PUBLISHED: 19:45 EST, 9 January 2013 | UPDATED: 02:56 EST, 10 January 2013
Was there ever a government quango quite so useless as the Met Office?
From its infamous ‘barbecue summer’ washout of 2009 to the snowbound winter it failed to predict in 2010 and the recent forecast-defying floods, our £200 million-a-year official weather forecaster has become a national joke.
But of all its recent embarrassments, none come close to matching the Met Office’s latest one.
Without fanfare — apparently in the desperate hope no one would notice — it has finally conceded what other scientists have known for ages: there is no evidence that ‘global warming’ is happening.
Needless to say the UK Met Office published a detailed rebuttal. One of the comments that I spotted following that rebuttal was this lovely one from MD Dalgleish:
The Daily Mail does not let the facts get in the way of a story! Nothing new there, they’ve been doing that since before the war. What baffles me is why so many people buy this paper.
Quite so!
It would all be a bit of a laugh if it were not for what follows.
Last Friday, Naked Capitalism, the fabulous blog run by Yves Smith published in her set of links this item, “Climate change set to make America hotter, drier and more disaster-prone.” Newly living here in Southern Oregon, that obviously caught my eye!
The item referred to a detailed account in the British Guardian newspaper by Suzanne Goldenberg, the newspaper’s US Environment Correspondent.
Climate change set to make America hotter, drier and more disaster-prone
Draft report from NCA makes clear link between climate change and extreme weather as groups urge Obama to take action
The report says steps taken by Obama to reduce emissions are ‘not close to sufficient’ to prevent the most severe consequences of climate change. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP
Future generations of Americans can expect to spend 25 days a year sweltering in temperatures above 100F (38C), with climate change on course to turn the country into a hotter, drier, and more disaster-prone place.
The National Climate Assessment, released in draft form on Friday , provided the fullest picture to date of the real-time effects of climate change on US life, and the most likely consequences for the future.
The 1,000-page report, the work of the more than 300 government scientists and outside experts, was unequivocal on the human causes of climate change, and on the links between climate change and extreme weather.
“Climate change is already affecting the American people,” the draft report said. “Certain types of weather events have become more frequent and/or intense including heat waves, heavy downpours and in some regions floods and drought. Sea level is rising, oceans are becoming more acidic, and glaciers and Arctic sea ice are melting.”
Here’s a pithy question for Mr. James Delingpole of The Daily Mail, “Which part of this sentence are you having trouble with – The 1,000-page report, the work of the more than 300 government scientists and outside experts, was unequivocal on the human causes of climate change, and on the links between climate change and extreme weather.?” [my emphasis]
Suzanne goes on to say:
The report will be open for public comment on Monday.
Environmental groups said they hoped the report would provide Barack Obama with the scientific evidence to push for measures that would slow or halt the rate of climate change – sparing the country some of the worst effects.
The report states clearly that the steps taken by Obama so far to reduce emissions are “not close to sufficient” to prevent the most severe consequences of climate change.
“As climate change and its impacts are becoming more prevalent, Americans face choices,” the report said. “Beyond the next few decades, the amount of climate change will still largely be determined by the choices society makes about emissions. Lower emissions mean less future warming and less severe impacts. Higher emissions would mean more warming and more severe impacts.”
As the report made clear: no place in America had gone untouched by climate change. Nowhere would be entirely immune from the effects of future climate change.
One might argue that it won’t be very long before no sane person on this planet would swallow that crap from The Daily Mail. But when we get to that stage of every person being aware of the forces at work upon our fair planet it will be a tad too late.
The only home we have.
That’s why this report is to be encouraged, nay embraced. Of all the nations in the world, the one that should be setting the lead is the United States of America. As the banner on that globalchange.gov website proclaims: Thirteen Agencies, One Vision: Empower the Nation with Global Change Science
So go and read the report. For your sake and all our sakes.
Because the more informed you and I are, the better the chances of real political leadership taking place in this fine nation.
Download Chapters of the NCADAC DraftClimate Assessment Report!
Download the Full Report (warning, 147Mb. Very large file)Between chapters, there are some page numbers that are not used. This is intentional and does not reflect missing pages.or download each chapter separately:
Another fascinating aspect of how we learn from our dogs.
The last week has been challenging, to say the least.
The biggest winter storm in ages hit this part of Southern Oregon last Thursday, the 20th. That day we lost our power to the home around 6.30 pm. We only had it restored around 4pm last Sunday, the 23rd. That meant no access to our well, no cooker, no heating in the house and … well you get the picture.
The wet snow, some 9 inches or so, brought down trees across the property including one that blocked our driveway.
So where’s this leading?
Just that there have been times when I have been irritable to the extreme. My normal patience with the dogs has been lacking from time to time. Moments when I have pushed a dog away from me, or shouted at another when the barking was getting to me.
The dogs have been so forgiving, so tolerant of my irritability. I was able to reflect in my quieter moments about my behaviours. Able to see how well or otherwise I coped. The dogs offered a mirror to me. Allowing me a gently chastisement that getting angry with the world around me was my problem. It was me that was ‘choosing’ my actions and behaviours.
The dogs also chose to respond to me. Here’s how Hazel responded.
Here’s how Dhalia responded.
Finally, here’s how that grand old man Pharaoh responded.
All of them offering me the message: chill out, Paul!
