Climate Change(d)?

[Jimmy Higgins]

In my latest, and first (only?) piece on Climate Change(d), we discuss the issues that is whether Climate Change is the right term anymore and asking if we are in Climate Changed.

Take for instance, the Northwest North American heat wave, which caused the highest temperature ever recorded in Canadian history... and that happened in June. Portland, Oregon blew their all-time (not the record for the day, but for the year... any year) temp record by 9 degrees, which is the equivalent of some hockey player breaking Gretzky's scoring record by scoring 500 to 1,000 goals in a season.

Portland's high temps are interesting when looked at historically. There is a balance until about 1977, when the annual high gets above 100 degrees consistently. Then in 2021, they torch the record by 9 degrees! That is simply unheard of.

Climate scientists are reviewing this heat wave, not merely because it was unusual, but suspecting it was actually near impossible without human intervention. One study indicted possibly 1 in a 100,000 year event. IE, this was extreme for an extreme extreme event. Another study suggests with the changes in our atmosphere, this could become a 1 in 5 or 10 year event, hence the past tense on changed. Temperatures that soared above 100 degrees for a week... in the Pacific Northwest known for its... well not getting that hot.

With Texas getting that extraordinarily cold spell in the winter, that really gives the feel of an atmosphere that is far from equilibrium, and the continual adding of more energy into it, via greenhouse gases that are increasing the temperature is going to make what has already happened get worse. We seem to be more on a rocket in motion, instead of the dreamy stop the ticking clock scenario. Time will tell if this is the new climate, sadly years will be needed. But with the all-time records, and monthly average records abounding, the climate appears to have changed and our continued effort of ignoring it, will lead to further change that could make survival harder and harder.

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

In my latest, and first (only?) piece on Climate Change(d), we discuss the issues that is whether Climate Change is the right term anymore and asking if we are in Climate Changed.

Take for instance, the Northwest North American heat wave, which caused the highest temperature ever recorded in Canadian history... and that happened in June. Portland, Oregon blew their all-time (not the record for the day, but for the year... any year) temp record by 9 degrees, which is the equivalent of some hockey player breaking Gretzky's scoring record by scoring 500 to 1,000 goals in a season.

Portland's high temps are interesting when looked at historically. There is a balance until about 1977, when the annual high gets above 100 degrees consistently. Then in 2021, they torch the record by 9 degrees! That is simply unheard of.

Climate scientists are reviewing this heat wave, not merely because it was unusual, but suspecting it was actually near impossible without human intervention. One study indicted possibly 1 in a 100,000 year event. IE, this was extreme for an extreme extreme event. Another study suggests with the changes in our atmosphere, this could become a 1 in 5 or 10 year event, hence the past tense on changed. Temperatures that soared above 100 degrees for a week... in the Pacific Northwest known for its... well not getting that hot.

With Texas getting that extraordinarily cold spell in the winter, that really gives the feel of an atmosphere that is far from equilibrium, and the continual adding of more energy into it, via greenhouse gases that are increasing the temperature is going to make what has already happened get worse. We seem to be more on a rocket in motion, instead of the dreamy stop the ticking clock scenario. Time will tell if this is the new climate, sadly years will be needed. But with the all-time records, and monthly average records abounding, the climate appears to have changed and our continued effort of ignoring it, will lead to further change that could make survival harder and harder.

If you are talking human survival, that's a given. Humans will be around for a while. The loss comes in the form of extinguished diversity and richness in all species. What is most interesting is how many people are still asking if the glacier is really moving. Must just be human stupidity on display.

 

[steve_bank]

Here in the Northwest climate has changed. It is getting warmer and has been for a long time.

Miami is already being effected by rising oceans. I recently listened to a recent discussion.

It has taken a long time to add heat to the ocean with a large mass. Even if green house gasses went to zero right away it will take a long time for the oceans to cool back down.

The conclusion of the speaker, it is upon us and all we can do is react.

