The Fossil Fuel Industry and Republican Climate Change Deception

Sen. Whitehouse attributes climate misinformation to the fossil fuel industry and their Republicans minions. He points to the scientific inaccuracy of the climate change hiatus as a classic case in point. Such lies are deliberately woven to prevent us from acting.

The science is clear, and comprehensive. Global warming is caused by carbon pollution. However, for decades the fossil fuel industry has bought off Republicans in the senate who proceed to use their position to undermine the facts and obstruct action on climate change.

The fossil fuel industry has provided massive contributions to Republicans who are in effect owned by the dirty energy industry. Republicans have thwarted climate action while ignoring the pleas of scientists, national security leaders, businesses and religious leaders.

There is widespread corruption in the fossil fuel industry and recently the industry's own document have revealed evidence of disinformation.

The evidence is clear, the world is warming. We known that 17 of the 18 hottest years on record and 2014 was the hottest year on record, although it is expected 2015 will eclipse last year's record heat.

A Stanford study and others have indicated that there is no hiatus in warming and there is no stall in year to year temperature increases. The fossil fuel industry and Republicans cynically cherry pick a handful of statistical data to deceive the American public.

While Whitehouse should be commended for his advocacy of climate science, while the fossil fuel industry and Republicans are the incarnation of the worst form of short sighted self-interest. The fossil fuel industry's control of Congress and obstructionism on climate action is a national shame and an international catastrophe. Generations to come will look at the Republican party as some of the most villainous political forces ever unleashed on the earth. Even some Republicans are breaking ranks because they can no longer countenance the anti-science subterfuge of their own party. 

In this video Sen. Whitehouse discusses the bogus, debunked "global warming hiatus" aka the "climate pause" that deniers continue to tout. As Whitehouse says, now is the time for courageous actions and strategies. It is time for us to wake up, time to come together in good faith to tackle to threat of climate change.



Related
The Global Warming "Hiatus" Debunked
Scientific Support for Anthropogenic Global Warming from Fossil Fuels
Science and Pernicious Ignorance of Climate Change Denial
Video - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse on the Science of Climate Change
Video: Why People are Confused about the Scientific Veracity of Climate Change
Global Temperature Data Underscores the Urgency of Climate Action
Hottest June Foreshadows the Hottest Year on Record
Extreme Heat in the Western World Marks the Start of Summer 2015
At Least 30 Years of Above Average Temperatures
Heat Records Tell the Story of Climate Change

Read More»

Video - Summary of the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report Synthesis Report

Related
Video - Fossil Fuels Must be Eliminated by 2100 (IPCC Synthesis Report)
Latest IPCC Report Indicates the World is Headed Towards Unacceptable Temperature Increases
Republican Ignorance and the Latest IPCC Report
IPCC Synthesis Report: Background and Summary
Graphs - IPCC Report: CO2, Temperatures and Emissions
Economic Costs of Combating Climate Change (IPCC)
Latest IPCC Report on the Viability of Fast Actions to Limit Climate Change Including SLCP
The Three Most Revealing IPCC Charts
Failure to Reduce Emissions will Result in an Ecological and Economic Catastrophe (IPCC's Leaked "Synthesis" Report)
Video - Review of the Salient Findings in the IPCC AR5 WGll
IPCC AR5 WGll Report: An Impending Climate Catastrophe
The Sole Scientist who Disagrees with the Conclusions of the AR5 WGll
Hope for Climate Finance and Why We Can't Give Up on UN Climate Talks
Figueres on the Need for a Binding Global Climate Treaty by 2015

Read More»

