I blog about environmental and social justice issues because I am very concerned about the health of the interdependent web of life of which we are a part.

Melting Arctic ice.......beautiful and frightening!

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Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Thomas Homer Dixon and Andrew Weaver Vs The Deniers

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/responding-to-the-skeptics/article1389545/
GLOBAL WARMING HAS STOPPED." Skeptics often say Earth's climate is showing a trend toward stable or even declining temperatures. But they have to cherry-pick data from the climate record to support this argument.
"THE CLIMATE IS ALWAYS CHANGING." This argument is simply a red herring. No one is suggesting that the climate didn't change in the past. First, in historical terms, the size of the potential change we're inducing is huge....Second, the predicted speed of change this century – especially if it's accompanied by a surge in extreme climate events such as severe droughts and floods – could overwhelm many human societies.
"SCIENTIFIC UNCERTAINTY IS SO GREAT THAT WE CAN'T MAKE FIRM POLICY DECISIONS." Scientists know an enormous amount about our climate and that knowledge is advancing at extraordinary speed....Still, there is much they don't know, especially about some regional impacts.
Such uncertainty is an inescapable feature of all highly complex systems. If the potential costs of inaction were low, it could make sense to delay until scientists learn more. But in the case of global warming, the potential costs of inaction are extremely large.

Please send the PM a letter pointing out these facts - and inform him that Canadians want Canada to lead - not follow the US!

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