People send me stuff. I’m thinking they must be worried about the urban animals. Why else would a wildlife federation be jumping into city public policy? Hmmm.
I’m not against making cities cooler with more greenery and white/green roofs,. In fact I think the FLIR rooftop image they have in the report is pretty cool.
But when trying to convince people for the immediate need of something, timing is everything:
From NOAA: “Ohio, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania experienced their coolest July on record.“
Also note that the record high for Cleveland in August was set on August 27th, 1948 with 102°F. The all-time record high in Cleveland of 104 °F (40 °C) was established on June 25, 1988.
Funny how they mention in the report they released today that “With mostly pleasant temperatures across the Midwest and Northeast in summer 2009, it is easy to lose sight of the long-term warming trend. But, this is not the time to let down our guard. This temporary respite is due largely to natural climate oscillations working in our favor. We are nearing the end of a minimum in the 11-year solar cycle during which the Earth is receiving slightly less heat from the Sun.”
They seem worried, because in this one press release they manage to cover just about every talking point we’ve ever heard. Here’s the nifty press release.
Immediate Release: August 25, 2009
Contacts:Tracy Sabetta, National Wildlife Federation 614-581-2907
tsabetta@initiativeohio.com
Cleveland Will See Increase in Heat Waves Risks
More Extremely Hot Days Projected with Global Warming
Cleveland, Ohio (August 25)–This morning, environmental and community advocates gathered in a cool location to discuss a hot topic. Together on the “green” rooftop of a downtown building, representatives of the National Wildlife Federation and others announced that Cleveland is on a list of the 30 cities believed to be most vulnerable to heat wave effects as the planet warms. According to a new report by the National Wildlife Federation and Physicians for Social Responsibility, Cleveland’s relatively high level of vulnerable populations and low rates of air conditioning were among the reasons cited by the groups for its selection to the top 30 list.
“Many American cities are vulnerable to increased heat waves that will result from global climate change,” said Tracy Sabetta of the National Wildlife Federation in Ohio. “People in poor health and the elderly often suffer the most, but everyone will feel the heat unless measures are taken to adequately prepare cities.”
In a report being released today called, “Heat Waves: Global Warming’s Wake Up Call,” scientists have concluded that heat waves caused by global warming are going to bring significant challenges for American cities. The report’s authors examined four major risk factors associated with heat-related mortality to identify 30 large cities in the United States that are especially vulnerable to heat waves based on current conditions. Factors considered included the average number of oppressively hot days each year, percentage of homes without central air conditioning, percentage of the city population living in poverty, and the quantity of ground-level ozone pollution.
Three Ohio cities appear on this list: Cincinnati, Toledo, and Cleveland. According to the report, 49 percent of the households in Cleveland are currently without central air conditioning and 30 percent of the population is living below the federal poverty level of $16,530 for a family of three. That is more than double the national average.
As the United States warms another 4 to 11°F on average over the next century, we will have more extremely hot summer days. Every part of the country will be affected. Urban areas like Cleveland will feel the heat more acutely because asphalt, concrete, and other structures absorb and reradiate heat, causing temperature to be as much as 10°F higher than nearby rural areas.
“Cooler years like this one can set us up for trouble by making us complacent and less prepared for inevitably hot years to come,” continued Sabetta. “And make no mistake — the trends clearly show more hot years are on the way.”
Cooler-than-average temperatures across the Midwest and Northeast over this past summer make it is easy to lose sight of the indisputable long-term warming trend. According to the most recent science on heat waves, the jet stream took an unusually southern track across the nation this summer, bringing more Arctic air and less tropical air to the Midwest and Northeast.
But while it may be cool in Cleveland, Ohio this summer, the planet as a whole is continuing to warm. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, this July was the 5th warmest on record globally. Temperatures through July put 2009 at the 6th warmest year on record, tying 2004
The increased air pollution that typically accompanies heat waves can especially harm children, who have a higher risk of developing asthma, have lungs that are still developing and growing, and have higher exposure because they breathe at a higher rate than adults and spend more time outdoors engaging in vigorous physical activity. Historically, about 20 to 28 percent of weather-related deaths have been due to heat, more than any other single weather-related cause.
“Through our programs that focus on the environmental health concerns of children and the elderly living in poor neighborhoods, we at Environmental Health Watch are all too aware of the health consequences of more frequent extreme heat events and increased air pollution associated with global warming,” said Stuart Greenburg, Executive Director of Environmental Health Watch. “Our focus in the fight to reduce greenhouse gases is on the housing sector, which accounts for 24 percent of carbon emissions. We need widespread home weatherization to reduce carbon emissions, increase comfort and health, and make housing more affordable.”
Residents of all Ohio cities can begin to prepare for hotter temperatures by reducing climate change pollution that is heating the planet while taking steps to cool our cities and boost public health response systems.
