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Clouds From Chinese Coal Cast a Long Shadow

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Posted by solzrules on Tuesday, June 27, 2006 10:00 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by dsktc

Remember, the paper is based in a state that
elected Hillary Clinton as a U.S. Senator. [:)]

Dave

QUOTE: Originally posted by solzrules

Yeah I know. A beer aint gonna do it, I think its time for a whiskey. [|(]

Oh well. Hopefully they will lose 80,000 subscriptions and then maybe they will rethink their stupidity. Probably not, though, they'll just chalk it up to a conspiricy.



Yeah, Again you make a good point. I should really remind myself of that everytime I wonder why New York does what is does. [:D]
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Posted by solzrules on Tuesday, June 27, 2006 9:59 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by EUCLID TRAVIS

QUOTE: Originally posted by dsktc

From the New York Times:

"In the past few decades, a handful of scientists have come up with big, futuristic ways to fight global warming: Build sunshades in orbit to cool the planet. Tinker with clouds to make them reflect more sunlight back into space. Trick oceans into soaking up more heat-trapping greenhouse gases.

"Their proposals were relegated to the fringes of climate science. Few journals would publi***hem. Few government agencies would pay for feasibility studies. Environmentalists and mainstream scientists said the focus should be on reducing greenhouse gases and preventing global warming in the first place.

"But now, in a major reversal, some of the world's most prominent scientists say the proposals deserve a serious look because of growing concerns about global warming.

"Worried about a potential planetary crisis, these leaders are calling on governments and scientific groups to study exotic ways to reduce global warming, seeing them as possible fallback positions if the planet eventually needs a dose of emergency cooling."

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/27/science/earth/27cool.html?pagewanted=print

Dave



That is a very interesting article. The New York Times may believe in global warming, but I’ll bet that the advocates of exotic, engineering solutions threaten the global warming enthusiasts, much more so than do the mere non-believers. The engineering solution faction cannot be dismissed as easily as non-believers because they are believers. Furthermore, scientists will have a hard time dismissing the engineering solution faction because science loves engineering approaches to problems. After all, they are building a space station. And yet, an engineering solution to the problem of global warming flies in the face of the underlying agenda. Notice how one global warming scientist characterizes an engineering fix to global warming as an addiction.

No, the politically correct remedy to global warming is nothing less than a reversal of the development of the modern, industrialized world. To the true believers of the mainstream global warming faction, the engineering approach to remedies will be just as offensive as the engineering that fuels the progress that they contend is causing global warming in the first place. Actually, I am surprised that the New York Times ran the article. They probably did not realize that it conflicts with their agenda.



Good point!
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, June 27, 2006 9:38 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by dsktc

From the New York Times:

"In the past few decades, a handful of scientists have come up with big, futuristic ways to fight global warming: Build sunshades in orbit to cool the planet. Tinker with clouds to make them reflect more sunlight back into space. Trick oceans into soaking up more heat-trapping greenhouse gases.

"Their proposals were relegated to the fringes of climate science. Few journals would publi***hem. Few government agencies would pay for feasibility studies. Environmentalists and mainstream scientists said the focus should be on reducing greenhouse gases and preventing global warming in the first place.

"But now, in a major reversal, some of the world's most prominent scientists say the proposals deserve a serious look because of growing concerns about global warming.

"Worried about a potential planetary crisis, these leaders are calling on governments and scientific groups to study exotic ways to reduce global warming, seeing them as possible fallback positions if the planet eventually needs a dose of emergency cooling."

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/27/science/earth/27cool.html?pagewanted=print

Dave



That is a very interesting article. The New York Times may believe in global warming, but I’ll bet that the advocates of exotic, engineering solutions threaten the global warming enthusiasts, much more so than do the mere non-believers. The engineering solution faction cannot be dismissed as easily as non-believers because they are believers. Furthermore, scientists will have a hard time dismissing the engineering solution faction because science loves engineering approaches to problems. After all, they are building a space station. And yet, an engineering solution to the problem of global warming flies in the face of the underlying agenda. Notice how one global warming scientist characterizes an engineering fix to global warming as an addiction.

No, the politically correct remedy to global warming is nothing less than a reversal of the development of the modern, industrialized world. To the true believers of the mainstream global warming faction, the engineering approach to remedies will be just as offensive as the engineering that fuels the progress that they contend is causing global warming in the first place. Actually, I am surprised that the New York Times ran the article. They probably did not realize that it conflicts with their agenda.
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, June 27, 2006 6:57 PM
Remember, the paper is based in a state that
elected Hillary Clinton as a U.S. Senator. [:)]

Dave

QUOTE: Originally posted by solzrules

Yeah I know. A beer aint gonna do it, I think its time for a whiskey. [|(]

Oh well. Hopefully they will lose 80,000 subscriptions and then maybe they will rethink their stupidity. Probably not, though, they'll just chalk it up to a conspiricy.
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Posted by solzrules on Tuesday, June 27, 2006 6:45 PM
Yeah I know. A beer aint gonna do it, I think its time for a whiskey. [|(]

Oh well. Hopefully they will lose 80,000 subscriptions and then maybe they will rethink their stupidity. Probably not, though, they'll just chalk it up to a conspiricy.
You think this is bad? Just wait until inflation kicks in.....
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, June 27, 2006 6:38 PM
Relax and drink a beer.

The folks at the Times don't care what
you think.

