Dangerous Stuff

The following comment was  made on Thompson Environmental Network about an educational project in an elementary school:

This sounds like deliberate indoctrination to me. How dare they recruit children for their political purposes in this shameless manner! Let it not be forgotten that there is not a shred of convincing evidence, nor even convincing theory, that the recent and projected growth of CO2 levels in the atmosphere is driving climate in any alarming manner. The idea of CO2 as a major driver of climate is not supported by the geological record over many hundreds of thousands of years (in which CO2 levels follow temperature changes, and do not precede them), nor by recent data which shows the climate displaying 'business as usual'. http://thompsonenvironmental.net/2011/03/climate-change-heroes/

The above commenter obviously has made a hither-to unheard of breakthrough in climatology.  I assume he is one of George Monbiot's astroturfers: a commenter paid to troll the internet and deny that climate change is occurring. I look forward to reading his PhD thesis on the subject as his statement is unsupported by 99 % of climatologists. All the evidence I have found indicates that manmade global warming, or climate change is happening right now - and is a serious problem. Many lines of evidence demonstrate this. From the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration site:

Based on comprehensive data from multiple sources, the report defines 10 measurable planet-wide features used to gauge global temperature changes. The relative movement of each of these indicators proves consistent with a warming world. Seven indicators are rising: air temperature over land, sea-surface temperature, air temperature over oceans, sea level, ocean heat, humidity and tropospheric temperature in the “active-weather” layer of the atmosphere closest to the Earth’s surface. Three indicators are declining: Arctic sea ice, glaciers and spring snow cover in the Northern hemisphere.

Check it our for yourself at
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2010/20100728_stateoftheclimate.html

Why do climate change deniers live in denial of a very serious problem that requires action immediately? The World Bank pondered the same subject. In May 2009, Kari Marie Norgaard published a working paper for The World Bank entitled Cognitive and Behavioral Challenges in Responding to Climate Change. Find the araticle at:
http://www-wds.worldbank.org/servlet/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&entityID=000158349_20090519142931

She found that public awareness and concern regarding climate change is not a function of scientific information alone, but psychological and sociological issues as well. Moreover, people ACTUALLY WORK TO AVOID ACKNOWLEDGING DISTURBING INFORMATION in order to avoid emotions of fear, guilt and helplessness. Mr. Commenter, you seem to be working hard at avoiding confronting the biggest, most serious problem facing us: global warming.

But, Mr Commenter, you need not cope with your terror and discomfort with denial. Hope exists: it IS POSSIBLE to solve this problem as the City of Portland has demonstrated. That city has reduced greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels without any support from the federal government of the USA.

Hope is what the BCSEA and the City of Kamloops are giving children. Hope and the knowledge that actions matter. Dangerous stuff , indeed!