Graphs - IPCC Report: CO2, Temperatures and Emissions

Related Articles
Latest IPCC Report Indicates the World is Headed Towards Unacceptable Temperature Increases
Republican Ignorance and the Latest IPCC Report
IPCC Synthesis Report: Background and Summary
Economic Costs of Combating Climate Change (IPCC)
Latest IPCC Report on the Viability of Fast Actions to Limit Climate Change Including SLCP
The Three Most Revealing IPCC Charts
Video - IPCC Report: Fossil Fuels Must be Eliminated by 2100
Failure to Reduce Emissions will Result in an Ecological and Economic Catastrophe (IPCC's Leaked "Synthesis" Report)
Video - Review of the Salient Findings in the IPCC AR5 WGll
IPCC AR5 WGll Report: An Impending Climate Catastrophe
The Sole Scientist who Disagrees with the Conclusions of the AR5 WGll
Hope for Climate Finance and Why We Can't Give Up on UN Climate Talks
Figueres on the Need for a Binding Global Climate Treaty by 2015

Read More»

IPCC Synthesis Report: Background and Summary

In November the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its final world Synthesis Report. This is the world's most comprehensive assessment of scientific knowledge on climate change. The conclusions in the report are the starkest warnings yet. Urgent action is required as we are rapidly running out of time.

The final Synthesis Report summarizes three massive climate investigations:

1. The report on the physical science of climate change was released in September 2013. It reiterated the finding that humans are the leading cause of climate change. They further demonstrated that as measured by a number of indicators (ice sheet melt, glacial melt and sea level rise), climate change is occurred faster than predicted. It further stated that this is impacting meteorological conditions by increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events.

2. The report on impacts, adaptations, and vulnerability was released in March 2014. It found that people everywhere are vulnerable to climate change and we have done little to adapt to them. It further concluded that climate change is already harming agricultural yields and affecting food availability and prices. In the absence of immediate action temperatures increases will exceed the internationally agreed upon upper threshold limit of 2ºC.

3. The report on mitigation measures was released in April 2014 it concluded that we must see massive reductions in carbon emissions from the energy sector. It further indicated that our use of renewable forms of energy must quadruple by 2050. It stated that with the cost of renewables declines, deforestation slowing we still have a chance to stay within the 2ºC upper temperature limit, if we act soon. It further stated that we cannot afford to keep investing in fossil fuel infrastructure without surpassing the upper temperature limits.

Brief Review of the Synthesis Report

The final report restates the fact that the scientific case is irrefutable and immediate action is needed. Humans are the cause of climate change and we are already seeing its impacts on every continent. If we do not reign-in greenhouse gases we will see profound impacts that will fundamentally alter the natural world and human society.

Policy Action Required

What we need in terms of action is serious policy shifts. Youba Sokona, co-chair of IPCC Working Group III (Mitigation), finds it technically feasible to transition to a low-carbon economy. However, he notes, "what is lacking are appropriate policies and institutions. The longer we wait to take action, the more it will cost to adapt and mitigate climate change."

© 2014, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Related
Latest IPCC Report Indicates the World is Headed Towards Unacceptable Temperature Increases
Republican Ignorance and the Latest IPCC Report
Graphs - IPCC Report: CO2, Temperatures and Emissions
Economic Costs of Combating Climate Change (IPCC)
Latest IPCC Report on the Viability of Fast Actions to Limit Climate Change Including SLCP
The Three Most Revealing IPCC Charts
Video - IPCC Report: Fossil Fuels Must be Eliminated by 2100
Failure to Reduce Emissions will Result in an Ecological and Economic Catastrophe (IPCC's Leaked "Synthesis" Report)
Video - Review of the Salient Findings in the IPCC AR5 WGll
IPCC AR5 WGll Report: An Impending Climate Catastrophe
The Sole Scientist who Disagrees with the Conclusions of the AR5 WGll
Hope for Climate Finance and Why We Can't Give Up on UN Climate Talks
Figueres on the Need for a Binding Global Climate Treaty by 2015

Read More»

Event - Earth Science & Climate Change (Earth Science-2015)

The 4th International Conference on Earth Science & Climate Change (Earth Science-2015) will take place on June 15-17, 2015, in Alicante, Spain. The main theme of the conference is: An Insight into the Recent Advancements in Geosciences and Climate Change Control. This OMICS Group event aims to promulgate knowledge and facilitate the sharing of new ideas amongst the professionals, industrialists and students from research areas of Earth Science and Climate Change.