Dave

QUOTE: Originally posted by solzrules

Sounds to me like the New York times is really just a bunch of droning morons. After they decided to risk the lives of Americans with their publication of state secrets, I refuse to accept anything they write, no matter how true THEY think they are. The old gray lady has turned into the old gray ***. The paper has an agenda, and every story they write is biased towards that agenda. They subscribe to the theory of global warming, so naturally they are going to publish stories that support global warming. Have you ever read anything in the times that did not support global warming? I would really think twice before relying on them for anything of importance. Sorry in advance of my venting here, but it has been a frustrating week. And it isn't even Wednesday yet.
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Posted by solzrules on Tuesday, June 27, 2006 6:24 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by dsktc

From the New York Times:

"In the past few decades, a handful of scientists have come up with big, futuristic ways to fight global warming: Build sunshades in orbit to cool the planet. Tinker with clouds to make them reflect more sunlight back into space. Trick oceans into soaking up more heat-trapping greenhouse gases.

"Their proposals were relegated to the fringes of climate science. Few journals would publi***hem. Few government agencies would pay for feasibility studies. Environmentalists and mainstream scientists said the focus should be on reducing greenhouse gases and preventing global warming in the first place.

"But now, in a major reversal, some of the world's most prominent scientists say the proposals deserve a serious look because of growing concerns about global warming.

"Worried about a potential planetary crisis, these leaders are calling on governments and scientific groups to study exotic ways to reduce global warming, seeing them as possible fallback positions if the planet eventually needs a dose of emergency cooling."

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/27/science/earth/27cool.html?pagewanted=print

Dave


Sounds to me like the New York times is really just a bunch of droning morons. After they decided to risk the lives of Americans with their publication of state secrets, I refuse to accept anything they write, no matter how true THEY think they are. The old gray lady has turned into the old gray ***. The paper has an agenda, and every story they write is biased towards that agenda. They subscribe to the theory of global warming, so naturally they are going to publish stories that support global warming. Have you ever read anything in the times that did not support global warming? I would really think twice before relying on them for anything of importance. Sorry in advance of my venting here, but it has been a frustrating week. And it isn't even Wednesday yet.
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, June 27, 2006 5:02 PM
From the New York Times:

"In the past few decades, a handful of scientists have come up with big, futuristic ways to fight global warming: Build sunshades in orbit to cool the planet. Tinker with clouds to make them reflect more sunlight back into space. Trick oceans into soaking up more heat-trapping greenhouse gases.

"Their proposals were relegated to the fringes of climate science. Few journals would publi***hem. Few government agencies would pay for feasibility studies. Environmentalists and mainstream scientists said the focus should be on reducing greenhouse gases and preventing global warming in the first place.

"But now, in a major reversal, some of the world's most prominent scientists say the proposals deserve a serious look because of growing concerns about global warming.

"Worried about a potential planetary crisis, these leaders are calling on governments and scientific groups to study exotic ways to reduce global warming, seeing them as possible fallback positions if the planet eventually needs a dose of emergency cooling."

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/27/science/earth/27cool.html?pagewanted=print

Dave
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Posted by solzrules on Monday, June 26, 2006 9:57 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by rrandb

QUOTE: Originally posted by solzrules

In the context of the Chinese project on the Yahn Se - 3500 families is a drop in the bucket compared to the tens of thousands of families affected in China. And, much of ancient Chinese culture is going to be buried right along with the towns. It is also interesting to note that the problems associated with the dust bowl like poor soil quality due to overfarming, bankrupt farms due to poor soil performance, and a general lack of economy in the area were not rectified by the TVA. Think of it this way - how many people out of work in that area because of farming failures were able to support their families with employment at the TVA? How much of an increase in the areas' industrial base and cheap energy could be attributed to the benefits of the TVA? Did the human suffering that came about because of the TVA project compare to the Yahn se river project in China? If a majority say that they like their new homes and yet were still having problems with economic issues that existed BEFORE the construction is this really suffering attributed to the TVA project or the depression at large?

What is the net gain or loss?

In China's case the government has decided that relocating hundreds of thousands of people in order to obtain a cheap power source and a wide river capable of freight transport is a worthy trade. My point is that while this may be a good idea on a small scale (the TVA is a brick in a bathtub compared to the Yahn Se business) is it really worth destroying hundreds of thousands of peoples' lives? Would the TVA have proceeded if hundreds of thousands of peoples lives been uprooted?
You may be under the impression that TVA only built one ***. They ***ed tributaries along a 1,000 mile navigable river. As in all such projects some were happy and some just stood on the banks of there new lake missing the past that is now underwater. Did it benifit the majority. Yes. The results are the same in China.


I am aware that the TVA is a bunch of d am s, not just one. I am wondering - would the Chinese people agree that the project was beneficial in their country or would the government agree it was beneficial. Again, I have an intense mistrust of any info coming from the chinese government, as it is a propaganda machine. Sure the accomplishments are bandied about in the press (don't get me wrong - the engineering behind it is absolutely fascinating) but do the people feel the same way? They didn't really have a choice in the matter to begin with.
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Posted by Anonymous on Monday, June 26, 2006 12:31 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by vsmith
We are difinetly doing something to the earth....but nothing will be done by our Fearless Leaders or our Glorious Corporate Captains of Industry as long as they can still make money on Big Oil till Florida dissappears under the sea, then they'll just blame Castro and invade....


Oh they will do something about it. We are all being instructed to believe in global warming caused by human activity. We are told that the debate is over. On a country basis, it is only the U.S. and Australia that are standing in the way of world wide implementation of the Kyoto remedy. Moreover, in the U.S., the naysayers consist of only a portion of the Republicans. If the Democrats get control of congress, Australia will be the only holdout.

But today I just heard that several states are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to compel the EPA to control CO2 as a pollutant under the terms of the Clean Air Act. I am betting that we will take serious action to cure global warming. The Supreme Court never lets us down. Get your sweaters ready.