“Our nation’s environmental challenges are inherently tied to the economic needs of our most vulnerable communities,” said Shanelle Smith, Ohio Organizer for the Apollo Alliance. “This report makes it clear that if we want to have a sustainable environment and put people back to work, we must invest in clean energy. Investing in the clean energy economy will reduce the impact of pollution on our climate and create good green jobs in the process.”
“If we are to prevent crossing critical tipping points such as the melting of all arctic permafrost which will cause the release of huge amounts of methane into our atmosphere, we must act now,” said Dr. Eric Schreiber, speaker for the Climate Project. “The task falls to us. Those who came before us did not understand the need to act. Those who come after us will be powerless to prevent the crippling and deadly effects of climate destabilization. Future generations will judge us by our willingness to make the tough decisions.”
We can reduce the severity of heat waves and their impacts on vulnerable populations.
Curbing global climate change pollution as much and as quickly as possible is an essential first step. Legislation recently passed by the US House and currently being considered in the Senate will reduce carbon emissions and move us toward a clean energy economy. Shifting to clean solar energy is an especially promising option because sunlight is plentiful during heat waves, when electricity demand for air conditioning peaks.
At the same time, we must make our cities cooler and greener, for example by introducing more green space—parks, trees, and “green, reflective roofs” —to greatly reduce the urban heat island effect. Furthermore, cities must implement public health measures—such as heat watch and warning systems, public cooling places, and assistance to low-income residents for home improvements that make buildings cooler—to reduce the impact of extreme heat that we cannot avoid.
###
While I certainly support, at least in theory, measures such as more green space and rooftop gardens, heat watches, etc., the continual drumbeat for global warming sullies the message.
And it was awful nice of them to note that this summer has been rather cool around the Midwest.
I also found it amusing of them to note that 49% of the homes in Cleveland do not have central air conditioning. The horrors – oh, the humanity. Fifty years ago, almost no one had central air. My family only got central air in half of my house 6 years ago. Before that we hauled the ol’ window units out every summer. And half the house still doesn’t have any air conditioning. Does that put us at risk? Or does it simply show what a silly statistic that is?
Forgive me but, don’t solar panels get really hot? How will millions of solar panels reduce UHI effects?
“As the United States warms another 4 to 11°F on average over the next century, we will have more extremely hot summer days. Every part of the country will be affected. Urban areas like Cleveland will feel the heat more acutely because asphalt, concrete, and other structures absorb and reradiate heat, causing temperature to be as much as 10°F higher than nearby rural areas.”
If I read that correctly, the U.S. will warm as much as 11°F, and cities an additional 10°F.
San Antonio continues to hit triple digits, so we will see 120°F+ in the future?
I think I’m going to need a bigger a/c.
It’s a non-stop barrage of propaganda. Like you say they have tried to press every single button in the press release.
Last year my climbing magazine had a special feature about how as mountaineers we had a unique role to play in mending the broken climate. It all seemed very plausible.
Then I glanced at my wife’s gardening magazine. It had an almost verbatim story about how as gardeners they had a unique role. I checked elsewhere: my father-in-law’s bird-watching mag had the same theme – “ornithologists have a unique perspective…”
Almost everyone seems to have some kind of unique and special relationship with the broken climate according to these people. Maybe even formula one racing drivers and power station owners and executive jet owners…
Please, NWF: Keep promoting utter rubbish as if people are stupid to eat it up.
“In fact I think the FLIR rooftop image they have in the report is pretty cool.”
Agreed. The difference between vegetation and black tar is pretty dramatic.
Can someone please explain the white roof thing to me? Because I don’t see how black roofs are causing heat. The energy has to already be there for them to heat up. White paint doesn’t cause energy to magically go away.
BINGO (Big international non-governmental organization) admits that there is an urban heat island effect! And that it is 10 deg F.
Soooooo, what’s that say about the U.S. temp record? Huh? Huh?
If there is a huge UHI effect, then the temp record is suspect, and so too is the upward trend they claim is happening. They impeach themselves! Can’t have one without the other. Reductio ad absurdum, or whatever the latin phrase is.
Anthony, your surface station work is insidiously worming its way into the non-debate and upsetting AGW applecarts hither and yon. KUTGW!!!!!!
Look; it’s obvious, ain’t it?
If it’s gotten colder .. brrrr…. then it’s gonna get warmwer, right???
Therefore, ipso facto teedle-dee, we’re right!
What’s wrong with this stuff? Oh, nothing really, just the facts that’s all. Like no increase in heat wave frequency:
http://www.worldclimatereport.com/wp-images/kunkel_fig2.jpg
Heat related mortality has declined as cities warmed:
http://www.worldclimatereport.com/wp-images/endangerment_fig3.JPG
Warming has not been accompanied by worsening air quality-quite the reverse:
http://www.worldclimatereport.com/wp-images/endangerment_fig4.JPG
This is pretty ludicrous though. The “first step”:
“Curbing global climate change pollution as much and as quickly as possible is an essential first step. Legislation recently passed by the US House and currently being considered in the Senate will reduce carbon emissions and move us toward a clean energy economy. Shifting to clean solar energy is an especially promising option because sunlight is plentiful during heat waves, when electricity demand for air conditioning peaks. ”
That is a totally unproven method for reducing heat waves, a totally proven false method of reducing emissions, a totally absurd goal of eliminating proven energy sources in favor of unproven or failed ones. All this in the name of AGW.
