As the Advice Man for Lawn Doctor, I was faced with a dilemma during the recent water ban.
If I continued to water the lawn at Lawn Doctor’s Corporate headquarters I would be going against the rules. But if I didn’t my lawn -- and possibly my reputation -- could be damaged.
I know I made the right decision by not watering, in light of the fact I could have put the supply of potable water in jeopardy.
It seems like from the recent Patch poll called "Would You Turn In Your Neighbor?" it was tough for other homeowners as well.
I was surprised to see how many people would call the town on their neighbor if they saw they were watering during the ban.
With the heat continuing to rise I am going to make sure I practice what I preach when it comes to watering my own lawn as well, irrigating a section at a time and raising the mowing height.
I am also going to make sure that I am on the best of terms with all of my neighbors.
"Scientists note that there are two new and different twists to today's changing climate: (1) The globe is warming at a faster rate than it ever has before; and (2) Humans are the main reason Earth is warming. Since the industrial revolution, which began in the mid-1800s, humans have attained the magnitude of a geological force in terms of our ability to change Earth's environment and impact its climate system." The official NASA Web page containing the statement is here: http://science.nasa.gov/earth-science/big-questions/is-the-global-earth-system-changing-and-what-are-the-consequences/ And on the same day NASA accomplished its incredible feat of science and engineering -- having no room for error to safely land the MSL on Mars, many millions of miles from earth -- the director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies at Columbia University, and several of his colleagues, published a peer-reviewed paper in the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences further reinforcing NASA's conclusion, as well as that of the overwhelming majority of the world's scientists: http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/05/us/climate-change/index.html
"By many measurements, this summer’s drought is one for the record books. But so was last year’s drought in the South Central states. And it has been only a decade since an extreme five-year drought hit the American West. Widespread annual droughts, once a rare calamity, have become more frequent and are set to become the 'new normal.'" "Until recently, many scientists spoke of climate change mainly as a 'threat,' sometime in the future. But it is increasingly clear that we already live in the era of human-induced climate change, with a growing frequency of weather and climate extremes like heat waves, droughts, floods and fires." The article by the three scientists concludes thusly: "There is still time to prevent the worst; the risk of a multidecade megadrought in the American West can be reduced if we reduce fossil-fuel emissions. But there can be little doubt that what was once thought to be a future threat is suddenly, catastrophically upon us." Here is the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/12/opinion/sunday/extreme-weather-and-drought-are-here-to-stay.html?hp
“It’s hard even for people like me to believe, to see that climate change is actually doing what our worst fears dictated,” said Jennifer A. Francis, a Rutgers University scientist who studies the effect of sea ice on weather patterns. “It’s starting to give me chills, to tell you the truth.” "Scientific forecasts based on computer modeling have long suggested that a time will come when the Arctic will be completely free of ice in the summer, perhaps by the middle of the century. This year’s prodigious melting is lending credibility to more pessimistic analyses that it may come much sooner, perhaps by the end of the decade." “It’s an example of how uncertainty is not our friend when it comes to climate-change risk,” said Michael E. Mann, a climate scientist at Pennsylvania State University. “In this case, the models were almost certainly too conservative in the changes they were projecting, probably because of important missing physics.”
When you leave out "a lot", you begin to change the meaning. It doesn't require an expert in a field to recognize when someone has stepped over the line in science. To say that the evidence of global warming is incontrovertible is a dogmatic or ideological statement, not a scientific one. Offering the anecdote of Ivar Giaever is a fine reply to Steve's quotes from the NYT. An authentic scientist shows humility and says no more than that the theory is still holding up. He doesn't say his theory is not able to be denied or disputed.
Do we stop using OIL JUST LIKE THAT ? Do we stop farting .Do we stop Living ? All these Scientists put out there opinion (not fact) but not one comes up with any power source that will take gas/oil place. So until that time comes it wil always be a political chip to play . The day a real replacememt is found is teh day the politicians will fight it tooth and nail . They are all making big bucks off of it.
Climate Change is real. Earth's climate has been changing for 4.5 billion years. Why don't these climatologists worry about our National Debt at 16 Trillion Dollars? That's $4,000 per year or Earth's history (or $1,000 for every year since the BIG BANG!) Holy Crap! THAT's what's going to kill us! Oh that's right, Climate Change is just another distraction for the failures of the Obama Monarchy: Gas prices double what they were when he took office Unemployment over 8% since he took office Sustained growth rates in the 1 - 2% range following a recession (unprecedented in US History) Less people working than when he took office Yes, Climate Change is real. Today may be warmer than yesterday, but this debt is what's going to kill us, much faster than Mother Nature (or rogue Asteroid!)
Maybe it wasn't the kid who broke the vase. Maybe it was the dog. Maybe it was the wind or an earthquake tremor. (Maybe mankind CAN blame the climate after all!) For you to sit and judge and equate those that disagree with you to children and unable to think for themselves kind of paints you as closed-minded, at best. Just saying...
Are you willing to destroy this country in order to save the planet? Do you think China, Russia, India, and Iran will follow our lead? I don't think so. How far are you willing to go?
You are correct. We just have to follow the money (and Gore got very wealthy). The earth is billions years old, and we have for the past 200 yrs. of industry have ruined it? I do not think so. Christine Whitman signed up New Jersey in year 2000, to Sustainable NJ (AGENDA 21) with choking rules by the EPA and unelected people making rules and regulations for the rest of us, and there land grabs of Open Spaces. http://www.sustainablejersey.com/about.php EPA.. http://www.state.nj.us/dep/opsc/
Antarctic sea ice set another record this past week, with the most amount of ice ever recorded on day 256 of the calendar year (September 12 of this leap year). http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamestaylor/2012/09/19/antarctic-sea-ice-sets-another-record/
Volcanic eruptions, underwater magma/lava flows, sunspots, solar flares, surface reflectivity, temperatures in the higher levels of our atmosphere, and radiational cooling all are some major factors in how this earth reacts which cause varying weather cycles. We as humans can not be shackled due to a theory that is driven and perpetuated by people elected into government along with alarmists that freak out and scare people who are ignorant ( not their fault ) to egg head science speak.
Humans do not have enough years of statistical data to determine whether they are theories or facts. Bottom line.