Dear readers of Learning from Dogs. I started writing this blog on July 15th, 2009. Up until today I hadn’t missed a daily post for you. However, there was none for today!
On Thursday it started snowing here in Southern Oregon and by the evening such was the accumulation on the grid that the power went out around 6pm local time (Pacific Standard Time – PST). The power is still out as I write this at 5pm on Saturday evening. I managed to get our generator hooked up yesterday but then ran out of fuel earlier today. Our very kind neighbours, Clarence and Margo, brought over 10 gallons a short while ago so we are back in business.
Not the best of photos but it showed some 3 or 4 inches laying on the ground as of yesterday. The snow was very wet and has brought down a number of trees including one that blocked our driveway. Thanks goodness for my new toy, our tractor, so that the tree could be dragged clear.
So apologies for the break in service but as they say, it is due to circumstances beyond our control. We have now had about 10 inches of snow and there are still flurries coming through very regularly.
Until we are back on mains power and everything has settled down, I shall not be adding any more ramblings to Learning from Dogs.
Meanwhile the season’s greetings wherever you are in the world.
I hasten to add that I am not the author of these wonderful words; just been aware of them for many years.
OK, to the muse!
I subscribe to Christine’s excellent blog 350 or bust. Last Friday, Christine published a post that she called: Despite Pleas In Doha, Our Governments Have Failed Us & Our Children.
In that post, Christine included this video,
The lead negotiator for the Philippines at the Climate Conference in Doha, Naderev Saño, could not keep back the tears as he made a passionate appeal for real action on climate change.
“I appeal to all, please, no more delays, no more excuses. Please, let Doha be remembered as the place where we found the political will to turn things around…
The outcome of our work is not about what our political masters want. It is about what is demanded of us by 7 billion people…
I ask of all of us here, if not us, then who? If not now, then when? If not here, then where?”
Christine also included a short video of 19-year-old Syrian-American student Munira Sibai addressing the delegates.
“So let me now speak beyond the negotiators in this room to the people who I represent. Your governments are failing you. They are afraid that offering visionary pathways to low-carbon economies will make them look foolish, that taking responsibility will make them look weak, that standing up to the money and power of polluters will cost them political support. Unchecked, this cowardice will cost lives. Here in the halls of the United Nations, the voices of global citizens are limited, regulated and relegated to these short, symbolic statements. Outside these walls, these walls, there is a global movement, growing up from the grassroots, calling for climate justice. Join us.”
So young Munira Sibai offered the answer to Naderev Saño’s plea, “I ask of all of us here, if not us, then who? If not now, then when? If not here, then where?” That answer being so beautifully encompassed in the opening self-affirmation. Stay with me a little longer.
Many of you readers know that a little over 5 weeks ago Jean and I and our 11 dogs and 5 cats moved from Payson in Arizona up to Merlin, Southern Oregon. The reason I refer to Payson is that not long before we left, a group concerned about the environment and climate change decided to form Transition Town Payson.
If you go to the ‘About‘ page of their website, you will see this beautiful photograph.
It’s a view from the Mogollon Rim Trail that would inspire anyone to want to care for our planet. The trail passes close to Payson and is a very popular walking area.
Back to TTP. If you go to their website and start browsing the articles and seeing what information is already there, you get a clear idea of what a group of people can do. That key word ‘DO‘!
Last Thursday, I offered a reflection on Learning from Dogs about what feels like a new world order. The penultimate paragraph offered this:
I sense that we, as in the peoples on this planet, are well into a period of such change that even by the end of 2013, a little over 50 weeks away, the precipice for humanity will be within sight. I hold out zero hope that any time soon our leaders and politicians will stop ‘playing games’ and focus on doing what’s right. The time for truth, for integrity, for sound debate is NOW!
However, all the truth, integrity and debate in the world comes to nothing without ACTION.
Last Thursday and yesterday have seen huge amounts of rainfall in this part of Southern Oregon. In fact it was a swipe from the massive storm that was featured in a recent Climate Crocks article, from which one can read:
Meteorologist Paul Douglas has more:
I’m seeing some signs of a potentially historic storm for portions of the western USA between Friday and Wednesday of next week as a series of very moist storms push inland from the Pacific. I expect some flash flooding (and river flooding) for the San Francisco Bay Area, but the most severe flooding (and mountain snows) will take place from Marin county into the mountains of northern California and the Coastal/Cascade range of Oregon.
The ECMWF model, which seems to be doing the best job overall in this new weather-on-steroids environment, prints out some 16-20″ rainfall amounts over northern California and southern/western Oregon by Sunday; two surges: one Friday, a second front pushing in Sunday. WSI’s high-res RPM model confirms this as well, which increases my confidence level. The ECMWF model prints out 4-5” for San Francisco, but 8-10” for Marin county, just north of SFO.
The driveway from our road to the house, about a quarter-of-a-mile long, within 300 feet crosses a creek that flows right across our property. Most of the time it’s a quiet, idyllic place for a dog to play.
But when the volume of water reaches the sorts of proportions that we have seen in the last 48 hours, it turns into a nasty torrent.
Not only that, the driveway across the creek relies on a bridge. Rather, it did rely on a bridge. But Mother Nature, as always, had her say!
Most, if not all, the wooden support structure that held up the steel platform has been swept away.
So all the well-laid plans for the week-end now on hold as we play Marooned! At least our dogs are taking an active interest …
Learning from Dogs 