Here is a link:

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/mar2006/2006-03-06-05.asp
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Posted by rrandb on Monday, June 26, 2006 1:49 AM
QUOTE: Originally posted by solzrules

In the context of the Chinese project on the Yahn Se - 3500 families is a drop in the bucket compared to the tens of thousands of families affected in China. And, much of ancient Chinese culture is going to be buried right along with the towns. It is also interesting to note that the problems associated with the dust bowl like poor soil quality due to overfarming, bankrupt farms due to poor soil performance, and a general lack of economy in the area were not rectified by the TVA. Think of it this way - how many people out of work in that area because of farming failures were able to support their families with employment at the TVA? How much of an increase in the areas' industrial base and cheap energy could be attributed to the benefits of the TVA? Did the human suffering that came about because of the TVA project compare to the Yahn se river project in China? If a majority say that they like their new homes and yet were still having problems with economic issues that existed BEFORE the construction is this really suffering attributed to the TVA project or the depression at large?

What is the net gain or loss?

In China's case the government has decided that relocating hundreds of thousands of people in order to obtain a cheap power source and a wide river capable of freight transport is a worthy trade. My point is that while this may be a good idea on a small scale (the TVA is a brick in a bathtub compared to the Yahn Se business) is it really worth destroying hundreds of thousands of peoples' lives? Would the TVA have proceeded if hundreds of thousands of peoples lives been uprooted?
You may be under the impression that TVA only built one ***. They ***ed tributaries along a 1,000 mile navigable river. As in all such projects some were happy and some just stood on the banks of there new lake missing the past that is now underwater. Did it benifit the majority. Yes. The results are the same in China.
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Posted by vsmith on Monday, June 26, 2006 1:09 AM
QUOTE: Originally posted by solzrules

QUOTE: Originally posted by dsktc

From the National Academy of Sciences:

Date: June 22, 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

'High Confidence' That Planet Is Warmest in 400 Years;
Less Confidence in Temperature Reconstructions Prior to 1600

WASHINGTON -- There is sufficient evidence from tree rings, boreholes, retreating glaciers, and other "proxies" of past surface temperatures to say with a high level of confidence that the last few decades of the 20th century were warmer than any comparable period in the last 400 years, according to a new report from the National Research Council. Less confidence can be placed in proxy-based reconstructions of surface temperatures for A.D. 900 to 1600, said the committee that wrote the report, although the available proxy evidence does indicate that many locations were warmer during the past 25 years than during any other 25-year period since 900. Very little confidence can be placed in statements about average global surface temperatures prior to A.D. 900 because the proxy data for that time frame are sparse, the committee added.

Scientists rely on proxies to reconstruct paleoclimatic surface temperatures because geographically widespread records of temperatures measured with instruments date back only about 150 years. Other proxies include corals, ocean and lake sediments, ice cores, cave deposits, and documentary sources, such as historic drawings of glaciers. The globally averaged warming of about 1 degree Fahrenheit (0.6 degrees Celsius) that instruments have recorded during the last century is also reflected in proxy data for that time period, the committee noted.

The report was requested by Congress after a controversy arose last year over surface temperature reconstructions published by climatologist Michael Mann and his colleagues in the late 1990s. The researchers concluded that the warming of the Northern Hemisphere in the last decades of the 20th century was unprecedented in the past thousand years. In particular, they concluded that the 1990s were the warmest decade, and 1998 the warmest year. Their graph depicting a rise in temperatures at the end of a long era became known as the "hockey stick."

The Research Council committee found the Mann team's conclusion that warming in the last few decades of the 20th century was unprecedented over the last thousand years to be plausible, but it had less confidence that the warming was unprecedented prior to 1600; fewer proxies -- in fewer locations -- provide temperatures for periods before then. Because of larger uncertainties in temperature reconstructions for decades and individual years, and because not all proxies record temperatures for such short timescales, even less confidence can be placed in the Mann team's conclusions about the 1990s, and 1998 in particular.

The committee noted that scientists' reconstructions of Northern Hemisphere surface temperatures for the past thousand years are generally consistent. The reconstructions show relatively warm conditions centered around the year 1000, and a relatively cold period, or "Little Ice Age," from roughly 1500 to 1850. The exact timing of warm episodes in the medieval period may have varied by region, and the magnitude and geographical extent of the warmth is uncertain, the committee said. None of the reconstructions indicates that temperatures were warmer during medieval times than during the past few decades, the committee added.

The scarcity of precisely dated proxy evidence for temperatures before 1600, especially in the Southern Hemisphere, is the main reason there is less confidence in global reconstructions dating back further than that. Other factors that limit confidence include the short length of the instrumental record, which is used to calibrate and validate reconstructions, and the possibility that the relationship between proxy data and local surface temperatures may have varied over time. It also is difficult to estimate a mean global temperature using data from a limited number of sites. On the other hand, confidence in large-scale reconstructions is boosted by the fact that the proxies on which they are based generally exhibit strong correlations with local environmental conditions. Confidence increases further when multiple independent lines of evidence point to the same general phenomenon, such as the Little Ice Age.

Collecting additional proxy data, especially for years before 1600 and for areas where the current data are relatively sparse, would increase our understanding of temperature variations over the last 2,000 years, the report says. In addition, improving access to data on which published temperature reconstructions are based would boost confidence in the results. The report also notes that new analytical methods, or more careful use of existing methods, might help circumvent some of the current limitations associated with large-scale reconstructions.

The committee pointed out that surface temperature reconstructions for periods before the Industrial Revolution -- when levels of atmospheric greenhouse gases were much lower -- are only one of multiple lines of evidence supporting the conclusion that current warming is occurring in response to human activities, and they are not the primary evidence.

The National Research Council is the principal operating arm of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. It is a private, nonprofit institution that provides science and technology advice under a congressional charter. A committee roster follows.

