InfoImagination began calling attention to "extreme weather" in the late 1990s. Republican politicians, in general, have referred to our concerns about global climate change as the "greatest hoax ever perpetrated." We've had record snows, landmark hurricanes and tornadoes, and irregular heat and drought. Mother Nature is pissed, but conservatives refuse to take action. How many records must we break before Republicans will wake up?
13 New Mexico Cities Set Records Monday, August 20, 2007 Carlsbad was the hottest spot in the state at 108. The city set a previous record high of 106 in 1994. Temperatures soared to 107 in Roswell and San Jon. That beat their record 103-degree temperatures for the date set in 1986. The high in Portales was 105, beating the 1986 record of 101. Albuquerque at 96 and Capitan at 92 tied previous records set in 1986. Tucumcari's high was 106, beating the 101 set in 1951. Clayton reached 102. The old record was 99 set in 1928. Deming was 103, compared to 101 in 1949; Raton was 95, compared to 94 in 2003; Capulin hit 90, compared to 88 in 2003; and Eagle Nest hit 85, just over the record 84 of 1962. Cloudcroft tied its 80-degree record from 1948. Source: KOAT Channel TV Don't you think we need to wake up? InfoImagination supports the proposals to limit to worldwide temperature rise this century to 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, cut global greenhouse gas emissions to 50 percent below 1990 levels by 2050, and acknowledge that the U.N. climate process is an appropriate forum for negotiating future global action on climate change. The Bush admininstration opposes the guidelines. Rain totaled 7.81 inches in Central Park from early Sunday to Monday morning, the National Weather Service reported. The previous record in the park for April 15 was just 1.8 inches, set in 1906. [CNN, April 16, 2007, Online Source.] In the first six months of 2000, Albuquerque, New Mexico experienced the hottest weather ever recorded. Not only were daytime highs above normal for June, averaging 88.9 degrees, nighttime temperatures saw even greater increases. Albuquerque generally averages evening temperatures of 58.3 degrees, June 2000 was well above this mark at 63.2 degrees... [Weekly Alibi, July 13-19, p.9.] according to the National Resources Defense Fund
Hybrid Cars.com Life After the Oil Crash.net selected background material our challenge
History shows that democracratic forms of government react poorly when facing a potential crisis. Due to the power of special interest groups, governmental action becomes gridlocked. For example, a $40,000 study recently reported that 864,000 Blacks and 511,000 Hispanics would lose their jobs if the U.S. adopts a United Nations' treaty to reduce greenhouse gases. Who commissioned the study? A coal industry group, the Center for Energy and Economic Development, the A. Phillip Randolph Institute, the Latin American Management Association, the National Black Chamber of Commerce, the National Institute for Latino Development, the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement [Weekly Alibi, July 13-19, p.9]. We beg YOU to take this opportunity and educate yourself about this growing challenge. Scientists (not political interest groups) have warned for years that we are destroying our home, the planet, due to the emissions of fossile fuels. Global warming is no longer just a theory, it is a reality. We have, as a people, altered the climate of our Earth. Even if we act today, scientists say it will take about a hundred years to correct the damage already done. What kind of world are we leaving for our children? Not only are political special interest groups at fault, the government bureaucracy assists to block the needed immediate action. The City of Albuquerque prepared to build a "park-n-ride" facility in the Northeast quadrant of the city [Montgomery and Landau NE]. Planners proposed the project to help reduce auto traffic and air pollution. Yet, the federal Environmental Protection Agency denied the proposal saying they had concerns about carbon monoxide emissions from the cars that would park in the lot [Weekly Alibi, July 13-19, p.9]. We, as well as City officials, remain baffled by the EPA decision. too much hot air In October 1997 Newsweek featured the global warming issue, in advance of the worldwide summit in Kyoto, Japan. For ten days in December, leaders from 160 countries met to try and hammer out an international treaty. The issue is greenhouse gases. The U.S. is a major contributor to this problem. Automobiles and other fossile fuel combustion is the primary culprit. This much is certain: gases such as water vapor and carbon dioxide (CO2) trap infrared radiation. As a result, our planet warms up. Prior to the Industrial Revolution the concentration of C02 measured about 280 parts per million (ppm). Today, CO2 is measured at 360ppm. The world has already warmed about 1 degree Fahrenheit over the last century. dying coral  Off the coast of Seychelles, the coral in the spectacular Seychelles
reefs, considered a major tourist attraction, is dying. Dr. Thomas Goreau,
an American environmentalist and president of the U.S.-based Global Coral
Reef Alliance, examined the reefs surrounding the Indian Ocean archipelago
in December 1998. He found that the warming water has killed 80% of the
coral and badly damaged the rest (Albuquerque Journal, Jan. 17, 1999,
E1). Sea temperatures near the Seychelles reached 91 degrees Fahrenheit
this year (normal temperature is 84 degrees Fahrenheit).
Goreau claims that similar results are occurring around the world. His research discovered that 90% of the coral in Indonesia are already dead and that the Caribbean islands are just beginning to experience the same phenomenon. The dying coral threatens fishing. The Red Snapper, one of the most sought after fish in the world, depends on the reefs for food. The World Meteorological Organization says the Earth's average surface temperature this year -- an estimated 58 degrees Fahrenheit -- is the highest since we began measuring temperature with thermometers beginning in the mid-19th century. modern fat giants If we study humans beings from long ago, commonly classified as hunter-gatherers, it is estimated that the average individual used about 2,500 calories of energy each day -- all of it in food. A modern human being uses 31,000 calories per day. This is a twelve-fold increase. Americans use six times this amount (The Atlantic Monthly, May 1998). This averages about 186,000 calories of energy each day per person -- that's fat! How can this be? Hunter-gathers walked around each day searching for dinner. We drive cars. How many cars in your household? How many TVs? Do you heat your home in the winter? Do you cool it in the summer? How about the washer/dryer, dishwasher, hot water heater, computer, stereo, VCR, refrigerator, blender and electric toothbrush? How many jets fly overhead each day? How many semi-trucks roll down our crowded highways and interstates? As a nation, we are gobbling up energy. This is part of progress, but a by-product is greenhouse gases. Of course, we aren't the only population engaged in this fast-paced lifestyle -- yet as a nation, we are the largest contributor to the problem.
what to do?
Is this another doomsday prediction? According to The Atlantic Monthly (May 1998), the answer is no. The world may not end, but it has changed. We have altered our climate. We should expect weird weather in the future. Throw away the historical charts. We really don't know what to expect. But we can do something today to begin helping. The biggest problem is the automobile. Most of us are already aware of this. Look at our interstates. Traffic is out of control. Try to carpool, ride a bike or take public transportation. Save energy anyway you can. Remember, any change takes about a hundred years to effect the climate. What you do today is for your grandchildren. The downside of this is that what we are experiencing today is the result of what people did a hundred years ago. It was a much different world then. We have done much more damage over the past few decades. WE WILL pay for this during the next twenty to thirty years. Don't wait -- a democratic society is capable of taking action in time. The key is education. SOURCES  |
