More Extreme Weather
My Christmas message was about God’s emphasis on the earth. The word “earth” is in the bible almost 700 times. It is IMPORTANT!
I woke up this morning to news of more horrible weather again. Christmas meant disaster for many people. The message is clear to me that the earth, our environment, is in distress. The distress isn’t some cosmic happening out of our control. We cause the earth’s strain by pollution we’ve failed to control.
We watched as Colorado was hit by the worst storm they’ve had in years. 4000 people were stranded. The fifth busiest airport in the country shut down for 2 days, compliments of El Nino. El Nino’s are more frequent because of global warming.
This morning there was news that 6 tornadoes ripped through Florida. People lost their homes on Christmas due to nature, an El Nino season. No one was injured. There were plenty of warninings. The tornadoes themselves are warnings, don’t you think?
On the other side of the world Taiwan was hit with a 7.2 earthquake that generated a small tsunami. So many more earthquakes are happening, volcanoes too. Volcanoes have recently been associated with global warming. It’s evident that warming air that affects the top layers of water to produce more El Ninos also affects landmasses in adverse ways. Land is affected where it is most vulnerable along fault lines, and volcanic areas. And we already know big events like earthquakes, trigger other horrible events elsewhere. The tsunami from Taiwan’s earthquake is supposed to hit the Philippines soon.
The weather patterns are getting worse, and closer together. These patterns are not a normal course, as some would suggest. Weather patterns are spiking in the extreme. I wanted to see for myself. A couple of years ago, I researched a World Climate Center website for data. I looked for extreme weather events only. I printed out ¼ of a page for 1990. I printed 2 1/2 pages solid by 2001.
We’ve been lucky in Michigan so far. But luck is a gamble and gambling has its place. I don’t think we should gamble our clean air, water, and earth, especially our water. If we lose, we’ll be oh so sorry after the fact. Think green as much as possible. Our current administration is coming around to recognize global warming and are offering incentives for thinking green at tax return time.
Beginning this year, if you improve your home to be more energy efficient, such as installing new windows, insulation, new energy star appliances, solar panels, etc., you can deduct as much as $500 from your tax bill.
THE BIGGEST DEDUCTION IS FOR BUYING A HYBRID CAR. Depending on the car, as much as $2600 can be deducted from your tax bill.
Hopefully, 2007 will be a year of increased awareness for the environment by Michigan residents. We’ve been spared bad weather so far. We should give thanks by doing our best to keep it that way.
December 29th, 2006 at 12:12 pm
Here’s another perspective:
http://www.uncsense.com/root/2006/12/environmentalis.html
December 31st, 2006 at 6:55 am
ML, I’d be careful where I get my info on the internet. For every crackpot website out there based on nothingness, and that one is, I can come up with 20 more. The author is a hypocrite for one. Pledging his concern for all things living, but professing to do nothing to help achieve it makes the person a non participating, part of the problem, ass.
Luddite’s compare closer to Big Energy than environmentalists anyway. Reread that post you have there and picture the real culprit trying to stop change. Read my blog “The Lightbulb Went On.” We should be in the Jetson age by now. Big energy, the rubber tire companies, etc., have kept us back, rolling around burning fossil fuels, more like the Flintstones.
Do you see the irony in citing something that throws back to the 1800’s? That’s where we are in 2007, the 1800’s. Who’s fighting change here like the Luddites? Not environmentalists. We’re embracing change. Unlike big energy and some congressmen, who if they have their way, are proceeding to step backward even farther into the 1800s. We’ll burn coal again if they have their way. I think we’ve already inhaled too much mercury with that kind of “forward” thinking.
Environmentalism promotes new opportunity for growth, it a shame greed keeps America from moving forward while the rest of the world eeks ahead of us grabbing that potential for growth. That website you’ve quoted is the epitomy of the mentality of our country. We’re slipping steadily. Our average IQ is a dismal 98. There’s plenty of room to learn something new and get our heads out of you know where. Rummaging through the 1800’s for application in 2007 without thought, is, what it is.
January 1st, 2007 at 9:42 pm
There’s a huge difference between information and opinion. The article I posted is obviously opinion.
The author said nothing about trying to stop change. In fact, he cited an example of new technology, a new kind of cement, that will help reduce air pollutants as a positive advance.
If you read that web site a while longer, I think you’ll find that the author probably agrees that we should be in “Jetson age’ by now.
January 6th, 2007 at 5:47 am
The consensus is in ML. It was on abc news this morning, Jan. 6, 2007, at 8:10 am. It was stated that 99.9% of scientists around the world confirm global warming is man made.
Congress did my research for me when I said I was going to check out the naysayer websites for traces of Exxon Mobil. They’ve found Exxon Mobil using the same strategy that the tobacco companies used regarding tobacco and lung cancer. They’ve funded the naysayers to blur the facts, cause confusion.
Senators to Exxon Mobil: “Stop the denial!” (abcnews.com)
I won’t have to try to convince anyone anymore ML. It’s going to rip wide open soon. Quite frankly, I feel a personal responsibility for any wildlife that is suffering to extinction because of man’s greed. That would be big energy and our auto companies ML. The Japanese grasped the urgency about CO2. How or why did we pass?
On a personal level, that would be me buying a fast, premium car years ago ML. If only I had known. While you’ll be coming around to the realization man is causing all the problem, I’m at the stage of anger over those that tried to dupe us. I suspected Exxon Mobil kept us from information. They left a trail of websites. That important information is relative to the extinction of a species, like the poor polar bear, and the suffering as a result of horrible weather (Katrina).
I think Exxon Mobil is criminal and should be pursued as criminal. At some point, I hope you catch up to me quickly ML. I hope you and everyone else gets angry enough to help change take place for minimal pollution in the world from every source. Scientists also admit all of our pollution is having an impact. Between you and me, I don’t like being lied to when life as we know it is at stake.
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/GlobalWarming/
January 22nd, 2007 at 2:48 pm
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