My first question when I read this headline was:
With Passover Approaching, a Plague of Locusts Descends Upon Egypt
“how long before somebody tries to blame this on global warming, today’s universal one-size-fits-all bogeyman?”
The answer is: 30 seconds, as it is already in the article itself.
From The Atlantic Wire, bold mine:
Conflicting reports aside, Moamen insists that the government has everything under control. “Egyptian armed forces and the border guards are attempting to fight the swarm with the means at their disposal,” the agriculture minister said. “I ask the families living in the locust-plagued areas not to burn tires. This does not chase away the locusts, but only causes damage and could ignite large scale fires that would cost in lives.” Also, that smoke isn’t doing Egypt’s grandchildren any favors. Scientists anticipate that, as global warming worsens, plagues like this will also get worse.
Here is the referenced article from Nature:
Global warming may worsen locust swarms
Ancient records link a hotter climate to more damaging infestations.
Jane Qiu
Warmer weather in China has been linked to worse locust outbreaks.Kazuyoshi Nomachi / Science Photo Library
Analysis of Chinese historical records stretching back for over a thousand years show that locust outbreaks are more likely to occur in warmer and drier weather, especially in the country’s northern provinces, researchers say.
“The results are an alarm bell for yet another serious consequence of climate change,” says Ge Quansheng, deputy director of the Beijing-based Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, who was not involved with the study.
The findings, by climate researcher Yu Ge and her colleagues at the Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Jiangsu province, are published in the Journal of Geophysical Research1.
==============================================================
Of course there were periods of warmer and drier climate in Egypt during the time of the Pharaoh and the plagues, but don’t let that fact get in the way of a good disaster story.
The 10 plagues as they appear in the Bible are listed below with actual articles connecting global warming to the plague item following in parenthesis:
- Water, which turned to blood and killed all fish and other aquatic life (global warming increases soil erosion due to drought and windswept soil which increases river silt. Aswan High Dam in Egypt is already feeling the effects)
- Frogs (Exodus 8:1–8:15) (Once it was found that global warming didn’t actually mutate/kill frogs, now it is helping frog populations thanks to less severe winters)
- Lice (Exodus 8:16–19) (Head lice increase due to warming enhanced lice egg cycle)
- Flies or [5] wild animals (Exodus 8:20–30) (Fly population set to double with global warming)
- Disease on livestock (Exodus 9:1–7) (Farm Animal Disease to Increase With Climate Change, Scientists Say)
- Incurable boils (Exodus 9:8–12) (Global Warming: Causing Acne and Other Skin Disorders)
- Hail and thunder (Exodus 9:13–35) (The latest meme: Extreme weather caused by global warming)
- Locusts (Exodus 10:1–20) (The article above and from FAO: Climate change and Desert Locust)
- Darkness (Exodus 10:21–29) (Darker atmosphere due to soot increases global warming, but look for a reversal soon, because according to
scripturespeer reviewed science, CO2 is the real cause. ) - Death of the first-born of all Egyptian humans and animals. To be saved, the Israelites had to place the blood of a lamb on the front door of their houses. (Exodus 11, Exodus 12) (Kofi Annan says Global Warming causes 300,000 deaths a year now and Climate Change Deaths Could Total 100 Million By 2030 If World Fails To Act)
I think in the case of global warming and plague #10, the chosen ones will have to nail up a hockey stick over their door so that death passes them over.
Global Warming is the George W. Bush of the scientific world…what sins can’t be laid at its feet?
Quick correction.
“10.Death of the first-born of all Egyptian humans…”
Should be first born MALES.
biblical?
http://blogs.24.com/henryp/2013/03/01/where-is-your-faith/
Snarkiness times ten… I like it!
I wonder if global warming increases snarkiness?
Lol! Superb Anthony!
Perhaps all climate change papers should start with the words “Woe unto you, my brethren, for it shall come to pass….”
About a decade ago, a researcher working in Israel noted that it was particularly cold in those parts around years 15 – 30. The Sea of Galilee may have had some surface ice occasionally. That may explain the “walking on water” story. The researcher was excoriated by some believers, but I let him know that several proxy data sets and reconstructions supported the notion.