Copies of Surface Temperature Reconstructions for the Last 2,000 Years will be available from the National Academies Press; tel. 202-334-3313 or 1-800-624-6242 or on the Internet at http://www.nap.edu. Reporters may obtain a pre-publication copy from the Office of News and Public Information (contacts listed above).

http://nationalacademies.org/

http://www.realclimate.org/

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/22/science/22cnd-climate.html?

Dave


That's really great - but it still doesn't explain how greenhouse gases brought about the first ice age. If they were much lower back then how did it happen?


Sunspot activity has been the cheif suspect in ice age formation for quite a while now. The more sunspots = less solar radiation = lower surface temps on earth, enough to lower temps to allow ice ages to occur.

PS their have been 9 ice ages in the last 600,000 years. the last ended only 11,000 years ago. Antarctic Ice core samples show that in 600,000 years of measurable atmospheric conditions the CO2 content before and after each ice age never rose above 350 parts pre million in the atmosphere, today its over 450 with a projection of 650 in the next 50 years, We are difinetly doing something to the earth....but nothing will be done by our Fearless Leaders or our Glorious Corporate Captains of Industry as long as they can still make money on Big Oil till Florida dissappears under the sea, then they'll just blame Castro and invade....

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Posted by vsmith on Monday, June 26, 2006 12:57 AM
QUOTE: Originally posted by futuremodal

QUOTE: Originally posted by vsmith

PS the Glen Canyon dam did block a canyon some considered equal in granduer to the Grand Canyon, and its still there....also the Snake, Columbia,Colorado and innumerable western rivers have huge HUGE hyrdo-electric dams all up and down the rivers bottling millions of acres of water behind them covering old towns, roads, RR's etc. The 3 Rivers project in China is just on a bigger scale, and it would never happen here because no one in our government is willing to spend the money on it unless they are getting thier palms and their supporters palms greased in return, either that or it needs a huge wealthy lobbiest group behind it....


So, you have something against lakes? Resevoirs are just lakes, and such have their environmental benefits too. Not to mention increased recreational value over free flowing rivers. Lakes and reservoirs provide users with more H20 surface area than free flowing rivers.

BTW, all those old towns, roads, RR's, etc now under water behind US dams were usually replaced in better condition than pre-dam. Roads and railroad alignments post-dam are usually of more tangents and broad sweeping curvature than the old riverside alignments. Before all those dams were built on the Columbia, the UP line along there was just curve after rock fall curve. Now it's fast track (albeit congested fast track!)

Of course, it is doubtful the Chinese are replacing the old towns and villages with anything to write home about. Stewardship isn't in their lexicon.

My point was that large scale projects like 3 rivers gorge have been done here also, 3 rivers justs ratchets the scale and effects notch up a bit...

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Posted by solzrules on Sunday, June 25, 2006 10:54 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by Hugh Jampton

QUOTE: Originally posted by solzrules

In the context of the Chinese project on the Yahn Se - 3500 families is a drop in the bucket compared to the tens of thousands of families affected in China. And, much of ancient Chinese culture is going to be buried right along with the towns. It is also interesting to note that the problems associated with the dust bowl like poor soil quality due to overfarming, bankrupt farms due to poor soil performance, and a general lack of economy in the area were not rectified by the TVA. Think of it this way - how many people out of work in that area because of farming failures were able to support their families with employment at the TVA? How much of an increase in the areas' industrial base and cheap energy could be attributed to the benefits of the TVA? Did the human suffering that came about because of the TVA project compare to the Yahn se river project in China? If a majority say that they like their new homes and yet were still having problems with economic issues that existed BEFORE the construction is this really suffering attributed to the TVA project or the depression at large?

What is the net gain or loss?

In China's case the government has decided that relocating hundreds of thousands of people in order to obtain a cheap power source and a wide river capable of freight transport is a worthy trade. My point is that while this may be a good idea on a small scale (the TVA is a brick in a bathtub compared to the Yahn Se business) is it really worth destroying hundreds of thousands of peoples' lives? Would the TVA have proceeded if hundreds of thousands of peoples lives been uprooted?


You go from tens of thousands of families to hundreds of thousands of people, implying a family size of 10. Odd considering that Chuna has a law saying you can only have 1 child.
BTW. a hundred thousand people is only one one-hundredths of a percent of the population.


I was being conservative in my estimate of the populace affected. I can see that I will have to come up with some concrete numbers now[:0] I can assure you I am erring on the side of caution. The real numbers are far higher. Also, given the nature of the Chinese government, data from that source is suspect due to communist governments' neat ability to cook the books to make themselves look good. (Chernobyl comes to mind here.....) I'll see what I can find.
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Posted by Hugh Jampton on Saturday, June 24, 2006 9:31 AM
QUOTE: Originally posted by solzrules

In the context of the Chinese project on the Yahn Se - 3500 families is a drop in the bucket compared to the tens of thousands of families affected in China. And, much of ancient Chinese culture is going to be buried right along with the towns. It is also interesting to note that the problems associated with the dust bowl like poor soil quality due to overfarming, bankrupt farms due to poor soil performance, and a general lack of economy in the area were not rectified by the TVA. Think of it this way - how many people out of work in that area because of farming failures were able to support their families with employment at the TVA? How much of an increase in the areas' industrial base and cheap energy could be attributed to the benefits of the TVA? Did the human suffering that came about because of the TVA project compare to the Yahn se river project in China? If a majority say that they like their new homes and yet were still having problems with economic issues that existed BEFORE the construction is this really suffering attributed to the TVA project or the depression at large?

What is the net gain or loss?

