It seems that the public just doesn’t share the worry some of the activists have.
From the Pew Research Center
Global Warming and the Environment
Dealing with global warming ranks at the bottom of the public’s list of priorities; just 28% consider this a top priority, the lowest measure for any issue tested in the survey.
Since 2007, when the item was first included on the priorities list, dealing with global warming has consistently ranked at or near the bottom. Even so, the percentage that now says addressing global warming should be a top priority has fallen 10 points from 2007, when 38% considered it a top priority. Such a low ranking is driven in part by indifference among Republicans: just 11% consider global warming a top priority, compared with 43% of Democrats and 25% of independents.
Protecting the environment fares somewhat better than dealing with global warming on the public’s list of priorities, though it still falls on the lower half of the list overall. Some 44% say that protecting the environment should be a top priority for Obama and Congress, little changed from 2009.
See the complete report at the Pew Research Center
h/t to Leif Svalgaard
Leif,
Many thanks for the excellent explanation about the interaction of Earth’s and Sun’s magnetic fields. I’m sorry my concept isn’t useful, but your comment is exactly what I was looking for.
Bob
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Leif Svalgaard (09:45:29) :
bob paglee (09:24:44) :
But what if it is not insignificant? Has the warming of this eddy-current effect ever been measured?
Several issues: the Sun’s magnetic field is not stationary with respect to the Earth, rather impinges on the Earth’s magnetic field at 400 km/s, but because the Sun’s field is embedded in a highly conducting plasma it cannot directly interact with the Earth, but is being diverted around the Earth. When the geometry is right [at several places and several times per day] the two fields can magnetically connect. That stretches the Earth’s magnetic field into a long ‘tail’ [way, way past the Moon]. The tail is pressed upon by the flowing solar wind and conditions are generated where the two ‘lobes’ [one from the northern polar cap and one from the southern] can also reconnect, thereby relaxing the magnetic field of the Earth back to its original shape, releasing the energy stored in the stretched tail field [energy taken from the solar wind’s kinetic energy] causing electric fields and currents [dB/dt by induction] accelerating plasma [mostly sucked up from the upper atmosphere e.g. Oxygen ions] towards the Earth. These currents along the magnetic field lines produce Hall-currents at right angles to the [almost vertical] magnetic field. These currents flow in the ionosphere [100 km and up]. The currents in turn induce electric currents in the ground [or rather deep underground] and in seawater [which is a weak conductor]. The seawater currents are readily observed, but are very weak and the Joule-heating from them is totally insignificant.
jerry (08:09:07) :
Heads up on the World Economic Forum at Davos
WEF Security Officer Dies in Probable Suicide, District Says
By John Fraher
Jan. 26 (Bloomberg) — The World Economic Forum’s chief security officer was found dead in his hotel room this morning after a probable suicide, the Grison local authorities said in an e-mailed statement.
I am not a conspiracy nut. I do tend to notice certain coincidences and connections others may miss, which is a troubleshooting skill. I am not saying there is anything deep and mysterious going on. This is simply you mentioning the meeting, and me noting the death which has occurred at the same time.
Of course, a lot of people have invested heavily in the coming “low carbon” regime, expecting windfall profits from carbon trading and the enforced purchase and use of “green” technology. There are many power brokers, the economic kings of the world, willing to force this through knowing it will bring them great wealth and power.
But now, well, things have stalled a bit. Looks like it may never happen. Behind the scenes, there are many who invested in the foreseen inevitability, who are getting wiped out. Despair, in various forms, is expected, and will grow. Is this death connected to the crashing down of the Temples of Global Warming? Probably not. However, it seems likely there will be some that are.
This is super serious now. I think we said 7-14 days lets give him a week. Get impressions India wants him out NOW.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Pachauris-IPCC-didnt-research-Amazon-climate-change-Report/articleshow/5502549.cms
With Pachauri out the whole edifice will fall undoubtedly. The Rudd Government will not win the next election unless it rapidly distances itself as well as Obama et al. Nostradamus here LOL
Michael (23:27:53) :
I don’t know why Terrorism is on the list. Terrorism is a tactic. It’s an intangible. You cant touch it and you cant put your finger on it because it’s an intangible concept. Oh well, one brainwashing event at a time.
