Scientific opinion on climate change

From:  Wiki

The scientific opinion on climate change is the overall judgment among scientists regarding the extent to which global warming is occurring, its causes, and its probable consequences. This scientific opinion is expressed in synthesis reports, by scientific bodies of national or international standing, and by surveys of opinion among climate scientists. Individual scientists, universities, and laboratories contribute to the overall scientific opinion via their peer-reviewed publications, and the areas of collective agreement and relative certainty are summarised in these respected reports and surveys.^[1]
The scientific consensus is that the Earth's climate system is unequivocally warming, and that it is extremely likely (meaning 95% probability or higher) that this warming is predominantly caused by humans. It is likely that this mainly arises from increased concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, such as deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels, partially offset by human caused increases in aerosols; natural changes had little effect.^[2][3][4][5]
National and international science academies and scientific societies have assessed current scientific opinion on global warming. These assessments are generally consistent with the conclusions of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The IPCC Fourth Assessment Report stated that:

• Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as evidenced by increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, the widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising global average sea level.^[6]
• Most of the global warming since the mid-20th century is very likely due to human activities.^[7]
• Benefits and costs of climate change for [human] society will vary widely by location and scale.^[8] Some of the effects in temperate and polar regions will be positive and others elsewhere will be negative.^[8] Overall, net effects are more likely to be strongly negative with larger or more rapid warming.^[8]
• The range of published evidence indicates that the net damage costs of climate change are likely to be significant and to increase over time.^[9]
• The resilience of many ecosystems is likely to be exceeded this century by an unprecedented combination of climate change, associated disturbances (e.g. flooding, drought, wildfire, insects, ocean acidification) and other global change drivers (e.g. land-use change, pollution, fragmentation of natural systems, over-exploitation of resources).^[10]  

Global mean land-ocean temperature change since 1880, relative to the 1951–1980 mean. The black line is the annual mean and the red line is the 5-year running mean. Source: NASA GISS

The temperature record of the past 2000 years from several different proxy methods.

Some scientific bodies have recommended specific policies to governments and science can play a role in informing an effective response to climate change. Policy decisions, however, may require value judgements and so are not included in the scientific opinion.^[11][12]
No scientific body of national or international standing maintains a formal opinion dissenting from any of these main points. The last national or international scientific body to drop dissent was the American Association of Petroleum Geologists,^[13] which in 2007^[14] updated its statement to its current non-committal position.^[15] Some other organizations, primarily those focusing on geology, also hold non-committal positions.  MORE

How the Penny Dropped on Climate Change for Australia

From:  Wiki 

Climate change has been a major issue in Australia since the beginning of the 21st century.^[1] In 2013, the CSIRO released a report stating that Australia is becoming hotter, and that it will experience more extreme heat and longer fire seasons because of climate change.^[2] In 2014, the Bureau of Meteorology released a report on the state of Australia's climate that highlighted several key points, including the dramatic increase in Australia's temperatures (particularly night-time temperatures) and the increasing frequency of bush fires, droughts and floods, which have all been linked to climate change.^[3]
Since the beginning of the 20th century Australia has experienced an increase of nearly 1 °C in average annual temperatures, with warming occurring at twice the rate over the past 50 years than in the previous 50 years.^[4] Recent climate events such as extremely high temperatures and widespread drought have focused government and public attention on the impacts of climate change in Australia.^[5] Rainfall in southwestern Australia has decreased by 10–20% since the 1970s, while southeastern Australia has also experienced a moderate decline since the 1990s.^[6] Rainfall patterns are expected to be problematic, as rain has become heavier and infrequent, as well as more common in summer rather than in winter, with little or no uptrend in rainfall in the Western Plateau and the Central Lowlands of Australia.^[7] Water sources in the southeastern areas of Australia have depleted due to increasing population in urban areas (rising demand) coupled with climate change factors such as persistent prolonged drought (diminishing supply). At the same time, Australia continues to have the highest per capita greenhouse gas emissions.^[8] Temperatures in Australia have also risen dramatically since 1910 and nights have become warmer.^[9]
A carbon tax was introduced in 2011 by the Gillard government in an effort to reduce the impact of climate change and despite some criticism, it has successfully reduced Australia's carbon dioxide emissions, with coal generation down 11% since 2008-09.^[10] The Australian Government under Prime Minister Tony Abbott has been criticised for being "in complete denial about climate change".^[11] Furthermore, the Abbott government repealed the statistically effectual carbon tax on 17 July 2014 in a heavily criticised move.^[12] The renewable energy target (RET)–launched in 2001–has been heavily modified and somewhat butchered under Abbott's government.^[13] However, currently under the government of Malcolm Turnbull, Australia has attended the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference and adopted the Paris Agreement. This agreement includes a review of emission reduction targets every 5 years from 2020.^[14]
The federal government and all state governments (New South Wales,^[15] Victoria,^[16] Queensland,^[17] South Australia,^[18] Western Australia,^[19] Tasmania,^[20] Northern Territory^[21] and the Australian Capital Territory^[22]) have explicitly recognised that climate change is being caused by greenhouse gas emissions, in conformity with the scientific opinion on climate change. Sectors of the population are actively campaigning against new coal mines and coal-fired power stations because of their concern about the effects of global warming on Australia.^[23][24][25] There is expected to be a net benefit to Australia of stabilising greenhouse gases in the atmosphere at 450ppm CO₂ eq.^[26]
The per-capita carbon footprint in Australia was rated 12th in the world by PNAS in 2011, considerably large given the small population of the country.^{[27]  MORE}