But the “second step”-my god, these people are putting the stuff that could actually work in the back seat! JEEZ!
“At the same time, we must make our cities cooler and greener, for example by introducing more green space—parks, trees, and “green, reflective roofs” —to greatly reduce the urban heat island effect. Furthermore, cities must implement public health measures—such as heat watch and warning systems, public cooling places, and assistance to low-income residents for home improvements that make buildings cooler—to reduce the impact of extreme heat that we cannot avoid.”
After the infamous 2003 heat wave, France in fact did many such things. And guess what? In 2006 there was another heat wave. And-with no emissions reduction-the methods worked!!!!
http://www.worldclimatereport.com/index.php/2008/02/14/few-french-fried-in-2006/
This is such a joke! Really what nonsense!
Perhaps the folks at NWF would care to go camping on the shores of Lake Erie…in January or February. It might cause them to wish for that warming trend they see coming down the road.
The National Wildlife Federation predicts more Cleveland heat waves…
In related news, the National Weather Service predicts fewer polar bears.
It’s funny how 5 years ago you never read something like “but it’s important to remember that solar activity has peaked and that natural cycles contribute to the recent observed warming”. Nope, never saw anything like that in the pro-AGW stories back then. But now apparently it’s important.
Can someone please explain the white roof thing to me? Because I don’t see how black roofs are causing heat. The energy has to already be there for them to heat up. White paint doesn’t cause energy to magically go away.
I think I have this explanation right….
The sun warming a roof is an example of a radiative heat transfer.
The roof warming the air is an example of a conductive heat transfer.
A white roof does not absorb much solar radiation, but mainly reflects it back through the mainly transparent atmosphere. A dark roof absorbs the energy, and via conduction, warms the air above the roof and the structure below.
It looks more like a scenario from a sci-fi movie…
I had to go check the calender to see if today was April 1st! National Wildlife Federation and Physcians for Social Responsibility?? Politics certainly does make for strange bedfellows!!
On a serious note:
Why are environmental and community advocates lumped together. What exactly is acommunity advocate?? OK, that’s a rhetorical question. Remember Barry O was a Community Advocate. This is political code-speak.
It is interesting to see the enviro-mentlists (sic) acknowledge they are in bed with the socialists.
ANd now, on a less serios note, as a public service, for your betterment and, hopefully, enjoyment, I have transcribed the said press release to further reflect reality:
Cleveland, Ohio (August 25)–This morning, environmental and community advocates gathered in a cool location to discuss a hot topic. Together they announced catastrophe for Cleveland.
“Many American cities are vulnerable to increased heat waves that will result from global climate change,” said Tracy Sabetta of the National Wildlife Federation in Ohio. “We’re all going to fry”
In a report being released today called, “Heat Waves: Global Warming’s Wake Up Call,” so-called but un-named scientists have concluded that heat waves caused by global warming are going to bring death and destruction. The report’s authors even managed to drag ozone into the scary picture..
According to the report, 49 percent of Cleveland residents will be dead within the next 50 years. .
As the United States warms another 110°F on average over the next century, we will have more extremely hot summer days.
“Cooler years like this are not proof against inevitably hot years to come,” continued Sabetta. “And make no mistake there will be hot and cool years in the future.”
Cooler-than-average temperatures across the Midwest and Northeast over this past summer did not happen. According to the most recent science on heat waves, the jet stream took an unusually southern track across the nation this summer, bringing more Arctic air and less tropical air to the Midwest and Northeast. And, although it did not happen, it was all due to natural cycles, unlike global warming.
But while it may be cool in Cleveland, Ohio this summer, the planet as a whole is continuing to roast in man-made hell.
Let’s not forget air pollution and innocent babes and children: The increased air pollution that typically accompanies heat waves can especially burn children to cinders. Historically, about 20 to 28 percent of weather-related deaths have been due to heat, more than any other single weather-related cause. We know because we’ve counmted them and displayed their innocent bodies.
“Through our socialist progroms that focus on the environmental health concerns of the poor defenseless children and the elderly, we at Environmental Health Watch are eager to cash in, said Stuart Greenburg, Executive Director of Environmental Health Watch. “Our focus in the fight to reduce the bourgeois excesses of capitalism, and return to a feudal system is paramount.”
Residents of all Ohio cities can begin to prepare for hotter temperatures by reducing their life expectancy.
“Our nation’s environmental challenges are inherently tied to the economic needs of our most venerable socialist leader.” said Shanelle Smith, Ohio Organizer for the Apollo Alliance. “This report makes it clear that if we want to have a sustainable environment and put people out of work, we must invest in pixie dust energy.”
