For much of the past four decades, climate activists have been warning us that we’re approaching tipping points that will alter how Americans live - now we’re there
Mr. Hartman is pointing out that the Polar Jet Streams (Massive air movements above normal atmospheric clouds) have been changing patterns and are hitting lower latitudes all over the world, with impressive temperature and rainfall impact https://www.climate.gov/news-features/blogs/enso/what-jet-stream.
According to Vaclav Smil and his research in How the World Really Works, the global energy system requires at least 50 years to convert efficiently from our current energy basis to a green system; the inertia composed of 8 -12 billion people who all want to live in urban centers and have Western amenities is a similar scientific problem to the physical inability of Exxon Valdez to change its course 1/2 degree and avoid causing one of the world's most significant environmental events. While the US and EU, Scandinavia and New Zealand are doing some good work on Greening the economy China and Africa and other developing countries with massive populations are simply cancelling the total global greening efforts.
Looking at Mr. Hartman's citation it is noteworthy that Barack Obama and other Democratic legislators joined all the GOP legislators in taking huge amounts of funding from the Global Oil & Gas Industry.
I expect you are including the North Atlantic Current in the "massive..." I realize I am not clear on whether (who knows?) we are looking at a return to the "Little Ice Age" that starved Europe in the Middle Ages (fairs on the deep-frozen Thames, but mostly misery) or the last Big Freeze that ground down mountain ranges all the way to perdition, only to live in legend of 12,000 years ago in its passing, which seems to have occurred without the assistance of the gas-combustion engine. I swear I did not commence this comment intending to be a denier, but, oh well. If you and the esteemed Hartmann understand these matters can be differentiated, I'll go with y'all.
Cassandra-anyone whose prophecies of doom are unheeded. I think we have made it past that stage. The world is aware and knows it must act. The message finally broke through the conservative crap. Their hatred and resentment of the truth or the left won't save them from fires, floods, and extreme weather conditions.
Every bit of time that is lost fighting with "them" costs lives. We need to still do it, but accept that and never give-up on the mission. You've been an excellent recruiter, Thom. From here on, it's about INVENTION and INTERVENTION. When you claim your standing to file formal objections in fossil fuel permitting processes, you are called an intervenor.
We all have standing---we are all stakeholders. No surrender, support invention, intervene, save what you can, and soldier on!
Powerful piece as usual. Piles of facts. Piles of history. Piles of impact. I've shared as far as possible. Personal note: the book you so graciously endorsed, about Bush's war, has doubled in reach and newly titled: "Fraudulent War, Derelict Democracy" The new stuff reeks of Thom Hartmann. Thanks for all that solid material. Literary agent reading it now, past one hurdle anyway. Cheers.
What will it take for you to do more than be an outstanding whistleblower? I've been a fan since the original Ancient Sunlight, who's been around long enough to have acquired ideas about what to do. We have to have a voice to get beyond where we're isolated gadflies. Okay already, yes to all the horrors that threaten humanity going back to the Stone Age and let's turn out attention to how to get power to the people, beyond the bought politicians that are part of the problem and won't come up with solutions. Getting ourselves a voice is #1 and I've posted here about you stepping up to start an ad hoc Wisdom Council. You pick one, the two of you pick the third, and so on till you get a good bunch who deliberate on what you'd do if you ran the world. Do that and we have a voice that everyone would listen to. Add a Suggestion Box, where the rest of us talk about the ideas that will go to the Council, and we will have a real democracy in play.
Mr. Hartman is pointing out that the Polar Jet Streams (Massive air movements above normal atmospheric clouds) have been changing patterns and are hitting lower latitudes all over the world, with impressive temperature and rainfall impact https://www.climate.gov/news-features/blogs/enso/what-jet-stream.
He should have added that similar massive ocean currents are slowing down and are anticipated having a high statistical chance of reversing themselves, with attendant huge climate impacts. https://climate.nasa.gov/news/2950/arctic-ice-melt-is-changing-ocean-currents/.
Personally, I worked two years in Northern Greenland and lived in Alaska for 26 years; the climate changes I witnessed were dramatic: 1. Greenland has lost a significant portion of its ice cover and the Chinese are mining in Greenland. https://www.rexsac.org/publications/chinese-mining-greenland-arctic-access-access-minerals/. 2. Alaska's Arctic ocean access used to be 20-24 days/year and is now close to 180 days/year. https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/88597/a-nearly-ice-free-northwest-passage. 3. January temperatures in Anchorage area 1970-1995 in some areas went from -20 Degrees F to +20 degrees F. 4. Hundreds of thousands of Alaska's forests have burned. 5. The perma frost is melting, subsiding and methane spouts have increased in Alaska, Canada and Siberia. https://climate.nasa.gov/news/2785/unexpected-future-boost-of-methane-possible-from-arctic-permafrost/
According to Vaclav Smil and his research in How the World Really Works, the global energy system requires at least 50 years to convert efficiently from our current energy basis to a green system; the inertia composed of 8 -12 billion people who all want to live in urban centers and have Western amenities is a similar scientific problem to the physical inability of Exxon Valdez to change its course 1/2 degree and avoid causing one of the world's most significant environmental events. While the US and EU, Scandinavia and New Zealand are doing some good work on Greening the economy China and Africa and other developing countries with massive populations are simply cancelling the total global greening efforts.
