11/14/21
Michael Dowd on Sustainability – 2021
Gates, Bill, “How to avoid a climate disaster”, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2021, 257 pp.
Letter to BCS Eagle on Nuclear Power 06/10/21https://www.debclltx.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/EagleLetteronNuclear.pdf
Letter to BCS Eagle on Climate and Nuclear Power
Gunnar’s Letter 092119
http://www.debclltx.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/GunnarsLetter092119.pdf
Faith leaders demand climate action now
Katharine Hayhoe interview by Christiani Amanpour on CNN
Ice loss in Antarctic six times the expected rate
Oceans are heating faster than science predicted
Thomas Friedman on advantages of Green Economy 01/12/19.
A first cause approach to climate concern should be the amount of energy consumed by all of the various systems burning fossil fuels. The human household effect on electrical usage is well demonstrated in the figure below, from Bonnie Maas Morrison, University of Minnesota, 1990. The world, including the US, encountered an energy shortage in the early seventies due largely to oil embargoes. The response of the consumer had to be instantaneous, there was no time for developing new, energy efficient technologies. We just followed our leadership and first reduced our use of electricity by changing our basic habits. The results are shown by the downward inflection of the consumption curve, around 1972. This continued to be flat for several years before returning to the normal consumption. This well demonstrates the cost effective potential available in our citizenry, with the right motivation.
Drought in the Southwest as affected by climate change
Home Electrical Usage in the 1970’s
The following is the full paper in the report.
https://aceee.org/files/proceedings/1992/data/papers/SS92_Panel10_Paper17.pdf
What is Causing Global Warming
NASA Animation for Earth temperature trends through 2017
“Tackling climate change in the Trump Era, energy efficiency in housing”
https://www.fastcodesign.com/90153236/to-tackle-climate-change-in-the-trump-era-fix-housing
Comments on Rep Inglis at TAMU Young Republicans 1107
Heating trends in the Arctic continue
Shipping now possible across the formerly icebound region
NASA Graphic showing dynamically the trends of heating
National Snow and Ice Data Center Report shows Arctic Sea Ice continues to retreat https://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/
How we know that human action is the cause of excess carbon in the atmosphere
United Methodist Women Call for Action on Climate Change
Exxon Mobil endorses carbon tax on fuels, click below
http://fuelfix.com/blog/2016/07/05/analysis-time-for-oil-companies-to-join-exxon-in-push-for-carbon-tax/
News on our climate
TAMU Conference sides with Man’s Effect on Climate Change
Four Nobel prize winners addressed a conference recently at Texas A&M University where they cited evidence showing that man is a key contributor to the changes in Mother Earth’s climate and the effects of recent adoption of less polluting energy generation are discussed.
Report on Conference in the BCS Eagle
The report below showed up (03/30/16). As usual, one side is emphasized.
Back when Kyoto was first presented, the reaction described in this article expressed the feelings of many, including myself, that we do need to care for American industry first and not use this as a springboard to socialism, world government. If, at that time, the present deniers had done their homework and come to grips with the science we would not be in the pickle we presently find ourselves. Al Gore’s Inconvenient Truth, best I can remember, was factually correct but also had political implications which further polarized society. But, for whatever cause, we have developed a polarized and somewhat paralyzed society when it comes to dealing with energy policy.
Possibly, the deniers recalcitrance has driven some to think that world government is the only solution; who knows at this point. Certainly George Will and the Koch Brothers would not be expected to support this and I do see some problems developing there. But, we do all inhabit the same planet and climate is a global matter so some cooperation is necessary.
The Paris pronouncement is on target, not perfect, but at least on the right track. it is just unfortunate that it took us so long to get here.
I have a copy of Naomi Klein’s book This Changes Everything and I will be open to new views while reading it.
Don
Remarks below on CERA Week Houston 2016 by Peter Bryn, an engineer formerly with Exxon Mobil
CERA 2916 Remarks by Peter Bryn
Letter to Editor Houston Chronicle from same author as 11/13/15 letter below. citing his personal experience while working at Exxon Mobil. 12/11/15
Houston Chronicle 12/11/15
Senate committee hearings on climate (Dec 2015)
Senator Ted Cruz of Texas held hearings on climate change on 12 December 2015. Those testifying before the committee included Adm. Titley as well as several other experts on climate. Also on the panel was Mark Styne. The link to the 2 hour plus video is below. If you watch it in its entirety you will be well informed on the science as well as the politics of the controversy of climate change. But, you must watch all of it, not maybe in one sitting.
Senate committee hearings on climate change
Exxon Mobile supports carbon induced climate change (2015)
Nuclear Power receives strong endorsement from experts at Paris 2015
Anthropogenic relationship cited with Spring 2015 floods
Citing the strengthening El Nino of May 2015 and these May 2015 floods, Wang, Huang, Huasang-Hsiung and Gillies (2015) state the association of these extreme weather events and human activity. (Geophysical Research Letters, 8 Oct 2015, v 42, No. 19, 8140-8146. 10.1002/2015GL065211
Exxon Mobil supports carbon induced climate change (2012)
Association of extreme rainfall and scientists prediction
A condensed version of the link below was published in the Bryan/College Station Eagle 28 April 2015
Predicted Weather Extremes Supported by Rainfall Data
Video tour through affected forest areas of the west
Most recently we have video of the destruction of the forests throughout the western part of North America due to the temperature rise long predicted by climate scientists. 2014. Click the link below.
