Jeb Bladine: We're just too busy to focus on climate
People seem to be busier than ever. And all those activities — personal, family, social, business, entertainment, civic, political and more — make it almost impossible for people to focus on the evolution of global desecration from global warming.
For related thinking about that, there’s British writer George Marshall’s 2014 book, “Don’t Even Think About It … Why Our Brains Are Wired To Ignore Climate Change.”
A more up-to-date assessment of the global threat comes from the NASA Earth Science Communications Team based at the California Institute of Technology. Here are a few current NASA quotes:
“Multiple studies published in peer-reviewed scientific journals show that 97 percent or more of actively publishing climate scientists agree: Climate-warming trends over the past century are extremely likely due to human activities.”
“The current warming trend is of particular significance because most of it is extremely likely (greater than 95 percent probability) to be the result of human activity since the mid-20th century and proceeding at a rate that is unprecedented over decades to millennia.”
“Scientists attribute the global warming trend observed since the mid-20th century to the human expansion of the ‘greenhouse effect’ — warming that results when the atmosphere traps heat radiating from Earth toward space … On Earth, human activities are changing the natural greenhouse. Over the last century the burning of fossil fuels like coal and oil has increased the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2).”
Those are just a few tidbits from an expansive website found at climate.nasa.gov.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, our government’s space agency since 1958, has plans to return humans to the moon by 2024 while it continues study of its “Moon to Mars” initiative. In July, President Donald Trump urged the agency to skip the moon and go straight to Mars, so apparently he thinks NASA experts are pretty smart people.
One can only wonder, then, about President Trump’s action Thursday to revoke California’s long-time authority to set vehicle emission standards that are more stringent than federal rules — a practice followed by 13 other states. Trump previously withdrew from the Paris Agreement on climate change, has wavered endlessly about global warming, and continues stripping away environmental protections created by past administrations.
All elements taken together, it appears we all should join President Trump whole-heartedly in demanding that NASA skip the moon and set its immediate sights on getting humans to Mars. After all, before long, we all may need to move there.
Jeb Bladine can be reached at jbladine@newsregister.com or 503-687-1223.
Comments
Don Dix
Here's a 'tidbit' about NASA and others, including top NASA official James Hansen. Since the first Earth Day in 1970, predictions of climate doom have been thrust upon the public.
NASA and IPCC faulty predictions:
stronger and more frequent hurricanes -- nope
stronger and more frequent tornados -- nope
ice-free Arctic by 2018 -- nope
lower Manhatten under water -- nope
Antarctic ice melting at abnormal rate -- nope (it's expanding)
Polar Bears going extinct -- nope (thriving and expanding)
snowless winters -- nope
abnormal heating of the US southwest and midwest -- nope
(this is just a very small sample)
When predictions are proven false by reality (above), how does increasing taxes solve anything but fatten someone's bank account? And how many times can the little boy cry wolf without someone calling him out?
gregtompkins
If all these urbanites and their lazy children really felt so strongly about global warming then they should forego all their electronics and get busy learning how to use the horse and plow to grow their crops. They won’t put their money where their mouth is though and think absconding from tax payer paid baby sitting is going to make a difference!
newswatch1
Excellent points. My immediate concern is for future generations. We all need safety and stability now, but our descendants will be much more vulnerable.
gregtompkins
newswatch1, they’re free to live like my great grandparents did, horse and plow to harvest their crops. But these entitled leftists won’t even raise a finger let alone do any actual work. And I’m sure their steady stream of illegals to do their dirty work will eventually dry up, too.
treefarmer
Oh Mr. Dix - your opinions are always SO creative.
Don Dix
Damn, treefarmer, that's all you got? Good talk!
treefarmer
Mercy Don Dix – my comment disappointed you? I already have a pretty good idea about how you see this issue and wouldn’t waste time for either of us boring you with science you don’t believe in, or additional concerns about big oil’s powerful and destructive agenda. Your logic escapes me, and it appears that you have posted non-factual information, but it is always interesting to see how you justify your positions. I think we agree that both of us will be gone by the time anyone figures out the big picture anyway.
gregtompkins
Why does this Newspaper spend some much time praising illegal immigration and overpopulation but is remiss in connecting illegal immigration to climate change? Don’t you think it’s bad for the environment to have all the liberal whites living in their exclusive toney neighborhoods off third street while their near slaves are polluting the air and driving up rents? It’s almost like their self hatred of being white excuses the overpopulation and resource depletion. I just don’t get it why climate change is so “bad” but illegal immigration is the best thing since sliced bread.
