If you don’t believe in Global Warming, you’re an idiot

If you don’t believe in Global Warming, you’re an idiot

If you don’t believe in Global Warming, you’re an idiot; you might think that is a strong statement but really it’s not.  Let’s define Global Warming, simply it is the fact that the average global temperature of the earth is increasing.  There is plenty of data from ice core samples to support this, as well as the correlation with CO2 but that’s ok, we don’t have to go there, just look at the graph below recording the temperatures we have measured.

Now sure, you can say it’s just a fluke or a short-term trend but you can’t deny that temperatures are rising or that the top 10 hottest years have all occurred in the last 15 years.  So Global Warming is a fact plain and simple, if you don’t believe in facts than you’re an idiot.

Now what most people want to argue about are two things, first whether or not there is a long-term warming trend and whether or not the warming is caused by human activity.  Below is a NASA site that provides all of the information you could ever want about Global Warming, including the uncertainties we have about climate science.  That’s right, as any good scientist will admit, we don’t know everything about how the climate works.  There are things that are still mysteries to science, like why winter Antarctic sea ice has grown in area over the last few years.  We don’t understand all of the intricacies of how the Earth’s climate regulates itself.  But just because we don’t understand every detail of the mechanism doesn’t mean we’re wrong.  We don’t understand every detail about how gravity works, and if you think that fact means that the science is crap, well then you go and jump off a roof and we’ll see if the theory of gravity holds for you.  And by the way, since you only believe in science where you can easily understand everything, please explain to me the details of the workings of the internal combustion engine, or start walking to work.

A definitive site on the evidence for global climate change showing evidence for each category of evidence showing how the earth is changing.  http://climate.nasa.gov/keyIndicators/

To see more of the arguments that skeptics have about Global Warming and the scientific response check-out the following link: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703819904574551303527570212.html

And if you buy the idea that no one is convinced by this, take a look at the following Creation Science site  http://www.icr.org/article/evidence-for-global-warming/

On the flip side I also hear a lot by climate deniers about how scientists don’t believe in Global Warming either, well take a gander at the following survey data: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/01/19/eco.globalwarmingsurvey/

Finally if you don’t think the world is warming, if you don’t think this is a significant issue than answer a couple of questions.  Why are the Antarctic ice sheets melting, why are global glaciers disappearing, why is the permafrost thawing?  

While most of you can afford not to care, we’re talking about global climate and things moving on a geologic scale, even when change happens quickly by geologic time it typically takes centuries for impacts to show.  So most of you will likely be dead when the real nasty effects kick in.  However, there has been some recent work that shows that occasionally, and granted this would be a rarity, that massive global sea level change can happen very, very quickly and may be related to cultural memories of the great flood.  Additionally, there exists the possibility that melting ice could quickly disrupt Atlantic currents and paradoxically plunge North America and Europe into a mini ice age.

So who knows, there might be a reason for you to be worried after all and I haven’t even mentioned the potential severe weather impacts that might occur.  Do you live in tornado country, along the coast in the hurricane zones, maybe near a major river?  Sleep tight, I’m sure this is all just a bad dream.

The Most Disgusting Commercial on Television

So I’m watching CNN and a commercial comes on and it starts with a catchy Cajun beat, check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q2tjWBIXEc

Now if you didn’t watch the full minute, you might be wondering what are you upset about?  Go back and go to the last-minute, the last image lists the sponsor of the video BP.  Really!  I get the justification of asking or making BP spend money to help tourism in the Gulf of Mexico regions, you know, the Gulf of Mexico where they dumped millions of gallons of oil and totally disrupted the economy.  But should BP get the benefit of the advertising themselves attached to all of these wonderful vacation images?  My purpose in posting this is that hopefully it catches on, a few of you pass it on and people actually attach some negative emotion to BP every single time you see the ad.

Quite frankly I’d rather see this ad on the air, enjoy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKpQRV_aAw0

Screw global climate change, conservative Republicans sign this!

Screw global climate change, conservative Republicans sign this!

As a scientist it drives me crazy that science seems to have taken a back seat to misrepresentation in the media. Essentially today if someone has media access and can say enough times this is false, then people will believe it, after all, it’s on television. This is particularly true of both evolution and climate change. Both concepts are overwhelmingly accepted by science yet if you were to listen to conservative talk radio, Fox News or even the main stream media you’d think both of these concepts were radical new ideas that only a small percentage of scientists supported. Ironically in Europe, you know all of those countries we seem to feel so superior too, these concepts are broadly accepted. This is another nod to the fact that America is one of the more religious and uptight countries on earth.

No place is the idea of repetitive bullshit being treated as fact more apparent than on the presidential campaign trail. If you say your opponent is soft on crime, fiscally irresponsible, unsupportive of the military, in a cult, etc… and you say it enough times, it becomes the truth. On the subject of global climate change the current crop of Republican presidential candidates keep hammering on how climate change is bullshit, how they believe the concept is only fear mongering on the part of liberals who want to ruin the economy.