Looking at Mr. Hartman's citation it is noteworthy that Barack Obama and other Democratic legislators joined all the GOP legislators in taking huge amounts of funding from the Global Oil & Gas Industry.
Again, voters have allowed everything we are experiencing during the last 50 years, and NOTHING WILL CHANGE TILL VOTERS AUTOMATICALLY REFUSE TO VOTE FOR ANY INCUMBENT POLITICIAN, https://ballotpedia.org/Election_results,_2020:_Incumbent_win_rates_by_state
Mr. Hartman's Citation:
The ten top recipients of fossil fuel money in Congress so far this year are:
Manchin, Joe (D-WV) $724,270 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
McCarthy, Kevin (R-CA) $396,284
Lankford, James (R-OK) $275,148
Pfluger, August (R-TX) $268,011
Kennedy, John (R-LA) $264,788
Murkowski, Lisa (R-AK) $249,808
Sinema, Kyrsten (D-AZ) $230,160xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Fletcher, Lizzie (D-TX) $191,765xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Cuellar, Henry (D-TX) $191,450xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Scott, Tim (R-SC) $181,291
Scalise, Steve (R-LA) $181,263
Gonzales, Tony (R-TX) $174,461
Rubio, Marco (R-FL) $165,636
Amazing how little it costs to buy a member of Congress to keep your multi-billion-dollar-a-year profits flowing, isn’t it?
Here’s what opensecrets.org says are the top recipients through their careers:
Romney, Mitt (R-UT) $8,291,262
Cornyn, John (R-TX) $4,678,062
Cruz, Ted (R-TX) $4,138,421
McCain, John (R-AZ) $3,766,042
McConnell, Mitch (R-KY) $2,852,107
McCarthy, Kevin (R-CA) $2,581,832
Obama, Barack (D) $2,361,861xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hutchison, Kay Bailey (R-TX) $2,332,021
Inhofe, James M (R-OK) $2,320,139
Pearce, Steve (R-NM) $2,236,714
Barton, Joe (R-TX) $2,211,987
Brady, Kevin (R-TX) $2,087,396
Gardner, Cory (R-CO) $2,048,152
Gramm, Phil (R-TX) $1,858,679
Scalise, Steve (R-LA) $1,847,013
Murkowski, Lisa (R-AK) $1,792,602
I expect you are including the North Atlantic Current in the "massive..." I realize I am not clear on whether (who knows?) we are looking at a return to the "Little Ice Age" that starved Europe in the Middle Ages (fairs on the deep-frozen Thames, but mostly misery) or the last Big Freeze that ground down mountain ranges all the way to perdition, only to live in legend of 12,000 years ago in its passing, which seems to have occurred without the assistance of the gas-combustion engine. I swear I did not commence this comment intending to be a denier, but, oh well. If you and the esteemed Hartmann understand these matters can be differentiated, I'll go with y'all.
Thanks for this. We’ve talked enough, and must act quickly.
Cassandra-anyone whose prophecies of doom are unheeded. I think we have made it past that stage. The world is aware and knows it must act. The message finally broke through the conservative crap. Their hatred and resentment of the truth or the left won't save them from fires, floods, and extreme weather conditions.
Every bit of time that is lost fighting with "them" costs lives. We need to still do it, but accept that and never give-up on the mission. You've been an excellent recruiter, Thom. From here on, it's about INVENTION and INTERVENTION. When you claim your standing to file formal objections in fossil fuel permitting processes, you are called an intervenor.
We all have standing---we are all stakeholders. No surrender, support invention, intervene, save what you can, and soldier on!
Powerful piece as usual. Piles of facts. Piles of history. Piles of impact. I've shared as far as possible. Personal note: the book you so graciously endorsed, about Bush's war, has doubled in reach and newly titled: "Fraudulent War, Derelict Democracy" The new stuff reeks of Thom Hartmann. Thanks for all that solid material. Literary agent reading it now, past one hurdle anyway. Cheers.
Good luck with it!! :)
What will it take for you to do more than be an outstanding whistleblower? I've been a fan since the original Ancient Sunlight, who's been around long enough to have acquired ideas about what to do. We have to have a voice to get beyond where we're isolated gadflies. Okay already, yes to all the horrors that threaten humanity going back to the Stone Age and let's turn out attention to how to get power to the people, beyond the bought politicians that are part of the problem and won't come up with solutions. Getting ourselves a voice is #1 and I've posted here about you stepping up to start an ad hoc Wisdom Council. You pick one, the two of you pick the third, and so on till you get a good bunch who deliberate on what you'd do if you ran the world. Do that and we have a voice that everyone would listen to. Add a Suggestion Box, where the rest of us talk about the ideas that will go to the Council, and we will have a real democracy in play.