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Excerpt: "Climate change denial is a major industry, lavishly financed by Exxon, the Koch brothers and others with a financial stake in the continued burning of fossil fuels."

Portrait, New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, 06/15/09. (photo: Fred R. Conrad/NYT)

Loading the Climate Dice

By Paul Krugman, The New York Times

23 July 12

couple of weeks ago the Northeast was in the grip of a severe heat wave. As I write this, however, it's a fairly cool day in New Jersey, considering that it's late July. Weather is like that; it fluctuates.

And this banal observation may be what dooms us to climate catastrophe, in two ways. On one side, the variability of temperatures from day to day and year to year makes it easy to miss, ignore or obscure the longer-term upward trend. On the other, even a fairly modest rise in average temperatures translates into a much higher frequency of extreme events - like the devastating drought now gripping America's heartland - that do vast damage.

On the first point: Even with the best will in the world, it would be hard for most people to stay focused on the big picture in the face of short-run fluctuations. When the mercury is high and the crops are withering, everyone talks about it, and some make the connection to global warming. But let the days grow a bit cooler and the rains fall, and inevitably people's attention turns to other matters.

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+22 # grouchy 2012-07-23 07:32

Again, greed rules!

+30 # cordleycoit 2012-07-23 08:26

The other matters will be the price of food. Tell me this is not an opportunity for commodities rats to get rich as bankers and they will starve the poor of course. And whom ever whose in charge will pooh global warming.We are ruled by fools.

+6 # tahoevalleylines 2012-07-23 08:56

Bloomberg sez world wealthiest have 20 $Trillion stashed. Another most perfect example of smart people outsmarting themselves.

Prudent selection of water resource delivery systems, due haste growth of renewable energy supplements to fossils demand, and transport capacity upgrades with generic railway capacity/reach are requisite to enable survival time needed to enjoy sequestered wealth... Hidden wealth is squandered wealth. The parable of the "Hidden Talents" is a word to the wise.

Having water where it is needed, recharging aquifers to save pump energy requirements and assure victuals production is a no-brainer. See "NAWAPA", Carlos Slim...

Boone Pickens & Warren Buffett, see "Suntrain Transportation Inc", compendium of energy/transpor t solutions for American prosperity after Middle East thunderdome.

Wealthy people usually lack circumspection, the ability to see the entire picture. Making or inheriting a quantity of money great enough to require havens seems to brought along a generation of individuals with complete lack of knowledge about basic infrastructure; the underpinnings of creature comforts of civilization. And, a secure world for the children of all, rich and less fortunate. You can run, but you can't hide in a world gone mad.

The spiritual attributes are missing, a sure indicator seen in the "storing up for end times" syndrome. Read James 5:1-20 boys & girls...

+5 # ritaague 2012-07-23 09:00

We are ruled by greed and power addicted, and their politician puppets.

Not only our food, but also, in many places, our water supply is threatened. Like here in 'desperate for water' Colorado, where water and people damaging fracking goes on and the putting out of wildfires (all purposefully set, according to my good sources in the fire dept. and p.d.) takes incredible amounts of so scare water.

Question: Could the villainaire rulers be planning yet another giant $$$ flow into their pockets with pushing our ignoring climate change, and also what damage the aforementioned and so much more (i.e. non-enforced regulation of E.P.A. mandates) does to our drinkable water.

Would that CHANGE re. this and so much more had come in 2008. Not. My new mantra:

HEALTHCARE AND EARTHCARE, NOT WARFARE

And, my new political mantra:

NO 'RAW MONEY' & NO 'BOMB AH' THINK GREEN

+10 # Gere 2012-07-23 10:10

Until Americans began to see a growing trend of increasingly chaotic weather (growing number and increased intensity of tornadoes, floods, overwhelming snow, drought and intense killing heat waves) we could count on predictable weather patterns and manageable climate. Tracking and then knowing what the climate is like over many years enabled US farmers to plan strategies for growing crops productively in hundreds of micro-climates. For decades our farmers have been the world’s backstop preventing the starvation of millions. That is because normal climate can be predicted enough in America to enable farmers to have more productive years than bad years. It has been more than a decade since thousands of respected scientists worldwide have shown irrefutable proof that the world’s use and abuse of fossil fuels led by the US is ending our predictable micro-climates. Long ago we failed to live up to our initial endorsement of Kyoto – claiming that we were not participating (and leading as we should have) unless China and India joined. As this debacle continues we soon won’t be able to be concerned about burning of beetle infested and drought killed forests ranging from the temperate zone to the equator. We will all be too busy trying to eat. If accelerated climate change is allowed to continue unabated, “you ain’t seen nuthin yet”….

+11 # jwb110 2012-07-23 10:46

I have tried , without success, to explain that the climate issue is about food for many years. Nobody listens to the old arguments but the idea of widespread famine gets the attention of "some" people who vote. Maybe when the cost of just eating three squares a day becomes the dollars left after paying your fuel bill the electorate will get the idea. Not one of those Capitol Hill guys look like they have any wrinkles in their stomachs. That doesn't mean that they won't spend the rest of their days looking over their shoulder at the ones that do. People who are hungry attack.

+5 # xflowers 2012-07-23 11:37

People should realize that the so called debate is for public consumption only. Its goal, as many realize, is to protect polluters from regulation. The public are easy targets because of course, if you think you have a choice in the matter, you would chose to deny that climate change is occurring. And if you think it's not occurring, you would have little motivation to demand that governments take action. But not only do scientists know the truth, so do government agencies, the military and insurance companies that pay out the claims on property loses. What are they doing? They are ignoring the phony debate as they begin to plan for how to deal with consequences. Or, in some instances, experts are attempting to engineer a solution. In other words, the people in the know have conceded the debate on regulation to the polluters because they see it as a waste of valuable time. Maybe they are right. Maybe to continue to engage in the phony debate does little more than spin our wheels. A new strategy is in order. I think it would be wise to learn more and make public the kind of planning going on behind the scenes. It would give the public a better handle on the situation and perhaps spur them on to make the demands on their governments they should be making. It would trump the phony climate change debate by ignoring it.

+3 # universlman 2012-07-23 11:55

Paul, you are assuming I assume that the severe weather will settle back closer to normal by the November election. If this does NOT happen, this may work against the GOP who stubbornly deny that any of these extreme weather events are related to each other.

+1 # Electricrailwaygod 2012-07-23 13:27

Wilkommen in Amerika! This always has been the American mentality for the pst two centuries or so. Very short sided if yo ask me.

+4 # X Dane 2012-07-23 23:04

There are way too many stupid people in our country. They refuse to believe that climate change is real, and they do not understand science so they chose to mock scientists, instead of informing themselves.

The great many ignorant disbelieving people spells doom for all of us. For the politicians will do absolutely NOTHING till they are pushed, showed and MADE to do so.

0 # robcarter.vn 2012-07-25 00:06

In fact I agree with X Dane, sadly there are not enough voices outside the Modern Empires, Corporate that is the Royal Empires are all but gone.

So the Money talk Empires have all Wrestern leftists out talked and outmanned and outgunned. Perhaps PRC SRV and other democratising Communists will find a new way. For now the 1% of the World not just USA rule and our voices won't be heard.

Have you noticed even OWS our best chance is down to A HANDFUL AT MEETINGS OF ORGANISING, rsn HAS TO KEEP BEGGING AND CAJOLING TO GET A PALTRY $30K A MONTH FOR SURVIVAL What hope I ask you. The good are dieing on the vine.

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