Benzene — #1 In "Top 10 Toxic Ingredients Used By The Fossil Fuel Industries" Series

From:  Planet Save

December 6th, 2013
by Don Lieber

1. Benzene

Benzene is a well-established carcinogen with specific links to leukemia,  breast and urinary tract cancers. Exposure to benzene reduces red and white blood cell production in bone marrow; decreases auto-immune cell function (T-cell and B-cells); and, has been linked to sperm-head abnormalities and generalized chromosome aberrations.

Benzene is one of the largest-volume petrochemical solvents used in the fossil fuel industry. It is a major component in all major fossil fuel production: oil, coal, and gas.

People are exposed to it from a variety of fossil fuel-based sources: inhaling automobile exhaust and gasoline fumes; industrial oil and coal combustion; and, of growing concern, the release of fracking waste.

MORE

California wildfires: Hundreds flee homes near Los Angeles

From:  BBC

Helicopters are dropping water on the flames near Santa Clarita

Fast-moving wildfires have forced hundreds of people to leave their homes in mountains north of Los Angeles, California, the authorities say.

The fires had covered an area of 20,000 acres by Saturday evening, sending a pall of smoke across parts of Los Angeles County.

About 300 people have been evacuated near the city of Santa Clarita.

Public swimming pools in Pasadena and Glendale closed because of smoke and falling ash.  MORE

2016 is (predictably) set to be the hottest year on record

From:  The Verge

By Loren Grush
on July 21, 2016 01:29 pm

 

If temperature trends continue, 2016 is on track to be the planet’s hottest year on record, according to NASA. The first half of the year has already seen some heat extremes: it was the warmest half-year ever recorded for the planet and each month from January to June was the warmest month ever in the modern temperature record. And that record spans back all the way to 1880. 

 

NASA made these high temperature measurements thanks to satellite data and ground-based observation. And the space agency notes that the supreme heat seems to be sticking around despite the lessening effects of El Niño — a period of abnormally high temperatures in the Pacific Ocean that influences weather. "While the El Niño event in the tropical Pacific this winter gave a boost to global temperatures from October onwards, it is the underlying trend which is producing these record numbers," said Gavin Schmidt, the director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies. This indicates the extreme temperatures are the result of an overall warming that has taken place over the last couple of decades, thanks to the abundance of heat-trapping gases like carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, NASA argued. 

 

 

 The high temperatures in the first half of 2016 have also correlated with low sea ice coverage in the Arctic. Five out of the first six months of the year set records for having the smallest monthly coverage of Arctic sea ice since satellite observations of the region began in 1979. Now, during the peak summer melt season — when the Arctic ice is melted away by the Sun — the ice coverage is about 40 percent less than it was in the late 1970s and early 1980s, according to NASA.  MORE

Iraq sweats in near-record heatwave

From:  BBC

Note:  Watch for more articles on Global Warming.  