In China's case the government has decided that relocating hundreds of thousands of people in order to obtain a cheap power source and a wide river capable of freight transport is a worthy trade. My point is that while this may be a good idea on a small scale (the TVA is a brick in a bathtub compared to the Yahn Se business) is it really worth destroying hundreds of thousands of peoples' lives? Would the TVA have proceeded if hundreds of thousands of peoples lives been uprooted?


You go from tens of thousands of families to hundreds of thousands of people, implying a family size of 10. Odd considering that Chuna has a law saying you can only have 1 child.
BTW. a hundred thousand people is only one one-hundredths of a percent of the population.
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Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, June 24, 2006 8:47 AM
From what I understand, China does not shackle itself with western style "green" ideology. They are communists with a hobby of capitalist-industrial growth, and are not about to let the environment get in the way.

In terms of envionmental impact, the industrial explosion underway in China represents the biggest threat of all, if they don't turn "green." Oddly enough, while the Kyoto treaty imposes a huge burden on the U.S. and other modern, industrialized countries, it largely exempts China under the philosophy that China is too disadvantaged to withstand the burden of Kyoto.
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Posted by solzrules on Friday, June 23, 2006 6:12 PM
In the context of the Chinese project on the Yahn Se - 3500 families is a drop in the bucket compared to the tens of thousands of families affected in China. And, much of ancient Chinese culture is going to be buried right along with the towns. It is also interesting to note that the problems associated with the dust bowl like poor soil quality due to overfarming, bankrupt farms due to poor soil performance, and a general lack of economy in the area were not rectified by the TVA. Think of it this way - how many people out of work in that area because of farming failures were able to support their families with employment at the TVA? How much of an increase in the areas' industrial base and cheap energy could be attributed to the benefits of the TVA? Did the human suffering that came about because of the TVA project compare to the Yahn se river project in China? If a majority say that they like their new homes and yet were still having problems with economic issues that existed BEFORE the construction is this really suffering attributed to the TVA project or the depression at large?

What is the net gain or loss?

In China's case the government has decided that relocating hundreds of thousands of people in order to obtain a cheap power source and a wide river capable of freight transport is a worthy trade. My point is that while this may be a good idea on a small scale (the TVA is a brick in a bathtub compared to the Yahn Se business) is it really worth destroying hundreds of thousands of peoples' lives? Would the TVA have proceeded if hundreds of thousands of peoples lives been uprooted?
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Posted by Anonymous on Friday, June 23, 2006 5:30 PM
The Displaced People of Norris Basin
2 of 3

TVA was created to raise the standard of living in an area that contained three-and-a-half million people. But when Norris Dam was built it flooded an area of 239 square acres that approximately 3,500 families called home. Section 2, Paragraph (h) of the Act establishing TVA gave it the power "to exercise the right of eminent domain, and in the purchase of any real estate or the condemnation of real estate by condemnation proceedings, the title to such real estate."

Although TVA had been created to improve the conditions of the people of eastern Tennessee, the federal government did not offer much help in resettling the displaced people of the Norris Basin. Farm owners were given cash settlements for their condemned property and received help in finding new homes. Tenants, who had no land to sell, received no payments at all.

The Basin had been home to many families for generations. Grandparents and great-grandparents were buried here. All of the valley's dead had to be exhumed and reburied in areas out of the reach of the waters created by the Norris dam. For the close-knit families of the Norris Basin, this was an especially difficult part of the relocation process.

Some of the displaced families benefited from the coming of TVA. Most, for example, felt their new homes were nicer than their old ones. And about one in five had a family member who found work for TVA. But sixty percent of the dispossessed families moved to new homes within the five counties that made up the Norris Basin area--an area that suffered from the same problems of overcrowding and poor farming conditions that had troubled them in their old homes.

http://newdeal.feri.org/tva/tva26.htm
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Posted by solzrules on Friday, June 23, 2006 5:21 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by rrandb

QUOTE: Originally posted by solzrules

QUOTE: Originally posted by rrandb

You obviously have never heard of TVA, Hoover dam, the Grand Coulie dam, etc. etc. The TVA dams displaced more people than live in the state of RI. You must of been home sick that day in school.[#oops]



None of those ***s misplaced that many people. (Do you have Info??? I make a habit of not believing every thing I hear. I done learnt that in school. [:D])

Also, the U.S. government wasn't out bulldozing cities flat so boats could pass above them after the river filled out. If they did, I am sure there would be a lawsuit or two (don't you think??). The neat thing about communist China is that they can just decree that is what will be done. End of story. Kiss your belongings good-bye. Thank God for the U.S.A.
During the depression the good ole' USA could and did what it wanted to for the good of the majority. Here is a link to the TVA history by them. http://www.tva.gov/abouttva/history.htm They condemed peoples land, homes, factories, railroads, whatever was in their way for the good of all. In the seven states surronding the 1,000 mile long Tennessee River Valley if you were in their way you moved. You will notice in their official history there is no mention of anyone being displaced? They all just left by majic. Yet there are still roads that lead to the edge of the lakes and just disapear onward towards the towns that are underwater. China is just 80 years behind us but learning fast.


If they didn't mention the people who were displaced by the TVA project, could it have been because there wasn't any? (In other words - do you have evidence that there were towns and cities relocated? So far you showed me an article that doesn't mention it. Got any real proof?) The article states that the Tenessee Valley was over farmed and basically a victim of the dust bowl in the 30's. Most farmers during the dust bowl lost their farms and moved out to Cali (the Grapes of Wrath would be a great book on this topic - ficitonal, yet typical) Of course, I wouldn't know that from school [:D], in fact, it is amazing that I even know how to type coherent scentences on this magical electronic wonder-box[:D]. I am also amazed that these weird looking characters on this rectangle actually go together to form words and that when I say the words together I can ascertain what a person is saying.[:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D]

Anyway, another little tidbit to ponder - Are we saying that maybe Roosevelt was wrong when he signed the TVA into law? Are we saying that perhaps the party Roosevelt was affiliated with was not the party to care for the enviroment?