Also, if one were to overlay Bishop Usher’s Chart of World History on Fairbridge’s sea level curve, we notice several things. In addition to the cold period mentioned in the previous paragraph, there was a sudden cooling about the time Adam and Eve supposedly left the Garden (according to Usher). This suggests that, after eating the special fruit, the couple did not don clothings because there were suddenly ashamed. Rather they got cold. If they left the Garden, it may have been to look for warmer climes, or it is also possible that the Garden disappeared around them as the climate went suddenly colder and dryer.
Well, they will have trouble using the “unprecedented” meme, at least.
This is where the Warmists routinely skewer themselves. In desperately trying to find an alarm bell that triggers irrational fear in the public , of late they have resorted to historical events. The obvious rejoinder that these events were long before the current run up of CO2 defeats the argument. The fact that humanity has weathered these alarming events defeats the fear.
It is also worth mentioning that this is another case of pitting climatology against another science, here entomology, without any understanding of either. As the UN official noted, the behavior of locusts is quite well understood and in fact has been for many years. It does not make much sense to extrapolate an annual event into something that will be even more common, say yearly, because of warming. It is doing quite well on its own, thank you. LOL
Do they even bother to mention the 17-year reproductive cycle?
@mojo These are desert locusts, not 17 year cicadas. Completely different life cycles.
Here’s a line to the walking on ice notion with a link to the pdf:
http://news.cnet.com/Did-the-Sea-of-Galilee-ice-over-2%2C000-years-ago/2008-11395_3-6060618.html
Jenn, “GWB”? Hmmmm…..the “OCD” of the climate de-bait (Onerous Climate Disruption).
I am worried about the unprecedented increase of sinkholes. First in Florida, and now in China. There must be a link to CO2 and climate change. Can someone connect the dots?
link for #5 (livestock disease) incorrect. Perhaps you intended this?
[yes – link fixed thanks -mod]
Dave,
“I wonder if global warming increases snarkiness?”
Why not, if you believe the alarmists, global warming causes everything.
pat says: “This is where the Warmists routinely skewer themselves. In desperately trying to find an alarm bell that triggers irrational fear in the public , …”
Pat, you fundamentally mistake what happens here. A journalist is given a pretty daft story “lots of locusts”. They are told by their editor to fill a certain space with that story — and doubtless half a dozen other ones.
What do they do? Do they fly out to the spot, interview people and read up on locusts so as to fill the article with well sourced facts …. or do they make up a supposed connection with global warming which (they think) no one can deny which enables them to pad out the story with very little effort.
Oh dear, I better consult the Biblical Weather Channel!
It occurs to me while reading this post that the Pastafarians have known for years that there is a direct historical relationship between the decline of pirates and rise of global warming. Could it be that the lack of warming over the last 16 years could be the result of the rise in believers in His Noodly Goodness?
Grasshoppers on steroids= locusts
BTW Adam’s garden was a Global Greenhouse.
That is why it was so productive. x-(];{)
Alfred
Well, if you’re looking for something to study and funding too it makes sense to choose something that’s not going to rock the boat. Poor scientists, I wonder how they feel once they’ve sold their souls.
So Obama (“I am not a dictator “) will part the rising seas and lead us to the promise land. Vanquishing the CO2 blanket. Where is Linus when you need him.
Just wait until the plague of haemorrhoids starts in… panic will spread everywhere.
Great piece from Lawrence Solomon in the Financial Post: ” Not easy being green”
http://opinion.financialpost.com/2013/02/28/lawrence-solomon-not-easy-being-green/
Locusts are always found where it’s warm, never where it’s cold, so it must be true!
Of course everything we do is caused by Global Warming. Without a sun to warm us, Earth would be a frozen ball with narry a human. The real question is what humans have to do with it, especially if there was enough Global Warming in biblical times (sans SUVs, etc.) to have the same plagues they say it’s getting warm enough to have again.
These scientists are demonstrating a complete lack of logical thought.
During the last half hour of BBC Radio 4’s “Today” programme this morning, there was an item about the walls that surround the town of Ludlow in Britain. Parts of these walls, which have stood for hundreds of years, are in a bad way, and two sections collapsed during February
Mr Collin Richards, head of conservation and archaeology for Shropshire, is in no doubt as to the cause, saying “ … the climate change that has affected them over the last couple of years has wreaked so much damage.”
