Emotional arguments on Global Warming

The following are the comments left at the bottom of a Discover Magazine blog about shrinking sheep that I posted a few days ago. The name calling goes both ways, but the people on the side of the truth behind climate change seem more eloquent and less apt to name call (though not always).

1. 1. Gerald Fredriksen Says:
   July 2nd, 2009 at 6:46 pm

   Have you idiots ever heard of the Shetland islands or the “hobbit” fossil? It is common knowledge that animals on small isolated islands tend to decrease in size. This is another desperate attempt by the global warming nuts. There is no evidence that shows a clear causal relationship between global warming and human activity.

2. 2. Don Glenn Says:
   July 2nd, 2009 at 9:51 pm

   Ewe people should know better. Are all your articles so stupid? So in a 1000 years these sheep will be the size of rats?

3. 3. Christina Viering Says:
   July 2nd, 2009 at 10:38 pm

   Does this mean smaller sweaters?

4. 4. Anatomy Science Fair Projects Says:
   July 2nd, 2009 at 10:43 pm

   This story has been heating up discussion boards. It is very interesting that the sheep seem to be shrinking, but the cause of the size change most likely is not directly related to global warming. Rather it is more likely that food supply and the conditions of the local ecosystem make it more advantageous to be smaller in stature. The shrinking effect is a common phenomenon for populations of animals that have been isolated on an island. Other examples include a group pygmy mammoths that were found on an island off the coast of California, and several pygmy horse populations found on islands in Northern Europe.

5. 5. Don Glenn Says:
   July 3rd, 2009 at 1:19 am

   Not only smaller sweaters but also smaller wool caps to protect the tiny brains of the global warming nuts.

6. 6. Nick Says:
   July 3rd, 2009 at 2:29 am

   Wow, when did the comment section turn into such a trollfest?

   It’s easy to make all sorts of wild claims, but if you don’t have any reference material to back up this “common knowledge,” your opinion is scientifically invalid.

   And if evolution only favored large animals, we’d all be huge by now, wouldn’t we? It’s not like tiny species evolved out of nowhere recently, they too have 100,000,000 years of evolution behind them. So being larger isn’t necessarily advantageous. It all depends on the conditions you live in, the source of natural selection.

   There’s plenty of evidence that says gravity works as a force over distance, but no known physical property of the universe that we’ve discovered so far that explains it. We don’t need a direct causal link between man’s activities and what is happening on the planet - we are the dominant species, and like all dominant species we affect the environments we live in. We just happen to be a semi-cohesive global whole reversing millions of years of carbon sequestration. Carbon is known to warm the air, and has done so in direct proportion to the amount humanity has put into it. Quid pro quo.

7. 7. edwren Says:
   July 3rd, 2009 at 3:57 am

   Absolute nonsense.

8. 8. nemski Says:
   July 3rd, 2009 at 10:35 am

   Boy, I was stopping by just to say nice headline.

   What amazes me about the trolls is the amount of time they spend posting to blogs where their viewpoint is ignored.

9. 9. colourful_thoughts Says:
   July 3rd, 2009 at 1:17 pm

   so true nemski.

10. 10. Morgan-LynnGriggs Lamberth Says:
    July 4th, 2009 at 7:43 pm

    Gee, Obama-Biden are counting on green and energy projects to spur entrepreneurs to help counter climate change and thereby produce more jobs. I’m with them!
    Climate change denialists don’t have the spirit of us skeptics who demand evidence rather than the argument from incredulity of the denialists.

11. 11. shaking head Says:
    July 4th, 2009 at 11:43 pm

    all i can say is wow… i cant belive people still havent come to terms with the planet is warming.. and not only that.. humans (Us for any of you who werent sure) are causing global warming by releasing greenhouse gasses..

12. 12. ME Says:
    July 6th, 2009 at 10:53 am

    I honestly couldn’t believe what I was reading. Obviously the sheep are affected by their environment. If warmer climates have caused an increase of food on the island, shouldn’t the sheep population increase in general, making the 5% decrease in size more of a horizontal adjustment and less of an evolutionary drop? All this article is really saying is that the sheep are doing well, unless they have large natural predators. Maybe, to buffer the effects of global warming, which we know to be caused by humans, we should open up a Hirta island hunting season for small sheep to “naturally select” the bigger ones. I’ll write that proposal to the scottish government up asap.

