Thank you for this! Poor education and lack of critical thinking skills allow many people to be misled by politicians and business leaders for short term profit, to all of our detriment.
Thank you! Well said, and it is so frustrating that our very climate, such an overreaching and overriding concern for human survival, is minimized or even dismissed by one of the political parties as if it doesn't matter to our lives. Thank you for being frank and speaking the truth.
I agree. It always amazes me how, as you point out, something so essential to all, regardless any defining characteristic, has become political, when the science is so clear and unequivocal.
The other day I noticed a bird in my NE Seattle neighborhood that I didn't immediately recognize. I had a hunch based on some I've seen in Oregon. It was a Scrub Jay. It was the first I'd seen here in Seattle. Their range is extending North from N. Calif and Oregon. Just another example of Climate Change. -Jim
Scrub Jays also showed up here south of Shelton WA for the first time about 2 years ago. They are rather aggressive feeders. Even backing-off squirrels for their share of the peanuts!
Jim, Good point. Or we can go in the opposite direction and head up into the mountains and see how warming is driving birds up and up, eventually to where they can no longer survive.
Agreed!! It disgusts and disappoints me this election is even close. Denying climate change science, political history, the January 6th riot in the Capital, and the ubiquitous lies of a narcissistic candidate, is a recipe for disaster. General lack of education and short-term gain motivation are obviously difficult to overcome.
Thank you. so very much for this honest, clear, column about the choices facing us on Nov 5th--There are so few people willing to speak out clearly about the choices facing us regarding climate change and other important issues. So thank you for telling it like it is, as they say!
I'd add that having conversations with people about I-2117 so they don't miss it on their ballot would be helpful. There is a lot to take in this election and we need to have as many "no" votes as possible on that one. It needs to be a resounding loss.
Yes, I agree that we need people to realize what we would lose in terms of habitat protection and building climate change resilience if people vote for I-2117. VOTE NO ON I-2117.
Thanks for the important observations. It can be added that the politicians who "spew lies about climate change" are doing the bidding of their financial supporters among the fossil fuel industries. Republicans aren't (all) that stupid; they're doing what they are paid to do by their donors.
Just because everyone is doing it, doesn't mean you should do it, too. Every politician has an obligation to obtain the best information he/she can to provide their constituency with enlightened direction for our times.
I like to point out how thin the atmosphere is. The troposphere (where most of the weather forms) is about 10 miles high. The earth's radius is 4000 miles. So say if the earth was the size of a basketball (9.5 in diameter), the troposphere would be less than the height of the bumps (I come to find is called pebbling). How could one not think we're affecting it.
Thanks for writing this. The basic relationships between CO2 (and other gases) and temperature and atmospheric changes are not difficult to understand. You’re right: the political leaders who deny and impinge safety for their own citizens are despicable.
Very well done article & I totally agree with your points on those who are spreading misinformation for gain and the fact we must vote. Nicely done how you didn't say who out right but I knew who you support. then when I hit a link it was 100% evident. Subtle but effective.
I really love maps and charts and hope you don't mind if I copy the charts you have on this article. They are very useful for spreading the impact of Global Warming.
Thank you for the much needed perspective. Besides lies, the climate deniers also try to throw at us almost more than we can process in one election, such as four initiatives in WA State on the Nov 6 ballot, two being anti climate. It's a form of bullying and it is potent. We should not be misled by the sound bites thrown at us. WA has an enviable suite of climate legislation, all the pieces working together. The Climate Commitment Act FINALLY requires that climate impacts be a business expense for the top 160 entities in WA that emit 3/4 of the greenhouse gases in the state. The money they pay at auction is directed to all who are impacted by climate change, helping us to decarbonize and cope. If 2117 passes, no more Climate Commitment Act. If 2066 passes, no strong energy efficiency building code that results in electrification of new construction. Left standing, our Clean Energy Transformation Act (requiring clean power by degrees, entirely clean by 2045) but with the money to prepare and the requirement to use the clean power gutted. Let's keep what we've built!
Great article in the Seattle Times about the great work that is coming out Climate Commitment Act and how short sighted and uninformed it would be to kill the good work that the money is doing. ARRGGH
Then ask other people if they are registered. I met an elderly woman last weekend at a pancake breakfast fundraiser who lamented that she doesn't get her mail-in ballot any more. We checked vote.org , which said no voter by that name was associated to her address. She had a realization that the database lost track of her two moves ago.
