Wide Impact of Climate Change Already Seen in U.S., Study Says

New report out today:

 

Propaganda.

 

Interesting timing with Keystone Pipeline vote looming.

 

No, but a lot of scare tactics are being employed.

We are already seeing some benefits:

And, most of the dire consequences are speculative:

You'll also notice that Times and ABCNews.com's AP story are both illustrated with pictures of the current California drought:



http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/obama-dire-climate-report-23591713?singlePage=true

Yet, they can't even tie the drought to global warming/climate change:

 

Amazingly, there still seems to be 2 distinct debates:

1) Is the climate changing?

2) If it's getting warmer, what's causing it?

The Right in this country won't even concede that the temps are getting warmer. Everytime it gets below freezing, Fox News shouts from the rooftops, "Some Global Warming, huh?"

Until we can get people to agree that 56 degrees is warmer than 55 degrees, what's the point?

 

The similarities between the rhetoric in the tobacco wars and this argument are fascinating to me. The science will become clearer, but rhetorical tricks, arguments about personal freedom (which are valid) and lawsuits will delay any meaningful change for decades. I don't think the humanity is going to go away or anything, but we will live on a much different planet 50 years from now. And I'm scared that many of the decision makers don't care because they're not going to be around in 50 years.

 

Yeah, you get a longer shipping season in the Great Lakes -- except you have to keep dredging them, or not ship as much, because the water levels fall.

 

Some places (i.e. Russia) would benefit greatly and have zero reason to curb global warming effects.

 

Not this year, however.

FWIW:

According to US Army Corps of Engineers, all Great Lakes water levels higher than last year.

Superior +13; Michigan-Huron +11; Erie +7; and Ontario +8.

All expected to rise at least 4 inches in next month.

 

Yeah, this year is unusual because the Great Lakes were almost completely iced over -- and in some places, there's still ice -- so that limited evaporation significantly.

But the increase is coming off a year in which the lakes recorded their lowest levels ever.

http://www.wunderground.com/news/great-lakes-record-low-water-levels-20130206

 

Well, let's wait to see what 2014-'15 holds. It's the rubber match. Winner take all.

 

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Of course it's "speculative." They are predicting something. Miguel Cabrera is likely to hit more home runs this year than Billy Hamilton.