I would ask those people to go and talk to the people on the Carteret Islands of Papua New Guinea who are having to leave their island home due to global sea rise as a result of global climate, there is a really fascinating documentary about this called, Sun Come Up check it out. But hey, they’re not Americans so who cares, no one in Boca Raton has had to move, and so everything must be fine.

While thinking about this the other day I’ve come up with an idea. The Republicans are very fond of signing pledges that they won’t raise taxes, inconvenience rich people or allow homosexuals to be treated like humans, so I have another one for them. If they think global climate change is such crap then sign the following pledge:

I {insert the change of your favorite conservative climate change denier} do pledge that I am so unbelievable sure that global climate change is a crock, that if it turns out to not be, I hereby pledge that my descendants will accept financial liability for any and all global climate change related financial impacts, including housing any and all climate change refugees with said descendants.

So screw global climate change, Republicans sign this!

 

 

Best Videos of monster tornado that hit Joplin, Missouri

Joplin monster tornado

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmXAONuL9tM

Dark room shot when tornado hits

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQnvxJZucds

Absolutely best view of the tornado on video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XT7CtF5ljxY

Best Tornado Videos in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and Mississippi on April 27, 2011

Here are three of the best videos I can find showing the tornados that tore through the southern states on April 27, 2011.

Tuscaloosa, Alabama

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbGtP_KQPpg

Tuscaloosa, Alabama

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7364072n

Smithville, Mississippi

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LW_W_umq0ws

A little thing called science people: Global Warming, Evolution and the Moon Landing

There are three science topics that I hear discussed all of the time and it really irks me at one level and makes me completely sad at another as to how little understanding people have of science.  So let’s tackle the big three; Evolution, Global Warming and the Moon Landing.  Let’s be clear before you get into the details, all three have solid, solid evidence and for the record, evolution is occurring, the world is warming and man has walked on the moon.  These statements are based on the analysis of the data, not on my feelings, beliefs or political leanings.  The best example I can give you of what that means is this, I have felt fine and the normal indications of high blood sugar levels that include blisters on my feet, blurry vision, and getting up to urinate many times at night were not occurring, however, my blood glucose test came back showing my blood sugar is very high.  So regardless of my belief that it wasn’t high, the data shows otherwise, this is the case with these three issues.  Everyone would consider me an idiot if I were to say I don’t care what the data says, I’m not a diabetic or it’s just a conspiracy by the drug companies, you can’t believe the data.

First let’s look at Evolution, Charles Darwin is most often given the credit for the “Theory of Evolution”, that is incorrect.  Darwin was not even close to the first scientist to consider the possibility that species changed or evolved over time, he was however the first to put it all together and provide a mechanism, which he called natural selection.  Now there are almost no biologists and very few other types of scientists who don’t acknowledge that evolution is a fact.  Heck, the evidence that evolution occurs is so overwhelming that even creationists who disavow evolution typically agree the micro-evolution occurs.  The big argument for them is that species cannot evolve over time to create new species.   Contrary to what many of them claim, there is a ton of evidence showing the veracity of the evolutionary process.  There is still some discussion as to whether or not natural selection is the whole mechanism, personally I think it’s about 90% of the mechanism but that’s a much deeper discussion.  Below is a link to a site that will give you all the details on the evidence:

http://anthro.palomar.edu/evolve/evolve_3.htm

Next Global Warming, THERE IS NO DISPUTE WHAT SO EVER, THAT THE EARTH IS WARMING!  No one who can read a graph can argue with this, the earth’s average temperature has increased 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit since 1880.  I know, 1.4 degrees sounds like nothing, however that level of temperature change over the entire planet will soon:  leave Mt. Kilimanjaro snow less; has greatly impacted the glaciers of the Himalayas; and affected the arctic sea ice to such a level that Polar Bears may be facing extinction in the near future.    Here’s a link to the basics of what’s happening:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/12/1206_041206_global_warming.html

The only real question at this point is how much is human activity impacting the rate of warming, the evidence is pretty good, that it is significant.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/12/1206_041206_global_warming_2.html

Now the one that really pisses me off, the idea that we did not walk on the moon.  I’m not the only one who gets angry, astronaut Buzz Aldrin once punched a famous hoaxer in the mouth after the guy harassed the hell out of him.  This idea has so much proof behind it I don’t even know where to start.  First, thousands of people had to have been on the conspiracy and not a single person has ever come forward with any proof that we didn’t walk on the moon.  All of the crap the hoaxers claim, the shadows are wrong, the flag is flapping, the footprints couldn’t be formed have all been shown multiple times to be false.  Probably the most entertaining way they have been debunked was on a Mythbusters episode dedicated to this very question.  Wikipedia has a surprisingly thorough discussion of almost every aspect of the hoaxers arguments and the rebuttals:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_landing_conspiracy_theories

