Confronting the Reality of Climate Change
Posted by Mary Catherine Dunphy (+2902) 6 years ago
"We must care for fossil fuel workers, just as we need to look after the innumerable jobs in agricultural, ocean-food, ski, sport-fishing, tourism and other industries that will continue to be damaged if we warm the earth even more."

Those words were written by Russ Doty, who is a consumer energy attorney and former Montna state legislator and appear in his Guest Opinion published 12-06-16 in the Billings Gazette.

Read more at:

http://billingsgazette.co...60d74.html
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Posted by Mary Catherine Dunphy (+2902) 6 years ago
If you would like to sign the "Open Letter to President-elect Trump: Please Don't Rip the 195-Country Unity Apart--Support Paris Climate Accord" click the link below:

https://secure.avaaz.org/...d/?ekAfrab

Also, it appears the Billings Gazette edited Russ Doty's Guest Opinion letter. The Missoulian printed his entire letter. It is at:

http://missoulian.com/new...f3537.html
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Posted by Oddjob (+188) 6 years ago
"More than 97 percent of climate scientists have given him a flying start. They’ve proven that global warming is real, and we are causing it by burning too much fossil fuel."

--Russ Doty--

When the first thing out of Mr. Doty's mouth is the 97% lie, what else can he say that anybody will believe?

My favorite part? Doty is a failed lawyer presenting himself as a great humanitarian engaged in the cause of seeking to provide for displaced energy workers.

How magnanimous.

Especially since he has a vested financial interest in promoting the unworkable technology he would like to legislate into eliminating their jobs.
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Posted by Amorette F. Allison (+1911) 6 years ago
The world is changing, Oddy. Magic no longer works. Science is the coming thing, once the Trumpet is out of office, and new technology will take over from old technology because this is the way the world works. Are you still driving a horse and buggy and reading your manuscripts by candle light? Nope. And fossil fuels will be replaced by new technology. You can't stop progress, not even if you hold your breath until you faint.
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Posted by Tomm (-1027) 6 years ago
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Posted by Bridgier (+9508) 6 years ago
I have GOT to figure out how to short the climate change scam scam.
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Posted by MilesCity.com Webmaster (+10014) 6 years ago
Reply to Tomm (#369543)
Tomm wrote:

OMG Tomm, you cannot actually be that stupid.

You know, each and every one of us only has a fixed number of days on this planet. To each, that care, our days are our legacy. Do you really want to be known, in your last days, as the guy promoting fake -- not only fake, but 100% false conspiracy theory fake -- "news"?

Perhaps you don't give a damn about the future anymore. Perhaps you exist in an echo chamber bubble so deep that you no longer recognize reality -- but the story you linked to, is so false and so incorrect that only an imbecile would link to it as their grand point.

You're not that imbecile Tomm, are you? The role of a cranky old white ex-insurance salesman guy fits you much better.
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Posted by Gunnar Emilsson (+18476) 6 years ago
Fortunately for us true patriots, President-Elect Trump is not as stupid as Tomm, nor as coldly calculating as Oddjob.

He has met with Al Gore, to hear the left's side of the story. Former Vice President Gore reported that the meeting was very productive.

If anyone can re-unite America, it is President-Elect Trump.
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Posted by MilesCity.com Webmaster (+10014) 6 years ago
Reply to Gunnar Emilsson (#369549)
Gunnar Emilsson wrote:
Fortunately for us true patriots, President-Elect Trump is not as stupid as Tomm, nor as coldly calculating as Oddjob.

He has met with Al Gore, to hear the left's side of the story. Former Vice President Gore reported that the meeting was very productive.

If anyone can re-unite America, it is President-Elect Trump.

Yes, and Trump was also gushing today about how he never met Obama, until he met Obama, and how he really likes him now, and how he has appointed two people that Obama thought were good choices, and he would consider him for decisions in the future, et al.

Not to mention, oh, the immigration thing. OK, we're not going to deport all of them, because it would be inhumane.

Give me a break. Gunnar, you are also starting to piss me off with your nonsensical Trumpesque posts. Say what you mean and quit playing around with people.
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Posted by Gunnar Emilsson (+18476) 6 years ago
Fair enough.

Trump hoodwinked the dumbasses in America to vote for him to be the next president. Lock her up, drain the swamp, build the wall, yada yada yada. No different than Andrew Jackson's henchmen serving corn likka. Dumbasses will always be dumbasses. (Hello Danny!)