I looked up and provided her the county elections office address and phone number so she could get her mailing address updated. --We could have updated her address right there on my phone, but, being a stranger, that felt too invasive.
She was very eager to cast a ballot so I fully expect our conversation added another voter to the total.
Thank you for bearing witness to reality. I vividly recall a conservation with my brother about climate change and the existential threat it poses. He listened (or I thought he did) until I posed this question:”doesn’t climate change scare you?”, to which he replied, “no, it’s just gods will”. No denial, no argument but a simple belief that a higher power was in charge and humans were not part of the problem, or the solution. It’s hard to argue with that logic and left me with a greater understanding of why some believe what they do.
Must say I welcome your post on our quasi political/climate situation. Living on the lower end of the Olympic Peninsula for the past 30 years, I have watched thousands of logging trucks go by my house year after year. And though some of the lands they have cleared go back into mono-culture forest production, many, many acres do not benefit even that sad change. Many acres become housing or business developments or just lay bare of the forests that protected the ground water and harbored the forests' unfathomable diversity of wildlife. If Kamala Harris is elected president, I will advocate for better education of our children with regard to such things as critical thinking, civics, and Eco systems as well as our part in protecting our earth and climate. The loss of migrating birds and wildlife - both flora and fauna just since I have lived here is heartbreaking. Though this summer was less stressful, the 3 hot summers prior were very stressful to the trees, and undergrowth.
Thank you for this! Poor education and lack of critical thinking skills allow many people to be misled by politicians and business leaders for short term profit, to all of our detriment.
I agree and it's sad to see how many are taken in by the false rhetoric.
Thank you! Well said, and it is so frustrating that our very climate, such an overreaching and overriding concern for human survival, is minimized or even dismissed by one of the political parties as if it doesn't matter to our lives. Thank you for being frank and speaking the truth.
I agree. It always amazes me how, as you point out, something so essential to all, regardless any defining characteristic, has become political, when the science is so clear and unequivocal.
The other day I noticed a bird in my NE Seattle neighborhood that I didn't immediately recognize. I had a hunch based on some I've seen in Oregon. It was a Scrub Jay. It was the first I'd seen here in Seattle. Their range is extending North from N. Calif and Oregon. Just another example of Climate Change. -Jim
Scrub Jays also showed up here south of Shelton WA for the first time about 2 years ago. They are rather aggressive feeders. Even backing-off squirrels for their share of the peanuts!
Never get between a peanut and a scrub jay!
Jim, Good point. Or we can go in the opposite direction and head up into the mountains and see how warming is driving birds up and up, eventually to where they can no longer survive.
Agreed!! It disgusts and disappoints me this election is even close. Denying climate change science, political history, the January 6th riot in the Capital, and the ubiquitous lies of a narcissistic candidate, is a recipe for disaster. General lack of education and short-term gain motivation are obviously difficult to overcome.
Thanks for adding your voice.
I agree and it's sad to see how many are taken in by the mistruths, lies, propaganda, and misleading comments.
Thank you. so very much for this honest, clear, column about the choices facing us on Nov 5th--There are so few people willing to speak out clearly about the choices facing us regarding climate change and other important issues. So thank you for telling it like it is, as they say!
I'd add that having conversations with people about I-2117 so they don't miss it on their ballot would be helpful. There is a lot to take in this election and we need to have as many "no" votes as possible on that one. It needs to be a resounding loss.
Yes, I agree that we need people to realize what we would lose in terms of habitat protection and building climate change resilience if people vote for I-2117. VOTE NO ON I-2117.
Thanks for the important observations. It can be added that the politicians who "spew lies about climate change" are doing the bidding of their financial supporters among the fossil fuel industries. Republicans aren't (all) that stupid; they're doing what they are paid to do by their donors.
Yes, I agree that the power of money and ingrained thinking of the fossil fuel industrial complex are major drivers of the lies.
Just because everyone is doing it, doesn't mean you should do it, too. Every politician has an obligation to obtain the best information he/she can to provide their constituency with enlightened direction for our times.