 

[Swammerdami]

A simple reason why not to add the 'd' to Climate Change and form a past tense:
It's not over yet! Expect climate to continue changing. (Where's the :gak: emoticon? )

Not long ago, ignorant redneck Americans had a standard punchline: Whenever the weather turned cold, or there was snow, they'd say "More of that global warming, chortle chortle!"

My guess is that most of them have stopped that chortling by now.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

A simple reason why not to add the 'd' to Climate Change and form a past tense:
It's not over yet! Expect climate to continue changing. (Where's the :gak: emoticon? )

Not long ago, ignorant redneck Americans had a standard punchline: Whenever the weather turned cold, or there was snow, they'd say "More of that global warming, chortle chortle!"

My guess is that most of them have stopped that chortling by now.

These same people are still mocking the Pandemic that killed over 600,000 Americans.

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

A simple reason why not to add the 'd' to Climate Change and form a past tense:
It's not over yet! Expect climate to continue changing. (Where's the :gak: emoticon? )

Not long ago, ignorant redneck Americans had a standard punchline: Whenever the weather turned cold, or there was snow, they'd say "More of that global warming, chortle chortle!"

My guess is that most of them have stopped that chortling by now.

These same people are still mocking the Pandemic that killed over 600,000 Americans.

Right. There are people who wear their ignorance like a badge of honor. There is nothing that will change that.

 

[steve_bank]

A simple reason why not to add the 'd' to Climate Change and form a past tense:
It's not over yet! Expect climate to continue changing. (Where's the :gak: emoticon? )

Not long ago, ignorant redneck Americans had a standard punchline: Whenever the weather turned cold, or there was snow, they'd say "More of that global warming, chortle chortle!"

My guess is that most of them have stopped that chortling by now.

Do ypu really want to get into cultural stereotypes?

Ignorance is word wide.

 

[Shadowy Man]

Portland's high temps are interesting when looked at historically. There is a balance until about 1977, when the annual high gets above 100 degrees consistently. Then in 2021, they torch the record by 9 degrees! That is simply unheard of.

So I downloaded those data and plotted them up. There’s a fair amount of scatter but it does show a weak trend of an increase in high temperature of about 0.045 degrees F per year. This is noticeable even though the standard deviation of the ensemble is about 4 degrees.

Note that these data range from 1875 to only 2009 and there’s probably a correction that could be applied for an urban heat island effect as I’m the sure the city has grown in that time.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Portland's high temps are interesting when looked at historically. There is a balance until about 1977, when the annual high gets above 100 degrees consistently. Then in 2021, they torch the record by 9 degrees! That is simply unheard of.

So I downloaded those data and plotted them up. There’s a fair amount of scatter but it does show a weak trend of an increase in high temperature of about 0.045 degrees F per year. This is noticeable even though the standard deviation of the ensemble is about 4 degrees.

Note that these data range from 1875 to only 2009 and there’s probably a correction that could be applied for an urban heat island effect as I’m the sure the city has grown in that time.

Just looking at the 100+ makes that apparent. I agree, development definitely can impact those numbers as well. And of course, this is merely a single temp for the year.

 

[steve_bank]

During the London Fog there was speculation about air pollution and climate.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pea_soup_fog

Historical observations

From as early as the 1200s,[2][3] air pollution became increasingly prevalent, and a predominant perception in the 13th century was that sea-coal[4] smoke would affect one's health.[5][6] From the mid-1600s, in U.K. cities, especially London, the incidence of ill-health was attributed to coal smoke from both domestic and industrial chimneys combining with the mists and fogs of the Thames Valley.[7] Luke Howard, a pioneer in urban climate studies, published The Climate of London in 1818–1820, in which he uses the term 'city fog' and describes the heat island effect which concentrated the accumulation of smog over the city.[8]