13. 13. Trevor J Wallace Says:
    July 6th, 2009 at 11:34 am

    Why is it the naysayers are so quick to call those of us worried about our planets “idiots” (and that’s fairly mild compared to some of the language I’ve heard and had cast in my direction)? Everyday the evidence of global warming mounts and everyday “denialists” are converted to the truth. And before anyone brings up the cliche, “you can fool some of the people…”, there are no fools here. Except the ones calling us idiots. Oops, I just name-called, didn’t I?

    And kudos to Morgan-LynnGriggs Lamberth. We do indeed rely on facts and evidence - far more than the ones denying our impact on the globe.

14. 14. Jumblepudding Says:
    July 6th, 2009 at 12:08 pm

    I believe that these sheep are operating under the misapprehension that they are birds. Notice they do not so much fly as plummet. Perhaps decreasing in size shall increase their aerodynamic potential.

15. 15. Shaithis Says:
    July 6th, 2009 at 1:18 pm

    Considering that this has been the coldest summer in recent memory, I imagine that those same sheep will be gigantic next year.

16. 16. Brian Says:
    July 6th, 2009 at 7:20 pm

    I’m sure there’s a joke in here somewhere about Scotsmen, sheep and shrinkage!

I'm talking to you, Don Glenn and Gerald Frederickson. At least the jokes were funny, but referring to someone as an "idiot" just isn't nice.

Didn't their mother teach them that "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all?"

Greenpeace: Harbingers of Change?

From the Greenpeace website:

"Our core values are reflected in our environmental campaign work: We 'bear witness' to environmental destruction in a peaceful, non-violent manner. We use non-violent confrontation to raise the level and quality of public debate. In exposing threats to the environment and finding solutions we have no permanent allies or adversaries. We ensure our financial independence from political or commercial interests. We seek solutions for, and promote open, informed debate about society's environmental choices."

Yes, this is admirable but sometimes doing things to get attention can backfire.

From Yahoo! News:

Wed Jul 8, 6:29 pm ET

CHICAGO (AFP) – Greenpeace activists were arrested Wednesday for scaling Mount Rushmore and hanging a banner next to the carved face of Abraham Lincoln urging President Barack Obama to get tough on climate change.

A video posted on the environmental group's website showed the massive banner hanging on the South Dakota mountain face.

Its message -- "America honors leaders not politicians: Stop Global Warming" and an unfinished portrait of Obama -- was barely visible as it was whipped by wind.

"Doing what it takes to solve global warming demands real political courage," Greenpeace USA deputy campaigns director Carroll Muffett said in a statement.

"If President Obama intends to earn a place among this country's true leaders, he needs to show that courage, and base his actions on the scientific reality rather than political convenience."

The protest comes as Obama meets with other G8 leaders in Italy.

G8 leaders agreed to bear the brunt of steep global cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, saying developed countries should reduce their pollution by 80 percent by 2050, a summit declaration said.

Greenpeace said the 11 climbers "took special care not to damage the monument, using existing anchors placed by the National Park Service for periodic cleaning."

Park officials said they were still investigating whether the iconic monument -- a restricted area which is closely monitored -- suffered damage.

"Early this morning visitors saw these individuals on the mountain," said Amy Bracewell, a spokeswoman for the National Park Service.

"They got up next to Abraham Lincoln and unfurled the large banner," she told AFP.

"As soon as our people were mobilized we took down the banner and apprehended them and got them safely down the mountain."

Does this help the cause or add fuel to the climate change denialists' fires? Unfortunately, the latter is usually the case.

Happy Energy Independence Day!

T. Boone Pickens makes further strides in the natural gas business. Sure, he's making a ton of money, but at least its Green and clean. Well, cleaner than petroleum by half.

Dallas Morning News, Monday July, 6.

When a company the size of AT&T says it plans to make a massive investment in compressed natural gas-powered vehicles, the rest of us need to take notice.

