Beginning in the late 1850s with the rise of industrial processes and the 1st Industrial Revolution began pumping things into the air that wasn’t meant to be in the air. The rate of change is horrific. Whether professionals have a term that they use, it is called a 100-year storm. That is a storm that happens weatherwise around once in 100 years. In the US, in Maryland alone, we’ve had 3 100 year rainstorms in the past five years. To be clear that means storms that would normally have happened once in 100 years have happened in 3 out of the last five years. Buildings that have sat dry on the same plot of land for more than 230 years were flooded this year in parts of Maryland.
Do not take my opinion, my thoughts my suppositions as fact, read valid scientific data (see links at the end of this post), and make your own decision. In the next 20 years, the rising ocean level is going to force some people close to the sea level to move. An entire country (the Maldives) may lose more than ½ of its land, and 275,000,000 people will have to relocate because their current homes are underwater. Scientists are now saying we have 20 years to start making changes. The changes we need to make are far more than covered in the Paris Accord, that is a great starting point, but there is much that must be done. The recent US wildlife study that denoted the loss of 3 billion birds over the last 20 years (that is the total number of birds in the US, now 2 billion less alive now than 20 years ago.) the number one killer of birds is domestic cats, then feral cats. Finally, the third killer of birds today is Climate Change. Many of you post wonderful pictures of birds, imagine a world where they are gone.
Beyond displacing people climate change has another issue. July 2019, was the warmest average temperature (62 degrees average for the entire world) ever recorded for a month, including the various temperature projects looking back more than 10,000 years. Climate change at this point is truly something that keeps me awake at night; something that I worry about. I have in the past been a bit snarky about the reality of climate change. The problem with the other side today, is they don’t have facts. I can argue suppositions with the best of people. They are really easy. If you don’t have to have facts and information to back up what you are saying, it is easy to say anything.
The good news is there are short term things we can do to help. The first is the US needs to embrace solar and wind power. (read the study below they don’t kill birds). We need to remove the Ethanol requirements in the US. Ethanol is, at best an energy drain. The last thing is a global accord that is much tougher than the Paris Accord was. The time for change is now.
Sources
https://research.un.org/en/climate-change/un
https://research.un.org/en/climate-change/reports
http://discovermagazine.com/2014/nov/10-bye-bye-birdies
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Question of
Do you believe in Climate Change?
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Yes
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No
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Question of
If you don’t can you provide facts that have been validated by a number of sources?
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Yes
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No
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Question of
Do you have solar at your home today?
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Yes
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No
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Question of
Did you know that the US asthma rate has nearly tripled in the past 20 years due to air quality?
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Yes
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No
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I dread to think of a world without birds, animals and beautiful trees. I keep planting as many trees as possible wherever I can find space to grow.
i posted a what can I do starter post today to start working towards a cleaner world. You are already well ahead.
planting and replacing trees is critical. But right now, 70% of our oxygen doesn’t come from the land mass, it comes from the ocean!
I find it amazing that two respondents to your poll can say that they don’t believe in climate change. How is that possible? Maybe Donald Trump and Mike Pence are secret members of Virily!
The tragedy is that people in some parts of the world – and the United States is one of the worst offenders – have been conning themselves for far too long that there is no problem, when there quite obviously is.
Fortunately, more enlightened nations have been working extremely hard, for a number of years, to mitigate the effects of climate change and slow it down.
Incidentally, the Industrial Revolution began long before 1850 in Britain and Europe. We Brits were responsible for starting it all off way back in the 1760s – sorry!
it was in the late 1800s that they switched to Oil and Petroleum products I should have been more specific.
The deniers are out there.
Q: Do you believe in Climate Change?
Yes (14 votes) – 88%
No (2 votes) – 13%
Q: If you don’t can you provide facts that have been validated by a number of sources?
Yes (3 votes) – 38%
No (5 votes) – 63%
Q: Do you have solar at your home today?
Yes (1 votes) – 7%
No (14 votes) – 93%
Q: Did you know that the US asthma rate has nearly tripled in the past 20 years due to air quality?
Yes (8 votes) – 53%
No (7 votes) – 47%
Isn’t it odd that 2 people answered No to question 1, but there were 8 replies to question 2, which was only supposed to apply to those who said No to question 1?
my gut is that one was a misunderstanding 1 would fit with the percentage of people that deny.
Climate change is something that will eventually doom us all. Why? Because I do not believe that the industries will ever stop grinding. To the wealthy capitalists, the earth’s destruction is none of their concern. The burden of responsibility is always pass to the small people. So, what do I say? God bless us ?