In 1880 Francis Albert Rollo Russell, son of the former Prime Minister Lord John Russell, published a leaflet that blamed home hearth smoke, rather than factories' smoke, for damaging the city's important buildings, depriving vegetation of sunlight, and increasing the expense and effort of laundering clothes. Furthermore, he charged the "perpetually present" sulphurous smoke with increasing bronchitis and other respiratory diseases. More than 2,000 Londoners had "literally choked to death", he wrote, on account of "a want of carefulness in preventing smoke in our domestic fires" which emitted coal smoke from "more than a million chimneys" that when combined with the prolonged fogs of late January and early February 1880, fatally aggravated pre-existing lung conditions and was "more fatal than the slaughter of many a great battle".[9][10][11]

The difficulties of driving through the fog were vividly described in the Autocar magazine, with an otherwise straightforward 45 mile car journey on the night of 12 December 1946 taking over eight hours to complete. At times, the passenger having to get out and walk alongside the car to see the kerb and operate the steering through the side window while the driver operated the pedals.[12]

The most lethal incidence of this smog in London occurred in 1952 and resulted in the Clean Air Act 1956 and Clean Air Act 1968, both now repealed and consolidated into the Clean Air Act 1993 which were effective in largely removing sulphur dioxide and coal smoke, the causes of pea soup fog, though these have been replaced by less visible pollutants that derive from vehicles in urban areas.[13]
Origins of the term

Reference to the sources of smog, along with the earliest extant use of "pea-soup" as a descriptor, is found in a report by John Sartain published in 1820 on life as a young artist, recounting what it was like to

slink home through a fog as thick and as yellow as the pea-soup of the eating house; return to your painting room ... having opened your window at going out, to find the stink of the paint rendered worse, if possible, by the entrance of the fog, which, being a compound from the effusions of gas pipes, tan yards, chimneys, dyers, blanket scourers, breweries, sugar bakers, and soap boilers, may easily be imagined not to improve the smell of a painting room! [14]

An 1871 New York Times article refers to "London, particularly, where the population are periodically submerged in a fog of the consistency of pea soup". The fogs caused large numbers of deaths from respiratory problems.[15]

 

[bilby]

A simple reason why not to add the 'd' to Climate Change and form a past tense:
It's not over yet! Expect climate to continue changing. (Where's the :gak: emoticon? )

Not long ago, ignorant redneck Americans had a standard punchline: Whenever the weather turned cold, or there was snow, they'd say "More of that global warming, chortle chortle!"

My guess is that most of them have stopped that chortling by now.

Do ypu really want to get into cultural stereotypes?

Ignorance is word wide.

Indeed it is. But there's a certain kind of smugly confident ignorance that's almost uniquely American. It's not really a geographical thing though, it's a fundamentalist Christian thing - you needn't be American to have it, though most who have it are. You needn't even be a Christian, but you do need to have been strongly influenced by the type in your formative years. That level of childhood exposure pretty much ceased in the developed world in the middle of the twentieth century. But it persists in the USA.

Those Americans who suffer it are as oblivious to this brand of ignorance as fish are to water, and for the same reasons.

It leads to all kinds of denial of reality, from denial of climate change and pandemic diseases, to denial of Donald Trump's imbecility. Denial of personal privilege is another common symptom, as is denial of all familial, societal and infrastructural assistance in personal success.

Cultural stereotypes exist for a reason. They may be caricatures, but there's frequently a grain of truth in them.

 

[Swammerdami]

My mention of 'redneck' Americans was misleading. There are plenty of non-rural Californians who fit the stereotype and millions in Flyover-Land who do not. I added the 'redneck' because the correlation, however weak, might help clarify.

A simple reason why not to add the 'd' to Climate Change and form a past tense:
It's not over yet! Expect climate to continue changing. (Where's the :gak: emoticon? )

Not long ago, ignorant redneck Americans had a standard punchline: Whenever the weather turned cold, or there was snow, they'd say "More of that global warming, chortle chortle!"

