Jul 16 2010
As Global Heat Wave Scorches, Will Climate Scientists Step Up To the Plate?
Just six months after Americans experienced a record breakingly cold winter, prompting global warming deniers to gloat, a severe heat wave has been scorching the nation all week with above 100 degree temperatures from New York to Los Angeles. And it’s not Americans sweating. The Chinese capital Beijing has hit a near record high of 105 degrees. Iraqi cities are at above 110 degrees, and in Kuwait, temperatures soared to 122 degrees. Russia is experiencing a bizarre spike in drowning deaths as people flock to local beaches to escape their record high temperatures. The global heat wave has kick-started the debate over climate change even as a UK-based panel recently exonerated scientists at the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change who were involved in the so-called Climate-gate scandal. But weather extremes are exactly what scientists studying global warming predict. Adding to the tidal wave of research predicting catastrophic consequences, a new Stanford University study found that exceptionally long heat waves and other extreme hot weather events are likely to become common in the US over the next 3 decades as a result of global warming. Overall warming is also following expected trends as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), has found – the first five months of 2010 are the warmest on record. As Americans ponder their reliance on the use of fossil fuels, BP has announced that it has successfully capped off the flow of oil from its well that has been gushing crude into the Gulf of Mexico since April 20th. For now, the worst oil spill in US and Gulf of Mexico history, may have stopped its spread. But even BP officials are emphasizing that the fix is temporary.
GUEST: Randy Olson is a marine biologist turned film maker, creator of Flock of Dodos: The Evolution-Intelligent Design Circus, and his latest film is called, Sizzle: A Global Warming Comedy, author of “Don’t be such a scientist: Talking Substance in an Age of Style.”
Find out more about Randy Olson’s work at www.randyolsonproductions.com
2 Responses to “As Global Heat Wave Scorches, Will Climate Scientists Step Up To the Plate?”
The Gulf oil spill, hurricanes, and the recent heat wave (scorching heat)have many searching for answers. The internet is buzzing with articles and excellent blogs. But could it be simply the biblical sequence of God’s wrath being poured out upon the earth which is relevant to current events in today’s world. What if we are dealing with the wrath of God? Please understand the wrath of God is letting man slip deeper and deeper into his own sin and its overwhelming consequence. Please visit my blog at http://www.revelation-truth.org . Author of the book Final Warning
The Gulf oil spill, hurricanes, and the recent heat wave have many searching for answers. The internet is buzzing with articles and excellent blogs. But could it be simply the biblical sequence of God’s wrath being poured out upon the earth which is relevant to current events in today’s world. What if we are dealing with the wrath of God? Please understand the wrath of God is letting man slip deeper and deeper into the consequences of their own sin. Please visit my website at http://www.revelation-truth.org . Author of the book Final Warning