That’s right, it doesn’t exist. We only imagine its results and that its the primary tactic of Islamofascists. Now take “crime”….
There needs to be a Nixon Shock category…
Nixon Shock – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nixon_Shock
Are you ready for another Nixon shock? – The Curious Capitalist – TIME.com
http://curiouscapitalist.blogs.time.com/2007/11/20/are_you_ready_for_another_nixo/
But its forty years too late now!!!
And in Australia, they are ramping up the scare campaign with regular adverts, not about Global Warming but about “Carbon Pollution” – lots of little black balloons soaring to the ceiling when you turn your aircon on. We are going to be taxed on it no matter what we believe/worry about!
Michael (23:27:53) :
“I don’t know why Terrorism is on the list. Terrorism is a tactic. It’s an intangible. You cant touch it and you cant put your finger on it because it’s an intangible concept. Oh well, one brainwashing event at a time.”
It is an interesting fact that terrorism only works if people become terrified. So why do our governments and the MSM choose to publicise these atrocities in all their gory detail, instead of playing them down?
The other puzzling fact is that one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter, kill one and another ten will replace them to fight the cause. So why do our governments choose to stir up a hornets nest by invading and occupying their countries, rather than addressing the underlying issues that caused the problem in the first place?
I think you could be correct, Michael, in that our government want to have us running scared.
@Steve Oregon (8:02)
“You’re about to be re-educated. … climatecentral.org … honest, non-partisan … information” about climate science
Thanks, it only took a few clicks to get educated.
climatecentral.org
– funded by ’11th hour project’ (ie., the hour before doomsday, no bias there?)
– which features James E. Hansen (green activist, civil disobedience arrested protesting coal mining, “embarassment to NASA”, no bias there?) on the opening page of their website
– who partners with The Alliance for Climate Protection (founded by Al Gore, no climate bias there?)
non-partisan?, not biased toward BigClimate? — ya think?
Nice try.
Just wait until oil prices start rising again (and they will) I bet the concern jumps then!
Mike Bryant (10:11:50) :
Kadaka, here is an article about the 50 million refugees by 2010.
http://usliberals.about.com/b/2005/11/04/global-warming-to-cause-50-million-refugees-by-2010.htm
It was written in 2005, so the report you mentioned is at least that old…
I am always sceptical of future projections since they are almost always wrong…
Oh this is good. Follow the referencing for that 50 million refugee number. That article references another undated Larry West About.com piece, filename envirorefugees.htm. That is referenced from the undated Larry West piece I linked to, filename enviro_refugees.htm. My piece references his earlier piece, which your piece also references.
Note that later piece says:
That dates it to after 2008. So somewhere between the end of 2008 and the end of 2010 there is supposed to be about an additional 38.6 million refugees, ostensibly related to global warming.
envirorefugees.htm, the source at About.com, titled “Scholars Predict 50 Million “Environmental Refugees” by 2010”, has two identifiable references, first is a book by Andrew Simms, policy director of the New Economics Foundation in the United Kingdom (slogan: “economics as if people and the planet mattered”). Second is an interview he gave where he discussed the book.
After searching the NEF site for this scholarly work, which has the predictions of scholars, I find… this mass-consumption 2003 “pocketbook”, available as a free 796KB pdf download, all of 48 pages which includes covers. Two authors are actually listed, Molly Conisbee and Andrew Simms. By their bios on the back cover, they have good qualifications as activists. Then there is the reference section, pg. 44. The very first one, “Much of the information for Chapter 3 is taken from the author’s own contribution to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ World Disasters Report 2002.”
