The President's Climate Speec

[lawrocket 3]

The President gave a speech yesterday on climate change. This was a powerful political speech that's big lead it is alarmist pseudoscience.

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Our generation's response to this challenge will be judged by history, for if we fail to meet it -- boldly, swiftly, and together -- we risk consigning future generations to an irreversible catastrophe.

In other words, "we risk it but may not consign future generations to an irreversible catastrophe."

Here's the best part:

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Rising sea levels threaten every coastline. More powerful storms and floods threaten every continent. More frequent drought and crop failures breed hunger and conflict in places where hunger and conflict already thrive. On shrinking islands, families are already being forced to flee their homes as climate refugees.

Sea level has risen, on average, about 2 mm per year for the last century. So, it's about 8 inches in the last century. It's expected to rise between 3.5 and 35 inches (so it's like planning for a banquet but you don't know if 35 people will show or 350 people will show.)

Also, it's noted that a 2006 study found that Greenland is gettign colder. http://www.cru.uea.ac.uk/cru/data/greenland/vintheretal2006.pdf
Page 8, para. 41, states "The warmest year in the merged record is 1941, while the 1930s and 1940s are the warmest decades (Table 8). The coldest year is 1863, while two cold spells (1811 and 1817–18) make the 1810s the coldest decade." The data reflect an upward trend since about 1980. But in every measurement significantly cooler than 1930-1950.

Of course, the Greenland ice melt may actually be CAUSED BY COOLING. Cooler air holds less moisture. Less moisture means less precipitation, which means less ice buildup.

And the sea level rising is also a clever marketing trick. Anyone have a .tv web address? It stands for "Tuvalu" - an island nation of 10 square miles and a maximum elevation of 15 feet. The island has almost no natural resources and no real fresh water supply. They have found sea level change to try to get its population relocated. Sea level has not risen where Tuvalu is located.

Next "More powerful storms and floods threaten every continent." No. Storms and floods are not "more powerful." Storms are the result of temperature differences, which global warming would ignore.

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More frequent drought and crop failures breed hunger and conflict in places where hunger and conflict already thrive

Drought is also not the fault of global warming and no stats indicate that to be the case. Rainfall totals where studied have remained consistent.

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On shrinking islands, families are already being forced to flee their homes as climate refugees.

This is the Tuvalu thing. The island's leading industry is exporting coconuts. Sea level rise hasn't done a thing, but it's been pounced on as a way to help the people of the island.

This is the sort of alarmist tripe that makes good soundbites. But I cannot stand it.

Here's the full text.

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Good morning. I want to thank the Secretary-General for organizing this summit, and all the leaders who are participating. That so many of us are here today is a recognition that the threat from climate change is serious, it is urgent, and it is growing. Our generation's response to this challenge will be judged by history, for if we fail to meet it -- boldly, swiftly, and together -- we risk consigning future generations to an irreversible catastrophe.

No nation, however large or small, wealthy or poor, can escape the impact of climate change. Rising sea levels threaten every coastline. More powerful storms and floods threaten every continent. More frequent drought and crop failures breed hunger and conflict in places where hunger and conflict already thrive. On shrinking islands, families are already being forced to flee their homes as climate refugees.

The security and stability of each nation and all peoples -- our prosperity, our health, our safety -- are in jeopardy. And the time we have to reverse this tide is running out.

And yet, we can reverse it. John F. Kennedy once observed that "Our problems are man-made, therefore they may be solved by man." It is true that for too many years, mankind has been slow to respond to or even recognize the magnitude of the climate threat. It is true of my own country as well. We recognize that. But this is a new day. It is a new era. And I am proud to say that the United States has done more to promote clean energy and reduce carbon pollution in the last eight months than at any other time in our history.