My guess is that most of them have stopped that chortling by now.

Do ypu really want to get into cultural stereotypes?

Ignorance is word wide.

Indeed it is. But there's a certain kind of smugly confident ignorance that's almost uniquely American. It's not really a geographical thing though, it's a fundamentalist Christian thing - you needn't be American to have it, though most who have it are. You needn't even be a Christian, but you do need to have been strongly influenced by the type in your formative years. That level of childhood exposure pretty much ceased in the developed world in the middle of the twentieth century. But it persists in the USA.

Those Americans who suffer it are as oblivious to this brand of ignorance as fish are to water, and for the same reasons.

It leads to all kinds of denial of reality, from denial of climate change and pandemic diseases, to denial of Donald Trump's imbecility. Denial of personal privilege is another common symptom, as is denial of all familial, societal and infrastructural assistance in personal success.

Indeed. Americans who seldom or never leave America may be unaware of it, but an American stereotype is visible when traveling abroad. (I'm thinking of characters unrelated to religion, though.)

Correlation isn't perfect: Most Americans lack this "Americanishness" and some non-Americans have it. Some Brits also tend to be insufferable, but the details differ from the American characters!

Cultural stereotypes exist for a reason. They may be caricatures, but there's frequently a grain of truth in them.

Indeed. No more examples from me; no need to be accused of bigotry.

 

[southernhybrid]

Yes. The climate is obviously changing, although this summer hasn't been nearly as hot as usual here in Georgia. But, global warming doesn't mean that it will get hotter everywhere, or maybe the warmth will be in different seasons. Our winters are much milder than they were when I moved her about 26 years ago.

Here's some excerpts from a fairly good article. Not sure if it's behind a pay wall, so I'll try and highlight some of the best parts.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/western-us-readies-for-scorching-heat-this-weekend/2021/07/08/32af0b6e-e027-11eb-9f54-7eee10b5fcd2_story.html

Days after an unprecedented heat wave hit the Pacific Northwest, killing scores, officials in the western United States on Thursday were preparing for a another round of scorching heat expected to hit this weekend.
While not expected to be as deadly as the wave that caused widespread highs of 100 or more, including 116 in Portland and 108 in Seattle, temperatures in the West are likely to be up to 25 degrees above average for this time of year, according to forecasts.
Concerned about vulnerable populations, emergency management departments in cities across central California went into overdrive Thursday as they attempted to prepare and protect their residents.
“This is a clear and present danger,” said Michael Wehner, a senior scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Wehner said that while surging temperatures like the country is experiencing this summer might have once been considered highly abnormal, they are no longer.

Climate change is already making it more difficult for people who work outside to do their work.

Federico Castillo, a lecturer and research specialist at the University of California at Berkeley who has studied the impact of heat waves on agricultural workers, said the heat affects farmworkers financially, physically and socioeconomically.
Farmworkers are often paid by the pail, based on how much produce they pick each day, or by the hour. Many are undocumented and poor. Castillo said the average farm laborer misses about two weeks of work a year because of extreme heat — a significant loss in wages for a low-income worker.

As is usually the case, those at the bottom economically will suffer the most.

In a United Farm Workers Foundation survey in Washington state, more than half of farmworkers said they experienced a heat illness symptom while working. About 40 percent said their employer has not provided them shade.
Pacific Northwest heat wave was ‘virtually impossible’ without climate change, scientists find
Construction workers, too, are bracing for the extreme heat. The Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters union has been blasting messages via social media warning of the dangers of heat exposure, encouraging group talks before work shifts on the best safety precautions for working in the heat, and disseminating information on the best foods and drinks to consume in such temperatures, said Josh Raper, the union’s regional manager.
“We have a dangerous trade,” Raper said. “We are exposed to the elements more than most, and so we are impacted higher than most.”

