Economic Assessments Overwhelmingly Support Climate Action

Conservatives commonly argue that acting on climate change is too costly, however, this is contradicted by a slew of economic assessments. When we look at the data it becomes clear that conservatives use economic insecurity to obscure the facts and control the narrative.

There are a number of studies that show global warming undermines economic growth, but the most compelling data comes from cost benefit assessments.

Trump's America: State of Lies

Donald Trump deflects, distracts and exaggerates, but he is best known for his straight out lies. He has proven to be a master of the double-down. When he is caught lying he just lies some more. Even before he took office the New York Times wrote a piece titled, "Trump, Trapped in His Lies, Keeps Lying. Sad!". It is indeed sad, but the understandable outrage at his repeated deceptions misses the point.

Dishonest Don's malfeasance will live in infamy, however, his mendacity serves a darker end-game then most people realize. The unreality king lies to muddy the waters making it hard for casual observers to understand the issues, and that is the point.

The liar-in-chief has repeatedly deceived the American people and his own staff. The spin king lies about his business, he lies about his policy positions and now we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he lies about his philandering.

The Fossil Fuel Industry and Republican Climate Change Deception

Sen. Whitehouse attributes climate misinformation to the fossil fuel industry and their Republicans minions. He points to the scientific inaccuracy of the climate change hiatus as a classic case in point. Such lies are deliberately woven to prevent us from acting.

The science is clear, and comprehensive. Global warming is caused by carbon pollution. However, for decades the fossil fuel industry has bought off Republicans in the senate who proceed to use their position to undermine the facts and obstruct action on climate change.

Cold and Snow Steal Headlines but we are Still Warming

While it may seem as though the US is enduring a record cold winter it is actually quite warm. We have witnessed record breaking snowfalls and parts of the North East are indeed colder than usual. The US is still in the grips of global warming and record snowfalls are consistent with climate change particularly in the Northeast.

According to the National Climatic Data Center, the period from December 2014 to January 2015 is the sixth hottest ever recorded for the contiguous US. Globally the month of January was the second hottest on record.

Record Snowfalls in the Northeast are Consistent with Climate Change

The record snowfalls in the Northeastern and Midwestern portions of North America are consistent with climate change models.

In Late January and early February record snowstorms rolled across the Plains to the Northeast. These storms have killed at least a dozen people and forced the cancellation of classes, grounded thousands of flights and left many roads impassible. The Boston area is one of the worst hit areas with record setting snowfalls for a seven day period. Boston has had more snow in the last week than they get in an average year (the annual average is 47 inches). New York Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island and northern Connecticut also were hit by massive snowfalls.

Snowstorms are Consistent with Climate Change

Another storm influenced by climate change has struck the US east coast and while Juno was not as bad as predicted in places like NYC in wreaked havoc across New England. Boston had 23 inches of snow and 78 mph winds caused widespread power outages in Nantucket, Cape Cod and other coastal communities. In Newport Rhode Island, the tall ship Providence was knocked over by heavy winds. The National Guard had to rescue people inundated by flooding in the community of Scituate and snowfall records were broken in places like Worcester north of Boston.

Record Breaking Buffalo Snow Storm Consistent with Global Warming

The massive snow storm that shattered records and dumped more than seven feet of snow on Buffalo is consistent with what we can expect from a world ravaged by climate change. Far from being evidence to disprove global warming it actually supports the predictions of climate change models.

Not only did thirteen people die as a consequence of the storm, there were major cleanup costs, significant damage and thousands of hours of lost productivity. As of Sunday morning, more than 84,000 tons of snow had been removed from portions of South Buffalo and Kaisertown. At least 30 roofs are known to have collapsed from the weight of the accumulated snowfall. Economic costs related to the storm are expected to exceed $3.2 million for Erie County and $27 million for the state.

Event - Earth Science & Climate Change (Earth Science-2015)

The 4th International Conference on Earth Science & Climate Change (Earth Science-2015) will take place on June 15-17, 2015, in Alicante, Spain. The main theme of the conference is: An Insight into the Recent Advancements in Geosciences and Climate Change Control. This OMICS Group event aims to promulgate knowledge and facilitate the sharing of new ideas amongst the professionals, industrialists and students from research areas of Earth Science and Climate Change.

We are Running out of Time to Avert a Climate Catastrophe (PwC Report)

PricewaterhousCoopers (PwC) is hardly known for hyperbole, but their latest report warns of catastrophe if we fail to reign in carbon emissions. The report says that every passing year we are getting further away from averting a climate disaster.

PwC's “Low Carbon Economy Index,” chronicles our ongoing failure to act on the climate crisis. They refer to an “unmistakable trend” of growing emissions and a warming world. The report states that we have failed to do what we must to keep temperatures below the internationally agreed upon upper threshold limit of 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels.

The Theory of Natural Warming is Dead

Recent studies have put the final nails into the coffin of natural warming theories. While Republicans and other conservatives hold on to natural warming theories the way NRA members cling to their guns, recent science has utterly dispelled the viability of this myth.