I actually support what Roosevelt did - the country was in a severe depression brought about by excess in the 20's. Saving the spotted owl was not nearly as important as feeding the jobless and starving masses: accomplished, by the way, through government works projects that gave people a steady job and income to get them on their feet and hopefully back into the private sector. During such times of crisis the enviroment needs to take a far back seat to taking care of your fellow man.
Cheers.[xx(]
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Posted by solzrules on Friday, June 23, 2006 5:06 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by dsktc

From the NYT:

"SHANGMA HUANGTOU, China — When Wei Yong returned home to his ancestral village last year to visit his 77-year-old mother, he heard about the tremors. Late one night, the residents told him, the village was rocked by what everyone thought was an earthquake. The ground shook. The houses trembled. And the earth cracked open.

"Liu Run told me her walls were about to cave in," Mr. Wei said. "My sister says everywhere is sinking. She won't even let the dog roam free at night."

"There was no earthquake, however. Instead, here in this small village in the central province of Shanxi, three large coal mining operations had been burrowing underground for coal — day and night, sometimes with dynamite. And from far below, they had cracked the earth.

"The village of Shangma Huangtou is just the latest victim of a coal mining boom that is devastating large swaths of north China, where some of the nation's richest coal deposits lie. China is the world's largest producer of coal, and much of it is mined here.

"While Shanxi provides the fuel that powers China's sizzling economy, thousands of acres of land are sinking because of the ravages of underground coal mining."

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/23/business/worldbusiness/23sinking.html?

Dave


Sounds to me like the Chinese need a little OSHA action out there. That's what happens when you dig like crazy without thinking about what's overhead.
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Posted by solzrules on Friday, June 23, 2006 5:03 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by zardoz

WASHINGTON - The Earth is running a slight fever from greenhouse gases, after enjoying relatively stable temperatures for 2,000 years. The National Academy of Sciences, after reconstructing global average surface temperatures for the past two millennia, said Thursday the data are "additional supporting evidence ... that human activities are responsible for much of the recent warming."


didn't that last study admit that temps from ealier than 600 years ago couldn't be relied on as accurate? How then can they establi***emps from 2000 years ago?

QUOTE:
Other new research showed that global warming produced about half of the extra hurricane-fueled warmth in the North Atlantic in 2005, and natural cycles were a minor factor, according to Kevin Trenberth and Dennis Shea of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, a research lab sponsored by the National Science Foundation and universities.

The academy had been asked to report to Congress on how researchers drew conclusions about the Earth's climate going back thousands of years, before data was available from modern scientific instruments. The academy convened a panel of 12 climate experts, chaired by Gerald North, a geosciences professor at Texas A&M University, to look at the "proxy" evidence before then, such as tree rings, corals, marine and lake sediments, ice cores, boreholes and glaciers.

Combining that information gave the panel "a high level of confidence that the last few decades of the 20th century were warmer than any comparable period in the last 400 years," the panel wrote. It said the "recent warmth is unprecedented for at least the last 400 years and potentially the last several millennia," though it was relatively warm around the year 1000 followed by a "Little Ice Age" from about 1500 to 1850.

Their conclusions were meant to address, and they lent credibility to, a well-known graphic among climate researchers — a "hockey-stick" chart that climate scientists Michael Mann, Raymond Bradley and Malcolm Hughes created in the late 1990s to show the Northern Hemisphere was the warmest it has been in 2,000 years.

It had compared the sharp curve of the hockey blade to the recent uptick in temperatures — a 1 degree rise in global average surface temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere during the 20th century — and the stick's long shaft to centuries of previous climate stability.

"This report shows the value of Congress handling scientific disputes by asking scientists to give us guidance," Boehlert said Thursday. "There is nothing in this report that should raise any doubts about the broad scientific consensus on global climate change."

The academy panel said it had less confidence in the evidence of temperatures before 1600.


I am begining to wonder what to think. First the proxy data was used to determine with "a high level of confidence" what the temperatures were 2000 years ago and now they have 'less confidence" in the years preceeding 1600. One might wonder if they know anything for certain.

QUOTE:
But it considered the evidence reliable enough to conclude there were sharp spikes in carbon dioxide and methane, the two major "greenhouse" gases blamed for trapping heat in the atmosphere, beginning in the 20th century, after remaining fairly level for 12,000 years.


Okay this one really begs the question: If they didn't have the equipment to take accurate temperature readings 400 years ago how in the world where they able to assess the greenhouse gas content 12,000 years ago? Wouldn't that monitoring equipment be a little more sophisticated?

QUOTE:
Between 1 A.D. and 1850, volcanic eruptions and solar fluctuations had the biggest effects on climate. But those temperature changes "were much less pronounced than the warming due to greenhouse gas" levels by pollution since the mid-19th century, the panel said.


Given the contradictions they wrote into this article I find it amazing that this conclusion is supposed to be accepted beyond a reasonable doubt.

Anyhoo, thanks for the post Zardoz, tis always interesting to read this stuff. Please don't take offense to my comments, they weren't meant be inflammatory, it is just that when I read this stuff these are the questions that pop into my head.
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Posted by Anonymous on Friday, June 23, 2006 4:47 PM
From the NYT:

"NOT long ago, I stood at the bottom of a strip mine in Wyoming and looked up at a 70-foot-high seam of coal. It had a brownish cast and crumbled when I touched it. I could see bits of woody fiber, the remains of a huge swamp that existed there 50 million years ago. I imagined this great coal seam rolling under the prairie for hundreds of miles. "We're the OPEC of coal," the head of a coal industry trade group told me later.