The “pocketbook” apparently argues how people have always migrated, therefore we should readily allow for such migration, which can be migration of “environmental refugees” escaping natural or global warming-induced disasters and adverse changes to local environments. Thus the remaining six references refer to passports, flow of people, some historical details, but nothing of them says they they are noted references about global warming and its impacts, etc. Nothing from United Nations University by name. Thus minor things like that 50 million number must be in that first reference. Somewhere.
Oh, and that interview? At the end of the linked page with the transcript, there are two references mentioned. First is his book. Second says “United Nations Press Release on Environmental Refugees” and links to a pdf file. Which isn’t there right now, not found, but hey, the link does go to UN University.
So, the source of “50 million refugees” appears to be an activist, with his activist co-author, in a book where he referenced some other activist work he did. That is where the trail currently ends. But, that number comes from UNU, therefore it should be good enough for the IPCC to use as it’s the UN referencing the UN. Right?
Oh, and according to that book we are to admit the debt we owe to these impoverished people of the world due to the inflicted global warming-related damage, and pay reparations, and help them to cope, so we must pay some more. And the authors really don’t like dam building. It’s a quick download, feel free to risk some braincells and skim through it yourself.
Phillip Bratby (23:05:44) :
The WEBLOG awards were cancelled. Some techie issue:
http://2009.weblogawards.org/
Global warming concern is disappeaing at an alarming rate. Experts warn winters may be global warming concern free within a few years.
A tribute to well run mis- and disinformation campaigns. Grats!
Michael (23:27:53) :“I don’t know why Terrorism is on the list. Terrorism is a tactic. It’s an intangible. You cant touch it and you cant put your finger on it because it’s an intangible concept. Oh well, one brainwashing event at a time.”
Can you touch Economy, Jobs or Social Security? But you can feel the effects of them, and of terrorism when buildings, trains and planes are blown up.
Tenuc (14:43:46) : It is an interesting fact that terrorism only works if people become terrified. So why do our governments and the MSM choose to publicise these atrocities in all their gory detail, instead of playing them down?
The fact is our western governments do actually play them down by being terribly politically correct. The Nigerian bomber was allowed on the plane despite the fact that he was on the “terrorist watch list”, (watch but do nothing else), was denied re-entry to Britain and only had hand luggage coming the USA on a 2 year visa, which was not revoked. The only thing he did not have was a placard around his neck saying “Shoe Bomber” or “Underwear Bomber” if you wish.
The US Army guy who shot dozens of people gave a presentation to an army group extolling the virtues of suicide bombing and how muslims were justified in carrying out terrorist acts in the US because of its involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was also judged incompetent in his profession by his superiors. So what did the army do? It promoted him obviously.
The other puzzling fact is that one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter, kill one and another ten will replace them to fight the cause. So why do our governments choose to stir up a hornets nest by invading and occupying their countries, rather than addressing the underlying issues that caused the problem in the first place?
“The underlying issue that cause the problem in the first place” is the fact that you do not subscribe to the beliefs of the “extremists” or the laws of his religion. You have the choice to either subscribe to his beliefs, and the laws of his religion or live under servitude to him or he is obligated to wage war against you and terrorise you into submission.
Any other “underlying issue” is an eye wash. There is terrorism in India, Thailand, Philippines, Bali, Kenya*. They have not “invaded” any country and they support the Palestinian cause against Israel.
*(not to mention Algeria, Turkey, Egypt, Sudan, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Somalia)
My comments on this post below are in brackets [ ].
Tenuc (14:43:46) :
Dave F, for whatever it’s worth, I like your “just sayin'” 🙂
Leif Svalgaard (09:45:29) :
The seawater currents are readily observed, but are very weak and the Joule-heating from them is totally insignificant.