Don Dix
treefarmer-- Ah, there it is! So, go ahead and dispute the 'non-factual' info with science, math, or just more faulty conjecture -- each item was originally 'predicted' to have already occurred, but hasn't/didn't. And then maybe explain to the readers the 'science' behind raising taxes to alter Mother Nature's path.
gregtompkins
Don Dix they have to raise your taxes so they can build out social housing and free programs for the illegals. It’s the progressive way don’t you know?
treefarmer
Egad N/R – how alarming to read revelations a concerned “reader” has exposed for us in this thread. Praising illegal immigration and overpopulation? WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? How dare you fail to inform your readers that climate change is GOOD! And how can you continue promoting and condoning ILLEGAL immigration week after week? Oh wait – it’s that LIB conspiracy thing, isn’t it? It’s a secret society and the reason not everyone has been able to recognize your sinister agenda is that we are invaders from California who are nothing more than self-hating whites blinded by our whiteness…..eating our white bread and sipping our white wine, and worst of all we are **GASP** LIBS? How could all this impeccable logic remain unaddressed??
It appears that the person who deposited the steaming pile at issue is not just a troll and a flame thrower, he is also very CRUEL! Not long ago, while he was spewing some additional contaminant on a different thread, he became OUTRAGED and declared he was going to CANCEL HIS SUBSCRIPTION. After getting our hopes up, it is more than disheartening to see that he is still here. If he could only be a man of his word and GO AWAY, we could promise not to miss him.
I believe that constructive criticism is essential to ethical journalism, and it appears that this publication has welcomed reader-input for at least the 30 years I have been a subscriber. You make this forum available to us so we can post our thoughts and opinions. You print corrections when that is indicated. Our community recognizes and values your integrity. It is beyond regrettable when the opportunities you provide result in such absurd and offensive abuse.
Don Dix
treefarmer -- Predictable response. With your penchant to deflect and spew snark and BS whenever facts and reality undermine your position, one thing is glaringly obvious -- If bloviation were to become a day job, you would be sitting in high cotton!
gregtompkins
treefarmer sorry if I was a little harsh I don’t know how else to describe. Take this plastic yard sign called “In Our America” as an example of what I’m trying to get at. You see them plastered all around especially in those toney all exclusively white neighborhoods in Portland like Hawthorne and Laurelhurst. They have those and “Celebrate Diversity” flags waving. But where’s the diversity? Nowhere to be found except in the conservative parts where it’s affordable to live. Liberals sure wouldn’t put their money where mouth is and live in the diversity parts. It’s beneath them - they want to live in the toney nice parts of town and claim they’re diverse when the concept is totally foreign to them.
RobsNewsRegister
gregtompkins has a good point. Nancy Pelosi sits behind a gated community with her other rich liberal friends while a mile away there are tent encampments with homeless living in their own feces. Its easy to spout liberal diatribes and make onerous rules others have to follow when you're rich enough to effectively be exempt (read - going to Climate Change summits in private jets).
treefarmer
Hey there Don Dix – such thoughtful words! Earlier in this thread you snarked me for a brief response and now you have commented on my “verbosity.” Looks like I have redeemed myself and will be able to climb into my cotton sheets and sleep now. Whew!
gregtompkins – nice to read a post from you that doesn’t make my eyeballs bleed. I am actually a progressive citizen who chose to escape the city and live way out here in beautiful conservative Yamhill County. I value diversity, I try to LIVE my values, and do not perceive that my personal beliefs have affected my relationships with my conservative friends and neighbors ONE BIT.
Respectfully may I suggest stereotyping is not persuasive and is not helping you get your point across. And please stop disparaging the N/R. Surely it would be better, if you want to criticize their content, to do so without all those baseless and inappropriate accusations.
gregtompkins
@ treefarmer and at what point should we be so Pollyanna liberal to the detriment of quality of life? If we have a flood of third world types overwhelming is, housing becomes even more scarce (and some would say illegal immigration already has caused the rental crisis)”,) then we have to chop down more forests to house all of humanity. Wouldn’t it just be easier to have limits rather than open borders and free everything to everyone who wants to be here ?
gregtompkins
@ treefarmer and at what point should we be so Pollyanna liberal to the detriment of quality of life? If we have a flood of third world types overwhelming is, housing becomes even more scarce (and some would say illegal immigration already has caused the rental crisis)”,) then we have to chop down more forests to house all of humanity. Wouldn’t it just be easier to have limits rather than open borders and free everything to everyone who wants to be here ? BTW here are those silly yard signs I referred to https://www.nwgsd.org/shop
Jeb Bladine
OK, treefarmer: I wasn’t going to join in, but I have to respond to your suggestion that gregtompkins cancel his subscription. Egads, man! We need all the subscribers we can drum up!!! As luck would have it, we have fairly broad shoulders when it comes to accepting criticism – on the website, by phone, in person, however people pass it along. We would like it to be more fact-based and less hip-shooting general, but the last thing we would want is a newspaper without criticism. That’s kind of like watching nothing but a one-sided cable news channel (CNN or FOX, anyone?).
