Tag: climate change
What global warming can do to us – Part 2
September 28, 2020
TEMPERATURES IN AUSTRALIA.In my new book, The Shale Controversy, one chapter is called Australia – Poster Child for Global Warming. I visited my old country in August 2019 for almost a month, and ran headlong into a number of events that seemed to shout, “Global Warming is here”. The annual average temperature in Australia has been rising steadily the past 70 years – see figure 1.
Figure 1. Australian average temperature above or below the temperature in the period 1961–1990 (zero on the graph). The temperature has been rising steadily since 1950.
My home state of South Australia is the driest state in the driest continent of the world.… More
What global warming can do to us – Part 1
September 14, 2020
INTRODUCTION. Julian Pfitzner, a friend from Australia, first got me thinking about global warming when he told me fracking for oil and gas contributed to global warming, which he was an expert about. I was stunned because I had worked in fracking for 30 years, so it felt like an attack (though unintentional) on my career. But this left me with an itch that wouldn’t go away because I wanted to find out if there was any truth in Julian’s opinion. I started to research global warming and its causes.What I found out jolted me. In my usual way, this writeup is based on data as far as possible.… More
Traveling to reality: Australia Part 3.
November 25, 2019
This story is adapted from a BBC report dated 9 November 2019. THE PRESENT. In early November 2019, concurrent wildfires were raging in eastern Australia and California. This is unprecedented because its Spring in Australia and Fall in California – the wrong seasons for wildfires, let along wildfires that are this intense.
I was in Australia in August 2019 and reported on a massive drought that stretched from Sydney west into the state of South Australia. We saw no blade of green grass for two whole days of four-wheeling in the northern Flinders Ranges. We saw dozens of dead kangaroos by the roadside.… More
Climate change: Part 7. Science and faith
May 1, 2019
I WAS IN STARBUCKS IN LUBBOCK, CLOSE TO TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY. Waiting for a woman I had never met. I told her I was tall and with a gray beard. After sipping a decaf mocha frappe, she tapped me on the shoulder and I stood and shook hands.
She was young (at least compared to me) with brown hair, attractive, and her face held a perpetual smile. Her voice and movements were filled with enthusiasm. She had just flown in from Wisconsin, where she had given a talk about the intersection of faith and climate change.
She opened her laptop and showed me a picture of Science in one circle and Faith in a second circle.… More
Fracking and Global Warming: What’s the Connection?
March 2, 2019
I gave a talk this past week called Fracking and Global Warming: What’s the Connection? I appreciate the invite by Dr John Korstad who teaches two different courses on Sustainability at Oral Roberts University (ORU).
Sustainability is getting to be a hot subject: it implies conserving the present environment for our grand-kids, to use a simple definition. For businesses the application is People, Planet and Profits: People meaning quality of life and employee retention, Planet being environmental stewardship and waste reduction, and Profit meaning responsible economic growth. At ORU, staff like Dr Korstad are leading the way.
The world-class lecture room at ORU, where I was video’d automatically. … More
Climate Change: Part 6. Deadly serious now.
November 25, 2018
WHATS IN THIS BLOG: • Wildfires in California. • Greenhouse gases reach new high. • New US government report – what does President Trump think?
There is a reason for Part 6 in this series on Climate Change. I am concerned that the world is on the cusp of a pretty big crisis. And I sense that events of the past couple months are moving USA opinions to a tipping point.
Part 5 and Part 6 here present information to support this tipping point. As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts – please use the Comment box at the bottom of the blog.… More
Climate Change: Part 5. New IPCC report – scary or not?
October 26, 2018
WHATS IN THIS BLOG: • The situation is worse than we thought. • Between 70 and 90% of coral reefs expected to die off, including Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. • Individuals can do something about it. • Being aware of what we eat, where it comes from, how we travel, how we heat our homes, can impact energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. • Drastic action is required but will require global political engagement.
NEW IPCC REPORT OUT IN OCTOBER 2018. I live in the southwest USA. Seeing more pine trees killed by pine-bark beetles is sad. The huge numbers of wildfires in the west got to me this past summer.… More
Climate change: Part 4. Wildfires in California
December 9, 2017
WHATS IN THIS BLOG: • The devastating wildfires close to Los Angeles: story and pics. • The fires are fanned by Santa Ana winds. • Man saves wild rabbit from burning. • Are the wildfires really caused by global warming? • Postscript: Conversation with a skeptical professional.
This is part of a series on climate change. In this article we look at the terrible wildfires ravaging California right now.
IF YOU DON’T LOOK AT ANYTHING ELSE, look at the very short video below of the man saving a rabbit from the fire. Have your tissues handy !!!
My next blog will be about teenage girls and smartphones, especially the negative and dangerous side of this issue, including suicide.… More