The Dallas-based communications giant recently promised to spend $565 million over the next decade to buy 15,000 alternative fuel vehicles. At least $350 million of the investment, believed to be the largest of its kind by a U.S. company, will go toward purchasing 8,000 compressed natural gas vehicles.

This effort deserves immense praise. For the sake of national security and economic prosperity, the United States needs to wean itself from imported oil. And although natural gas is also a fossil fuel, it's a step in the right direction.

Efforts such as this one by AT&T can boost a technology that has been slow to take hold in the United States. Large companies often have thousands of fleet vehicles that they replace periodically. It makes perfect sense to replace aging dirtier-burning gasoline-powered vehicles with cleaner natural gas and hybrid varieties. Each drop of gasoline that isn't burned benefits the environment and cuts the apron strings to foreign oil.

AT&T's investment is just the latest validation of ideas coming from T. Boone Pickens, the legendary oilman who has become a Pied Piper for domestic energy independence. A year ago, Pickens introduced a broad energy plan that, among other things, would convert trucks and company fleets that burn diesel and gas into vehicles running on compressed natural gas.

At the time, many dismissed him as a shrewd, self-serving businessman who stood to profit handsomely if the country adopted his plan, which also included investments in wind and solar energy. Indeed, he has invested in companies that produce natural gas, sell natural gas vehicle fuel and build wind farms.

But Pickens also has pumped millions of dollars into efforts to encourage Americans to change their energy habits and has supported federal legislation designed to shift the nation from foreign energy sources. His advocacy has been bipartisan and broad: He has buttonholed mayors, business executives and lawmakers in his crusade to change the way Americans produce and use energy.

Still, the nation lacks a comprehensive network of natural gas refilling stations or, for that matter, many natural gas-powered cars and trucks owned by private individuals. That's why it's essential that operators of commercial fleets become an aggressive part of the solution. AT&T, for example, says it will help build about 40 compressed natural gas fueling stations.

The compressed natural gas industry also could use some help from Congress, namely the extension of natural gas fuel, vehicle and infrastructure tax credits for 18 years and incentives for auto manufacturers to produce natural gas vehicles.

Pickens deserves a big share of the credit for the progress so far. His relentless advocacy for this issue is part of the reason the nation is thinking about energy in new ways.

Natural gas in D.C.
Key provisions of H.R. 1835 to encourage the use of natural gas. A Senate version is expected to be introduced this week.

--Extend for 18 years the alternative fuel credits for natural gas used as a vehicle fuel, the purchase of natural gas-fueled vehicles, and the installation of natural gas vehicle refueling property credit.

--Make all dedicated natural gas-fueled vehicles eligible for a credit equal to 80 percent of the vehicle's incremental cost.

--Make all bi-fuel/natural gas-fueled vehicles eligible for a credit equal to 50 percent of the vehicle's incremental cost.

--Allow the vehicle and infrastructure tax credits to count against the AMT provisions and make them transferable.

--Provide grants for light- and heavy-duty natural gas vehicle and engine development.

Astros play Green

Starting on Earth Day, April 22nd, The Houston Astros are encouraging green practices, including building a Habitat for Humanity home with the following Green features.

• Exterior walls have a bottom seal layered between the wall unit and the foundation to prevent water and air leakage.

• The entire home is wrapped in 7/16" OSB sheathing then covered with a 3/4" sheet of Dow High Performance Energy Star Rated Underlayment. The exterior is then covered with a durable vinyl siding requiring little maintenance.

• Roof consists of 30-year architectural shingles (versus 20-year used by most builders) in a light color to reflect sun and reduce the amount of heat entering the attic.

• Roofing structure has a two inch roof overhang to reduce the amount of sunlight entering the windows and the underside of the overhang consists of 12" vented soffit for additional ventilation to the attic reducing heat entry to the home.

• The windows are Low E, double bane with a sunglass tint.

• Air conditioning unit is a high rating Tempstar 14.5+ seer, 2.5 ton cooling system with 80% annual fuel utilization efficiency for gas heating.

• The home is painted with Valspar low volatile organic compounds and is non-toxic as certified with the Green Seal Certification (Standard GS-11).

• Houston Habitat homes exceed the energy efficiency requirements for designations as an EPA Energy Star qualified home.

