Weather, Water, Energy 1-04-06

Climate Progress rightly goes after a couple of easy but painfully annoying targets. One is the idiot op-ed in the NY Times recently staking out the "middle ground" on global warming, as if there can be one. (RealClimate takes the silliness down even more here.) The other is the "split the difference," nothing-in-depth nonsense put out by USA Today on the recent weather extremes. I've got another one for them--this CNN article along the same line that not only treats us to "moron in the street" comments but also adds this cluelessness: "The weather is prone to short-term fluctuations, and forecasters said the mild winter does not necessarily mean global warming is upon us. In fact, the Plains have been hit by back-to-back blizzards in the past two weeks." GLOBAL WARMING DOES NOT MEAN THAT BLIZZARDS WON'T HAPPEN, FOOL!!!! . . . Honestly, if a national news source by this time can't even get that right, is it possible that they will ever get the even more important stuff right? Let's hope they all hold a convention in Denver in December next year. . . . Since my blood pressure is already up, let me get out the kind word about WalMart before my head explodes anyway. Long article here about that humanity-eating company actually getting behind the push for compact flurorescent bulbs, hopefully pulling a lot of other companies in its wake, as is its wont (h/t Grist). Enough. Can't say any more nice about them. Head pulsing. . . . Meanwhile, a British research agency with a very good record says it's better than 50/50 that 2007 will be the warmest global year on record. So there won't be blizzards, right? . . . Grist notes that Norway has joined Britain in buying back credits to offset their officials' jet travel. A snarky note or two in the post, but I'm just glad somebody is giving a shot at setting an example. . . . I'm sure Australia will join soon, since it is clearly warming faster than the rest of the world. . . uh, sorry, forgot its idiot Prime Minister. . . . Finally, we worry about the rising waters and the extinct species as we warm, but here's what we poli sci types think about--failed political systems as they get the blame (usually deserved) for the havoc that changing weather patterns can cause. Happened before, will happen again. Hopefully to Australia first. Get rid of that PM and we'll pick someone else.