The focus will be on Earth Science, Atmospheric Change, Climatology, Meteorology, Environmental Issues, Global Warming, Geotechnical engineering, remote sensing.

Earth provides resources and the exact conditions to make life possible. However, with the advent of technology and industrialization, the Earth's resources are being pushed to the brink of depletion. Non-sustainable industrial practices are not only endangering the supply of the Earth's natural resources, but are also putting burden on life itself by bringing about pollution and climate change. The major role of earth science scholars is to examine the delicate balance between the Earth's resources and the growing demands of industrialization. Through research and development, earth scientists have the power to preserve the planet's different resource domains by providing expert opinion and information about the forces which make life possible on Earth.

In the atmosphere, there are several things or qualities of the atmosphere which will be measured. Rain, which might be observed or seen anywhere and anytime, was one of the primary ones to be measured historically. Many of the large-scale environmental changes affected by human activities are mediated through the chemistry of the environment. Key changes include the increases in the concentration of tropospheric oxidants (including Natural Calamities), global spread of air pollution, and global warming, stratospheric ozone depletion.

A geotechnical engineer then determines and designs the type of foundations, earthworks, and/or pavement sub grades essential for the intended man-made structures to be built. Remote sensing makes it likely to collect data on dangerous or inaccessible areas. Remote sensing also replaces expensive and slow data collection on the ground, ensuring in the process that areas or objects are not disturbed. Petrology uses the classical fields of mineralogy, petrography, optical mineralogy, and chemical analyses to explain the composition and texture of rocks.

CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS

Geosciences and Geology
Meteorology
Geophysics and Atmospheric Sciences
Climate Change and Extreme Weather
Technologies and Applications of Earth Science
Global Warming and Environmental Change
Environmental and Marine Sciences
Environmental Issues and Hazards
Environmental Management
Effect of Climate Change on Ecosystem

To register click here.

Related
Comprehensive Review of the Science on Anthropogenic Climate Change
The Theory of Natural Warming is Dead
New Authoritative Report Chronicles US Climate Change
The Global Warming "Hiatus" Debunked
Video - Life in the Anthropocene: A Visualization of Climate Change
It Going to Get Even Hotter than Predicted by Climate Models According to a New Cloud Study
Video - Science Based Visualization of the Earth Under the Influence of Global Warming
Scientific Support for Anthropogenic Global Warming from Fossil Fuels
Relationship Between Warming Over Land and in the Sea
Video - Climate 2013: Perspectives of 8 Climate Scientists (Video)
Video - A Brief History of Anthropogenic Climate Change Science
10 Charts on Climate Change
Strong Body of Evidence for a Changing Climate
American Meteorological Society Corroborates Anthropogenic Climate Change
More Scientific Support for Anthropogenic Climate Change
Science and Pernicious Ignorance of Climate Change Denial
Climate Change Science

Read More»

We are Running out of Time to Avert a Climate Catastrophe (PwC Report)

PricewaterhousCoopers (PwC) is hardly known for hyperbole, but their latest report warns of catastrophe if we fail to reign in carbon emissions. The report says that every passing year we are getting further away from averting a climate disaster.

PwC's “Low Carbon Economy Index,” chronicles our ongoing failure to act on the climate crisis. They refer to an “unmistakable trend” of growing emissions and a warming world. The report states that we have failed to do what we must to keep temperatures below the internationally agreed upon upper threshold limit of 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels.

The consequences of failing to act include food security threats, coastal inundation, extreme weather events, ecosystem shifts, and widespread species extinction.

The PwC report clearly states that, “the gap between what we are doing and what we need to do has again grown, for the sixth year running.”

If we continue on our current trajectory we will see temperature increases of 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century.

To succeed in keeping temperatures within manageable limits the global economy needs to “decarbonize” by 6.2 percent every year until the end of the century.

The report singles out countries that are leading carbon emissions per unit of GDP. They include United States, Germany, and India who are still adding carbon intensity, year-on-year. The report further states that we are running out of time to avert a climate catastrophe.