“If we are to end our rhetorical talk of apocalypse, we must be obeyed now,” said Dr. Eric Schreiber, speaker for the Climate Project. “The task falls to us. The costs fall to you.”
We can reduce the severity of heat waves and their impacts on vulnerable populations by turning this little dial here by my bedside cabinet, labelled pixie-dust control.
Curbing global climate change pollution as much and as quickly as possible is an essential first step; but it must occur before you realise the slight of hand in that last sentance, wherein I equated CO2 with pollution. Unread legislation recently passed by the sagacious US House and currently being dropped in the Senate will reduce energy productionm and move us toward a mediaeval economy. Shifting to clean solar energy is an especially rediculous option because sunlight is plentiful during heat waves, in daytime, but absent at night. Do not notice that I suggested that the Earth’s temperature controls Solar output.
At the same time, we must make our cities smaller, for example by reducing the number of people on the planet.
For a site with the name initiativeohio.com they certainly don’t show much initiative – the site was registered in February 2008.
Registrant:
Initiative Consulting
9170 Triple Crown Court
Pickerington, Ohio 43147
United States
Registered through: GoDaddy.com, Inc. (http://www.godaddy.com)
Domain Name: INITIATIVEOHIO.COM
Created on: 11-Feb-08
Expires on: 11-Feb-11
Last Updated on: 06-Mar-08
Administrative Contact:
Sabetta, Tracy tracysabetta@[familiar domain].com
Initiative Consulting
9170 Triple Crown Court
Pickerington, Ohio 43147
United States
(614) 581-2907 Fax —
From the press release:
Immediate Release: August 25, 2009
Contacts:Tracy Sabetta, National Wildlife Federation 614-581-2907
tsabetta@initiativeohio.com
Tracy doesn’t seem to be listed at the NWF Great Lakes Regional Center, see http://online.nwf.org/site/PageServer?pagename=glnrc_staff but that may be for people located at their Ann Arbor office. Odder is that 614-581-2907 is the phone number for Initiative Consulting, not the NWF headquarters in Virginia (800-822-9919) or the Great Lakes Center, (734-769-3351). Also, there is a ohio@nwf.org Email address, I would expect Tracy to have a nwf.org address too.
Looking around the NWF site, it took a bit, but I found their press release at http://www.nwf.org/news/story.cfm?pageId=4DC393B5%2D5056%2DA868%2DA0C94EBDC6B6BE9A and is completely different than Tracy’s.
Ah, http://www.linkedin.com/pub/tracy-sabetta-bish/9/316/427 says she’s a “Consultant at National Wildlife Federation”
“49 percent of the households in Cleveland are currently without central air conditioning and 30 percent of the population is living below the federal poverty level of $16,530 for a family of three.”
I wonder why. Can the current misfortune of the poor be blamed on AGW? Or LeBron James, for that matter?
Maybe if everyone in the nation is allowed to keep 95% of their income, and their savings do not depreciate over time, then maybe they will have more disposable income to spend, which may create more jobs for the poor (and everyone else) and help them get out of poverty…. Sorry for my 3 seconds of wishful thinking… now, don’t forget to fill out your 1040.
“As the United States warms another 4 to 11°F on average over the next century, […]”
Yes, the models predict the precise figure of… wait a minute!!! 4 to 11 degrees?!? Is that with or without error bars on either side of those numbers? (Not that it matters with a range like that.)
Abandon pavement.
Let trees take over naturally.
Shut up about CO2 – (instead mouth off about toxicity – I’ll cover your back if you choose to be that sensible).
Natural climate is fascinating.
Thanks for the reprint Anthony! Divide and conquer…city by city! I was amazed when I received this released. Especially after Cleveland and Ohio experienced one of its coolest July’s in recorded history.
-Mark Johnson – Cleveland Meteorologist
I notice the goofballs press releases always come out in summer …
When do you think the first snows will be in Cleveland this year?
Cleveland was breaking snowfall records in the winter of 2009. My hunch is it will do the same this coming winter.
We got our first cold front that went past Tampa in Florida this week, in fact it went almost to Ft Meyers. Hurricane season is over, early.
Why would the National Wildlife Federation be concerned about heat waves in a large nothern city? Hmmm? I did not see “zoo animals” even mentioned. Things are not what they appear to be on the surface of this article.
Sorry folks, but the Green Movements and the Environmental Movements have been completely infiltrated by people whose primary intent is to remark the US into a third world country by undermining our energy capabilities. (If you do not know anything about the “Apollo Alliance” mentioned in this article, then you need to learn about it and its relationship to a certain Czar in Washington who is an acknowledged communist.) The references to greenhouse gas emissions and global warming is a smoke screen. These are the same people who are fighting legal battles to prevent construction of new nuclear power plants where I currently reside.
