The debate over "Global Climate Change" nee Global Warming goes on with science and scientists on one side and energy companies of all kinds and their followers on the other side.
No matter how many times we are shown photos of lost glaciers or given actual data showing the rise of the World's oceans there will always be groups of deniers who stand to gain monetarily by their ostrich-like stance.
The fact of the matter is the harm we are doing to the environment may not adversely affect them in their lifetime so they could not care less. It's all about greed wrapped up neatly in a demand for 'smaller government' and more personal freedom.I won't get into the total stupidity of their arguments because even they know how self evident the errors of their ways are.
I have kept track of the number of record highs vs record lows for New York City and charted them against my lifetime. I also noted the number of highs and lows in the same area since the year 2000.
The chart merely notes whether or not the record high or low for a particular date took place before or after I was born. Therefore the maximum number of record highs or lows on the chart is 366.
This totally non-scientific charting method is nevertheless very accurate in it's numbers.
The facts are simple:
Since I was born (1949) there have been 226 new highs or nearly 62% of the year but there have only been 96 new lows or 26%.
Furthermore since 2000 New York has recorded 42 dates that can boast new highs while only 4 dates with low record temperatures.
One other interesting piece of data is the differences between the years that recorded their respective records. For example the record high for January 1st in New York is 62º recorded in 1966. The low for that date of -4º was hit in 1918. The difference in years between those two events is 48.
Even more telling is the average number of years since new records were hit. For new highs the average per January day is 51.4 years. For new lows that average is 81.4!
And that makes January a fairly normal month for this type of useless yet intriguing grouping of facts. That is because for the entire year counting backwards from 2010 the average number of years since we have recorded record highs is 52 but for lows it jumps to 86.6.
This data shows that there are not only many more record highs being hit per year but also that it is taking far less time for us to break the existing records for highs versus lows.
I can already hear the arguments against this post:
The data is skewed - It's only for NYC so who cares - It only goes back 140 years - It's Obama's fault.
Behold the charts!
Click them to enlarge for proper viewing.
With apologies to Robert Young and his 1950 TV cast members mother does actually know best.
Mother Nature that is.
At times she is the strong silent type but when she is upset she can take it out on her children with a swiftness and fury unsurpassed by father.
Of course Father Time does come into the picture but only after his bride has changed the playing field. And don't we often say that 'time heals all wounds?' So daddy tends to soften the blows after a while.
But occasionally we forget who's in control and think we know better than mom. She is forgiving for she realizes we are flawed. We are given many chances to fix our mistakes and as long as they are not disastrous all will be well.
We are currently in a struggle with ourselves on the subject of 'Global Climate Change' nee Global Warming' (from here on to be called 'GW.') Although scientists around the world know GW to be true a handful of politically motivated ostriches are trying to muddy the waters.
Pundits (aptly pronounced PUN-DITZ) point to studies based on shaky short-sighted studies such as snowstorms and unusually cold weather in the North East this past winter as proof that there is no GW. The studies are generally funded and backed by organizations that would lose money if they had to stop polluting the Earth.
Mother Nature quietly sits in judgment of these sad sacks and silently sends soft signals that they are wrong.
For example, the coral reefs around the globe are disappearing due to higher water temperatures and increased pollution in the oceans. Some are even postulating that the current increase in earthquake activity could be related to GW as well.
But another more visible signal has been taking place over a rather short period of time. By comparing photographs of glaciers around the globe we can see the diminution thereof. What once was is no more.
Some politicians love to throw around numbers and statistics to phony up conclusions or rile up their base in an effort to gain support. These half-truths become talking points such as the current one about health care being "one sixth of our economy!" Well if they are so worried about one sixth of our economy then why not be worried about NINETY to NINETY FIVE PERCENT of the world's glaciers?
According to even skeptical scientists that is the number of glaciers succumbing to the increased heat of the planet, aka GW.
But even this is not enough for the leaders of our country to sit up and take notice.
We all know it's not nice to fool Mother Nature but it's also not wise.
So trust mom to come up with another subtle hint. In her infinite wisdom she has settled a dispute between two Asian nations just as surely as any mother would and she did it in a King Solomon way.
When children fight over a toy if it cannot be cut in half then the toy is removed and no one gets to play with it.
India and Bangladesh have been fighting, literally over a tiny speck of land in the Bay of Bengal since the 1980s. Each side claims the land as its own.
The island that once boasted only 1.5 square miles and was called New Moore Island by India or South Talpatti by the Bangladeshis has ceased to exist! Mother Nature has reclaimed it.
You see those glaciers that are not melting due to the not increasing temperatures of the Earth may just have sent enough water into the oceans to cause a global rise in the sea level.
And thus New Moore is no more and South Talpatti has gone way south!
It is now father time's turn to heal the military tensions of the two combatant countries while the rest of us are left to ponder, What's Next?
Personally I hope it's not Long Island or Manhattan.
We've suffered enough.
Okay mom?
Please?
Pretty please?