I hate to be so pessimistic but I doubt we will make much progress in our attempts to cut back on our habits that have impacted the climate. Of course, it's not just the US. The world's most productive countries must work together to transition to energy, fuels, etc. that don't have such a severe impact on the environment. I don't have hope for that.

 

[TSwizzle]

Baffling why so many expect earth's climate to be static.

Climate change/crisis/emergency. A rapture like cult.

Carry on.

 

[Shadowy Man]

Baffling why so many expect earth's climate to be static.

Climate change/crisis/emergency. A rapture like cult.

Carry on.

Baffling that the climate deniers deny the very same scientific pursuit that they rely on to tell them that the climate has changed in the past.

 

[Swammerdami]

Baffling why so many expect earth's climate to be static.

Climate change/crisis/emergency. A rapture like cult.

Carry on.

Baffling that the climate deniers deny the very same scientific pursuit that they rely on to tell them that the climate has changed in the past.

"Climate change is normal. Get over it."

What deniers ignore is that PAST climate changes argue FOR treating the present changes as an emergency. There is evidence that minor events in the past have caused rapid and dramatic climate change.

If one had a millions-of-years perspective, some climate change might be no big deal. But we don't have millions of years. Human civilization is fragile, especially given the high population. The near future may present very severe consequences.

 

[TSwizzle]

Baffling why so many expect earth's climate to be static.

Climate change/crisis/emergency. A rapture like cult.

Carry on.

Baffling that the climate deniers deny the very same scientific pursuit that they rely on to tell them that the climate has changed in the past.

LOL, "climate denier". WT actual F is a climate denier ? No one, absolutely no one denies climate.

It's a religion for you lot.

 

[steve_bank]

A simple reason why not to add the 'd' to Climate Change and form a past tense:
It's not over yet! Expect climate to continue changing. (Where's the :gak: emoticon? )

Not long ago, ignorant redneck Americans had a standard punchline: Whenever the weather turned cold, or there was snow, they'd say "More of that global warming, chortle chortle!"

My guess is that most of them have stopped that chortling by now.

Do ypu really want to get into cultural stereotypes?

Ignorance is word wide.

Indeed it is. But there's a certain kind of smugly confident ignorance that's almost uniquely American. It's not really a geographical thing though, it's a fundamentalist Christian thing - you needn't be American to have it, though most who have it are. You needn't even be a Christian, but you do need to have been strongly influenced by the type in your formative years. That level of childhood exposure pretty much ceased in the developed world in the middle of the twentieth century. But it persists in the USA.

Those Americans who suffer it are as oblivious to this brand of ignorance as fish are to water, and for the same reasons.

It leads to all kinds of denial of reality, from denial of climate change and pandemic diseases, to denial of Donald Trump's imbecility. Denial of personal privilege is another common symptom, as is denial of all familial, societal and infrastructural assistance in personal success.

Cultural stereotypes exist for a reason. They may be caricatures, but there's frequently a grain of truth in them.

I don't usually reply to your posts, but this one cries out.

A Brit calling Americans uppity, arrogant, and smug is rather a bit ironic old chum, wouldn't you say?.

 

[Shadowy Man]

Baffling why so many expect earth's climate to be static.

Climate change/crisis/emergency. A rapture like cult.

Carry on.

Baffling that the climate deniers deny the very same scientific pursuit that they rely on to tell them that the climate has changed in the past.

LOL, "climate denier". WT actual F is a climate denier ? No one, absolutely no one denies climate.

It's a religion for you lot.

Climate change denier. I think you know exactly what I meant. It’s like the people who get on the case of the Black Lives Matter movement because they didn’t append the word “too” to the end of the name. You’re avoiding the substance of my point by attacking a trivial semantic point.

 

[TSwizzle]

LOL, "climate denier". WT actual F is a climate denier ? No one, absolutely no one denies climate.

It's a religion for you lot.

Climate change denier. I think you know exactly what I meant. It’s like {snip}.

No one, absolutely no one denies that the climate changes.