When you say insignificant, do you mean from calculation or observation? I am wondering because I do not really know how long NASA has been observing the frequency of the reconnection events, so I do not really know if comparing observations would be reliable or not. You, certainly, would be in a better position to know than I. 🙂
BernieL (03:01:36) :
Dave F, it is not like the two items ‘Health care’ and ‘Health insurance’ are splitting the health vote. What this survey also show to me (an outsider) is that there is still strong public support for the Obama Administration in attempting to introduce the sorts of social welfare ’safety net’ systems that we in other developed countries are so used to, that is, I note: Social Sec (66), Medicare (63), Healthcare (57) and Helping the poor (53).
I would argue that separating Health care, health insurance, and Medicare is really splitting hairs. I won’t make any friends here saying it, but it is essentially true that all three have the same core concern, and if you were to make a list of twenty things people consider important, three of them being so conceptually similar slants the results towards these categories. Healthcare should be combined into one category, and other, also important, issues (perhaps Near Earth Objects and Nuclear proliferation?!?!) should be included? Putting the same topic three times in subtly different ways really does not do justice to the breadth of problems we face on a societal level in the U.S. That’s my point and I am sticking to it.
Leif Svalgaard (08:26:05) quotes Oliver K. Manuel (04:42:40):
“. . . .generates H as a waste product that fills interstellar space”
And Remarks:
“From which new stars are constantly forming. Consisting naturally mostly of the H that fills interstellar space. Hydrogen that they proceed to burn to He, just like our Sun, warming the Earth.”
No, Leif, you spout the same old outdated dogmas that I learned before starting to make measurements in 1960.
Despite your admirable efforts, the disinformation campaign by NASA and the IPCC cannot change Earth’s heat source into a ball of Hydrogen.
This paper shows data points that you’ve ignored [“Earth’s Heat Source – The Sun”, Energy & Environment 20 (2009) 131-144: http://arxiv.org/pdf/0905.0704
With kind regards,
Oliver K. Manuel
Leif Svalgaard (09:45:29) :
When you say insignificant, do you mean from calculation or observation?
Geomagnetic activity has been routinely [and correctly] measured since the 1830s. The electric currents, I, in seawater can be calculated directly from their magnetic effects which are observed, so the current is actually an observed [albeit derived] quantity. The heating Q can be calculated from Q ~ I^2 R, where R is the ohmic resistance which is known [measured] for seawater. All this is ordinary engineering, like when an engineer calculates the load limit for a bridge.
Oliver K. Manuel (21:52:22) :
“From which new stars are constantly forming. Consisting naturally mostly of the H that fills interstellar space. Hydrogen that they proceed to burn to He, just like our Sun, warming the Earth.”
We can break that down into:
1. interstellar space is filled dominantly with H
2. stars form from that and thus consists of H
3. a star starts burning H to He once gravity has compressed it enough shining energy into space around it
4. if it does that then that energy heats the planets around the star
Which if those do you not agree with?
Leif Svalgaard (21:56:03) :
Roger that, thank you. I did think that you were speaking about a new effect from the reconnections, but from what you are saying, I see why it was probably off track to think that. I keep thinking of it as a ‘new’ effect, but it is really just ‘recently discovered’.
Eric Anderson (21:31:40) :
Thanks! I figured someone would understand the reason for net vernacular.
Pew Poll: Global Warming Dead Last, Down from last
year.
There can be little doubt the timing of this Pew Poll was
intentionally done just before U.S. President Obama’s
“State of the Union” Address topical flow chart was set.
Subjects such as “corporate bailouts”, “failing banks”,
or whatever flavor of “discrimination/profiling” we might
be concerned about weren’t questions the poll designers
included in this Pew Poll. “Financial regulation” is listed.
Since the “State of the Union” Address is this evening,
(Wednesday, 27 Jan 2010) it will be interesting to see
what the President’s topical pick of the litter will be.
Almost as important will be the subjects the President
does not address.
The .gif graphic at the top of this thread is printable.
Those who watch the Address can use it as a scorecard
to keep track of the subjects that are “In” or “Out”.
Please keep your applause to a minimum.
jerry (08:09:07) :
“….High growth and low carbon are mutually exclusive.”
Great they are promoting Nuclear power. Its about time.