A year and a half ago, during a GOP debate, when asked by a journalist if he would oppose Federal aid to disaster victims, or replace it with something else, Mitt Romney said yes. He would want to cut agencies such as FEMA, he indicated, but would provide aid to the states, or allow privatizationContinue reading “Romney calls FEMA disaster aid “immoral” (6/11)”
Category Archives: climate
Sandy: Hybrid megastorm challenges the language
The trouble between tropical storm Sandy and the English language began when the hurricane was still far from the United States. It started on Thursday in, of all places, an offical teletype-style all caps release from the National Weather Services Hydrometeorological Prediction Center that referenced, for the first time ever, surely, a 19th-century writer. ForecasterContinue reading “Sandy: Hybrid megastorm challenges the language”
Toles on crazy Italians who jail earthquake scientists
A "Tsketch" from Toles: Here's the background. Interesting that the AGU took a position on the issue.
Climate change + health in Philippines: Charlotte Kellogg
Last December at the AGU, I heard a presentation of a ground-breaking and troubling study on climate change and public health in the Philippines. Two young researchers charted typhoons and their aftermath, and argued powerfully that our reporting of the damage caused by these powerful but brief storms (one of which landed near Manila in August)Continue reading “Climate change + health in Philippines: Charlotte Kellogg”
Campaigns avoid climate change: McClatchey
One (slightly) encouraging sign: The most emailed story on the McClatchey newspapers site recently was a story about how the campaigns are talking (or not talking) about climate change. Although climate change typically ranks below such issues as the economy, polling done in March 2012 by Yale University and George Mason University found that 72Continue reading “Campaigns avoid climate change: McClatchey”
Independent voters want warming action taken, polls show
From a good, broad-based story in Bloomberg: Among likely voters, 78 percent of Democrats and 56 percent of independents believe humans are warming the earth, according to a Bloomberg National Poll. That finding is consistent with other polls that show undecided voters, and majorities in contested states such as Ohio and Virginia are in lineContinue reading “Independent voters want warming action taken, polls show”
We saved the ozone layer. We can save the climate.
From Daniel Doniger at the NRDC last week, a reminder on the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Montreal Protocol, that Republicans and Democrats in this country, including the Reagan and Bush administration, allied to support an international treaty to save the ozone layer. Millions of lives saved. Hundreds of millions of cancers averted. Continue reading “We saved the ozone layer. We can save the climate.”
The $400 million snow job, thanks to David Koch (et al)
Jane Mayer of The New Yorker fills in the details on the latest from David Koch, revealing that he and his allies plan to spend $400 million on this year's elections…mostly to preserve the Bush-era tax break on dividends. Toles visualizes the scene: Scary thing is, Koch may be making a rational decision in terms ofContinue reading “The $400 million snow job, thanks to David Koch (et al)”
California (and the world) in 3012, with massive warming
Almost a decade ago, Chris Wayan took the George W. Bush idea of how things should go on the planet — a Business as Usual scenario, but without nuclear disasters — and projected it, with sea level rise, on to maps of the world. He calls the result Dubia: Suppose we avoid war, plague, andContinue reading “California (and the world) in 3012, with massive warming”
Romney and Obama, at convention, on global warming
MItt Romney, in his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention: "President Obama promised to begin to slow the rise of the oceans and to heal the planet," Romney said. "My promise is to help you and your family." He got a standing ovation [for promising inaction on the threat of climate change] President Obama, inContinue reading “Romney and Obama, at convention, on global warming”
Kit Stolz 