[Submitted by stranger_inside on October 19, 2008, 5:43 pm]
pergh...i finally found out my old password to this account...so wats up mtv people???got news???
[Submitted by yaze on December 17, 2007, 6:19 pm]
In March 2004 the world saw a major hurricane hit the coast of Brazil. This is the first time in all recorded history that a hurricane has struck land in South America.
In May 2004, the United States witnessed 562 tornadoes in a single month, breaking all records. A few of these tornadoes were recorded in Seattle, Washington. Never has a tornado been seen in Seattle.
Eastern Canada in the winter of 2003/2004 just had one of the coldest winters on record.
For several years forest fires have been burning around the world. The list would be extensive. The north part of Australia is on fire. Alaska, as we have already mentioned, is burning. Unprecedented!
The entire Western United States is under fire, jumping from region to region, with the US government announcing that this is the worse drought in 500 years. Really, the fires are worldwide.
France and Europe had a heat wave in 2003 that caused 15,000 people to die in France and 30,000 through-out Europe simply from the intense heat caused by Global Warming and the Gulf Stream.
Argentina this month July 2004, had the greatest storm they have ever seen in their history.
Mexico’s weather is so strange and wet in some regions that mold/fungus is forming on their crops. (And in other regions they are having a drought) As weather patterns begin to change more and more radically, food growth will become one of our biggest problems.
The coral reefs of the world are dying because of Global Warming, and this is threatening most of the islands in the oceans, including those in the Pacific. Anyone living on most islands will probably have to leave sooner or later because of their fresh water being corrupted with salt ocean water. Definitely they will have to leave if the oceans rise much higher.
Further, it was reported on NPR this morning, July 16, 2004, that fifty percent of the CO2 that has been released in the atmosphere from our technological society has ended up in our oceans and this in turn is dropping the PH to the acidic. This in turn is actually dissolving the coral reefs and killing them along with vast numbers of other life forms in the oceans.
In May 2004, the United States witnessed 562 tornadoes in a single month, breaking all records. A few of these tornadoes were recorded in Seattle, Washington. Never has a tornado been seen in Seattle.
Eastern Canada in the winter of 2003/2004 just had one of the coldest winters on record.
For several years forest fires have been burning around the world. The list would be extensive. The north part of Australia is on fire. Alaska, as we have already mentioned, is burning. Unprecedented!
The entire Western United States is under fire, jumping from region to region, with the US government announcing that this is the worse drought in 500 years. Really, the fires are worldwide.
France and Europe had a heat wave in 2003 that caused 15,000 people to die in France and 30,000 through-out Europe simply from the intense heat caused by Global Warming and the Gulf Stream.
Argentina this month July 2004, had the greatest storm they have ever seen in their history.
Mexico’s weather is so strange and wet in some regions that mold/fungus is forming on their crops. (And in other regions they are having a drought) As weather patterns begin to change more and more radically, food growth will become one of our biggest problems.
The coral reefs of the world are dying because of Global Warming, and this is threatening most of the islands in the oceans, including those in the Pacific. Anyone living on most islands will probably have to leave sooner or later because of their fresh water being corrupted with salt ocean water. Definitely they will have to leave if the oceans rise much higher.
Further, it was reported on NPR this morning, July 16, 2004, that fifty percent of the CO2 that has been released in the atmosphere from our technological society has ended up in our oceans and this in turn is dropping the PH to the acidic. This in turn is actually dissolving the coral reefs and killing them along with vast numbers of other life forms in the oceans.
[Submitted by yaze on December 13, 2007, 9:18 am]
Can you feel the tide turning? Last week's historic passage of the Climate Security Act out of a key Senate committee represents a new day for global warming action.
Here are some of the things these men and woman have had to say:
Environmental Defense goes after the biggest energy problems on earth, working at the highest levels for the most significant changes. Supporting ED's efforts will allow you to have the largest effect possible in the effort to save the earth.
- Kathy R, Cambridge MA
It is our responsibility to do everything we can to save our environment. I always think of the Iroquois proverb, "In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations." What are we leaving behind for our children?
- Marjorie, Iowa City, IA
I am on board with Environmental Defense because I am concerned about my young daughter's future, and because, as a religious leader and person of faith, I can think of no greater sacred responsibility than protecting the future of life on earth. I urge people of all faiths and traditions to join in this holy task.
