The British Antarctic Survey, using an ice gazing NASA satellite, has shown that warner air, or as some call it, global warming, can’t alone explain why the antarctic glaciers are melting so fast. Twenty ice shelves were seen to be melting from warm water below them. Changes in wind currents pushed the warmer water closer and beneath the floating ice shelf. Antarctica is losing 23 feet of arctic ice shelf each year. From the associated Press 4/26/12

While we here in the United States ponder, argue, deny, obfuscate and even lie about what to do about carbon in the air, or even doing nothing about it, the rest of the world is actually trying to work out some kind of solution, Interpol is trying to educate police as to how to keep criminals out of global carbon markets. The system of Cap & Trade, where big emitters of CO2 can trade emission credits to low emitters of CO2 to avoid paying penalties for for their emissions, is very complicated and subject to fraud. It’s happening in many European countries. Traditional environmental agencies have come up against so many different parties and new instruments never before seen that they are having to learn of forms of vulnerability they’ve never even heard of.As the price of carbon increeases the more likely criminals are to be attracted to the market.

Gov. Bill Haslam takes the cowardly way out and lets the “Monkey” bill pass without signing it. It was a bill that protects teachers who allow students to criticize evolution as junk science as well as other scientific theories such as human-caused global climate change, while these two “theories” are proven and widely accepted scientific concepts. He said the bill didn’t change scientific standards currently taught in Tennessee's public schools. Supporters say the legislation is intended to help students think critically. One wonders just how the subjects are truly taught. If teachers offer the subjects as equal possibilities for the way the world developed is this critical thinking? I think not. There is no way in hell to prove creationism is how the world developed and the precepts are grossly illogical. The idea that dinosaurs didn’t live millions of years ago when carbon dating easily proves it is ludicrous beyond words. Executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union said there is no question the new law “undermines science education in Tennessee schools.”

Tennessee has become the second state, after Louisiana, to want to prove they are taking the country back to 1925. That was the year of the Scopes Monkey trial during which a high school science teacher was tried for violating state law prohibiting the teaching of evolution. The new law in question is one which would protect a teacher from being prevented from teaching students that global warming is not man made, or as the bill states it “ expounding on “alternate hypotheses” on Global Warming. The bill’s sponsor, Republican Senator Bo Watson, said it was meant to give teachers security to discuss alternatives to evolution and climate change. He further said it doesn’t allow for religious or nonreligious ideology to be introduced. Never mind that the majority of climate scientists almost unanimously agree that our use of fossil fuels is responsible for climate change. Climate change is not an ideology. It is scientific fact. Sadly If the governor doesn’t sign the bill or veto it, it will become law. Just another example of the dumbing down of America. Opponents of the law are the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union and the Tennessee Science Teachers Association.

Jonah  Goldberg, the ‘brilliant’ columnist who proclaimed not too long ago that oil and gas were the “True” green fuels, is criticising President Obama for saying we need all available fuels, pursuing nuclear as well as fossil fuels and alternatives such as wind and solar. Goldberg maintains that Obama blocked the Keystone XL pipeline and his policies are responsible for high gas prices now. Jonah is playing fast and loose with the truth. First, it is pretty well known that financial firms, speculating on future oil prices, are responsible for the high cost of gas at the pump. I don’t think the president has been buying oil futures. (Anyone with evidence that he is doing this let me know.) The president stopped the pipeline to allow an evaluation of the proposed route which passed through sensitive areas in which a pipeline spill could seriously harm a vital aquifer. Just a week ago he lifted the block and allowed the start of the lower end of the pipeline. As for not embracing cap and trade, that program does not take greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere. It just lets big polluters buy credits from a clean industry so they can pursue business as usual. Germany has tried cap-and-trade and found that the system was easily scammed.

Back in June 13, 2012 we wrote here about the Heartland Institute, a Libertarian think tank that denies evolution, global warming and anything supported by the scientific community,. They were receiving large sums of money to develop curriculum for our schools that question global warming. One anonymous individual gave them $4.6 million. It has recently come to light that Microsoft, whose Bill Gates vigorously promotes clean energy, has donated almost $60,000 to heartland. Heartland is hoping to get more. Tobacco giants Altria and Reynolds America, along with drug companies Glaxosmithkline, Pfizer and Eli Lilley have collectively given $1.1 Million in the past 2 years and are planning to give $705,000 this year. Another large donor is the Koch brothers. Microsoft cops out saying it was part of their program to give free software licenses to non-profits. 

Back in June of 2011 it was reported that in the United Kingdom, Tim Oats, director of Research at Cambridge Assessment Board, one of the biggest exam boards in Europe, stated that climate change should not be taught in the United Kingdom national curriculum. It was seen as a subject that was too politicized.

I really don't get it. It's one thing to question climate science and come to the conclusion by some strange quirk of mental gymnastics that we humans can't effect our environment.  It's an entirely different thing to make death threats on climate scientists who are endeavoring to do a job of helping us understand why our climate is changing. Humans being such diverse beings with different ways of living in the world can certainly develop different ways of seeing the world. What I can't understand is what the purpose of killing someone working in such benign field of endeavor as climate science . What the deniers should be doing, if they disagree so vehemently with the other fellow's conclusions is to get to work and prove him wrong. It's kind of like killing an ant. The world is full of these creatures and some other fellow climate scientist will just take his place.