We're making our government's largest ever investment in renewable energy -- an investment aimed at doubling the generating capacity from wind and other renewable resources in three years. Across America, entrepreneurs are constructing wind turbines and solar panels and batteries for hybrid cars with the help of loan guarantees and tax credits -- projects that are creating new jobs and new industries. We're investing billions to cut energy waste in our homes, buildings, and appliances -- helping American families save money on energy bills in the process. We've proposed the very first national policy aimed at both increasing fuel economy and reducing greenhouse gas pollution for all new cars and trucks -- a standard that will also save consumers money and our nation oil. We're moving forward with our nation's first offshore wind energy projects. We're investing billions to capture carbon pollution so that we can clean up our coal plants. Just this week, we announced that for the first time ever, we'll begin tracking how much greenhouse gas pollution is being emitted throughout the country. Later this week, I will work with my colleagues at the G20 to phase out fossil fuel subsidies so that we can better address our climate challenge. And already, we know that the recent drop in overall U.S. emissions is due in part to steps that promote greater efficiency and greater use of renewable energy.

Most importantly, the House of Representatives passed an energy and climate bill in June that would finally make clean energy the profitable kind of energy for American businesses and dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions. One committee has already acted on this bill in the Senate and I look forward to engaging with others as we move forward.

Because no one nation can meet this challenge alone, the United States has also engaged more allies and partners in finding a solution than ever before. In April, we convened the first of what have now been six meetings of the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate here in the United States. In Trinidad, I proposed an Energy and Climate Partnership for the Americas. We've worked through the World Bank to promote renewable energy projects and technologies in the developing world. And we have put climate at the top of our diplomatic agenda when it comes to our relationships with countries from China to Brazil; India to Mexico; Africa to Europe.

Taken together, these steps represent an historic recognition on behalf of the American people and their government. We understand the gravity of the climate threat.

We are determined to act. And we will meet our responsibility to future generations.

But though many of our nations have taken bold actions and share in this determination, we did not come here today to celebrate progress. We came because there is so much more progress to be made. We came because there is so much more work to be done.

It is work that will not be easy. As we head towards Copenhagen, there should be no illusions that the hardest part of our journey is in front of us. We seek sweeping but necessary change in the midst of a global recession, where every nation's most immediate priority is reviving their economy and putting their people back to work. And so all of us will face doubts and difficulties in our own capitals as we try to reach a lasting solution to the climate challenge.

But difficulty is no excuse for complacency. Unease is no excuse for inaction. And we must not allow the perfect to become the enemy of progress. Each of us must do what we can when we can to grow our economies without endangering our planet -- and we must all do it together. We must seize the opportunity to make Copenhagen a significant step forward in the global fight against climate change.

We also cannot allow the old divisions that have characterized the climate debate for so many years to block our progress. Yes, the developed nations that caused much of the damage to our climate over the last century still have a responsibility to lead. And we will continue to do so by investing in renewable energy, promoting greater efficiency, and slashing our emissions to reach the targets we set for 2020 and our long-term goal for 2050.

But those rapidly-growing developing nations that will produce nearly all the growth in global carbon emissions in the decades ahead must do their part as well. Some of these nations have already made great strides with the development and deployment of clean energy. Still, they will need to commit to strong measures at home and agree to stand behind those commitments just as the developed nations must stand behind their own. We cannot meet this challenge unless all the largest emitters of greenhouse gas pollution act together.

There is no other way.

We must also energize our efforts to put other developing nations -- especially the poorest and most vulnerable on a path to sustainable growth. These nations do not have the same resources to combat climate change as countries like the United States or China do, but they have the most immediate stake in a solution. For these are the nations that are already living with the unfolding effects of a warming planet -- famine and drought; disappearing coastal villages and the conflict that arises from scarce resources. Their future is no longer a choice between a growing economy and a cleaner planet, because their survival depends on both. It will do little good to alleviate poverty if you can no longer harvest your crops or find drinkable water.

That is why we have a responsibility to provide the financial and technical assistance needed to help these nations adapt to the impacts of climate change and pursue low-carbon development.

