From Scripps:
Vatican Science Panel Calls Attention to the Threat of Glacial Melt
Pontifical Academy of Sciences working group of leading scientists to present report to Pope Benedict XVI
Scripps Institution of Oceanography / University of California, San Diego
A panel of some of the world’s leading climate and glacier scientists co-chaired by a Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego researcher issued a report today commissioned by the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy of Sciences citing the moral imperative before society to properly address climate change.
The co-authors of “Fate of Mountain Glaciers in the Anthropocene” list numerous examples of glacial decline around the world and the evidence linking that decline to human-caused changes in climate and air pollution. The threat to the ways of life of people dependent upon glaciers and snow packs for water supplies compels immediate action to mitigate the effects of climate change and to adapt to what changes are happening now and are projected to happen in the future.
V. Ramanathan
“We are committed to ensuring that all inhabitants of this planet receive their daily bread, fresh air to breathe and clean water to drink as we are aware that, if we want justice and peace, we must protect the habitat that sustains us,” the authors write in a declaration prefacing the report. “The believers among us ask God to grant us this wish.”
Scripps Climate and Atmospheric Scientist Veerabhadran Ramanathan co-chaired the working group with Nobel Laureate Paul Crutzen, formerly affiliated with Scripps and Lennart Bengtsson, former head of the European weather forecasting center. The group also included Nobel Laureate Carlo Rubbia, former director general of the CERN Laboratory. Among the rest of the 24 authors are Lonnie Thompson of Ohio State University, Wilfried Haeberli from Switzerland, Georg Kaser from Austria and Anil Kulkarni from India, considered among the world’s foremost experts on glacial change. Former Scripps Director Charles Kennel and Scripps Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry Lynn Russell are also members of the working group.
“The widespread loss of snow and ice in the mountain glaciers is one of the most visible changes attributable to global climate change. The disintegration of many small glaciers in the Himalayas is most disturbing to me since this region serves as the water tower of Asia and since both the greenhouse gases and air pollutants like soot and ozone contribute to the melting,” said Ramanathan, who has been a member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences since 2004.
Report authors met at the Vatican from April 2 to April 4, 2011 under the invitation of Chancellor Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo of the pontifical academy. The report was issued by the Vatican today and will be presented to Pope Benedict XVI.
Though scientists usually refrain from proposing action, Ramanathan said the circumstances warranted advancing suggestions from the working group. The authors recommend pursuit of three measures: immediate reduction of worldwide carbon dioxide emissions, reduction of concentrations of warming air pollutants such as soot, ozone, methane and hydroflurocarbons by up to 50 percent, and preparation to adapt to climate changes that society will not be able to mitigate.
Main Rongbuk Glacier on Mount Everest in 1921 and 2007. It experienced average vertical glacier loss of 101 meters (331 feet) between 1921 and 2008. Photo credits: (1921) Courtesy of Royal Geographical Society, (2007) Courtesy of Glacier Works.
The report title refers to the term coined by Crutzen to describe what is considered a new geologic epoch that began when the impacts of mankind on the planet became a major factor in environmental and climate changes.
“The recent changes observed in glacial behavior are due to a complex mix of causal factors that include greenhouse gas forcing together with large scale emissions of dark soot particles and dust in ‘brown clouds’, and the associated changes in regional atmospheric energy and moisture content, all of which result in significant warming at higher altitudes, not least in the Himalayas,” the authors write.
“Changes of mountain glaciers all around the world are rapid and impacts are expected to be detrimental, particularly in the high mountains of South America and Asia,” said Kaser, of the Institute for Meteorology and Geophysics at the University of Innsbruck. “Yet, our understanding about glacier changes in these regions is still limited and ambitious and joint efforts are required to respond to these problems. With its report, the pontifical academy contributes considerably to raising awareness.”
“Glaciers are one of our most visible evidences of global climate change,” added Thompson. “They integrate many climate variables in the Earth system. Their loss is readily apparent and they have no political agenda. Glaciers remind us of the stunning beauty of nature and in turn the urgency of doing everything in our power to protect it.”
The authors conclude: “We appeal to all nations to develop and implement, without delay, effective and fair policies to reduce the causes and impacts of climate change on communi¬ties and ecosystems, including mountain glaciers and their watersheds, aware that we all live in the same home. By acting now, in the spirit of common but differentiated responsibility, we accept our duty to one another and to the stewardship of a planet blessed with the gift of life.”
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Pontifical Academy of Sciences = Oxymoron
In the struggle between “religion” and “science”, the Galileo parable is usually brought up, I think, inappropriately.
The original charges against Galileo were not for teaching the Copernican theory, but for not believing in transsubstantiaton.
A Jesuit Priest, Scheiner, independently discovered suspots around the same time as Galileo. Scheinder thought the spots were clouds above the sun, and the sun itself remained pristine and unblemished, as assumed by Aristotle.
A second Jesuit Priest, Grassi, discovered that comets orbit the sun.