I am a former native resident of Ohio who grew up not even knowing what air conditioning was until I visited Florida at the age of 21.
Sheesh. Look out Cleveland!! Maybe global warming can shrink opposing football players too, so Cleveland can finally get back to the Superbowl…
[snip – a bit too hostile in phrasing, you are welcome to resubmit the question though. ]
So if it is cooling its solar caused but if its warming its man caused. Funny how there is no direct evidence to prove one or there other but it is settled right? Or maybe or something but its man’s fault.
I think I was too harsh in my post so I think I will say it is settled and cities are man’s fault and we should be stopped and live in caves again.
“49 percent of the households in Cleveland are currently without central air conditioning”
I notice they didn’t say “without air conditioning” but rather “without central air conditioning”. Did they bother to count households with window a/c units?
Nice job of cherry pickin’.
“30 percent of the population is living below the federal poverty level of $16,530 for a family of three. That is more than double the national average.”
Perhaps our money would be better spent helping these folks rather than trying to change the climate.
Here in Wichita it’s been considered an unusual August because it’s normally the hottest month of the year and our only real hot days this month were at the beginning of the month. We also hit our first record low for the entire summer.
Intellicast is predicting a streak of 70 degree days to conclude the month, can be considered unusual here though we had a typical August day today.
OK, I admit that I did not even read the article. Call me BAD. But these moronic articles come out of the woodwork every day, and they are simply not worth the time to read. Just how could somebody keep coming out with this nonsense?
And how could anyone keep reading it.
And DOES ANYONE ACTUALLY READ IT, except for the NYT, WPo, BBC, and all the little whores that adore those liberal freaks?
Do these massive thinkers realize if a million a/c units were turned on in Cleveland, the out door temps would go up?
Cleveland has a lot of old housing stock, and is right next to a natural refrigerator. Who needs central air? Snow in April or October is not out of the ordinary.
I guess it’s good for that 49 percent that it’s been so stinkin’ cold this summer. They’ve saved a bundle on A/C costs. I blew through $400 worth of propane in the pool heater for nothing. The water wouldn’t get above 75 degrees. Warm? Where? Not here in Cleveland, that’s for certain.
Thank you, sir, for having this site. I am learning a lot more than I expected and I am enjoying every minute of it.
Tracy Sabetta’s experience as a consultant with National Wildlife Federation includes: “…Whether you need to jump start your advocacy program, have your issues noticed by lawmakers, or want consistent representation at the statehouse, Initiative Consulting can help you achieve your goals.”
Hey, let’s call them up and see if they will advise and advocate for global cooling. …Oh, I see, the carbon credit money is predicated only on global warming. Skeptics need to set up a $cam like the AGW crowd has done with carbon credits so that we can attract politicians like flies to honey. I guess those who are dedicated to truth are just too honest.
JAE asked :
Just how could somebody keep coming out with this nonsense?
Ric has answered that nicely – they are PAID to do it. And that’s how the whole thing has gotten so far – lobbyists write this stuff, which scares more people into funding more lobbyists to write reports, which . . .
One of the arguments I face often in debating AGW vs GW is “why would the scientists and media say all this if it isn’t true, and here is the simple answer. The bigger it gets the more funding there is, and the more funding there is, the bigger it gets.
I’m at home in Cleveland visiting family. When I was at my father’s store today, my friend (and an employee of my father’s) starting reading this story to me off the cleveland.com web site. He mentioned the National Wildlife Federation and Physicians for Social Responsibility and immediately remarked, “two organizations that know nothing about weather and climate.”
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
(By the way, Cleveland can’t afford to take any significant measures to avoid heat wave-related problems. It’s not Detroit economy-wise, but it’s not far from it either.)
I’m a little worried this Grand minima won’t be pronounced enough to break the Cult of AGW. Not that factual data would have any effect on the Cult anyway.
So, if the U.S. warms 4 to 11 degrees ON AVERAGE, how does that break down? Does it mean that winters will be not quite as cold and summers a little hotter and Spring and Fall lasting a little longer or a little shorter; or will it break down by area? Will the Southwest become much hotter and the rest of the country a little cooler? They are talking about Climate, not Weather. Can the models accurately predict what the weather in Cleveland is going to be in 100 years — or 100 days — or 10 days — or Tomorrow?
I am all for energy conservation, but I flinch whenever it is tied to mitigating AGW. There are many things that can be done to keep a house cool. Radiant barriers are a good start. I put a foil house wrap on my second story addition to keep it from becoming a solar oven (I told the neighbors it was so the kids wouldn’t have to wear foil helmets when they were at home). You need to set the siding on battens to maintain an air gap, but it wasn’t too much of an extra hassle or expense, and it works quite well. I did something similar in the attic and I put light colored shingles on the roof.
As for solar energy, my mantra is “Rooftops and Parking Lots.” It makes a lot of sense at that level (especially if you skip the compact flourescents and go straight to LEDs), but paving the West with solar farms would be an unnecessary ecological and economic disaster.