"The timeline is also unforgiving. The [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] and others have estimated that global emissions will need to peak around 2020 to meet a 2°C [3.6 degrees F] budget,” the report says. “This means that emissions from the developed economies need to be consistently falling, and emissions from major developing countries will also have to start declining from 2020 onwards.”

If we are to keep temperatures within acceptable limits, G20 nations will need to cut their annual energy-related emissions by one-third by 2030, and by just over half by 2050.

This report adds to the building pressure to come up with a global agreement on climate change by 2015.

To read the report click here (PDF),

Related
The Clock Keeps Ticking as People Continue to Ignore Scientific Warnings about Climate Change
The Collapse of Human Civilization and How to Avoid It
The Current Climate Trajectory is "Catastrophic"
It Going to Get Even Hotter than Predicted by Climate Models According to a New Cloud Study
Comprehensive Review of the Science on Anthropogenic Climate Change
AGU: Human-induced Climate Change Requires Urgent Action
World Resources Institute Warning About New Coal Plants
PricewaterhouseCoopers Climate Change Warning
International Renewable Energy Institute Climate Warning
Warning from the International Energy Agency: The World's Ongoing Reliance on Fossil Fuels Crushes
World Meteorological Organization Climate Warning
World Bank Climate Change Warning
UNEP Warning: We are on The Brink of a Climate Catastrophe
World Bank Report Warns of A 4°C Warmer World

Read More»

Failure to Reduce Emissions will Result in an Ecological and Economic Catastrophe (IPCC's Leaked "Synthesis" Report)

The latest leaked Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report reiterates three points that we already know and warns us of dire consequences if we fail to act. Climate change is here, it is caused by humans and it has a number of dangerous impacts. It is noted that extreme weather like heat waves, drought, flooding and rising seas are already serious problems today.

The document specifically states that as greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise we can expect the situation to worsen. This means more "severe, pervasive and irreversible impacts for people and ecosystems."

The report spells out the high level of risk associated with failing to significantly reduce emissions. These risks include sea-level rise causing widespread coastal flooding (effecting 70 percent of the world’s coastlines by the end of the century), more severe and enduring heat waves and droughts, torrential downpours, diminished agricultural yields resulting in widespread food shortages, species extinction and pest outbreaks. Ocean acidification is another major concern that could have serious implications for the entire interrelated web of marine life.

These climate impacts will have major economic and social consequences described in the report as "catastrophic," this includes massive material costs, violent conflicts, environmental refugees and significant increases in global poverty.

The 127 page climate draft of the Synthesis Report (SYN) was leaked at the end of August, it essentially summarizes the findings in the three preceding IPCC reports:

WGI: The Physical Science Basis - September 2013

WG II: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability – March 2014

WG III: Mitigation of Climate Change – April 2014

We have already documented a temperature increase of .85 Celsius since 1880. This is the fastest temperature rise since well before the dawn of human civilization more than 10,000 years ago. It is expected to get much hotter as we go forward.

The report sets the stage for climate talks scheduled for LIma, Peru this coming December and the all important global climate agreement hoped for at the meeting in Paris planned for the end of 2015. In 2009 countries committed themselves to finding solutions that would keep global temperature increases below the internationally agreed upon 2 C (3.6 F) upper threshold limit. Without major reductions in carbon emissions we are on track to substantially exceed this limit. Conservatives estimates suggest that we will see a temperature increases of 3.7 C by the end of the century, which is almost twice the prescribed upper threshold limit.

The leaked report clearly indicates that we are not doing nearly enough to stave off catastrophe, even if we get serious about climate action it will be very difficult to stay within the prescribed upper threshold limits. Perhaps the most sobering fact is that even if we act now, there’s a real risk of “abrupt and irreversible” changes.

The Synthesis Report (SYR) is expected to be finalized and released for review at a Copenhagen meeting scheduled for October.

