Bill McGibben: The Planet Wreckers

It’s been a tough few weeks for the forces of climate-change denial. First came the giant billboard with Unabomber Ted Kacynzki’s face plastered across it: “I Still Believe in Global Warming. Do You?” Sponsored by the Heartland Institute, the nerve-center of climate-change denial, it was supposed to draw attention to the fact that “the most prominent advocates of global warming aren’t scientists. They are murderers, tyrants, and madmen.” Instead it drew attention to the fact that these guys had over-reached, and with predictable consequences.

Pictures from Climate Impacts Day

Strong Body of Evidence for a Changing Climate

Each year the temperature is getting warmer and the weather is getting more extreme. Storms are more frequent and more ferocious including increasing numbers of deadly tornadoes and floods. The extreme heat is also causing droughts, forest fires and insect infestations. Extreme weather in on the increase in places where they are habitually prone, but unusual climatic events are also showing up in unexpected places. Even in places that have not been hit with extreme weather there is evidence of climate change. Here is a quick review of some of the research evidence indicating that climate change is driving the increased number of extreme weather events.

Bill McKibben on Connect the Dots Events

Today is Climate Impacts Day and as 350.org founder Bill McKibben said earlier today, "5/5 is no normal day — it’s the day that people around the world are coming together to Connect the Dots about climate change."

Interactive Map Reveals Warmer Spring

Here is an interactive map that enables you to see exactly how the weather has gotten warmer in the US this spring.  Eastern North America has had an early spring with record breaking temperatures stretching for thousands of kilometers. When we put the climate data together we see that over the past several decades, with the exception of the Southeast, spring weather has indeed been arriving earlier.

100 Global Activities for Climate Impacts Day

May 5th, 2012 (5/5/12) is a 350.org event known as Climate Impacts Day. This is an opportunity for people to "connect the dots" between extreme weather and climate change. Activities are taking place all around the world to show the various ways that climate change has impacted their lives. Here is a summary of more than one hundred activities from Africa, the Pacific, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, Europe and North America:

The World “Connects the Dots” Between Extreme Weather & Climate Change

Powerful photos and videos are already streaming in from across the globe for “Climate Impacts Day. People from at over 1,000 events in more than 100 countries are “connecting the dots” between climate change and extreme weather. The events are part of a global effort called “Climate Impacts Day” organized by the international climate campaign 350.org. The events are powerful evidence of how the string of weather disasters over the last year is increasing public concern about global warming. Photos and videos that have already come in include: