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hatrack

(59,446 posts)
Sat Jul 7, 2012, 01:30 PM Jul 2012

Jane Lubchenco: Consequences Of Climate Breakdown "Playing Out In Real Time"

EDIT

This is the third statement on the link between climate change and extreme weather made by a high-level U.S. official in the last week. Speaking about the devastating Colorado wildfires on Monday, Undersecretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and Environment Harris Sherman told the Washington Post that “the climate is changing, and these fires are a very strong indicator of that.”

And while touring the damage from wildfires this week, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano also warned about the influence of climate change on the intensity of fires: “You have to look at climate change over a period of years, not just one summer. You could always have one abnormal summer. But when you see one after another after another then you can see, yeah, there’s a pattern here.”

However, even while officials draw the connection to climate change — thus increasing the number of people who say it’s a problem — a poll released earlier this week by the Washington Post and Stanford University shows that the issue has fallen behind local air and water pollution as the most important environmental priority for Americans.

Why the change in priority? Because political leaders — particularly President Obama — are not talking about the issue enough in America. (Case in point: Lubchenco’s comments were made in Australia, not in the U.S. And it took a trip to Australia last November for Obama to make strong comments about climate change — and he’s said almost nothing about the problem directly to Americans since then.)

EDIT



http://grist.org/climate-change/top-u-s-science-official-climate-change-is-having-consequences-in-real-time/

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Jane Lubchenco: Consequences Of Climate Breakdown "Playing Out In Real Time" (Original Post) hatrack Jul 2012 OP
At some point it was always going to stop becoming 'the future' and become 'the present' phantom power Jul 2012 #1
Does that mean the flying car assembly line is about to fire up?!? hatrack Jul 2012 #2
sure, and we can all pray it comes with a Mr. Fusion. phantom power Jul 2012 #3
I like the term (global) “climate breakdown" left is right Jul 2012 #4

phantom power

(25,966 posts)
1. At some point it was always going to stop becoming 'the future' and become 'the present'
Sat Jul 7, 2012, 02:21 PM
Jul 2012

The future is now.

left is right

(1,665 posts)
4. I like the term (global) “climate breakdown"
Sat Jul 7, 2012, 02:55 PM
Jul 2012

I can’t help but wonder if it had been used rather than "global warming” from the beginning if more people might have paid attention. As I see it, global warming didn’t seem real important at first because people were still see very cold winters and didn’t distinguish between climate and weather

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