Just think. If there had been climate change in biblical times, Joshua could have brought down the walls of Jericho without the trumpets!
This not only proves the case for CAGW, but also proves how wise our ancestors were to believe in the bible. It’s all true.
Did increased CO2 cause Moses?
…so tell me again why we invented Yard Guard
…..snark
From memory I can recall locust plagues being a frequent problem in the 60’s and 70’s being seemingly in the news every couple of years with a plague somewhere in Africa. It may just be the reporting on these that has disappeared for a while (too much warming to report on) but otherwise I would have to say that it was more of a problem when we were facing the next ice age.
“‘The results are an alarm bell for yet another serious consequence of climate change,’ says Ge Quansheng, …”
Ok, I’d like to be prepared for this ‘yet another serious consequence of climate change’ so I’d like to, whilst trying to keep my wits about me and not panicking, ask precisely what this alarm bell sounds like so I can act at a moment’s notice once I hear it. I certainly hope it doesn’t sound like a soft plop, plop because whatever odoriferous scents may follow that sound my sniffer’s not good enough to make up for the muted tones. Does it sound like an incessant, high pitched, irritating buzz? I hope not, because one might mistake it for the usual, high pitched, incessant, irritating buzzes we hear all the time from incessant, high pitched, irritating buzzards. May I suggest that that alarm bell should sound like something appropriate like, I dunno, a slot machine? Better yet, a cash machine? Out in the real world we haven’t heard one of those since about 2007. Attention getting. Check. Appropriate. Double check.
Biblical plagues/swarms* are nothing next to the swarm that erupts when the CAGW grants are being handed out.
/sarc
*Do these locusts run on bio fuel or big oil?
@ Barry Cullen “Locusts are always found where it’s warm, never where it’s cold”
Melanoplus spretus, the rocky mountain locust was found from Canada to the southern Rocky Mountains (currently extinct). Swarms of trillions swept across the plains of the US and Canada but ultimately shared the same fate as the passenger pigeon.
Read more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_Mountain_locust
Grasshopper (=locusts) eggs are extremely sensitive to soil moisture and susceptible to fungus infection. Dry soil = low fungus = more eggs hatch
“…show that locust outbreaks are more likely to occur in warmer and drier weather, especially in the country’s northern provinces, researchers say….
But…but… I thought that Climate Change caused lots of rain and snow? Was that yesterday?
Global warming – good for the locust community. Must make the polar bears envious.
Oh no – The sinners dunnit.
The cataclysmic multiple eruptions at Thera circa 1526 BC are far more likely to be the cause of the extraordinary climate events described in Exodus than any random or cyclic warming. Of course there were no Jews or Israelites existing at that point so the story was certainly hijacked from the story of the Hyksos who lived in Sinai and took over Egypt for 200 years then left in a scene right out of DeMIlle minus the wall of water and the 10 Commandments, priestly fictions added later.
There is, however,the Mormon Cricket.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormon_cricket
But I thought a study published in 2007 showed that historically Chinese locusts swarmed more in colder climate.
Just a month ago it was snowing in this region.
But now need to panic because the Atlantic says:
Strikes me these locusts have serious competition from the UN.
1952 – global warming traveled back in time and cause misery. Whenever I read stories like this I did into the news archives and lo and behold nothing odd here. Move along folks nothing to see here.
Well, maybe not the worst.
HorshamBren says:
March 4, 2013 at 9:49 am
During the last half hour of BBC Radio 4’s “Today” programme this morning, there was an item about the walls that surround the town of Ludlow in Britain. Parts of these walls, which have stood for hundreds of years, are in a bad way, and two sections collapsed during February
Mr Collin Richards, head of conservation and archaeology for Shropshire, is in no doubt as to the cause, saying “ … the climate change that has affected them over the last couple of years has wreaked so much damage.”
——————————————————
That’s a shame. I visited Ludlow a few years ago, along with visiting the nearby Roman ruins at Wroxeter (complete with the ruins of vineyard, I might add).