"Now that the need for greater energy independence has become a universal political slogan, every county commissioner in America has an idea of how we can break free of our Middle Eastern oil shackles: ethanol, hydrogen, solar panels on the roof of every Hummer! Still, it's hard not to be optimistic when you're standing in front of a 70-foot seam of coal. It's not hype; it's real. Is the bridge to energy independence paved in black?

"During World War II, the ***, who were desperate to find a way to power their tanks with coal, pursued technology to transform coal into liquid fuels. In South Africa today, one energy company, Sasol, produces about 150,000 barrels a day of diesel from coal.

"We could do far better in the United States. According to a recent report by the National Coal Council, an advisory board to the Department of Energy that is dominated by coal executives, if America invested $211 billion in coal-to-liquids refineries over the next 20 years, we could make 2.6 million barrels of diesel per day, enhancing the American oil supply by 10 percent. A number of coal-to-liquids plants are on the drawing boards in the United States, and China is eagerly pursuing this technology too."

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/23/opinion/23goodell.html?

Jeff Goodell is the author of "Big Coal: The Dirty Secret Behind America's Energy Future."

Dave
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Posted by Anonymous on Friday, June 23, 2006 4:23 PM
From the NYT:

"SHANGMA HUANGTOU, China — When Wei Yong returned home to his ancestral village last year to visit his 77-year-old mother, he heard about the tremors. Late one night, the residents told him, the village was rocked by what everyone thought was an earthquake. The ground shook. The houses trembled. And the earth cracked open.

"Liu Run told me her walls were about to cave in," Mr. Wei said. "My sister says everywhere is sinking. She won't even let the dog roam free at night."

"There was no earthquake, however. Instead, here in this small village in the central province of Shanxi, three large coal mining operations had been burrowing underground for coal — day and night, sometimes with dynamite. And from far below, they had cracked the earth.

"The village of Shangma Huangtou is just the latest victim of a coal mining boom that is devastating large swaths of north China, where some of the nation's richest coal deposits lie. China is the world's largest producer of coal, and much of it is mined here.

"While Shanxi provides the fuel that powers China's sizzling economy, thousands of acres of land are sinking because of the ravages of underground coal mining."

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/23/business/worldbusiness/23sinking.html?

Dave
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Posted by rrandb on Friday, June 23, 2006 8:24 AM
Less confidence in there data before 400 years ago translates to they are unable to meet the criteria for Proof. As per an interview with said scientist on NPR. Any further back than that is an educated guess. There crystal tree rings are just too fuzzy for them to call them facts.
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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, June 22, 2006 10:58 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by tomtrain

Okay, daring to be dumb here. Some questions. This report talks about surface temperatures. What about temperatures higher up in the atmosphere? Is there no way to determine their past nature compared with today? And do they have more of an impact on overall climate?

This whole existence we're part of is dynamic. We can't hold time still. In terms of eras of time, carbon moves back and forth from solid states to gaseous states. How are we to know what is "liveable"?

As far as we can predict, the Earth will use up its core heat eventually, and turn into a cold rock like our neighboring planets. To aspire into the future, should we as humans focus more on developing ways of existing that are not tied to living conditions on Earth?


Good questions. I once asked a scientist why the earth is hot inside. I'll bet you can't guess what he told me.

The weather changes all the time. The seasons change. It would not be improbable, and evidence suggests, that the climate changes as well. It is not clear that the change will cause significant damage, and it is certainly not clear that man's burning of fossil fuels is causing it. And yet we are barraged by this shrill crisis mongering that is blowing this up to near Biblical proportions as though it is nature's revenge for the material sins of mankind and especially the developed world.
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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, June 22, 2006 10:28 PM
Okay, daring to be dumb here. Some questions. This report talks about surface temperatures. What about temperatures higher up in the atmosphere? Is there no way to determine their past nature compared with today? And do they have more of an impact on overall climate?

This whole existence we're part of is dynamic. We can't hold time still. In terms of eras of time, carbon moves back and forth from solid states to gaseous states. How are we to know what is "liveable"?

As far as we can predict, the Earth will use up its core heat eventually, and turn into a cold rock like our neighboring planets. To aspire into the future, should we as humans focus more on developing ways of existing that are not tied to living conditions on Earth?
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Posted by rrandb on Thursday, June 22, 2006 8:40 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by solzrules

QUOTE: Originally posted by rrandb

You obviously have never heard of TVA, Hoover dam, the Grand Coulie dam, etc. etc. The TVA dams displaced more people than live in the state of RI. You must of been home sick that day in school.[#oops]



None of those ***s misplaced that many people. (Do you have Info??? I make a habit of not believing every thing I hear. I done learnt that in school. [:D])

Also, the U.S. government wasn't out bulldozing cities flat so boats could pass above them after the river filled out. If they did, I am sure there would be a lawsuit or two (don't you think??). The neat thing about communist China is that they can just decree that is what will be done. End of story. Kiss your belongings good-bye. Thank God for the U.S.A.
During the depression the good ole' USA could and did what it wanted to for the good of the majority. Here is a link to the TVA history by them. http://www.tva.gov/abouttva/history.htm They condemed peoples land, homes, factories, railroads, whatever was in their way for the good of all. In the seven states surronding the 1,000 mile long Tennessee River Valley if you were in their way you moved. You will notice in their official history there is no mention of anyone being displaced? They all just left by majic. Yet there are still roads that lead to the edge of the lakes and just disapear onward towards the towns that are underwater. China is just 80 years behind us but learning fast.
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Posted by solzrules on Thursday, June 22, 2006 8:37 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by dsktc

From the National Academy of Sciences:

Date: June 22, 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

'High Confidence' That Planet Is Warmest in 400 Years;
Less Confidence in Temperature Reconstructions Prior to 1600

WASHINGTON -- There is sufficient evidence from tree rings, boreholes, retreating glaciers, and other "proxies" of past surface temperatures to say with a high level of confidence that the last few decades of the 20th century were warmer than any comparable period in the last 400 years, according to a new report from the National Research Council. Less confidence can be placed in proxy-based reconstructions of surface temperatures for A.D. 900 to 1600, said the committee that wrote the report, although the available proxy evidence does indicate that many locations were warmer during the past 25 years than during any other 25-year period since 900. Very little confidence can be placed in statements about average global surface temperatures prior to A.D. 900 because the proxy data for that time frame are sparse, the committee added.