What we are seeking, after all, is not simply an agreement to limit greenhouse gas emissions. We seek an agreement that will allow all nations to grow and raise living standards without endangering the planet. By developing and disseminating clean technology and sharing our know-how, we can help developing nations leap-frog dirty energy technologies and reduce dangerous emissions.

As we meet here today, the good news is that after too many years of inaction and denial, there is finally widespread recognition of the urgency of the challenge before us. We know what needs to be done. We know that our planet's future depends on a global commitment to permanently reduce greenhouse gas pollution. We know that if we put the right rules and incentives in place, we will unleash the creative power of our best scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs to build a better world. And so many nations have already taken the first steps on the journey towards that goal.

But the journey is long. The journey is hard. And we don't have much time left to make it. It is a journey that will require each of us to persevere through setback, and fight for every inch of progress, even when it comes in fits and starts. So let us begin. For if we are flexible and pragmatic; if we can resolve to work tirelessly in common effort, then we will achieve our common purpose: a world that is safer, cleaner, and healthier than the one we found; and a future that is worthy of our children. Thank you.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[rushmc 23]

You could have saved starting a new thread by putting your post in the "You lie" thread.

It would have kept that thread going nicely cause it fits.

Nice post

You really are studying this

"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

[warpedskydiver 0]

The president is an educated, well-trained LIAR.


He has the proof hanging on his wall, it is called a J.D. from Harvard.

[StreetScooby 5]

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This is the sort of alarmist tripe that makes good soundbites. But I cannot stand it.

+1

We are all engines of karma

[lawrocket 3]

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And the sea level rising is also a clever marketing trick. Anyone have a .tv web address? It stands for "Tuvalu" - an island nation of 10 square miles and a maximum elevation of 15 feet. The island has almost no natural resources and no real fresh water supply. They have found sea level change to try to get its population relocated. Sea level has not risen where Tuvalu is located.

SO more than two years ago, I pointed out the problem with Tuvalu - lack of fresh water supply. In the news: "Tiny nation Tuvalu declares fresh water emergency." http://news.yahoo.com/tiny-nation-tuvalu-declares-fresh-water-emergency-050112080.html

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&cp=15&gs_id=1o&xhr=t&q=tuvalu+refugees&pf=p&sclient=psy-ab&source=hp&pbx=1&oq=tuvalu+refugees&aq=0&aqi=g1g-v3&aql=&gs_sm=&gs_upl=&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=f2d1beb1c4e15df7&biw=1024&bih=653

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Tuvalu — a grouping of low-lying coral atolls that is home to less than 11,000 people — isn't the only Pacific island running out of fresh water after six months of low rainfall.

I like this. It's gotta be something to do with the weather. Two years ago I mentioned problems with fresh water. I brought it up because the government of Tuvalu - and the climate alarmists of the world - have used climate change as the excuse for getting people off of the island.

Global warming refugees - left to drown? http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/37255 (note that this article doesn't mention that sea-level actually rose because sea level FELL around Tuvalu).

The government of Tuvalu faced the problem that fresh water was scarce. Tuvalu did not have any way of dealing with it, so Tuvalu chose a clever gimmick - by claiming that global warming has left much of the atoll uninhabitable, its people could claim to be refugees of the climate and seek asylum in other places (notably New Zealand and Australia). Tuvalu and the gullible alarmists have been using Tuvalu as the poster child of rising sea level since the 1990's.

In 2002, Tuvalu's Prime Minister touted his plan to sue the US and Australia for producing CO2, which REALLY generated attention.

I think Tuvalu could ultimately be seen as an example of the problems of bait and switch. By pointing to the potential problem of inundation in the next 50-100 years, the bigger threat of immediate humanitarian catastrophe was lost. Politics played an important role in it - anthropogenic climate change generated sympathy.

Perhaps had the appeal for help gone out ten years ago, "We need water. We're a strong el nino away from drought." then some strong ideas for solutions would have been reached.

My wife is hotter than your wife.