Finally the most convincing evidence is the presence of retroreflectors on the moon.  These reflectors can be hit with a high power laser on Earth and return a high level signal from the moon.  This has been done literally over ten thousand times since the sixties.  So in order for the moon landing to be faked, there have to be thousands of conspirators at major universities all over the world participating in the hoax, I don’t think that’s happening, here’s a link to what the reflectors  are and do:

http://physics.ucsd.edu/~tmurphy/apollo/lrrr.html

Sustainable Sunday: Energy usage, and the nuclear water hog

The availability of clean water is fast becoming a major global problem as well as becoming an issue for the United States.  A recent report by the CBS Evening news indicated that several states could face severe water shortages within the next three years.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/01/08/eveningnews/main6073416.shtml

Given this information we need to pay more attention to the way we use water.  The average household in California uses between 160,000 and 320,000 gallons of water each year!  We need to find ways in which we reduce water usage and this includes the way in which we generate our energy.  http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/publications/water_resources/html/water_use_facts.html

The three major forms of electrical energy generation in California are Natural Gas (23%), Nuclear Energy (15%) and Coal (16%).  When using natural gas to generate electricity you need 3 gallons of water for every BTU generated, for coal that number rises to at least 40 gallons of water and for nuclear power a minimum of 2,400 gallons of water per BTU produced.  We often hear the propaganda that nuclear energy is clean and cheap, but I’m not sure the waste issues or water usage back up that claim.  As water becomes more scarce and precious I’m not sure we can afford nuclear energy any longer.

When we examine photovoltaic (PV) electric energy production we find that PV only uses about 3 gallons of water per BTU, in the same range as natural gas.  Given that PV doesn’t produce carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases when generating energy, doesn’t have the waste problems of nuclear energy, and uses significantly less water, when are we in a water scarce state start to consider swapping out new PV for old nuclear?

Growth in solar energy is imperative in California if we are to develop the amount of clean energy needed by this state.  So let’s start incentivizing solar energy in the same way we have traditionally subsidized nuclear energy.

http://www.globalsubsidies.org/en/subsidy-watch/commentary/gambling-nuclear-power-how-public-money-fuels-industry

Japan Nuclear Disaster: Irradiated Tokyo water, banned food imports

Japan Nuclear Disaster:  Irradiated Tokyo water, banned food imports

Japan’s nuclear disaster has taken another ugly turn.  Contamination was expected to occur near the nuclear facilities and so it was no surprise to see crops near the plant turn up contaminated.  However, today water contaminated with radioactive iodine was detected in Tokyo over 150 miles away from the site of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant disaster.  This discovery lead to the government releasing a health warning instructing parents not to give infants tap water or use it to make baby formula.  The result of course was an immediate run on bottled water in Tokyo.

This has lead the United States, Korea, Singapore and other nations to put limits on Japanese imports ranging from milk, to spinach to a range of crops.

The impact of the disaster is even being felt in the United States where in California and all along the Pacific Coast there have been runs on supplies of potassium iodide.  This is certainly an overreaction well over 5,000 miles from the disaster.  The amounts of radiation reaching the West Coast is miniscule and absolutely below any level that could be determined a health risk.  It’s also important that people not at risk don’t take Potassium Iodide as it can have severe side-effects.

Best video and article on earthquake and tsunami in Japan

The article I’m linking to today covers the disaster comprehensivley, hear the bottom of the article is a link to a video of the tsunami that is mesmerizing.

http://www.aolnews.com/2011/03/14/in-japan-plant-partial-meltdown-highly-possible/?icid=maing%7Cmain5%7Cdl1%7Csec1_lnk3%7C49940

Nuclear Meltdown in Japan

So it looks like there is one more tragedy on the front for the people of Japan, it looks like the Fukushima  Daiichi nuclear power plant is potentially melting down.  A large explosion in the plant occurred as plant officials tried to cool down the core so I meltdown is currently fear to be in progress.

So what is a nuclear meltdown, essentially when a nuclear power plant can no longer cool the nuclear power rods the system can heat up to the point of melting the core of reactor.  Most modern reactors have a containment dome that keeps the radiation from being released into the environment.

There are some fears that the containment dome at the plant in Japan may have been damaged during the earthquake and tsunami.  The natural disaster was the cause of the potential meltdown as the quake and the tsunami lead to an explosion that disrupted the cooling system for the plant.  The large fear of course is that a large amount of radiation may be released if the dome has been damaged bringing up flashbacks of Chernobyl and Three Mile Island.  The reality is even in a worst case scenario the release will be less than Chernobyl and worse than Three Mile Island.