Scientists rely on proxies to reconstruct paleoclimatic surface temperatures because geographically widespread records of temperatures measured with instruments date back only about 150 years. Other proxies include corals, ocean and lake sediments, ice cores, cave deposits, and documentary sources, such as historic drawings of glaciers. The globally averaged warming of about 1 degree Fahrenheit (0.6 degrees Celsius) that instruments have recorded during the last century is also reflected in proxy data for that time period, the committee noted.

The report was requested by Congress after a controversy arose last year over surface temperature reconstructions published by climatologist Michael Mann and his colleagues in the late 1990s. The researchers concluded that the warming of the Northern Hemisphere in the last decades of the 20th century was unprecedented in the past thousand years. In particular, they concluded that the 1990s were the warmest decade, and 1998 the warmest year. Their graph depicting a rise in temperatures at the end of a long era became known as the "hockey stick."

The Research Council committee found the Mann team's conclusion that warming in the last few decades of the 20th century was unprecedented over the last thousand years to be plausible, but it had less confidence that the warming was unprecedented prior to 1600; fewer proxies -- in fewer locations -- provide temperatures for periods before then. Because of larger uncertainties in temperature reconstructions for decades and individual years, and because not all proxies record temperatures for such short timescales, even less confidence can be placed in the Mann team's conclusions about the 1990s, and 1998 in particular.

The committee noted that scientists' reconstructions of Northern Hemisphere surface temperatures for the past thousand years are generally consistent. The reconstructions show relatively warm conditions centered around the year 1000, and a relatively cold period, or "Little Ice Age," from roughly 1500 to 1850. The exact timing of warm episodes in the medieval period may have varied by region, and the magnitude and geographical extent of the warmth is uncertain, the committee said. None of the reconstructions indicates that temperatures were warmer during medieval times than during the past few decades, the committee added.

The scarcity of precisely dated proxy evidence for temperatures before 1600, especially in the Southern Hemisphere, is the main reason there is less confidence in global reconstructions dating back further than that. Other factors that limit confidence include the short length of the instrumental record, which is used to calibrate and validate reconstructions, and the possibility that the relationship between proxy data and local surface temperatures may have varied over time. It also is difficult to estimate a mean global temperature using data from a limited number of sites. On the other hand, confidence in large-scale reconstructions is boosted by the fact that the proxies on which they are based generally exhibit strong correlations with local environmental conditions. Confidence increases further when multiple independent lines of evidence point to the same general phenomenon, such as the Little Ice Age.

Collecting additional proxy data, especially for years before 1600 and for areas where the current data are relatively sparse, would increase our understanding of temperature variations over the last 2,000 years, the report says. In addition, improving access to data on which published temperature reconstructions are based would boost confidence in the results. The report also notes that new analytical methods, or more careful use of existing methods, might help circumvent some of the current limitations associated with large-scale reconstructions.

The committee pointed out that surface temperature reconstructions for periods before the Industrial Revolution -- when levels of atmospheric greenhouse gases were much lower -- are only one of multiple lines of evidence supporting the conclusion that current warming is occurring in response to human activities, and they are not the primary evidence.

The National Research Council is the principal operating arm of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. It is a private, nonprofit institution that provides science and technology advice under a congressional charter. A committee roster follows.

Copies of Surface Temperature Reconstructions for the Last 2,000 Years will be available from the National Academies Press; tel. 202-334-3313 or 1-800-624-6242 or on the Internet at http://www.nap.edu. Reporters may obtain a pre-publication copy from the Office of News and Public Information (contacts listed above).

http://nationalacademies.org/

http://www.realclimate.org/

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/22/science/22cnd-climate.html?

Dave


That's really great - but it still doesn't explain how greenhouse gases brought about the first ice age. If they were much lower back then how did it happen?
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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, June 22, 2006 7:31 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by vsmith

PS the Glen Canyon dam did block a canyon some considered equal in granduer to the Grand Canyon, and its still there....also the Snake, Columbia,Colorado and innumerable western rivers have huge HUGE hyrdo-electric dams all up and down the rivers bottling millions of acres of water behind them covering old towns, roads, RR's etc. The 3 Rivers project in China is just on a bigger scale, and it would never happen here because no one in our government is willing to spend the money on it unless they are getting thier palms and their supporters palms greased in return, either that or it needs a huge wealthy lobbiest group behind it....


So, you have something against lakes? Resevoirs are just lakes, and such have their environmental benefits too. Not to mention increased recreational value over free flowing rivers. Lakes and reservoirs provide users with more H20 surface area than free flowing rivers.

BTW, all those old towns, roads, RR's, etc now under water behind US dams were usually replaced in better condition than pre-dam. Roads and railroad alignments post-dam are usually of more tangents and broad sweeping curvature than the old riverside alignments. Before all those dams were built on the Columbia, the UP line along there was just curve after rock fall curve. Now it's fast track (albeit congested fast track!)

Of course, it is doubtful the Chinese are replacing the old towns and villages with anything to write home about. Stewardship isn't in their lexicon.

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