There are some very good solar cooling solutions available, but they use ammonia and that has been a hard sell for residential.
I am sure that if global warming comes, we can deal with it much more easily than global cooling, but I think we will be able to cope with that as well — if we are allowed to.
In January 2009. OK, we know what you meant. November is my guess.
Hey how about this as a story…
Motorists offer a unique boon to the biosphere
Over the past century motorist have become the mainstay of travelers but few people recognize the great boon that their travel has given to the biosphere. “I never knew” said on motorist, ” that the simple act of travel could actually help plants grow more rapidly.”
This is of course due to the release of sequestered carbon dioxide that resides in many fossil fuels. Thousands of lab experiments with many different crops and plants have shown definitively that an increase in carbon dioxide, even in the minuscule amounts that can be attributed to the populations use of carbon based fuels, can accelerate growth and fruit yield of most species of plants. As one scientist said, “It’s like the biosphere has slowly been choking itself to death. By allowing planets more CO2 they can more easily build the bonds they need to grow.”
On hearing that President Obama is trying to quell the growing increase in plentiful plant food, shock entered another motorists face. “Why would anyone try to keep something so good away from the public?” This reporter could only respond that the President is most likely relying on outdated information that Carbon Dioxide is bad thing rather then a good thing. Regardless of his motivations many motorists are delighted to know that each time they get into their vehicles they are doing the bio-sphere proud.
By the way, and I am sure you all figured it out, I was just writing a fun piece of nonsense. Looking back through it though I think it may have more truth then many of the global warming articles I have read… Yikes…
More scaremongering, this time in Queensland, Australia.
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/homes-becoming-dangerously-beachfront-20090825-ey2h.html
And in the news recently on TV, we’re experiencing a “heat wave” at the moment, with temperatures 11c-16c above average for this time of year in some parts of NSW.
This a/c discussion is a bit of a joke. I’ve lived most of my life in So.Calif, Arizona, and Hawaii and 90% of the time had no a/c, central or otherwise. Hot weather is uncomfortable, not fatal. Try spending a winter at the Grand Canyon without heat (I did in 1953-54) and you’ll quickly learn the difference. After all, until quite recently, no one in the world had air conditioning and we are none the worse for the experience. Back in SoCal as a teen, when it got too hot in the house, I slept on a chaise lounge on the lawn to avoid it. Duh. People today are such pussycats! (avoiding a snip) What the AGW folks (and the converts in their wake) lack is the slightest sense of perspective. What is also lacking is common sense. “Give me a warmer earth or give me deaf!”
Maybe this is all leading to a peer reviewed paper about how the UHI effect will adversely affect polar bears in captivity…
We are nearing the end of a minimum in the 11-year solar cycle during which the Earth is receiving slightly less heat from the Sun… Hmmm and here I thought the science was “settled” on that:P
Ya cant have it both ways, if the theory is the sun has no effect on heating us up then youre not allowed to use it as an excuse as to why were cooling off. Expecially with the line “nearing the end of a minimum in the 11-year solar cycle” Even our solar guys wont say that much anymore .. hehehe.
Heh?
For the first time in ages I had windows open over-night to take advantage of the cool nights.
In late August. In southern Ohio. We didn’t even break 75 last weekend.
Those poor souls up-state had better get ready. It ain’t gonna be pretty when the weather turns.
Hmmmm…maybe if they collect enough Hope & Change signs they use them to keep warm for the Winter of ’09/10.
More drivel from an ever more desperate AGW PR machine. Even dedicate AGW believers must be wincing when they see such rubbish in print.
Sounds like a pre-IPCC meeting SEPTEMBER alarm festival = “Scare the public. We need the publicity to pass cap-and-trade immediately or we won’t be able to pass it later.”
Today in Australia We just heard that climate change is shrinking polar bears heads.
http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2009/s2667304.htm
And all the while they preach this claptrap China goes on building a couple of coal fired power stations every week. Never mind, we were told last week that China’s CO2 emissions will stabilise in 2030. But I guess only then if we pay them.
We in the UK will be treated to three large climate change camps week. Just when do these greenies do any work?
Ripper (01:34:43) :
Today in Australia We just heard that climate change is shrinking polar bears heads.
http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2009/s2667304.htm
============================================
That’s just a justification the north Europeans use to explain their small john-sons.
The jet streams started moving back equatorwards as long ago as 2000 on a worldwide basis. In fact all the world’s air circulation systems shifted equatorward. During the warming spell they shifted poleward.
As long as they stay where they are there will be slow cooling.
Warming will only return when the jets move poleward again.
The jets will only move poleward again when the oceans begin to release energy to the air faster so that the equatorial air masses expand again.
The longer the sun remains relatively inactive the less likely it becomes that there will be a substantial poleward shift because less energy is entering the oceans.
Yes, everyone gets to play as long as they talk a green planet and pay the tax.