Galileo, although very intelligent, was a boor in interpersonal relations. He accused
Scheiner of being a thief, and accused him of stealing Galileo’s sunspot work.
Galileo thought comets were atmospheric phenomena, and claimed that Grassi had been drunk, and hallucinated his observations.
Being only human, Grassi and Scheiner were ticked off at Galileo, and sicked inquisition on him, stating that Galileo’s atomic theory contradicted the Catholic belief in trans-substantiation. The non-belief in trans-substantiation was the original charge against Galileo. The charge against
the Copernican belief was an afterthough, pursued after the first charge didn’t stick-I believe they were acting much as “birther” act now. They hated Galileo, much as the birthers hate Obama, and are willing to use any accusation, no matter how implausible, to bring him down.
Galileo didn’t courageously offer himself up as a martyr for science, instead he cravenly buckled under to the inquisition, and publicly recanted his position.
The whole affair was brought about by Galileo behaving like
a jackass and getting his comeuppance.
A more realistic analogy of Galileo with CAGWers is his position on tides. Galileo thought tides were caused by the sloshing bsck and forth of water caused by earth’s rotation,
just as CAGWers believe climate changes are caused by the amount of CO2 sloshing around in the atmosphere.
Galileo dismissed Kepler’s belief that tides were caused by the moon, and to a lesser extent by the sun, as the speculations of a superstitious nut, We now know that the
superstitious nut was correct.
Tallbloke,
Center of the Cosmos? Listen if, there is a single person out there who can tell me where the center of the Cosmos is in 2011 I’d love to meet them. Our Galaxy, our sun is certainly not the center of the Cosmos, but as a frame of reference, the earth just happens to be the center of the universe, based on the background radiation map and every other observable items in the Cosmos.
Furthermore, even the Sun is not the center of our Solar system. The center of our solar system is a point about 250,000 miles off the surface of the sun at the solar system’s center of mass.
I’ll remind you that the heliocentric universe was proposed by Copernicus, a Catholic Cleric. The big bang theory was invented by Georges Henri-LeMaitre, a Roman Catholic priest and physicist in 1929, who was mocked by Fred Hoyle until the background radiation was discovered in 1963.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_Lema%C3%AEtre
So it turns out the Church in 1632, was right.
Now as far as global warming goes… I think they are completely wrong.
Off Topic but check out the latest from GOES Project Science. Large Ocean Storm developing. Absolutely gorgeous.
http://goes.gsfc.nasa.gov/goescolor/goeseast/hurricane2/color_lrg/latest.jpg
I do a surf forecast for NE Fla. Check it out Da Buh Report.
http://911surfreport.com/forecast.php
Anthony thanks for all of your efforts, especially the last several years. Had it not been for your website and contributors, I would not know what I know now. Please, until the last breathe continue to fight the good fight.
I live in an area of mountain glaciers – the Canadian Rockies – and I can say from experienece that the amount of water coming from those glaciers is minor compared to the amount of water flowing down the glacially carved stream beds a few kilometers downslope. As at least one other noted, the majority of water in the glacially originated streams is from snowmelt and rain. A Canadian from Canmore rafted from the glacial headwaters of the Amazon in Peru, and on the way down saw the same thing.
The eco-green liberals don’t get out of their armchairs enough. Glacial melt hasn’t been a significant portion of river flow for 10,000 years. (Maybe I exaggerage: 8,000 years.)
Forgive me Father for I have sinned. It has been several catastrophes since my last confession.
Since they didn’t state any specific position, I take it that means they’re positionless. In other words, they’re clueless when it comes to climate (except they don’t like it “changing”, which is laughable since that’s the earth’s modus operandi)–they must come up with SOMETHING to appease the masses.
How sad. Fail again!
Olaf Koenders, Wizard of Oz? says:
May 9, 2011 at 12:35 am
Frozen water is a bigger reservoir than rivers and lakes. Snowmelt provides water when it doesn’t rain in places like California. Without it, the rivers would naturally dry up as early as in June instead of August.
Also, we have a controversy regarding the Sacramento Delta, an estuary. Federal judges have ruled we must decrease the salinity of Delta water to protect endangered species. This ruling is based on bogus science. The fact is, salt water historically intruded from the Pacific Ocean during the dry season well past Sacramento. A United States Geological Survey document shows a map comparing historic salinity to current salinity in the Delta during wet and dry years. Clearly salinity is lower now than it was historically. The reason is we impound water and release it during the dry season. Summertime flows are approximately twice as large today as the natural flow in the dry season. Therefore, we are perturbing the natural system by creating unnaturally lower salinity.
Why? The problem is we are trying to use an estuary to convey fresh water to farmers and Southern California residents. This delivery system could be improved. It is comparable to air-conditioning your home with the windows open. Native species are already adapted to variable salinity in the Delta. Biodiversity is already sharply reduced due to re-engineering of Delta water-ways that began in the late 1800s.
The science takes a back seat to politics, and politically allied judges are a big part of the problem. Meanwhile people are made to suffer needlessly.
The authors conclusion is sickening. Totally unscientific appeak to humanity about armageddon. Pathetic.