Oh, and a few more things: (1) I’m equally stumped by the suggestion that we praise overpopulation; (2) the News-Register has been a long-time editorial advocate for fair and lasting immigration reform; and finally, (3) thanks for the kind words!
sbagwell
Just for the record, Nancy Pelosi does not live in a gated community. She actually lives in a rather modest red brick house that sits, unfenced, about four feet from the sidewalk.
Housing prices are astronomical in San Francisco, so it may well be worth a rather large sum on the market. However, no gate, no fence, postage stamp of a lot, nothing extravagent.
Steve
gregtompkins
Jeb Bladine I read a lot even from sources I disagree with. A college professor at George Fox inspired me to read NY Times in 1995 and I read it almost daily ever since. But social media has screwed up my writing ability I used to be a lot better putting thoughts into words. Anyway we can’t always read what we agree with I would challenge anyone to consider opposing views and state their opinions!
RobsNewsRegister
Apologies. I should have checked more carefully before making a statement. It appears she has several homes (e.g. one in Napa Valley). If she actually stays at the brick house than super kudos to her. With a net worth reportedly of $120 million to $140 million (depending on source) San Francisco must be insanely expensive.
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/is-this-a-wall-around-nancy-pelosis-home/
https://www.wealthypersons.com/nancy-pelosi-net-worth-2020-2021/
gregtompkins
How does our local dear leader the wonderful Ms Brown live? She probably lives in one of those toney neighborhoods in Portland I could imagine something like Laurelhurst or Westmoreland. 100% white and far away from actual diversity. And all her neighbors have diversity propaganda signs in front of their perfectly manicured rhododendrons and boxwood bushes.
treefarmer
Jeb – please note I did not SUGGEST a subscription be cancelled, but do regret encouraging the threat someone else posted to do so. Sincere apologies. I know how important our subscriptions are to the N/R and should have at least countered my misplaced encouragement with the intent to provide some form of “replacement” before I “shot from the hip.” I am a long-time subscriber and every year I give a (birthday) gift subscription to a friend. I periodically buy a single copy for my brother when he is in town, perhaps he would also appreciate a subscription when his birthday rolls around? As I mentioned above, and elsewhere in the forum, I do passionately support and appreciate this publication. I am very grateful that you have succeeded with the challenging business of home town news when so many others have failed and had to close up shop. Soldier on – we need you!
gregtompkins
treefarmer blah blah blah. I have lived in Oregon by whole life and this county most of it. Grew up reading NR, Newberg Graphic and Statesman Journal. If I actually did cancel I could still read my grandmas my parents or many others in my family’s papers. But when families get into canceling usually it’s a domino effect with other family members and friends in the community. So they need to be careful not to tip too far the left. Because even though McMinnville is socialist now the rest of the county still is not.
treefarmer
All-righty then “gregtompkins.” Threats, delusional accusations, and more variations on a the “theme.” If the folks at the N/R can tolerate your constant snark and flame-throwing, the rest of us should be able to follow their lead. (I suspect the irony of the situation will be lost on you though.) You have yourself a great day!
gregtompkins
So again why is the editorial board on this and other left leaning newspapers so gung ho on illegal immigration when we don’t have the infrastructure , or the housing to put them? I really don’t understand it especially when these so called “progressives” simultaneously don’t want to cut trees, or expand the urban boundaries, either. So why do we want more immigration and no plan to actually accommodate?
gregtompkins
I found this story in the NYTimes about this liberal NIMBY phenomenon that explains the situation more PC than I can. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/22/opinion/california-housing-nimby.html
So it seems that the liberal areas kowtowing most to the illegals are suffering the most.
Jeb Bladine
treefarmer,
I was trying to be tongue-in-cheek with that “admonishment” to you. Like satire, that’s always dangerous. No apologies needed. My “shoot from the hip” comment was simply meant as a wish that commentary about alleged newspaper editorial bias might focus on actual published words instead of expressing broad generalizations that are difficult to challenge. Your support of hometown newspaper journalism – a rapidly dwindling commodity – is appreciated.
gregtompkins
I’m serious I’d love to see this newspaper publish an op-Ed that is unfavorable to illegal immigration. Show that you have some balance !