It’s like going to confession and saying 10 Al Gores and 50 Jim Hansens for your pennance. Then you can go out and spend twice as much for the same products as you did before they sold you on thier ideas. The Fed will simply print twice as much green stamps. If you aren’t fabulously wealthy as a Green Insider Trading Partner, then be sure to pick up a copy of Dumpster Diving for Dummies.
This temporary respite is due largely to natural climate oscillations working in our favor. We are nearing the end of a minimum in the 11-year solar cycle during which the Earth is receiving slightly less heat from the Sun.
So they are admitting it’s the Sun? And that the Sun can over power what people are doing? And that CO2 is relatively wimpy when compared to the Sun? Golly! Better tell the IPCC!
At the same time, we must make our cities cooler and greener, for example by introducing more green space—parks, trees, and “green, reflective roofs” —to greatly reduce the urban heat island effect.
How about we just move the thermometers from the HOT airports with their Airport Heat Island (AHI) effect over to the “green space – parks, trees”.
http://chiefio.wordpress.com/2009/08/26/agw-gistemp-measure-jet-age-airport-growth/
It would cost a lot less (and be more honest) to move the thermometers to the parks that do exist than to remake our society based on a fiction that is an artifact of folks “jetting off” to the Tropics for vacation…
Andrew Parker (22:36:40) :
So, if the U.S. warms 4 to 11 degrees ON AVERAGE, how does that break down? Does it mean that winters will be not quite as cold and summers a little hotter and Spring and Fall lasting a little longer or a little shorter; or will it break down by area?
Well, the GHCN temperature record only shows a warming signal in the N. Hemisphere winter.
http://chiefio.wordpress.com/2009/08/09/co2-takes-summers-off/
Summer data top out at about 20C and hold there. In all geographies, BTW.
But when you look into it more closely, you find that the ‘warming’ is largely in new thermometer records that tend to be added in the Tropics and the S. Hemisphere:
http://chiefio.wordpress.com/2009/08/17/thermometer-years-by-latitude-warm-globe/
And then when you look into THAT more, you find it is largely an artifact of how airports are handled:
http://chiefio.wordpress.com/2009/08/17/thermometer-years-by-latitude-warm-globe/
And as stated in my prior comment: The thermometers moving onto Airports in droves is a factor too.
So, my answer to your question is:
It’s getting warmer at Tropical Airports in the N. Hemisphere winter. So take a winter vacation to Brazil or French Polynesia and enjoy it…
GAK! The link for the “how airports are handled” sentence was supposed to be:
http://chiefio.wordpress.com/2009/08/23/gistemp-fixes-uhi-using-airports-as-rural/
Not the dup of the other link…
“We are nearing the end of a minimum in the 11-year solar cycle during which the Earth is receiving slightly less heat from the Sun.”
This is the point in the movie where James T. Kirk notices the enemy has just contradicted himself (the enemy I’m thinking of was masquerading as God in that movie) and poses the question, “Excuse me, but what does God need a star ship for?”
With apologies to Kirk:
Erm, excuse me, didn’t you (IPCC, Hansen, Schmidt, Gore. . .) just say a while back that the solar cycle has NO effect on temperatures?
It should be clear now to any clear headed thinker that the AGW movement has become so mired in contradictory and self serving statements, so befuddled with back peddling and double think that it makes no more sense than did Ptolomey’s earth centric model requiring layer upon layer of epicycles in order to fit observations. The warmists have their layers and layers of epicycles but STILL does not fit observations.
How sad!
City’s that lay in placed with hot summers, should look at buildings in warmer regions. Like South Portugal Algarve. I was on a holliday over there and the temperatures reached almost every day plus 30C. But in side the buildings it was a smooth 25. No Airconditioning! The homes there are with smaller windows away from direct sunlight by placing balcony’s. The buildings are mostly white and on the outside you can shut the windows with doors.
Could they possibly be any more predictable? It’s as though robots crank this garbage out. The pretense of being concerned about the urban poor is a nice, big fat red herring. Sure, drive energy costs up through the roof, and see how they fare, especially in winter when, as any moron knows, people are most vulnerable.
Here’s an interesting news clip from January 29, 2009 about Cleveland snowfall:
“Starting with the three-tenths of an inch that fell on Oct. 29, some 59.1 inches of snow fell at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport from mid-Fall since through Wednesday.
The season total includes 10.8 inches on Jan. 9-10, and 9.5 inches over the last two days.
The total is more than double the amount at the same time last year.
In fact, it took until March 8 last year for Cleveland to surpass 59 inches for the season. In all 77.2 inches fell during the 2007-08 snow season.”
I would think that Cleveland would be looking forward to a little global warming in the coming years!
Thanks, Anthony. That is a fun press release. I would like the cities to be “greener” with more trees, parks, maybe a few lakes here and there. Oh, let’s use concrete instead of asphalt for pavement (it doesn’t get as hot or hold the heat as long) or maybe use an open block paver which can be planted. Realistically though, where are the cities and states going to come up with the extra “green” to pay for all of this “green” during the current economic times? Ah yes, raise taxes, drive businesses out of downtown, buldoze the vacant buildings and build a “green” park for the commuters.
