they MUST be Republicans over there at NV Energy. Idiiots.
Paul Krugman on the coming teabagger/birther/deather/traitor attacks on the upcoming climate change legislation.
I imagine the Talibangelicals will be asserting their right to destroy Earth to "bring on Armageddon" or some-such bullshit.
I remember linking a few map links and figured now was the time to lay down a post about them.
First off, from Wired, American Vice: Mapping the 7 Deadly Sins. What is most interesting to me in this is how the "Bible Belt" is chock full of Envy, Wrath, Lust, and Pride.
Wrath: Number of violent crimes (murder, assault, and rape) per capita.
Here is a writeup in the Catholic Globe, plus more maps reprinted in the Las Vegas Sun, including Nevada state breakdowns.
Worried about climate change? If you are a citizen of the Plains/MidWest you'd better be. Not only are Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa in the crosshairs of major change, they are also represented by Republican global warming deniers that won't be doing a damn thing to help out the Americans that will be hardest hit.
At the same time, resistance to climate change legislation by Republicans is costing their supporters jobs. Don't believe me? Check out the following map:
Meanwhile, politically, a map that gives hope that we may eventually silence the Talibangelicals and Rethugs and at least get the GOP back to "just" racists and trickle-down theory idiots again. I mean, if THIS is what the Angry White Right for Jebus has to offer, the Republicans will find another way. Won't they?
Pithy headline but a serious article concerning the potential demise of some of our natural wonders.
In a similar vein, I saw that Frommer's has put out 500 Places to See Before They Disappear, which might not be a bad read once Gabriel is better suited for travel.
