(Image from NASA)

Yesterday, Climateprogress.org released the climate data compiled by NASA for the January-April period of 2010.  The data shows that this period was the hottest recorded in 131 years and this recently released data also shows that the last 12 month period of observation, is also the hottest on record.

Today, I want to take a look at some Climate Change skeptic arguments.

1. “It snowed so much last winter, global warming is crap!”

An isolated snowy month, a blizzard, a heat wave or any other short term weather phenomena are not indicative of a long term climate change pattern which is what the concept of Global Warming is dealing with.  Every long term climate study shows that the average temperature of the earth is rising and rising at a rate over the last 100 years that is alarming when compared to previous warming periods. 

2. “The Earth has warming and cooling cycles, this is just part of the natural process”

This second statement is irrefutably true.  As best as science can tell us, the planet has gone through many cycles of warming and cooling.  Warming cycles are marked by increased carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere and higher sea levels.  Cool cycles show lower atmospheric carbon dioxide and lower sea levels, as polar ice caps and periods of long term glaciations occurred.

Thing is, at least since 1958, atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide are rising at an exponential rate never before seen in the climate record.  That increase in carbon dioxide exacerbates the Earth’s natural greenhouse effect, warming the planet.  As atmospheric temperatures increase, ocean water temperatures increase and as the water heats up, it expands.  This expansion prevents the ocean from absorbing the carbon dioxide it usually does and begins a sequence of events that can destroy the oceanic food chain, interrupt or stop natural ocean currents and melt the polar ice caps at an extremely fast rate.

The exponential increase of atmospheric carbon dioxide has been measured and documented at the Mauna Loa Observatory since 1958.

I could keep listing the various claims from Climate Change deniers but the same answer will result.  This phenomenon is real.  I am talking real science here folks, not some Al Gore movie or bumper sticker on a Prius.  From the disappearance of bees and bats to the death of conifers in the Rocky Mountains, the very real effects of Climate Change are beginning to affect the entire world.

It only gets worse from here readers.

This post is not about the problems that will be caused by Climate Change.  The purpose of this post is to highlight an overriding environmental issue that will affect every single one of us in the very near future.  At a time when the environment is the lead news story every night due to an unspeakable ecologic tragedy,  there has never been a better time to bring the scientific realities of a serious global issue to the forefront of both the national political discussion and the local one.

Today, I am going to write briefly about a local discussion of climate change.  Check back tomorrow for a review of the new bill sponsored by John Kerry and Joe Lieberman regarding America’s energy future.

So, what can we do right here in Allentown to fight this global scourge?

First, the little things like turning excess lights off or driving less.  Then, eat sustainably and locally so that the oil needed to put food on your table is lessened dramatically.  Most importantly, we need to become the best possible stewards of the environment that we control, right now. 

Invasive species, watershed health, riparian buffers, tree plantings, etc, etc, are the big issues that we can do something about right here, right now.  Addressing these issues on a local level, in tandem with localities across America and hopefully the world will make the biggest and longest lasting change possible.

I have written about all these things many times.  We know what we are facing.  The time has come to change it.   

Check these things out, this is how you make a difference:

Emmaus Farmers Market
Lehigh Valley Food Coop
Heritage Conservancy

That’s just a start, the list could go on.

The worst man-made natural disaster is expanding its reach of ecological Armageddon as you read this.  Scientists and government authorities have begun releasing to the public a “nightmare scenario” where the uncontrolled gush of the oil well manages to get picked up by the Gulf Stream and taken all the way up the East Coast and into the heart of the Atlantic Ocean.

For now, the oil is expected to wash ashore either today or tomorrow.  As that occurs, the extent of damage caused to marine animals and birds will begin to become apparent.  A scientist is quoted in the New York Daily News this morning saying, “The animals threatened most by the spill are bluefin tuna, sea turtles, brown pelicans, shrimp and sharks.”

Before this oil spill, the Gulf Coast was already in terrible ecological shape. This quote is from Elizabeth Carlisle at Tulane Univeristy:

  “ The Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone is a seasonal phenomena occurring in the northern Gulf of Mexico, from the mouth of the Mississippi River to beyond the Texas border.  It is more commonly referred to as the Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone, because oxygen levels within the zone are too low to support marine life.  The Dead Zone was first recorded in the early 1970′s. It originally occurred every two to three years, but now occurs annually.  In the summer of 1999 the Dead Zone reached its peak, encompassing 7,728 square miles.

    Hypoxic conditions arise when dissolved oxygen levels in the water fall below two milligrams per liter of water, too low to sustain animal life in the bottom strata of the ocean. The Dead Zone forms each spring as the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers empty into the Gulf, bringing nutrient rich waters that form a layer of fresh water above the existing salt water. It lasts until late August or September when it is broken up by hurricanes or tropical storms.  The nutrients provide favorable conditions for excessive growth of algae that utilize the water’s oxygen supply for respiration and when decomposing. “

It would seem that we have been trying to destroy the waters of the Gulf Coast for years, and now, we have finally done it.

This disaster has occurred because of the sick addiction this country has for oil.  For decades, the call for alternative energy has gone without heed from federal and most local governments.  The general American public continues to guzzle oil without question en masse and unless gas prices hit 4 bucks a gallon or the entire gulf coast is covered in oil, not many even think to question it.

The closest our national debate ever turns to alternative energy is during election cycles.  Inevitably each candidate pledges to “end our addiction to foreign oil.”  During the last presidential election one of the flash quotes came from former Alaska governor Sarah Palin.  With a wink, she turned to the camera and said “ Drill Baby Drill.”

Mrs. Palin, kindly visit the gulf coast this week and continue a campaign for just that. 

No candidate should pledge to “end our addiction to foreign oil.”  They should make certain, as active legislators to end our addiction to oil.  To consider such a thing, after truly examining the extent to which oil is used in this country, seems absurd.  In terms of consumption, nothing we touch, eat or use on a daily basis in America has been clear of the touch of oil somewhere during its development.

Expect more of these disasters folks, and every time we eat at chain restaurants, buy factory farmed produce, shop at big box stores, and drive our cars needlessly we condone the practices that led to the current disaster and the future ones.

Our addiction to oil and the subsequent consequences of it are like the entirety of the United States, smoking a giant cigarette 24 hours a day and expecting to never get lung cancer. 

Today, and hopefully from now on (but I doubt it), Americans should see clearly the need for a new era of progressive alternative energy development in this country.  Americans should be prepared, to turn excess lights off, drive less, make the minor sacrifices that will lead to a genuine new century of American innovation and prosperity.

So often, you hear politicians speak of the ingenuity of Americans through history.  When was the last time we were a country of innovation?  Check the tag on your clothes right now, I’ll bet you 10 bucks it wasn’t made here, barely anything is. 

Now, consider the jobs created by wind farms in Washington (state),  Texas, Oregon, off the coasts in places where even President Obama want to erect more oil wells.  Consider the pride that would be felt by an individual going to work at a new job everyday that directly contributes to a healthy planet and a clean and self reliant America.

Alas, such a shift in thinking seems years away.  No truly progressive energy legislation is anywhere close to being passed in DC. Until such a time comes, batten down the hatches folks, this stuff is going to keep happening.  Don’t forget, it may not be an oil spill, but rising sea levels, increased frequency and severity of weather events, rise in disease occurrence, etc etc etc

This disaster, is this really what it has to take to shake this country out of its oil daze and wake up to the reality of such a destructive mass existence?

Sad thing is, I don’t think it will.

See Also:

The 6 worst case scenarios of the Gulf Coast oil spill
(That article is a doozy)