© 2014, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Related Articles
Video - Review of the Salient Findings in the IPCC AR5 WGll
IPCC AR5 WGll Report: An Impending Climate Catastrophe
Second Quarter of the Fifth IPCC Report Leaked
The Sole Scientist who Disagrees with the Conclusions of the AR5 WGll
Most Recent IPCC Report Omits Green Climate Fund
Hope for Climate Finance and Why We Can't Give Up on UN Climate Talks
Figueres on the Need for a Binding Global Climate Treaty by 2015
Sustainable Development Goals to Follow Millennium Development Goals
Debunking Efforts to Undermine the Latest IPCC Report
IPCC AR5 WGl Summary: Headline Statements from the Summary for Policymakers
Background of the IPCC's Latest Climate Report
The Science in the 2013 IPCC Report: Unequivocal Evidence of Anthropogenic Climate Change
Non-Profit Groups and Scientists React to the Fifth IPCC Report
The Business Community Responds to the 2013 IPCC Report
UN and US Political Reactions to the 2013 IPCC Report
IPCC Charts: Surface Temperatures, Sea Levels and CO2

Read More»

The Theory of Natural Warming is Dead

Recent studies have put the final nails into the coffin of natural warming theories. While Republicans and other conservatives hold on to natural warming theories the way NRA members cling to their guns, recent science has utterly dispelled the viability of this myth.

While it is impossible to refute the observation that the earth has warmed since 1880, it is not uncommon to hear Republicans say that while global temperatures may be warming, it is not attributable to human activity.

An April analysis published in the journal Climate Dynamics, reviews temperature data since 1500 and concludes that the global warming we have seen since the dawn of the industrial era cannot be attributed to natural warming.

This research was conducted by McGill University physics professor Shaun Lovejoy, and rules out the hypothesis that warming over the past century is due to natural fluctuations.

“This study will be a blow to any remaining climate-change deniers,” Lovejoy said. “Their two most convincing arguments—that the warming is natural in origin, and that the computer models are wrong—are either directly contradicted by this analysis, or simply do not apply to it.”

Lovejoy's conclusions come with confidence levels that exceed 99 percent certainty. The odds of warming being caused by natural fluctuations are less than one in a thousand.

Lovejoy's new study is based on statistical methodology that uses multi-proxy climate reconstructions as well as fluctuation-analysis techniques from nonlinear geophysics. Lovejoy’s findings effectively complement other studies including those that use computer modeling. His findings are also corroborated by the most recent International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports and the Third US National Climate Assessment.

© 2014, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Related Articles
New Authoritative Report Chronicles US Climate Change
The Global Warming "Hiatus" Debunked
Video - The Global Temperature "Hiatus" Explained by Missing Data
Video - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse on the Science of Climate Change
Video - Life in the Anthropocene: A Visualization of Climate Change
It Going to Get Even Hotter than Predicted by Climate Models According to a New Cloud Study
Video - Science Based Visualization of the Earth Under the Influence of Global Warming
Comprehensive Review of the Science on Anthropogenic Climate Change
Global Extreme Weather 2013 Timeline (Tiki-Toki)
Feeling the Heat: A New Study Pinpoints When and Where
Video - Graphic Illustrations of Warming in North America
Video - Global Warming: Understanding the Forecast
AGU: Human-induced Climate Change Requires Urgent Action
Scientific Support for Anthropogenic Global Warming from Fossil Fuels
Relationship Between Warming Over Land and in the Sea
Video - Documentary on the Evidence and the Impacts of Climate Change
Video - Climate 2013: Perspectives of 8 Climate Scientists (Video)
Video - A Brief History of Anthropogenic Climate Change Science
World Resources Institute Warning About New Coal Plants
PricewaterhouseCoopers Climate Change Warning
International Renewable Energy Institute Climate Warning
Warning from the International Energy Agency: The World's Ongoing Reliance on Fossil Fuels Crushes
World Meteorological Organization Climate Warning
World Bank Climate Change Warning
UNEP Warning: We are on The Brink of a Climate Catastrophe
World Bank Report Warns of A 4°C Warmer World
10 Charts on Climate Change
Strong Body of Evidence for a Changing Climate
American Meteorological Society Corroborates Anthropogenic Climate Change
More Scientific Support for Anthropogenic Climate Change
Science and Pernicious Ignorance of Climate Change Denial
Climate Change Science

Read More»