Well, that cinches it. CAGW is wrong.
It’s just gonna take them another 350 to 400 years for them to realize it like they did the decision of Pope Urban VIII.
The Catholic Church is the ultimate in bureaucratic viscosity.
We’ve said all along AGW-movement is a religion. Now we have proof….
As a certified, life-long Tull-head, my blood quickened to see those lines, Peter H. You are quoting from the song “Wind Up” in the sublime Aqualung album of 1971:
….So to my old headmaster…and to anyone who cares:
Before I’m through I’d like to say my prayers;
I don’t believe you;
You had the whole damn thing all wrong!
No one beats Ian. Pardon me all as I look for my headphones, now.
Looks like The ‘Union of Concerned Hypocrites’.
If Papa-Ratzi was serious about peace, social justice, and reducing anthropogenic climate change, he would endorse of passive forms of birth control.
But this agnostic altar boy isn’t gonna hold his breath waiting for that to happen.
Scientific clarity is appropriately applied whenever and wherever scientific ignorance is promulgated.
——————————————————————
A Dozen Global Warming Slogans
Bob Carter
http://www.quadrant.org.au/magazine/issue/2011/5/a-dozen-global-warming-slogans/page:printable
For many years now, our media outlets have been awash with commentary about dangerous human-caused global warming. The coverage tends to move in spasms relating to events such as meetings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) or, as at present, to government efforts to introduce penal legislation against carbon dioxide emissions in the vain belief that this will “stop global warming”.
Stirling English says:
May 9, 2011 at 6:47 am
[comment snipped, thanks for pointing it out. ~dbs, mod.]]
What is ‘Anthropocene’?
Is it some kind of high quality coal?
Whoa!!
The Earth the center of the universe.
http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/question.php?number=154
Now there are those equivocators out there that say that the earth is the center of the “observable” universe, and not the actual universe. So OK, if the the actual universe is not observable then explain what brand of science you are using to suggest that the universe is something other than what is observable? Would it be the Vatican Hate variety of science?
As it happens, the position of the Vatican that the earth is the center of the Cosmos was correct. We know that now. They didn’t know it for sure back then, they just assumed it to be so based on their world view.
It is wrong to dispel good ideas because they don’t fall into you small tidy box of your own imagination. The reason Anthony Watts is receiving such abundant and positive review, on whole, is because he was willing to speak out against conventional wisdom.
Accept that often, religious people, come up with some pretty good models of the the physical world. Science is tool by which we measure ideas. Ideas are not necessarily born of science, they come from everywhere.
The world is full of people and organisations both religious and secular wishing to control the minutiae of life of the common man.
All involve a bogeyman and all involve a hierarchy of drones that extort a percentage of the income of their adherents. The really clever ones extend their extortion to the sceptics by gaining control of legal administration.
Every society throughout history has suffered in the name of ‘ISMS, and the credulity of the masses will ensure that cunning venality always wins out.
Jesus said to Pontius Pilate, ” I came here to testify to the truth.” Pilate said, “And what is truth?”
If political correctness can strike oil companies I guess it can stike the Church as well. We all know it has in the past but they were in charge back then and protecting their power and status quo. This is not necessary now.
A sad day for us Catholics.
Makes one wonder who chose this “committee” of “experts.” Surely they could have found one or two certified climate scientists who think AGW is hogwash. Clearly they did not. Smells like a setup to me. Like all AGW “science,” they started with the conclusions and worked backwards to find the justification.
You can see from the two photos of Everest in 1927 and 2007 that there is less snow on Everest from the summit down. This can’t be due to melting. Everest is getting less precipitation, contributing to smaller glaciers.
Perhaps this how the next ice age starts – the earth cools as the atmosphere becomes drier. Eventually the glaciers begin to advance, but very slowly due to low precipitation.
I’m not a catholic but please remember that the Church of Rome doesn’t always get its science wrong.
In 1582 Gregory XIII (on the very basic technology of the day) adopted the Gregorian solar and lunar calendars. The solar calendar (dropping 3 out of every 4 centennial leap years from the Julian calendar) is now adopted almost worldwide for civil purposes and is accurate to 1 day in 3,000 years. While the lunar calendar (adopting the Lillius-Clavius epact tables which were quite extraordinary for their day) is only now used for religious observance (to fix the Pascal Full Moon, Easter Sunday and the moveable feasts) it is similarly accurate – an extraordinary achievement at the time.
Let’s hope Benedict XVI also gets the science right today.
(i) The Catholic church is growing in developing countries, many in the tropics.
(ii) The tropics, it is claimed, will be hardest hit by climate change.
==> They have a lot to gain from getting on board.
— Banda
Fred from Canuckistan says:
May 9, 2011 at 5:56 am
“It will be really serious when the first AGW Fatwa is issued.”
Fred! Don’t write things like this. They would never figure it out on their own. A few well-aimed Green Fatwas and every Left female in London will disappear beneath black robes. Well, at least people could finally “see” that something is afoot.