Government offices have been shut and streets have emptied in Iraq as summer temperatures hit 53C (127F), nearing the highest recorded in the country.

The heat has been compounded by chronic power shortages, depriving homes of electricity for large parts of the day.

The conditions have placed a particular strain on Iraqis displaced by an assault on Falluja, a UN official said.

Average temperatures in June were the highest recorded worldwide - a rise attributed to greenhouse gas emissions.  MORE

The Solution to ISIS

"In the 19th century, the international community came together to declare slavery an affront to our common humanity. Today, governments, civil society and the private sector must unite to eradicate all contemporary forms of slavery, including forced labour. Together, let us do our utmost for the millions of victims throughout the world who are held in slavery and deprived of their human rights and dignity."

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Message for the International Day
for the Abolition of Slavery
2 December 2014

Proposal to End The Invasion of Western States by an

Invading Force Masquerading as a Faith

Marriage as defined by the adherents of ISIS is slavery. Young girls and women are delivered into the condition in which the 'husband' controls their actions and property by marriage in which they have no choice. Enslaved by this form of 'marriage' which violates the actual rules set down in the Koran, they are forced through threat of inhuman punishments to carry out duties which they do not freely choose. Boys as young as five are being trained to kill anyone who does not adhere to their 'faith.' 

 

There is little or no recourse in the laws of the forces which have adopted these practices and errant systems of law, which are not in agreement with the Koran and in any case individuals are required to follow the law of the nation in which they are resident. No exception should have been made for adherents of the ISIS.

 

Using this mischaracterization of 'marriage' ISIS has created the means for culturally invading nations which offer plunder to be stolen. The plan follows the tactics used by Edward Bernays, admitted to in his book, “Propaganda.” A perusal of the Manifesto for Women provided by the leadership of ISIS dispels any doubt as to the horrors awaiting women so enslaved. See Sections from Manifesto on Women, issued by ISIS. 

 

Taken in its totality the invasion targets the benevolence and freedom of the nations being invaded as a covert act of war, using women and children as the battering ram behind which participating men hide. 

 

The claim what is practiced is a religion serves also to hide the transfer of wealth, exploited from women and their tethering children, which are essential to carrying out the take over of free people in the Western Nations.

Therefore be it resolved:

Because slavery and human trafficking is prohibited across Europe and most of the Western World and ISIS hinges on the enslaving women and exploiting their labor, which is then consumed by their supposed 'husbands,' who are, in fact their owners, we call for the following steps to be taken to end this threat to the civilized world. 

 

All men and women living in Western Nations shall sign a binding contract guaranteeing they do and will honor the equal and separate human and legal rights of women in accordance with the laws for that Nation. Having so affirmed then the participating Nation shall limit political asylum to those willing to also affirm and guarantee performance. 

 

All men seeking political asylum in Western Nations with a wife and or children, shall be denied entry unless and until they sign a binding contract guaranteeing they will honor the equal and separate human and legal rights of women usual for that Nation. 

 

All single men seeking political asylum in Western Nations shall affirm by binding agreement they will honor the separate and equal human rights of women usual for that Nation. 

 

The penalty for violating this agreement will be loss and transfer of all holdings, property, funds and other assets, to the woman held in slavery and the expulsion of the man from the Nation to his originating location. 

 

The assets will be rendered to the woman, who by this decree be legally divorced and have full and complete custody of all children of the marriage. 

 

Any attempt to harass, harm, or otherwise violate the rights of the divorced woman or the children by either the former owner or anyone acting in his stead will result in a life sentence with no parole in an institution able to ensure escape is impossible. All assets owned or held by such individuals will be forfeited.

 

In the case such parties attempt to hide assets with extraterritoriality services for the seizing of assets will be made available by a foundation set up for the purpose, privately funded.

Contact: jendutton1978@gmail.com

Social Justice Project for the Women's Institute forIndividual and Political Justice