While it is impossible to refute the observation that the earth has warmed since 1880, it is not uncommon to hear Republicans say that while global temperatures may be warming, it is not attributable to human activity.

New Authoritative Report Chronicles US Climate Change

The most comprehensive US climate report to date indicates that the changing climate is a national problem that is already adversely impacting key sectors of the economy.

On May 6th, 2014, the Obama Administration released the Third US National Climate Assessment. The 841-page report documents more frequent and intense extreme weather events, (heat, downpours, floods, droughts), wildfires, melting ice, rising sea levels, ocean acidification and water scarcity. These impacts are already happening and they are expected to get far worse if we continue with business as usual.

This three-year public and peer reviewed research was conducted by a team of over 300 climate scientists and experts along with input from over 13 federal science agencies. The data was drawn from a wide range of sources including satellites, weather balloons and buoys. The report is a key part of the President's Climate Action Plan.

The Clock Keeps Ticking as People Continue to Ignore Scientific Warnings about Climate Change

Humans are the cause of climate change and they are also the chief impediment to efforts designed to address it. Despite warnings from almost every reputable scientific organization on Earth, people still manage to deny the veracity of anthropogenic climate change. Nick Cohen penned an article for the Guardian with the ominous title, "The climate change deniers have won."

In the article Cohen points to an usually alarming tone in a warning from the American Association for the Advancement of Science which stated that "human-caused climate risks abrupt, unpredictable and potentially irreversible changes."

The Collapse of Human Civilization and How to Avoid It

We are on the verge of irreversible tipping points, but there is still time to avert catastrophe. The combination of unsustainable resource exploitation and increasingly unequal wealth distribution may unravel our civilization.  This is the conclusion of a new study sponsored by Nasa's Goddard Space Flight Center. Based on historical precedents this research indicates that if we continue on our current course we may very well see the collapse of global industrial civilization in the coming decades.

Citing historical data from the last 5,000 years, they show that there are numerous examples of precipitous collapse of human civilizations. A few examples cited by the researchers include:

The Current Climate Trajectory is "Catastrophic"

The earth is warming faster than anticipated and we are rapidly heading for irreversible tipping points. If we continue with business as usual, by 2100 the earth will warm by at least 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius). That is twice the internationally agreed upon 2 degree C upper threshold limit. We are on a perilous course and while governments acknowledge climate science they are still not doing enough to stave off the worst impacts of climate change.

According to new research out of Australia, increased levels of carbon dioxide (C02) in the atmosphere will reduce the number of clouds that form. Put simply the higher the level of C02 emissions the less water in the atmosphere and the less clouds. This will allow more solar radiation that will cause more warming.

The phenomenon is called atmospheric convective mixing and it will cause temperatures to rise much higher than previous climate-change models have predicted. This research predicts that global temperatures could rise 4 degrees Celsius or 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit by the year 2100, and 14.4 degrees Fahrenheit by 2200.

Video - The Global Temperature "Hiatus" Explained by Missing Data

Many skeptics have used the so called global warming hiatus in support of climate denial, however the data does not support the contention that warming has slowed down. This is one of a few theories that suggests that missing data explains away the hiatus.

The Global Warming "Hiatus" Debunked

After decades of rapid temperature increases, a decrement in the rate of temperature increases is providing fuel for skeptics and being touted as evidence for climate stabilization. However the fact is that this does not refute global warming. This is of course a rouse put forth by deniers. Global average temperatures will continue to increase and here are three explanations. The first involves missing data and the second and third explanations involve ocean currents.

Video - Life in the Anthropocene: A Visualization of Climate Change

Based on data from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's fifth assessment report, this video addresses how we created climate change and what we can do about it. This video was made by the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme and Globaia, and funded by the United Nations.

Video - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse on the Science of Climate Change

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse eloquently summarizes the science of climate change at a January 16, 2014 EPW hearing. He also talks about the economic and health impacts from climate change and refuses to ignore the facts to preserve jobs in oil and coal. Sheldon further explains how climate change deniers cherry-pick scientific evidence to fabricate a fallacious argument.

Video - How Global Warming Can Exacerbate Cold Snaps (Jetstream and Rossby Waves)

Cold spells are often used as fodder for climate Denial. However, the science behind them is entirely consistent with a warming planet. In this video Climate scientist Jennifer A. Francis of Rutgers University reviews how the jetstream and Rossby waves work. The key factor is a feedback mechanism of climate change known as Arctic amplification. As ice and snow vanish in the Arctic this causes warming slowing down wind speeds in the atmosphere and creating wavier jet stream patterns which pushes cold air further south.

Extreme Cold in North America is due to Stratospheric Warming

The extreme cold temperatures that are being recorded across much of North America are attributable to stratospheric warming which is pushing the polar vortex southward. While the Climate skeptics, love to use cold weather to question the veracity of global warming, it should come as no surprise that they are confused.

Just as one extreme weather event does not prove global warming, a cold snap does not disprove it. Further, there is evidence that this extreme cold may actually be a corollary of climate change.