General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsKrugman: 'Climate change is no longer a disaster waiting to happen. It’s happening now.'
Source: New York Times
... Making things much worse, of course, is the role of players who dont have the best will in the world. Climate change denial is a major industry, lavishly financed by Exxon, the Koch brothers and others with a financial stake in the continued burning of fossil fuels. And exploiting variability is one of the key tricks of that industrys trade. Applications range from the Fox News perennial Its cold outside! Al Gore was wrong! to the constant claims that were experiencing global cooling, not warming, because its not as hot right now as it was a few years back.
How should we think about the relationship between climate change and day-to-day experience? Almost a quarter of a century ago James Hansen, the NASA scientist who did more than anyone to put climate change on the agenda, suggested the analogy of loaded dice. Imagine, he and his associates suggested, representing the probabilities of a hot, average or cold summer by historical standards as a die with two faces painted red, two white and two blue. By the early 21st century, they predicted, it would be as if four of the faces were red, one white and one blue. Hot summers would become much more frequent, but there would still be cold summers now and then.
... Will the current drought finally lead to serious climate action? History isnt encouraging. The deniers will surely keep on denying, especially because conceding at this point that the science theyve trashed was right all along would be to admit their own culpability for the looming disaster. And the public is all too likely to lose interest again the next time the die comes up white or blue.
But lets hope that this time is different. For large-scale damage from climate change is no longer a disaster waiting to happen. Its happening now.
Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/23/opinion/krugman-loading-the-climate-dice.html
jpbollma
(552 posts)The change is too gradual. We had a completely Democratic government for a brief two years and likely will not have one again for another generation, yet nothing was changed. It's sad but We really will destroy our only home. There is nowhere else for us to go.
Patiod
(11,816 posts)Which may have made a difference
ProSense
(116,464 posts)The change is too gradual. We had a completely Democratic government for a brief two years and likely will not have one again for another generation, yet nothing was changed. It's sad but We really will destroy our only home. There is nowhere else for us to go.
...how close we came to getting a climate change bill:
July 2009:
House passes landmark climate change bill
http://www.reuters.com/article/2009/06/26/us-climate-usa-congress-idUSTRE55O4R120090626
September 2009:
Boxer, Kerry Set to Introduce Climate Bill in Senate
http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2009/09/28/28climatewire-boxer-kerry-set-to-introduce-climate-bill-in-43844.html
October 2009:
Kerry-Boxer clean energy bill: Chairmans mark and EPA analysis released
http://www.grist.org/article/2009-10-23-kerry-boxer-clean-energy-bill-chairmans-mark-and-epa-analysis
November 2009:
Boxer Statement on Committee Passage of S. 1733 The Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act
http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Majority.PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=c512ac4d-802a-23ad-4884-2b95a8405efe
Unfortunately, by the time the bill got to the full Senate, it was attacked, kill the bill attacked, from all sides. Close = no bill.
limpyhobbler
(8,244 posts)Steven Dziedzic
(3 posts)Incitatus
(5,317 posts)jimlup
(7,968 posts)"Well it's too late to do anything - we might as well make the best of it and continue to burn fossil fuels."
Uncle Joe
(58,482 posts)Thanks for the thread, Newsjock.