So many folks have written to me and urged me to listen to this, that I finally did.
They’re right, it’s worth hearing. In an era when the ideals of enlightenment seem to have fallen out of favor, Senator Whitehouse makes a case that Jefferson or Franklin would instantly recognize.
GEORGETOWN – Sussex County Council members are not on the same wave length regarding the debatable issue of sea level rise.
At the May 7 council meeting, Susan Love, a planner with the Department of Environmental Control and Natural Resources’Coastal Management Program, delivered an update on progress made by the state’s Sea Level Rise Advisory Committee, which is developing an adaptation plan for the state that will provide a path forward for planning for impacts of sea level rise.Ms. Love’s presentation drew no love from councilmen Samuel Wilson, R-Georgetown, and Vance Phillips, R-Laurel.
Mr. Wilson cast doubt sea level rise even exists.
“They don’t have no facts. It’s almost BS, to be honest with you,” said Mr. Wilson.
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“Man has been on this earth … according to the Bible … about 6,000 to 7,000 years,” challenged Mr. Wilson. “Salt (water) may intrude. You’re talking like it’s going to happen in the next 10 years. It’s been 7,000 years we’re thinking it might come. If it hasn’t done it in the last 7,000 why is it going to do it now all of a sudden?”
An unusual controversy has erupted at Emory University over the choice of famed neurosurgeon Ben Carson to deliver this year’s commencement address because he does not believe in evolution.
Nearly 500 professors, student and alumni signed a letter (see full text below) expressing concern that Carson, as a 7th Day Adventist, believes in creationist theory that holds that all life on Earth was created by God about 6,000 years ago. It rejects Darwin’s theory of evolution, which is the central principle that animates modern biology, uniting all biological fields under one theoretical tent, and which virtually all modern scientists agree is true.
The letter’s authors are not seeking to have Carson disinvited. Instead, they say it was written to raise concerns about his anti-scientific views.
“It’s not true that the temperature has not changed in two decades.”
Am I wrong or does the BBC interviewer seem just a bit snippy about having her misinformation set straight?
I like this new, liberated James Hansen.
China: Fed up With Growth at Any Cost
May 17, 2013
In the past year, we’ve seen images of extreme pollution events across China, far in excess of anything that would be tolerated in developed countries.
What’s been largely uncovered by mainstream media in the west, are the protests and demonstrations, sometimes violent, that have been breaking out against new coal power stations, oil and gas development, and polluting industries across China.
It’s a standard climate denial talking point that “whatever we do will make no difference because China yada yada”. Time to put that one to rest. Not only has China been leading the world in the development of renewable energy, but has now begun serious discusions about when to introduce a carbon tax of their own..
James Fallows in the Atlantic:
Environmental carnage of all sorts is a truly major emergency in China, both in the short term and as a potential limit on the country’s development;
Chinese emissions are a problem not just for its own people but also for the world. It has now overtaken the U.S. as the biggest carbon emitter; most of the coal that is burned anywhere on Earth is burned in China.
Oil Sands Reality Check
May 17, 2013
A friend tipped me off to this one.
Focused on five major areas — climate, economy, human rights, land and species, and air and water — Oil Sands Reality Check offers the facts about how these key indicators of health on the planet are affected by the tar sands. Knowing full well that “facts” can often be misconstrued, all the information on Oil Sands Reality Check was reviewed by a scientific advisory committee made up of academics, scientists, and economists. So, you can rest assured, the facts are straight.If you write about Alberta’s tar sands, major oil pipeline development (Keystone XL, Northern Gateway, Energy East), global emissions, energy policy, climate change, or ecological sustainability, this website is a fantastic resource. Every fact presented on Oil Sands Reality Check has a primary source linked to it, which is also available for more in-depth analysis.
Music Break: Across the Universe
May 17, 2013
Put this on in the background and let it creep up on you.
Elizabeth Shepherd performs Live-to-Air with Michael Occipinti’s Shine On: The Universe of John Lennon
Toronto, June 1, 2012 CBC RadioUPDATE: by popular demand, the original below.
