Global cooling

[MalibuGuru]

I'm currently enjoying the warming. I could use a little more heat. Please rev up your engines.

[LHDR]

With all due respect, GT, I think part of the problem is that the older generation is just somewhat stuck in their ways. Often that is a good thing, sometimes not.

Take it from these companies, they cannot afford to get stuck or they perish. Even isobars' old company is with it! Possible that it's mostly a cynical publicity stunt but still....


April 26, 2017
The Honorable Donald J. Trump
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C.

Dear Mr. President,

We write to express our support for continued participation by the United States in the Paris
climate change agreement.

Climate change presents U.S. companies with both business risks and business opportunities.

U.S. business interests are best served by a stable and practical framework facilitating an effective and balanced global response. We believe the Paris Agreement provides such a framework.

Companies based or operating in the United States benefit from U.S. participation in the agreement in many ways:
- Strengthening competitiveness: By requiring action by all parties, developed and developing countries alike, the agreement ensures a more balanced global effort, reducing the risk of competitive imbalances for U.S. companies.
- Supporting sound investment: By setting clearer long-term objectives, and by improving transparency, the agreement provides greater clarity on policy direction, enabling better long-term planning and investment.
- Creating jobs, markets and growth: By committing all countries to action, the agreement expands markets for innovative clean technologies, generating jobs and economic growth. U.S. companies are well positioned to lead, and lack of U.S. participation could put their access to these growing markets at risk.
- Minimizing costs: By encouraging market-based implementation, the agreement helps companies innovate to achieve environmental objectives at the lowest possible cost.
- Reducing business risks: By strengthening global action over time, the agreement will reduce future climate damages, including physical harm to business facilities and operations, declining agricultural productivity and water supplies, and disruption of global supply chains.

As businesses concerned with the well-being of our customers, our investors, our communities, and our suppliers, we are strengthening our climate resilience, and we are investing in renewables, efficiency, nuclear, biofuels, carbon capture, sequestration, and other innovative technologies that can help achieve a clean energy transition. For this transition to succeed, however, governments must lead as well. We urge that the United States remain a party to the Paris Agreement, work constructively with other nations to implement the agreement, and work to strengthen international support for a broad range of innovative technologies.

We believe that as other countries invest in advanced technologies and move forward with the Paris Agreement, the United States can best exercise global leadership and advance U.S. interests by remaining a full partner in this vital global effort.

We appreciate the opportunity to share our views and would welcome the opportunity to provide further input as the Administration continues to shape its climate policies.

Sincerely,

Apple, BHP Billiton, BP, DuPont, General Mills, Google, Intel, Microsoft, National Grid, Novartis Corporation, PG&E, Rio Tinto, Schneider Electric, Shell, Unilever, Walmart

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/09/opinion/the-business-case-for-the-paris-climate-accord.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-left-region&region=opinion-c-col-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region

[GURGLETROUSERS]

As ever, LHDR, people differ in ways that can appear perverse. But we are victims of our time and place to a large extent. (My mother had some strong views which she piled on me, and it was onlyby my mid twenties that I could see them for how nonsensical some of them really were.)

But what angers me nowadays, is the arrogantly expressed belief that we are now so technologically advanced that we can disregard or ignore the practical lessons learnt by our less accomplished ancestors.That's why I was so riled over the flooding fiasco of that previous winter. The ancients were clearly aware that, if you don't remove the plug so to speak, the bath water won't drain away! But 'our' great and wise thought otherwise!! (And then blamed the flooding on- well, you know!!!!)

Obviously prudent steps now need to be taken.

Will continue, but still got posting problems.)

[GURGLETROUSERS]

Continued.

When people cite sea level rise and consequent flooding, I cite the great storm surge of 1955. As a teen, I stood watching at a south coast channel sea front, as the sea systematically demolished a row of houses, one of which was a large Victorian building. The highlight (to me) was when a grand piano, which had teetered on a broken and sagging floor, finally crashed down into the raging surf, with a defiant discordant jangling of its keys. I vivdly remember how the crown just burst out in a round of applause and nods and smiles ( at its defiance against the overwhelming forces) for such was the spirit of those post war days.

The damage in Holland was much more severe and tragic. The dikes were badly breached and much of the hard won reclaimed land was once again beneath the sea. Both of our countries immediately began a massive sea defences building program, which still goes on to this day. The object is to guard against the one in a thousand year event, such as that one.

My point is, supposing that storm had struck today, wouldn't that have been cited as proof absolute of rising sea levels, and global warming, when in fact it was really a natural event.

Of course it's prudent to take sensible measures now, but it can only be sticking plaster. My belief is that our basic human nature can be our greatest asset in that, we tend to wait till absolutely necessary to take action, then apply ourselves with all of our might to survive.

[GURGLETROUSERS]

Just to add an apocryphal tale, which the invention of perfectly sums up our human spirit of defiance.

In the Dutch rescue operation of 1955 a helicopter hovered over an elderly couple sitting on the roof of their submerged in the sea house, and lowered a safety harness. The husband, mistaking the purpose, thought they were in need of help, and wrapped it around the chimney stack to tether them, while the wife popped back in through the skylight, to make a cup of tea!

Doesn't it just fill you with pride at being a part of our defiant human race!

[real-human]

[real-human]

[real-human]

[mrgybe]

Take heart, GT!!..........some things never change. First, a comment that starts "with all due respect" will inevitably end up insulting the addressee's intelligence. Second, as always, younger people have brash confidence they know more than their older counterparts.........until they get older. Third, many assume that government bureaucrats flying first class into massive unproductive gatherings have the answers.........the same bureaucrats that boldly told us diesel engines are answer, and wood burning stoves, and windmills, and ethanol, and MTBE and stopping dredging...........right up to the moment those bureaucrats tell us that the things they promoted are in fact making things worse, and it's our fault.

Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose.

[real-human]