I would love to be able to point fingers, but that does no good. The time of blame is over. It is the time of action.
everyone needs to cut back.
I respectfully disagree. I do wonder why there is nobody pointing a finger to the fact that consumers will not be able to buy products in plastic packaging if the manufacturers themselves stop using the same ?
Many manufacturers are taking this on board.
One problem we had in the UK was that it was impossible to recycle black plastic, which was used by a number of food processors for trays containing products. After this was pointed out, most of them now use clear, recylceable, plastic instead. This may be s small victory, but it is a step in the right direction.
the reality of recycling is that most struggle with it at best. China no longer accepts recyclables that is going to make this much harder.
it is time for a new model, packaging can be easily reused. We do not require plastic bubble wrap.
Reuseable biodegradable peanuts are a great addition!!!!
Solutions are possible, but only if people realise that major changes to the ways we conduct ourselves will have to take place.
I was part of the team that wrote the US Government Transactive Energy whitepaper. The reality is we today waste more than 25% of the globally produced solar energy. We waste between 1-2% of the globally produced wind energy as well.
We need to get crisp around fixing things. fast.
So major changes are applicable to me but not to the companies that manufacture products packaged in plastic that I buy from stores? Is this the logic I should subscribe to? Lol! Then, my friend, I will not be able to buy a single thing in any store because all of it are in plastic packaging in case no one noticed ?
there is still much that can be done without using plastic.
Yes. Like prolly not bathing using shampoo and such, going fishing to catch my own food, planting my own vegetable and maybe I should live in the forest too ?
you have taken that to an extreme. First, the concept of biodegradable packaging is available today. I know most wouldn’t pay double today for such a package but would you pay a little more?
This is not about running back tot he caves. This is about doing the little things to make the world a little better at a time.
There is a great responsibility for this mess on governments and companies. That, however, is for a different forum because I can’t do anything about that.
If biodegradables are being used, then why is there so much waste in the ocean? And if governments are really concerned, they would simply say stop. This is my issue about topics like this. No, I am not disagreeing with the authors and writers. I am simply pointing out that one little kink. And I do that even with Sadghuru’s (yogi and mystic) blog ?
actually the opposite is true. They exist, they are not being used. I was simply point out that there is a solution.
Thank you for sharing this and bringing the awareness to more people. Since I was young, my mom always said the weather is very much different as compared to those old days. It’s become more serious now. I believe everyone of us can make a change, a positive change!
we all have to make a change. I do not think governments will help. They are far too involved in finger-pointing.
It is the time of humans! We need to do a little more every day!
One of the biggest threats to the environment today is the climate change deniers.
They sadly are everywhere. “There is no need to believe scientists because they publish their information that is biased. Numbers lie.”
I worry when the deniers post. I will always make sure that the correct information is out there.
Thanks for your contributions to this important cause
i have been fighting this one for years. I worry that my voice isn’t heard but I don’t stop fighting!
go ahead and tell Venice climate destabilization doesn’t exist…
can you at least get rid of all the water before I walk the streets and tell people 🙂 Kidding of course, you are most correct sir!
and yet some folks persist in their denial. what’s it going to take?
I think beach front homes in Iowa would scare a lot of people.
by then it would be too late
yes it would be far too late. I don’t have a non-glib answer for your question pal. It is a great question but honestly, there isn’t really anything that will change the mind of the deniers.
Some of them are fed a conservative doctrine in a religious setting.
Some of them are anti-science.
There is nothing I can say that would change the mind of either.
it’s a rhetorical question. the fact that it could be taken seriously is a stern critique on humanity
I think our current situation has pointed out the fatality of the rhetorical question.
yeah, it is just another endangered species now
yea though I walk in the valley of lies, I will fear everyone around me
you’d better, if you want to see the other side
if only my sword would burn blue in the presence of lies. I would never be able to take it out of the sheath. but still knowing and peeking would provide some comfort.
plus it might strike fear into the hearts of liars. or simply explode because you live in DC…
I suspect it would end up exploding. Or becoming so bright we couldn’t have it in the house.
Yes, I knew about climate change about 20 – 30 years ago with the rise of melanoma cancer in NZ which is the highest rate in the world due to the ozone hole over NZ and Australia over summer, plus the increase of humidity and drought conditions. Antartica is melting at an accelerating rate.
the first part of your comment made me sad. The sad part is just scary. You are right of course, and the time of happy thoughts is over.
It can be that people can make a difference, and everyone can do something even if it is just composting food and growing plants…
I have some strawberries and raspberries and other plants..