• Houston Habitat for Humanity is the recipient of the 2007 Energy Star, Excellence in Affordable Housing

Right Fielder Hunter Pence (an All-Star! Congrats Hunter) and 3rd Baseman Geoff Blum are the club's official "Green Ambassadors."

Click here for more, including videos of Pence working on the house and Blum visiting a Houston area elementary school while they were conducting a recycling drive for the school.

Thomas Friedman on E.T. China

On Independence Day, Thomas Friedman explained why the U.S. needs to up research into E.T. (that's energy technology, not the cute little guy that phoned home).

In his column, he states, "this energy thing isn't just about global warming. In a world that is adding one billion people every 15 years or so — more and more of whom will be able to live high-energy-consuming lifestyles — the demands for energy and natural resources are going to go through the roof. Therefore, E.T. — energy technologies that produce clean power and energy efficiency — is going to be the next great global industry, and China needs to be on board. Well, China has gotten on board — big-time. Now I am worried that China will, dare I say, “clean our clock” in E.T."

Although China was once (and in many ways, still is) one of the dirtiest countries in the world environmentally speaking, "[it] is increasingly finding that it has to go green out of necessity because in too many places, its people can’t breathe, fish, swim, drive or even see because of pollution and climate change."

In preparation for the 2008 Olympics, Beijing required an enormous overhaul because the air was worse then L.A. on a bad smog day and countries were worried about the health of their athletes and the long-term effects the atmosphere of the city may have had on them.

But China is working it and working it hard. In a list compiled by the investment bank Lazard, China is third in alternative energy manufacturing and production behind #1 Japan and #2 Europe. The U.S. places fourth.

So what, one might say. Obama has put the energy bill on the back burner and focused most the administration's energy on health care. While this is an important subject and one that has been a major issue in elections and administrations throughout this century and the last, Friedman says that the energy bill needs more attention and needs it now.

"If we do not impose on ourselves the necessity to drive innovation in clean-technology — by imposing the right prices on carbon emissions and the right regulations to promote energy efficiency — we will be laggards in the next great global industry," he states.

But he is not poo-pooing the need for health care reform.

He puts it in no uncertain terms:

"Health care and the energy/climate bill go together. We need both now. Imagine how poor we would be today if U.S. firms did not dominate the top 10 Internet companies. Well, if we don’t dominate the top 10 E.T. rankings, there is no way we are going to be able to afford decent health care for every American. No way."

Makes sense, no?

Skyscrapers and historical buildings going Green

While I have often admonished greed in this blog, sometimes financial motivation can lead to Green improvements.

Many iconic American buildings, including the Empire State Building, the Sears Tower in Chicago and the Christman Building in Lansing, Mich. (an 81-year-old Elizabethan Revival office that's listed on the National Register of Historic Places) have all modified their energy consumption.

This is primarily due to the fact that "Many high-profile tenants won't even consider moving into a property without the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, said Allan Skodowski with Transwestern management group. They may not even know what the certification means, he said, but they demand it nonetheless," according to an article in today's Yahoo! News.

The renovations include:

- The Empire State Building has "blanket[ed] its towering facade this year with thousands of insulating windows."

- Many older buildings are plugging porous walls, adding high tech water systems and using recycled material in carpets and tile.

- Making use of long-life, high-efficiency light bulbs.

- At the Christman Building, the limestone exterior was repaired and unique details like the mica light fixtures were preserved, but "the building owners spent $8.5 million to add water-efficient plumbing and increased the amount of natural light. They also capped the building with a reflective "cool" roof."

- And "Chicago's Sears Tower announced late last month that it will embark on a five-year, $350 million green renovation. The 110-story, staggered skyscraper, which turned 36 this year, will crown its rooftops with solar panels, wind turbines and up to 35,000 square feet of sunlight-absorbing gardens."

While the motivation may be to lure tenants to the dozens of empty offices in these buildings, the outcome is energy saving and relies less on municipal energy, much of which is furnished by dirty coal power plants.

Who says capitalism and environmentalism can't scratch each others' backs?

New Living for Houston

A new Houston furniture store called New Living has taken over an old Wagner furniture space and is hawking affordable Green products from paint to appliances at an affordable price.

But why not let them sell themselves?

New Living