So I guess there are two solutions to this problem:
Solution 1: Use taxpayer money to fix the fricking walls.
Solution 2: Use taxpayer money to erect wind turbines across the British countryside, thereby reducing atmospheric CO2 levels back to their pre-industrial levels, thereby halting climate change and its consequent wreaking of damage on said walls.
Simple decision eh ?? Inserts Spaz smiley.
The heart of the issue is still whom or what will we worship? God or nature?
Radical environmentalists insist we must not influence nature and that consequently we must eliminate more than 80% of all fossil fuel use and in effect spend massive resources on controlling nature to maintain its current temperature – regardless of large natural variations. They thus require all our efforts be subservient to nature and thus to worship it.
By contrast, Exodus 9:1
Thus the choice: Whom will we serve?
For a conservative position on climate that cares for people, widows and orphans, see the Cornwall Alliance.
With 8 deaths per thousand at the moment – per CIA World factbook (7.99 actually) – we’re losing 56 million every year; St Kofi only thinks 100,000 are due to ‘Climate change’ Probably about the same as lost to illegal drugs – overdoses, drug wars, drug driving etc.
And yes, every death is a tragedy.
But a lack of perspective is pretty sad, too.
‘By 2030’ – another 17 years and about 850,000,000 deaths, HufPo’s 100,000,000 deaths that ‘could’ be caused by [CAGW inferred] Climate change is about 12% of all deaths in that time – or over 5,000,000 per year. I guess we’ll notice the leap from Annan’s 100K to HufPo’s 5M.
Won’t we?
john robertson says:
Strikes me these locusts have serious competition from the UN.
–
I nominate this for best comment of the day.
But unlike these naturally occurring locusts, the UN plague is definitely a human caused disaster.
No sign of any increase in locust plagues in Aust, even though we have supposedly just gone through our hottest summer ever, according to our illustrious BOM.
http://www.daff.gov.au/animal-plant-health/locusts/about/history#australian
@ Ron C. “I am worried about the unprecedented increase of sinkholes. First in Florida, and now in China. There must be a link to CO2 and climate change. Can someone connect the dots?”
That one is easy! You see, most caves are formed by the dissolution of limestone by slightly acidic water flowing underground through the porous strata. Normally, this slight acidity comes from CO2 in the surface soil permeating the water as it seeps downward. Now that we have the massive, overwhelming increase in atmospheric CO2, the groundwater is supercharged (yes, SUPERCHARGED !!!) with CO2, and the extreme acidity is rapidly eating away at the very bedrock below our feet! Result? Massive sinkholes gobbling up the world!
Need I say it? It is worse than we thought!
More warmth, more CO2, more plant growth => more bugs. Big deal.
” Mike Haseler says:
March 4, 2013 at 9:10 am
pat says: “This is where the Warmists routinely skewer themselves. In desperately trying to find an alarm bell that triggers irrational fear in the public , …”
Pat, you fundamentally mistake what happens here. A journalist is given a pretty daft story “lots of locusts”. They are told by their editor to fill a certain space with that story — and doubtless half a dozen other ones.”
Yes. I am aware that the Warmist in the instant case is the reporter. i read the subject article. the only real scientist consulted was quite clear he felt this plaque was within nature’s norm.
Moses would never have made it as a Green messiah. He was ‘exceeding meek’ above all other men (Numbers 12:3). That I suggest is why Jehovah gave him the job of plague-and-people manager … No preaching, but for me that concise aside has the ring of truth echoing down the centuries. Meekness in a leader is not the sort of thing that would be invented by too many ancient peoples – or imitated by the sages of Climategate.
God causes plauges and floods.
Global warming causes plauges and floods.
So then maybe God is Global Warming?
Re. plague no.3 (head lice), I had intended merely to mention the fact (gleaned from a school nit nurse years ago) that these little nuisances greatly prefer the hair of females and children – apparently, adult males get them much more rarely. My own experience, of working at a school and not getting headlice, seems to bear this out.
But then I paused for thought. That “warming enhanced lice egg cycle” … The beggars lay their eggs in your hair. That is, on your head. Where it’s warm. So WTF difference will a fraction of a degree in the outside environment make? It may only be one of the incidental stories you mention, but I call total BS on that one.