I like to point out how thin the atmosphere is. The troposphere (where most of the weather forms) is about 10 miles high. The earth's radius is 4000 miles. So say if the earth was the size of a basketball (9.5 in diameter), the troposphere would be less than the height of the bumps (I come to find is called pebbling). How could one not think we're affecting it.
Thanks for writing this. The basic relationships between CO2 (and other gases) and temperature and atmospheric changes are not difficult to understand. You’re right: the political leaders who deny and impinge safety for their own citizens are despicable.
Thank you for doing/saying something, as Michelle Obama urged us to do at the DNC.
We have a role. We can all play a part. We can all be inspired by Ms. Obama.
Very well done article & I totally agree with your points on those who are spreading misinformation for gain and the fact we must vote. Nicely done how you didn't say who out right but I knew who you support. then when I hit a link it was 100% evident. Subtle but effective.
I really love maps and charts and hope you don't mind if I copy the charts you have on this article. They are very useful for spreading the impact of Global Warming.
Thanx again
Robin, Thanks for your kind words. I hope you found the links to get higher resolution versions of the images I used. David
Thank you for the much needed perspective. Besides lies, the climate deniers also try to throw at us almost more than we can process in one election, such as four initiatives in WA State on the Nov 6 ballot, two being anti climate. It's a form of bullying and it is potent. We should not be misled by the sound bites thrown at us. WA has an enviable suite of climate legislation, all the pieces working together. The Climate Commitment Act FINALLY requires that climate impacts be a business expense for the top 160 entities in WA that emit 3/4 of the greenhouse gases in the state. The money they pay at auction is directed to all who are impacted by climate change, helping us to decarbonize and cope. If 2117 passes, no more Climate Commitment Act. If 2066 passes, no strong energy efficiency building code that results in electrification of new construction. Left standing, our Clean Energy Transformation Act (requiring clean power by degrees, entirely clean by 2045) but with the money to prepare and the requirement to use the clean power gutted. Let's keep what we've built!
Great article in the Seattle Times about the great work that is coming out Climate Commitment Act and how short sighted and uninformed it would be to kill the good work that the money is doing. ARRGGH
A thousand times yes to all you said!
In addition to voting, check here to make sure you are registered. (All that is needed is your name, address, and birthday.)
https://www.vote.org/
Then ask other people if they are registered. I met an elderly woman last weekend at a pancake breakfast fundraiser who lamented that she doesn't get her mail-in ballot any more. We checked vote.org , which said no voter by that name was associated to her address. She had a realization that the database lost track of her two moves ago.
I looked up and provided her the county elections office address and phone number so she could get her mailing address updated. --We could have updated her address right there on my phone, but, being a stranger, that felt too invasive.
She was very eager to cast a ballot so I fully expect our conversation added another voter to the total.
The billion dollar disaster chart is profound. I'm going to get that data.
You can see the sources in the URLs in the image.
Thank you for bearing witness to reality. I vividly recall a conservation with my brother about climate change and the existential threat it poses. He listened (or I thought he did) until I posed this question:”doesn’t climate change scare you?”, to which he replied, “no, it’s just gods will”. No denial, no argument but a simple belief that a higher power was in charge and humans were not part of the problem, or the solution. It’s hard to argue with that logic and left me with a greater understanding of why some believe what they do.
Oh, don't even get me going on the excuse that it's god's will. I like to think she has more important stuff to address than messing with us.
Must say I welcome your post on our quasi political/climate situation. Living on the lower end of the Olympic Peninsula for the past 30 years, I have watched thousands of logging trucks go by my house year after year. And though some of the lands they have cleared go back into mono-culture forest production, many, many acres do not benefit even that sad change. Many acres become housing or business developments or just lay bare of the forests that protected the ground water and harbored the forests' unfathomable diversity of wildlife. If Kamala Harris is elected president, I will advocate for better education of our children with regard to such things as critical thinking, civics, and Eco systems as well as our part in protecting our earth and climate. The loss of migrating birds and wildlife - both flora and fauna just since I have lived here is heartbreaking. Though this summer was less stressful, the 3 hot summers prior were very stressful to the trees, and undergrowth.
Yes, scary to see what is happening to habitat and the more-than-human species we share our little green planet with.