As Trump ran as a Republican, he also has to deal with those miserable rich SOBs who tried to hoodwink the masses for years, only to find that the masses finally woke up to how the rich Republicans were manipulating them for their own self interest.

Now he is dancing on the wire, trying to appease both groups to make this country come together.

As a moderate, I said early on in the primary process, back when it was competitive, that I would be happy with either Trump or Hillary as the next president. When the primary dust was settled, I couldn't have been happier.

I thought Hillary would win, but she didn't. So now I support the next POTUS. We are all in this together.

[Edited by Gunnar Emilsson (12/7/2016 5:54:25 PM)]
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Posted by Mary Catherine Dunphy (+2902) 6 years ago
Because so much is at stake here in the U.S. and around the world, we all have to hope and pray that President-elect Trump is successful.

I just read this op-ed piece by Thomas Friedman. He writes, "As long as Trump is open to learning on the environment, we have to push our best and brightest through the doors of Trump Tower to constructively engage him. The more the better. I’m willing to be pleasantly surprised and supportive of any turns to the positive."

Read Friedman's article at:

http://www.nytimes.com/20...trump.html
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Posted by MilesCity.com Webmaster (+10014) 6 years ago
Reply to Gunnar Emilsson (#369554)
Thank you for the clarification.

At this point, I just wish Trump would get into office (this lame duck period is excruciating) so he can either do or not do whatever it is that he's going to do or not do.

It's difficult to tell what that might be until it happens.
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Posted by Gunnar Emilsson (+18476) 6 years ago
Reply to Mary Catherine Dunphy (#369555)
Mary Catherine Dunphy wrote:
Because so much is at stake here in the U.S. and around the world, we all have to hope and pray that President-elect Trump is successful.

I just read this op-ed piece by Thomas Friedman. He writes, "As long as Trump is open to learning on the environment, we have to push our best and brightest through the doors of Trump Tower to constructively engage him. The more the better. I’m willing to be pleasantly surprised and supportive of any turns to the positive."

Read Friedman's article at:

http://www.nytimes.com/20...trump.html


Thank you Mary Catherine. I agree 100%.

Once we all agree that all politicians will say anything to get elected (and I admit Trump took that to an extreme, but what a brilliant strategy!), we can stop ignoring their campaign promises and focus on what needs to get done.
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Posted by Richard Bonine, Jr. (+15490) 6 years ago
Can we be honest? I mean really, really honest? The sophomoric debate over what "scientist's believe" will not solve the problem. Academic research is largely a follow the money effort. It's publish or perish and if you want published you have to come to similar conclusions as your peers reviewing your work. Say anything outlandish and your funds will dry up high a hot August day on the Powder River.

There is significant evidence for climate change. There is significant evidence the activities of man are responsible for the change in climate. But the sources typically blamed for the changes are wrong. Fossil fuels are, perhaps a contributing factor, but if you do the math, they are not the sole source of the problem. Yes, we should, IMO, move away from fossil fuels as quickly as possible. There are much cleaner ways to produce electricity. But fossil fuels are being unfairly bastardized.

If we are going to solve the problem, we need to better identify the sources which have raised CO2 levels so dramatically. As an agronomist from arguable the best ag school in the country it REALLY pains me to say this; the main culprit in the elevation of CO2 levels is our farming practices. Our practices need to change.

Consider the following: An acre-furrow slice is an area of land 208.7 ft^2 by 6 inches deep. An acre-furrow of soil weighs approximately two million pounds. Every 1% organic matter equates to 20,000 pounds of organic matter or carbon.

Soils in the tall grass prairie of the midwest historically had about 8-10% organic matter. Organic matter is mostly carbon. Those same prairie lands, which have been repeatedly plowed now have about 2-3% organic matter. The oxidized material goes off as CO2. If over time we have oxidized 5% of our OM we have put 100,000 pounds (50 tons) of CO2 per acre into the atmosphere.

There are currently 90 million acres of corn and 88 million acres of soybean production in the US. So from that many acres of cropland we have potentially put aproximately 8,900,000,000 tons of CO2 in the atmosphere. Additionally, we have inhibited natures primary mechanism to capture and sequester CO2.

We have also allowed our forests to become overgrown with our fire suppression policies. In the process, we have lost a significant portion of the herbaceous
cover. Herbaceous cover is must more efficient at removing CO2 than are trees.