======================================================
“Global Warming” would fall under the catagory of an idol, a false god. Something to which some have surrendered their some allegiance.
It used to be worse:
http://www.dancarlin.com/disp.php/hharchive/Show-43—Wrath-of-the-Khans-I/Mongols-Genghis-Chingis
What with the Mongol hordes and all.
(first of a 5 part series above, bedtime lullaby to remind one just how lucky we are).
Unbelievable – down in the references section Global Warming is causing worse acne!
That’s what must be making my finger nails split too.
#6.Incurable boils (Exodus 9:8–12) (Global Warming: Causing Acne and Other Skin Disorders)
A lot of people don’t know this, but locusts only come during periods of man-made global warming. The only reason they had locusts back in biblical times was because the Egyptians created temporary global warming by burning the entire Sahara forest. It never grew back and is now known as the Sahara desert.
True story. I’m having a bit of trouble finding proof though.
blogagog
You can find evidence at:
Sahara Desert Greening Due to Climate Change?
i.e. we can benefit from as much CO2 as we can put into the atmosphere.
Are the alarmists admitting it was warming in biblical times?
@ Mark “Are the alarmists admitting it was warming in biblical times?”
Yes, but the Biblical warming was rotten warming which soon faded away. What we have with CAGW is multiyear warming, and that’s what counts!
Where were the locusts last summer in the US? Where?
Armageddon out of here!
philincalifornia says:
March 4, 2013 at 12:15 pm
HorshamBren says:
March 4, 2013 at 9:49 am
During the last half hour of BBC Radio 4’s “Today” programme this morning, there was an item about the walls that surround the town of Ludlow in Britain. Parts of these walls, which have stood for hundreds of years, are in a bad way, and two sections collapsed during February
Mr Collin Richards, head of conservation and archaeology for Shropshire, is in no doubt as to the cause, saying “ … the climate change that has affected them over the last couple of years has wreaked so much damage.”
——————————————————
That’s a shame. I visited Ludlow a few years ago, along with visiting the nearby Roman ruins at Wroxeter (complete with the ruins of vineyard, I might add).
So I guess there are two solutions to this problem:
Solution 1: Use taxpayer money to fix the fricking walls.
Solution 2: Use taxpayer money to erect wind turbines across the British countryside, thereby reducing atmospheric CO2 levels back to their pre-industrial levels, thereby halting climate change and its consequent wreaking of damage on said walls.
Simple decision eh ?? Inserts Spaz smiley.
Lovely town Ludlow, sounds like they need to sign their stonemasons time sheets more promptly!
Sorry for 3 inputs but this may be relevant.
“During the Civil War of 1642-46 Ludlow Castle was a Royalist stronghold. In 1646 the town and castle were besieged by a strong Parliamentary force under Colonel Birch. Though there was fighting on the outskirts of town and parts of the suburbs were burnt, the castle itself was surrendered after negotiation. The kind of demolition carried out elsewhere was therefore avoided. After 1669 the castle was quickly abandoned, as part of the policy of the new government of William and Mary, to centralize control of the whole of England and Wales in London. In 1722 Daniel Defoe described it as ‘the very perfection of decay’.
The people of the town looted the castle for principal materials and rooms were soon roof-less. In the 1760s the government considered demolition, but in view of the costs involved, preferred to lease it in 1771 to the earl of Powis. A later earl bought the castle in 1811. Since 1811 the care of successive earls of Powis and their agents has arrested further decline, while in recent years grants from English Heritage have enabled important repair work to be done. Over 50,000 visitors now come to the castle each year.@
More here:
http://www.castlewales.com/ludlow.html
I vote for worshiping neither, but being respectful of the latter.
John Trigge (in Oz) says:
March 4, 2013 at 12:52 pm
“No sign of any increase in locust plagues in Aust,”
You had a big outbreak in 2010 because of all the rain.
” Widespread heavy inland rains, especially in summer, will allow plague locusts to reach plague proportions with less regular rain maintaining these high density populations. During these condition the life-cycle pattern may change to one in which the period from hatching to maturity is reduced to two and a half months.[4] Dry conditions will reduce populations back to background levels.[9]” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_plague_locust