- Rabbi Steve Folberg, Austin, TX
Contrbuting to Environmental Defense is one of the few ways that an individual can hope to make a difference. If there is any hope to protect our fragile planet from being ravaged by the uncaring and ignorant, Environmental Defense will be in the forefront. We must act as stewards.
- Louise Hodges, Hanford, CA
We now have serious momentum toward the kinds of changes that could lead to major global warming progress.
[Submitted by yaze on December 8, 2007, 9:19 am]
Whales seen in Alaska oil search area 
by: Associated Press
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Endangered humpback whales swam into the Beaufort Sea off Alaska's northern coast this summer, far beyond their usual range, but federal officials monitoring the waters say it's too soon to determine whether it's a trend or an anomaly.
Environmental groups say the presence of humpbacks hundreds of miles north of their usual habitat likely is another sign of the effects of global warming and the shifting Arctic ecosystem. They are calling for more study of the endangered animals' habits before industrial activity is allowed to expand off Alaska's northern shores.
Robin Cacy, a spokeswoman for the federal Minerals Management Service, which oversees lease sales for offshore petroleum drilling in federal waters, confirmed that humpback whales were spotted in the Beaufort Sea east of Barrow, the northernmost community in the United States. Humpback whales were seen in the Chukchi Sea off Alaska's northwest coast last year, she said.
Also, endangered fin whales were detected this summer by acoustic monitoring north of the Bering Strait in the Chukchi Sea, Cacy said. The fin whales were recorded as far north as Point Lay, a coastal Inupiat Eskimo village of 235 about 700 miles northwest of Anchorage.
Some of the whales were spotted by observers involved with the oil industry. Shell Exploration and Production and its contractors performed seismic work this summer in anticipation of bidding on leases. Lease sales are scheduled for 2008 in the Chukchi Sea and 2009 in the Beaufort Sea. Cacy said some whales also were spotted by observers involved with barge traffic.
by: Associated Press
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Endangered humpback whales swam into the Beaufort Sea off Alaska's northern coast this summer, far beyond their usual range, but federal officials monitoring the waters say it's too soon to determine whether it's a trend or an anomaly.
Environmental groups say the presence of humpbacks hundreds of miles north of their usual habitat likely is another sign of the effects of global warming and the shifting Arctic ecosystem. They are calling for more study of the endangered animals' habits before industrial activity is allowed to expand off Alaska's northern shores.
Robin Cacy, a spokeswoman for the federal Minerals Management Service, which oversees lease sales for offshore petroleum drilling in federal waters, confirmed that humpback whales were spotted in the Beaufort Sea east of Barrow, the northernmost community in the United States. Humpback whales were seen in the Chukchi Sea off Alaska's northwest coast last year, she said.
Also, endangered fin whales were detected this summer by acoustic monitoring north of the Bering Strait in the Chukchi Sea, Cacy said. The fin whales were recorded as far north as Point Lay, a coastal Inupiat Eskimo village of 235 about 700 miles northwest of Anchorage.
Some of the whales were spotted by observers involved with the oil industry. Shell Exploration and Production and its contractors performed seismic work this summer in anticipation of bidding on leases. Lease sales are scheduled for 2008 in the Chukchi Sea and 2009 in the Beaufort Sea. Cacy said some whales also were spotted by observers involved with barge traffic.
[Submitted by yaze on December 3, 2007, 5:38 pm]
The Earth's climate changes in response to external forcing, including variations in its orbit around the sun (orbital forcing), volcanic eruptions, and atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. The detailed causes of the recent warming remain an active field of research, but the scientific consensus identifies elevated levels of greenhouse gases due to human activity as the main influence. This attribution is clearest for the most recent 50 years, for which the most detailed data are available. In contrast to the scientific consensus that recent warming is mainly attributable to elevated levels of greenhouse gases, other hypotheses have been suggested to explain the observed increase in mean global temperature. One such hypothesis proposes that warming may be the result of variations in solar activity.
None of the effects of forcing are instantaneous. The thermal inertia of the Earth's oceans and slow responses of other indirect effects mean that the Earth's current climate is not in equilibrium with the forcing imposed. Climate commitment studies indicate that even if greenhouse gases were stabilized at 2000 levels, a further warming of about 0.5 °C (0.9 °F) would still occur.