The climate change problem is completely solvable if we make some changes. We can make significant in-roads in reducing CO2 levels in 10 years with these changes. We need to covert a large portion of our farmland back to tall grass prairie. It's stupid to pump the Oglala aquifer dry for corn used to feed livestock or make ethanol. Instead of feeding cattle corn in a feedlot, we need to shift to feeding them grass in high intensity - short duration grazing operations. It's much better for the land and grass-fed beef is demonstratably more nutritious. Meat products are a superior form of protein for human consumption instead of plant protein.

We need to make a significant effort to restore and maintain herbaceous cover of the ground. The species of soil bacteria change as the soil temperature increases. When the soil gets too hot all of the bacteria die and mineral cycling is greatly reduced or stops.

In short, we need to be honest about the true sources of the problem and change our food system to meet those challenges. Unfortunately, the political posturing is going to make this difficult. If we want changes resulting in reduced CO2 levels, increased biodiversity, and healthy soils, it happens because those of us on the ground start managing differently and forcing the system to follow our lead. Something to think about.
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Posted by Gunnar Emilsson (+18476) 6 years ago
Well, so much for meeting with Al Gore. Oddjob must be uncorking the champagne this morning.

http://www.nytimes.com/20...v=top-news
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Posted by dcjdinmn (+366) 6 years ago
Reply to Amorette F. Allison (#369542)
Amorette F. Allison wrote:
The world is changing, Oddy. Magic no longer works. Science is the coming thing, once the Trumpet is out of office, and new technology will take over from old technology because this is the way the world works. Are you still driving a horse and buggy and reading your manuscripts by candle light? Nope. And fossil fuels will be replaced by new technology. You can't stop progress, not even if you hold your breath until you faint.


Hi Amorette, Your a history buff correct? What was it the spurred the progression from the horse & buggy, candlelit days of the past to what we have now. Was it goverment mandates, capitalism or people getting sick of stepping in horse pucky?
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Posted by Oddjob (+188) 6 years ago
Amorette

Not that this will do any good. Not your strong suit. Just take my word for it (or not) when I say the problem with your "new technology"is in here somewhere.

http://physicsforidiots.c...odynamics/
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Posted by David Schott (+18536) 6 years ago
Reply to dcjdinmn (#369569)
How about a combination thereof? Example:

The Rural Electrification Act of 1936, enacted on May 20, 1936, provided federal loans for the installation of electrical distribution systems to serve isolated rural areas of the United States. The funding was channeled through cooperative electric power companies, most of which still exist today.
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Posted by Amorette F. Allison (+1911) 6 years ago
Actually, I took physics classes in college and I understand that technology changes constantly. New things get discovered. Time moves forward. Even though some theories of time say everything is happening simultaneously, we can only perceive it in a linear, forward-moving manner. (I also know if you go fast enough, you can fit that 100 meter pole in the 60 meter barn.)

Whether is it private profit or government support (think of the Interstate Highway system when you consider horse and buggy days. Without it, cars would never have been as popular) the world WILL change.

You can pretend none of it is happening but it is. Whether you like it or not.

Progress isn't good or bad. It just happens. Same with science. Whether you believe in gravity or not, you fall down on the ice when you slip.

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Posted by Mary Catherine Dunphy (+2902) 6 years ago
The Rural Electrification Act of 1936 was a creation of President Franklin Roosevelt's administration and this agency brought electricity to rural America and also employed many people during and after the Great Depression. This government program and agency is an example of the U.S. Government being able to do what private enterprise had not been able to do -- electrify the farms and ranches of rural America. REA was part of the Department of Agriculture and a very close friend of mine worked in that agency after WWII through the 1960s designing electrical rates that were affordable for the various electric cooperatives in various regions of the United States. REA is a great example of how Franklin Roosevelt and the New Dealers made America great!

Read more at:

https://en.wikipedia.org/...cation_Act
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Posted by Mary Catherine Dunphy (+2902) 6 years ago
At one time both Democrats and Republicans agreed that clean air, clean water and a clean environment in which to live was vitally important. Some may be surprised to learn that it was a Republican, President Richard Nixon, who in 1970, created the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Read more about the work of the EPA at:

https://en.wikipedia.org/...ion_Agency

https://www3.epa.gov/


President-elect Trump's appointment of Scott Pruitt is a disappointment, and I agree with this New York Times editorial.

http://www.nytimes.com/20...dline&te=1
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Posted by Mary Catherine Dunphy (+2902) 6 years ago
This article, "Dismantling Climate Rules Isn't So Easy," written by Georgetown Law Professor, William W. Buzbee, offers some hope for those of us concerned about the rule of law and a clean and healthy environment in a Trump administration.

http://www.nytimes.com/20...ction&_r=0
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