Global, err… Climate Change

Well, I have been relatively absent the last couple of weeks, with a just cause, though. I have been consumed by the time demanding schedule of 40 hrs/wk of work plus two online courses. To let you in at the micro-excerpt level of some of the posts and the research that I have been undergoing, here is a excerpt from my report posted in a thread for the Biology and Physiology class:

In 1988 the United Nations created an Organization for the purpose of monitoring and reviewing “climate change.” The organization consists of the world’s best and brightest scientist from 10 different nations. Since then they have release, up until the most recent, four panel discussions revolving around “climate change,” otherwise known as global warming. Their statistically and scientifically based information confirms the speculation that CO2 levels have rising along with both land and sea temperatures. Furthermore, they have confirmed that the seal levels average level has indeed rising considerably over the last 150 years.

For references sake, review the article here: Principles governing IPCC work or their website here: http://www.ipcc.ch/

What I would like to leave you with to ponder is how the warming sea temperatures will affect a thing called the North Atlantic Current. What does this North Atlantic Current do? Well, let an expert give you a brief run-down: “‘The Atlantic circulation moves heat toward the Arctic, and this helps moderate wintertime temperatures in the high-latitude Northern Hemisphere,’ said Ruth Curry, a physical oceanography research specialist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution on Cape Cod, Massachusetts (Roach, 2005).” This current is responsible for keeping cities such as London and Paris significantly warmer than cities such as New York and other upper North American cities. Due to the unusual load of fresh water emanating from melting icebergs, a flow of fresh water is diluting this delicate system consisting primarily of salt water composition. A major alteration or halt of this belt would drastically affect the ecosystems of most of northwestern Europe.

But, hey, why worry “Curry and research colleague Cecilie Mauritzen of the Norwegian Meteorological Institute in Oslo estimate that it will take about a century, at present rates, for the circulation pattern to be seriously affected by the increase in freshwater runoff (Roach, 2005).” And since we seem to be a culture of self-determination and realism, so why concern ourselves with such idealistic counter-reality? We’ll be… or maybe just the majority of your generation will be fine… I’ll get the, you know, end of the stick. Thanks :)

This will be one of my particular news stories covered in my report — I think. What I do know is that you will most definitely see a story on Philip “I’m a Crony” Cooney — yeah, that’s a not-so-subtle insidious remark.

References:

http://www.ipcc.ch

Roach, John (2005, June 27). Global Warming May Alter Atlantic Current, Study Says. Retrieved August 8, 2007, from National Geographic News Web site: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/06/0627_050627_oceancurrent.html

As you can observe it is rather informal towards the end — that’s the informality of daily posts, so ignore it and laugh, if you will. There are some pretty conservative fellows in my class who would ask me to explain what I meant by “Philip ‘I’m a Crony’ Cooney.” Hence my explanation. Also keep in mind that the vast majority of my fellow peers are grown adults, which is why they’ll be find when it comes to the slow destruction of the planet — I want a friggin’ apology.

For those of you who don’t know, Philip Crooney is accused of having purposefully censored scienftific reports concering Global Warming from the EPA and other sources labeling them as “straying from research strategy into speculative findings/musings.” All the while he was being prodded by Bush to limited the exposure and press of the pending issue and, most egregiously, he was also being paid as a lobbyist by Exxon Mobile to use his influence to limit the Global Warming popularity.

He was let go. Where is he now? Working as a board member for the Exxon Mobile company. Ironic, isn’t it?

There was a nice article written about the whole mess by The New York Times, check it out.