2010 was hot, hot and wet. Unless, that is, you live in the Amazon or one of those other places where it's been just hot and dry. Here's what Kevin Trenberth of the National Center for Atmospheric Research wants you to keep in mind:
" There is a systematic influence on all of these weather events nowadays because there is more water vapour lurking around in the atmosphere than there used to be, say, 30 years ago. It's about a 4% extra amount, provides plenty of moisture for these storms and it's unfortunate that the public is not associating this with the fact that this is one manifestation of climate change. And the prospects are that these kinds of things will only get worse in the future."
Okay, did you get that? More water vapour in the air, more fuel for severe storms, only gonna keep getting worse probably for the rest of your lifetime at least. So, what are you doing about it? What is the leader of your political party of choice doing about it? Have you received an information package from the government of the day informing you of what to expect, what can be done, how to get evaluation, planning and adaptation programmes underway?
All I know is that the leader of my chosen party has his head up his ass with grand delusions of salvation from bitumen and, no, the government of the day hasn't sent me any of that information because that could only screw up their own infatuation with bitumen and vast, unearned, wealth.
We need a new Senior Climatologist at Environment Canada. A quick search of recent weather stories from my local paper in which David Phillips fails to discuss the effects of climate change on extreme weather events include:
ReplyDelete"Why Global Weather is Out of Whack"
"Canada Set to Break Record for Hottest Year"
"Great Lakes Turn to Bath Water"
In-depth analyses by Environment Canada of extreme weather events doesn't seem like a lot to ask from our government. It would be a start anyway.
Yeah, the guy does soft peddle the issue but I'm not sure it's a good career move at EnviroCan these days to speak candidly. Actually they've got some good stuff on their web site but that requires the public to search them out and then sort through the information. That ensures there'll never be the dissemination needed to grow public awareness to the essential critical mass. It's there, it's just buried and it's up to you to try to find it.
ReplyDeleteIt's odd that back in 2009, David Phillips freely spoke about extreme weather events as being part of the fallout of climate change, and yet now he fails to link such storms to climate change and blames it all on La Nina and El Nino. CBC's The National staff, e.g. Claire Martin, do not refer to climate change either, as described in blogpost on Alternet.org 25/1/11 by Larry Powell entitled "Is Canada's Flagship TV Newcast Falling Down on its Climate Change Coverage?".
ReplyDeleteIs this part of the "dumbing down" of Canadian media by Harper et al? Is our national media, as well as Environment Canada, now muzzled?
I am at a bit of a disadvantage as I watch so little Canadian television news these days. I spent a few years in the employ of CBC television news before moving on to another career. For a while I truly missed it but then I watched this medium degrade quite badly. At that point I shifted my loyalty to BBC News and PBS. Both I think superior to CBC, the best Canadian offering.
ReplyDeleteHaving worked in both private and public radio and television news broadcasting, it did bother me to watch their decline but I'm long over that now. CBC radio remains fairly good but Canadian television is a journalistic wasteland.
Agree, I pretty much stick with BBC Worldnews, PBS Newshour, and the internet for news.
ReplyDeleteO/T, I recently read a cute blog comment to the effect that all reform needs is for honest men in good suits to stand up and yell bullsh*t loudly and in public. So I'm wondering, did you ever consider a career in politics?
LMA, people have been asking me why I wasn't in politics for well over 40-years. The reason I haven't is that I don't play well with others. I suppose some of us are born to be dissidents. We do see the glass as half full but then we start bitching for the other half.
ReplyDeleteI think the last time I respected a government enough to even consider joining it was at least thirty years ago. That's not to say I wouldn't take a shot at leading an insurrection but Canada is much too docile for that right now.
Gotcha, but keep your wardrobe up to date just in case.
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