There is so much we can do. I am writing an article today about what can be done!
Thank you for the information. I feel that climate change affects the way people feel .I am saying this as a cold breeze is blowing in and the warmth of Florida is gone for the moment and I can hardly breathe through my stuffed nose,
Huge parts of Florida will be underwater in 40 years if we don’t do something.
I hope these statistics will awaken people and they will start to solve what we can solve. I also have asthma and have to be very careful about where and when I go.
Did not know you had asthma, so sorry.
That makes her amazing walk pictures even more amazing!
Thank you so much for your concern, dear Carol. I had to accept this and learn to live with this disease
Again, I am sorry. My dear mother suffered as well as my Dad and brother. Take care of yourself.
my mother, who is the most amazing person other than my father that I have known my whole life, gets driven indoors around May, and can’t breathe until November. I am so sorry to hear you have the same problem. It is horrible!
Thank you so much for your concern. It’s really not comfortable living with this disease. But we have to agree that the problems can be more easily tolerated.
well you have my deepest sympathies. Makes those walks you share that much more magical!
Thank you again. I can’t give up these walks, though sometimes it would be better for me to stay home
i have to walk as well, rain or shine, cold or wet. So I understand. For health we need to walk!
Climate change has been going around ever since the 19th century. The world’s overpopulation is not helping either. I am really scared but also mad at all the industries that still do not obey regulations. I am angry at all the people and all their cars. I know they are necessary but some could go without. I am sad when I see the polar bears with nowhere to go because of the North Pole melting. I agree that we need a consensus from the whole planet to help decrease the advent of climate change but how can 8 billion individuals agree to do their fair share… sorry Doc I am a darn pessimist…
we need people asking hard questions now. The time of optimism may be over, it is time to ask the tough questions!
As far as I get to know and read, your president is your biggest opponent to make things better … he doesn’t care much, dear friend
I wish that were not so, it is really sad.
The second year you have a good chance of replacing it … our Melania’s got a shit … I don’t know what she sees on this old grandfather …. nothing but money … any love? Yes love for money
i sadly do not think that governments, anywhere in the world are the answer to this problem any longer.
I think governments are the most responsible …. we as individuals cannot do much …. unless I buy a plastic bag and buy an environmentally friendly I have done very little … and what can I do as an individual …. can I plant also what kind of a tree is it just a blurring of the eyes … major and profound changes are needed right away
i agree but I also disagree.
Governments are responsible for big rocks. But we as people have to be the ones that move the sand.
That family is beyond hope. I am so ashamed. You got it, it is the love for money.
Funny thing – of the top 20 most profitable companies in the US, they are all in the top 30 moving to green companies in the US.
It isn’t always chasing money.
I just noticed the Exon commercial about the algae for fuel. So, perhaps there is hope.
i believe there is a lot of hope. There is much that can be done.
The air is so bad these days. My mother had asthma and died at 39. My brother also suffered for years as well as my Dad. No climate change back during those years but who knows, something is going on now.
things are getting worse, sorry about your mother and father that had to be hard on you. I remember you talking about your mother passing before. but that had to be hard to be around.
Thanks Doc. Yes I still have days when the breath is knocked out of me it seems. Yo never get over losing someone.
I am not sure you ever really do. I miss people now, and many things remind me of them. In the words of the Paul Simon song (although i push on it explains the emotions) Slip Sliding away,
“A bad day is when I lie in bed and think of what could have been.” Paul Simon.
Scary statistics! Due to the geographical caracteristics of the place I live, as well as other factors, the quality of air is often pretty bad and I am quite sensitive to that. 🙁
one of the twins and my mother have horrible asthma, bad air is really hard on them
I am sorry to hear that. This problem is widely spreading around the world.
the rate of asthma is up all around the world. Very sad really.
Great information! I want to know that where from you bro?
i am in the eastern part of the US.
I just watched a great documentary about the recent findings and stats. Yes, sadly it is real. It all started when we started pumping stuff out of the earth that should’ve stayed put. In this documentary I watched the natives the Maldives really had no idea what they were going to do.
Each fire here is unprecedented. Our firefighters have learned to not use that word any longer. I did not know that in July this year world wide was that much of a difference. That info is knew to me. I have watched our coastline recede. There used to be a lot more beach than there is. The sand is being washed away and they now how to dredge the ocean and bring it back or we would have none. So many news stories about so much weather related issues.. It is scary. I hope people will wake up and soon.
i truly hope that people wake up. it is very sad.
Great information. Thank you for sharing
certainly. Wanted to make sure the facts were out and available easily.