Purpose
The effects of global temperature rise are now appearing locally, on a scale that is obvious to a nontechnical observer. The historical path of the material below starts in the 1950’s and proceeds to the present where videos of mass killings of whole forests in North America indicate the localized effects to be anticipated.
Is the Planet Earth a sustainable system, or is man destined to go to a mass extinction and the planet lose its life supporting conditions? Assuming that the universe and hence Earth are created by a Creator, or just an unknown force, and that Man was created with the extraordinary brain, it is reasonable to predict that the planet can be maintained and life supported. The purpose of this page is to increase awareness of climate change, caused by natural events and human acts.
Earth cycles prior to the Holocene (human) era showed several cooling and heating cycles as indicated by the ice buildup and retreat on Antartica, and the accompanying glacial growth and retreat, Ice buildup on Antartica has been studied by drilling core samples deep into the ice. The ice formed there would provide a record of climate conditions on the Earth at the time of formation. From this, a gradual buildup of methane is shown for the atmosphere. The initiation of the methane buildup coincides with the appearance of human activity on the earth, particularly through fertilizers and water as used in agriculture as well as burning of fossil fuels. (Anderson et al, 2014)
The effects of global warming on humans will be significant since the human settlement pattern is largely concentrated on the coasts, particularly in Texas, and the coasts will be most affected by sea level change. The problem is exacerbated by the interaction on the coasts of sand deposits from river outlets and subsidence due to water and soil pumping from the ground. For a variety of reasons, the rate of sand deposits at the mouths of the rivers has decreased in modern times so that the shorelines are not being replenished. Anderson et al. (2014) showed the the rate of retreat of the shoreline in Texas is five times the previous rate and no abatement plan is in effect.
The following was distributed by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) at the time of the climate marchers descending on the UN.
If you think about it, you should come to the conclusion that the free enterprise, or capitalistic, system is perfect for accommodating Climate Change. For most, the effects are felt either “at the pump” or “at the meter” the result being that the increased costs are passed onto the consumer, which, is where it should be. Both deniers and believers would be treated the same, no discrimination. Under a socialistic system, the government would try to reduce the effect on the population and absorb part of the increased cost, the ultimate result likely being bankruptcy.
Some history
The Arctic is a suitable location to observe the effects of global warming. The view of the frozen ocean was dramatic when the submarine USS Skate broke through the ice at the North Pole on two occasions in 1958 and 1959.
USS Skate surfacing in the Arctic, 1958 left, 1959 right. From US Navy Arctic Laboratory.
Then, it became possible in 2009 for shipping to navigate through the Arctic Ocean, greatly reducing the shipping time between some ports in North America and Asia and Europe.
German ship navigates Arctic passage in 2009.
Coal shipment across North Pole Sept 2013
Finally, we see a scene from the tall ship Antigua off the Svalbard Archipelago, in September 2011 above the Arctic Circle, near Norway.
Image by W. Benjamim Bray http//benbray.com/
The North Pole ice is thinner in September 2011 than it was in September 1961, and the Arctic ice cap extended further south in September 1961 than in September 2011. The North Atlantic Drift prevents the western coast of Svalbard from icing-up as soon as the northern and eastern coasts. Click on the link below for a recent MIT video on polar ice.
click image to watch video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ce1INgtypWk
ExxonMobil CEO in June 2012 acknowledges man made global warming but says that with better science and math education and engineering that society can adapt.
Most recently we have video of the destruction of the forests throughout the western part of North America due to the temperature rise long predicted by climate scientists. 2014. Click the link below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1_usZ9E3d8&feature=youtu.be
click image to watch video
NASA Global Temperatures 1888-2014
If clicking on the image does not run the animation on your computer then select a more compatible version from
Five Year Global Temperature Anomalies 1888 – 2014
(Note: the trend continues and I have ceased to update this link.).
The effect of the ice melt at the poles will be felt in a change in sea levels, as seen at
http://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/waters-edge-the-crisis-of-rising-sea-levels/
Expected coastal flooding due to melting at the poles is described by Anderson et al., (2014), as listed in Geology Sources.
The questions
The question of “What is to be done?” arises quickly. There are three basic steps, amongst others, namely
1. Make informed choices on the major activities involving energy, i. e. transportation, manufacturing and human comfort.
2. Better engineering. Engineers design and specify the systems that consume and convert energy.
3. Better science education since this will facilitate steps 1 and 2 above.
Other resources:
Global Climate Change, The Science, Economics and Politics, The Bush School of Government and Public Service and the Department of Economics, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas April 6, 2001.
Methodist theological seminary caring for the environment
My comments to Houston Chronicle, Sept. 2009
Comments on presentation by Lord Monckton to Young Conservatives of Texas at TAMU, Apr. 2009
Vulnerability of US and European electricity supply to climate change Nature Climate Change/Letter 676-681, 2012.