By the way, has anyone looked at the infrared signature of the green roof? I would guess it may emit as much LW radiation as concrete or perhaps even an asphalt roof, but it looks cool. One more thing, doesn’t A/C use a lot of energy primarily generated by those evil power companies who receive “death trains” every day?
WOW, man really has power and has destroyed the planet in the last 60 years.
Depending on what you believe, the earth has been here billions, millions or thousands of years and man has killed it in just 60 years.
Hum, I don’t think so.
“Shifting to clean solar energy is an especially promising option…”
Hahahahahahahahahahaha!
These dolts have obviously never even been to Cleveland. With a combination of short winter days, constant cloud cover spawned by Lake Erie moisture, and a nice covering of snow and ice, solar power cells would be essentially useless for half the year. People can’t even make solar cost-competitive in places like California and Arizona without government subsidies. In Cleveland? Hahahahahahahahaha!
“climate destabilization”
Watch out for this phrase. I am seeing it, and it’s permutations, more and more frequently.
Climate change means going from one state to another, i.e. cool to hot.
What does climate instability mean?
If your argument is failing, change the argument.
Born and raised in Greater Cleveland – a resident for nearly 50 years. I would love to have some more global warming here. Bring it on. I believe we had one day above freezing in January of this year. I don’t ever remember that happening. I have central air, and turned it on for the first time last week.
So these people cite poverty levels and lack of a/c as issues, but then say that they need to retrofit their houses to be more efficient, and/or add solar panels. How do they expect them to afford those things, not to mention increased energy prices due to cap and trade policies?
One last point – we don’t have a lot of sunshine here. We consistently compete with Seattle for the most cloudy days of the year. That doesn’t bode well for implementing solar, by my understanding of the process.
Great site, Anthony – keep it going. I visit daily.
Please be kind to remember this post next november and december to tell us, SH inhabitants, how was it, and if those gwrs.were right or not.
Tamara (09:53:39) :
“climate destabilization”
So they are inventing new names instead of “global warming”/”climate change”…hmmm, perhaps they are using focus groups to search for the best marketing strategy, however how they will call next Super-Maunder like minimum?
Fortunately, as you know, CO2 works for this one too: When reactng with humidity it’s endothermic…we’ll be to blame also. No way: They win.
More probable are “Heat Waves”…of anger, if measures against global warming are taken and your energy bill doubles. 🙂
Sounds like the American version of the Austrailian Declarations pre-election of the water shortage in Sydney by 2007 and Perth would be a ghost city.
The wailing of the AGW faithful is reaching a crescendo.
“Urban areas like Cleveland will feel the heat more acutely because asphalt, concrete, and other structures absorb and reradiate heat, causing temperature to be as much as 10°F higher than nearby rural areas. ”
Trouble with a rambling multi-issue press realease is you inadvertently make some true statements that you wouldn’t make if you were careful. You see! They really do believe in the UHI effect.
As a former Clevelander, I know that anything that will make the town hotter will be welcomed there. What do they have left there, now that Drew Cary’s left for L.A. and the Browns and Indians are underperforming? The R&R Hall of Fame? That’s for tourists! They’ve got enough parks and fountains to survive.
Wetter and warmer than normal spring for Western Australia (A very very very large state). Lets see if their predictions come true…
http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/wetter-and-warmer-spring-on-way-for-wa-20090826-eyza.html
Sky: I was in Cleveland to visit the R&R Hall of Fame just two weeks ago. Lots of interesting exhibits, but you can’t spend an entire day there.
By the way, the weather (for this mid-August day) didn’t get above 79 degrees. It was beautiful. I also noticed that huge windmill at the Science Center, between the Browns stadium and the R&R Hall. I was wondering if the Browns had decided to go green…..but an article at http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2008/07/great-wind-on-the-great-lakes-52697 has straightened me out. See below:
“Two years ago, on 9 June, 2006, the GLSC installed what it now calls its ‘iconic’ Vestas machine in its front yard. Linda Abraham-Silver, president and executive director of the GLSC says: ‘The Science Center’s primary goal for installing a wind turbine is to create a highly visible exhibition to demonstrate wind power technology and raise public awareness about renewable energy.’ Along the way, it is also generating about 7% of the electricity the Center uses, and has opened the door for what many in Cleveland hope will be a whole new level of industrial development….Abraham-Silver also admits to a ‘Big Dream,’ in which renewable electricity from the wind turbine and solar array will be used to convert water drawn from the lake into hydrogen to power buses for ‘kids on field trips.”
Yes! I won’t mind paying exhorbitant energy prices and higher taxes in the future, so long as we can ensure that school kids can ride hydrogen-powered buses to the zoo! Sign me up for this “Big Dream”!