Sunday, January 05, 2014

Hey, Deep Freeze Canada. Remember the Trevi Fountain and Canals of Venice.

Calm down.  Here on the balmy Pacific coast we know you're being hammered by cold winds, ice and snow.  It might help if you could think of it as "your turn."

The loss of Arctic sea ice has changed our climate/weather paradigm.  We have this new, powerful Polar Jet Stream that's known for sucking warm, tropical air far into the north and cold, polar air far into the south.  It manifests in Rossby Waves, slow-moving and, at times, stationary weather patterns that can sit over an area for days on end bringing floods to places like Calgary and Toronto.

2011/2012
Think of the winter of 2011/2012.  That was Europe's turn in the climate deep freeze.  Rome's Trevi Fountain froze, causing it to subsequently crumble.  Do you remember how the canals of Venice froze over?  That's Venice on the Adriatic, not Toronto on Lake Ontario.  That's Rome on the Tyrrhenian Sea, not Montreal on the St. Lawrence.

2011/2012

After the Toronto and Calgary floods of 2013, did you really think that you were off the climate change hook?  Really?  Why?  Were you quietly hoping the denialists were right and it would just go away?  Guess what?  It's not going away no matter how many times Stephen Harper, Donald Trump and Joe Oliver claim it's a hoax.

Did you really think we could lose the Arctic sea ice and not get hammered by that?  Really?  Why would you think that?  Just try to factor in what you're enduring now with the reality that November, 2013 was, globally, the warmest November ever recorded.

At this point, I haven't a clue what to tell you, what to say.  If you're a Liberal or New Democrat shouldn't you ask why J.T. and T.M. aren't addressing this, why they're not holding Harper's feet to the fire over the very coals he's been stoking?

I don't know what to add.  Oh, here's one thing.  If you support either of these hucksters, best you not try to claim the mantle of "progressive."  You're not, not even close.

8 comments:

e.a.f. said...

its climate change. why it happens who knows. its happened when few people were on the earth. some of the record low temp.s in the U.S.A. were set in 1895 and there abouts.

that being said, it certainly doesn't help to have the number of humans on this earth that we do and the changes they impart to the enviornment.

Of course we on Vancouver Island are still waiting for snow on Mount Washington so the ski season can begin. No snow translates to water restrictions in the summer.

We have had this level of cold before and it will come again. what we need to do is ensure the population does not grow to a point we can't survive these climate changes. We also need to be ready for them.

Anonymous said...

From all of us in the east please roll up this post tightly and shove it up your fat ass

LeDaro said...

Last few nights we had -25c or lower temperatures and with windchill -40c. Even heating system is unable to keep up with it.

Anonymous said...

Don't be too sanctimonious Mound. Remember what Lenin said: Caramel Is Gonna Get You.

http://www.youtube.co/watch?v=F3qvosHHcWc

Hugh said...

The irony of shipping coal through the NW passage, from Vancouver. BC has laws to reduce greenhouse emissions.

http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/future+arrives+early+Northwest+Passage/9349568/story.html

The Mound of Sound said...

@ e.a.f. - overpopulation is a major stressor, no doubt. When the planet's population triples in less than a single lifetime, problems will about. It's not just the numbers, either, but also the per capita increase in consumption.

@ Anon, it's electronic. I simply can't honour your request.

@ LD, conditions like you're enduring always make me concerned for the most vulnerable, the elderly. People with limited mobility in good weather can quickly become shut-ins during winter storms and if they don't have family nearby that can mean trouble.

@ Anon, I think you meant Lennon.

@ Hugh. I'm disgusted with the coal trade. Maybe with the highest carbon fossil fuels the producer jurisdiction and the importing nation should each be tagged with the full emissions.

Anonymous said...

"@ Anon, I think you meant Lennon."

No, I'm fairly certain that it was Lenin. But it could have been Carl Marks.

The Mound of Sound said...

No, I believe that was certainly Harpo.