"What if it's all a hoax and we create a better world for nothing?"
The cartoon itself is widely reproduced on the internet, but I haven't paid the fees to reproduce it here. Still, you should be able to find it at one of these links:
WHAT’S NEW Robert L. Park Friday, 11 Sep 09 Washington, DC
[snip]
4. CONTRACEPTION: THE CHEAPEST WAY TO REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS.
While the United States is focusing on reduction of greenhouse emissions by
technological means, the Optimum Population Trust in the UK issued a press
release this week comparing the cost of reducing CO2 emissions by
technological means to the cost of an equivalent CO2 reduction by investing
in family planning. It concluded that family planning is five times more
effective.
The following presentation and manuscript (links below) were prepared at the request of the Office of Honorable Al Gore & Mrs. Tipper Gore for presentation at a 'Solutions Summit' panel on ‘Nanotechnology and New Materials’ held May 1, 2008 in New York City.
The roundtable was chaired by the former Vice President as part of a broader discussion about solutions for the climate crisis. He believes, and do I, we have only a limited time to solve this planetary emergency. The discussions themselves were off the record but Mr. Gore is preparing a new solutions-oriented book. I have opted to make my own contribution public. It was a rare privilege for me to participate.
Many people in the thermoelectric community graciously contributed ideas and graphics for this effort. Where I have included citations, please respect the original authors intellectual property rights. Also keep in mind that those cited need not (and many do not) share my opinions or conclusions on the subject. But as Robert Park might say, they should.
I am distributing these materials that they may stimulate some discussion and I welcome comments. The full paper is available here
More elaborate responses are also welcome and I will make space available on my website for any reasonable comments. As always, you can reach me through this website's Contact Form
Steven Colbert reported Tuesday October 30, 2007 on the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch"
"It's heap of debris floating in the Pacific that's twice the size of Texas. To give you a sense of scale, Texas is a heap of debris one time the size of Texas."
Turns out the garbage is real and there is a nice Wikipedia entry on it, including links to both popular press articles as well as genuine science publications:
Walt Kelly, the creator of the comic Pogo, would have understood Global Climate Change well. His 1971 strip with "We have met the enemy and he is us" is as apt today as it was then, except today it is the whole earth we have screwed up.
When NPR asked NASA Administrator Michael Griffin "Are you concerned about global warming", Griffin responded:
"I'm aware that global warming exists... Whether that is a long term concern or not, I can't say."
Griffin is of the opinion that a little global warming might be good for us and that, in any case, NASA is not authorized to take any action on climate change one way or another.
Time to dump Griffin. He's spouting the administration line. Lunacy. Shear lunacy.
