Sunday, June 14, 2009

How long can you tread water?


That quotation from Bill Cosby's well known recording of a conversation between God and Noah. I will use it as the point from which I dive in to a sequence of reviews of current issues. Of course, this one is Global Warming (Climate Change? Climate Disruption?) and it's associated Sea Level Rise.

Take the jump (Read more!) to get the story in a less entertaining presentation.


On Tuesday of this week, the US Global Change Research Program will release a report on Global Climate Change Impacts in United States. This is the subject of Joe Romm's blogging at Climate Progress today. Romm is putting his focus on Sea Level Rise and what we are learning from the fact that the Greenland Ice Sheets are melting faster than anticipated.

I suggest following the link and reading Romm's post as well as the sources he cites where subscriptions are not required. This is Romm's conclusion:
The entire U.S. should be planning on SLR of 5 feet by 2100 on our current emissions path. And the eastern United States should plan on the very real possibility that total sea level rise will exceed 6 feet.
There are many areas of California that will be affected, beach communities, homes on the edge of bluffs, but none of them is close to that which will be suffered by the California Delta. The oft-mentioned pumps at Tracy that suck the water from the Delta and send it down south for drinking and irrigation are only 7 ft above sea level. Salt water intrusion into the Delta will significantly raise the costs of providing water. Those who oppose desalination for environmental reasons may have no choice other than moving somewhere else.

I see effects from the changing climate all of the time. As a backyard orchardist, I note that the trees are having to adapt to different cycles of weather. On a recent weather TV weather report, they commented that the ocean outside the Golden Gate was 10 deg. F warmer than normal. Rather than warming the land, however, it is increasing out humidity allowing the fog to roll in further, deeper and holding down the temperatures now. Logical consequence, but not what many might anticipate.

As Greens we all need to step up our presence in this war. It is a war, against Planet Earth, and sadly, we are winning. As Willie Loman's wife says in Death of a Salesman, "Attention must be paid." Willie died a suicide. As a human race, might we also be suicidal?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Global Warming is nice...

save water..


Thanks for sharing...


___________________
Andrew
Entertainment at one stop