Tech | December 30, 2011 | 61 comments

Climate Extremes- the year in review -part 1: It is all about humanity

JanforGore
I previously stated that I was going to recap 2011 regarding the extreme climate events we saw that have been the trend. I will say this is a much more daunting task than I had envisioned because without dispute, 2011 was the year climate change by our hand became indisputable. And even so, this was one of the underreported stories in 2011.

This is part 1 and covers not even barely the first three months nor all of the places where we saw these events occur. I will be continuing this in part 2 and perhaps even a part 3, with other different features to present the information.

I believe it is imperative that we understand the connection between our actions and the effects they are now having on the world we live in, our only home and the world community we share it with.

Thanks to those who supported the Climate Extremes Group in 2011. We will be here to continue providing information on this in the coming year with the hope that we will see the consciousness and perspective necessary to address this in the time we have left to do so.

This is about the survival of humanity! Our agriculture especially is being hard hit by this and food prices reflect that.

Part 2 coming soon.
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61 comments // Climate Extremes- the year in review -part 1: It is all about humanity // Video

  • LivingPong
  • Gravity_Man
    • -2
      Gravity_Man  
    • LivingPong:

      A 29,000# Phobos-Grunt hydrazine bomb traveling 4.6 miles per second + an atmosphere stuffed with Methane doesn't make people want to do a Sing Along.

      You can't laugh Reality away, you can't sing Reality away, you can't insult Reality away, you can't cry Mommie and get her to come make Reality disappear for ya.

    • 5 months ago
  • JanforGore
  • jimstoner
  • Gravity_Man
  • Gravity_Man
  • jimstoner
  • Gravity_Man
    • 0
      Gravity_Man  
    • jimstoner:

      Really? Hmm. I guess I'll have to straighten up and fly right. How about sending me a copy of instructions so that I don't "sound crazy" anymore?

      I mean Golly Gee Batman we don't want that while THE PLANET'S GETTING READY TO BREAK APART AND EXPLODE NOW DO WE?

    • 5 months ago
  • coolplanet
    • +1
      coolplanet  

    • The year 2011 brought the most billion-dollar climate disasters to the United States ever, piling history-making events on top of each other to catastrophic results. The litany of disaster included a scorching drought that rivaled the Dust Bowl summer of 1936, a tornado season twice as bad as the great 1974 tornado outbreak, and flooding worse than the the great 1927 flood on the Mississippi River. This year of disaster was the result of the unlimited burning of fossil fuels, which has trapped increasing amounts of heat in the atmosphere, disrupting our climate system.

      In an interview with PBS News Hour, Weather Underground’s Jeff Masters described the effect of the hundreds of billions of tons of global warming pollution as being like “steroids for the atmosphere,” intensifying extreme weather to unprecedented results:

      “We look at heat waves, droughts, and flooding events. They all tend to get increased when you have this extra energy in the atmosphere. I call it being on steroids for the atmosphere. Normally, you have the everyday ups and downs of the weather, but if you pack a little bit of extra punch in there, it’s like a baseball hitter who’s on steroids. You expect to see a big home run total maybe from this slugger, but if you add a little bit of extra oomph to his swing by putting him on steroids, now we can have an unprecedented season, a 70 home run season. And that’s the way I look at this year. We had an unprecedented weather year that I don’t think would have happened unless we had had an extra bit of energy in the atmosphere due to climate change and global warming.”

      Nationwide, more than 6,000 heat records were broken this year. On average, the U.S. has three or four events every year that are considered major natural disasters. But, this year, there were at least fourteen billion-dollar disasters. Damages are expected to exceed $53 billion.

      The year 2011 brought the most billion-dollar climate disasters to the United States ever, piling history-making events on top of each other to catastrophic results. The litany of disaster included a scorching drought that rivaled the Dust Bowl summer of 1936, a tornado season twice as bad as the great 1974 tornado outbreak, and flooding worse than the the great 1927 flood on the Mississippi River. This year of disaster was the result of the unlimited burning of fossil fuels, which has trapped increasing amounts of heat in the atmosphere, disrupting our climate system.

      In an interview with PBS News Hour, Weather Underground’s Jeff Masters described the effect of the hundreds of billions of tons of global warming pollution as being like “steroids for the atmosphere,” intensifying extreme weather to unprecedented results:

      “We look at heat waves, droughts, and flooding events. They all tend to get increased when you have this extra energy in the atmosphere. I call it being on steroids for the atmosphere. Normally, you have the everyday ups and downs of the weather, but if you pack a little bit of extra punch in there, it’s like a baseball hitter who’s on steroids. You expect to see a big home run total maybe from this slugger, but if you add a little bit of extra oomph to his swing by putting him on steroids, now we can have an unprecedented season, a 70 home run season. And that’s the way I look at this year. We had an unprecedented weather year that I don’t think would have happened unless we had had an extra bit of energy in the atmosphere due to climate change and global warming.”

      Nationwide, more than 6,000 heat records were broken this year. On average, the U.S. has three or four events every year that are considered major natural disasters. But, this year, there were at least fourteen billion-dollar disasters. Damages are expected to exceed $53 billion.

      http://current.com/http://thinkprogress.org/green/2011/12/30/395914/our-weather-...

    • 5 months ago
  • IceKat
    • -2
      IceKat  
    • coolplanet:

      Re-posting trash from Romm's blog doesn't make it any more true.
      The climate isn't broken, but you already knew that, you're just scared to come out of the closet because you feel safe here. You'll get one or two votes here - great, a warm feeling no doubt. But in reality you're in a massive minority. People don't believe in your religion any more, and what's more, they have proof and science behind them.
      Your world isn't burning up or getting bogged down in "pollution" (CO2 is not pollution) so go and worry about something real, or better still, enjoy your short time here and don't let your side-kick make you feel guilty.
      The weather isn't your fault :)

    • 5 months ago
  • coolplanet
  • IceKat
    • -3
      IceKat  

    • Anyone reading this would do well to remember that "1 in five year droughts and1 in 10 year storms that were once 1 in 100 year events." are merely media terms, not scientific or meteorological terms, but that exactly sums up the agenda of the extremists - nothing scientific is allowed to influence them, only projections, models and scaremongering articles from lazy journalists hoping to get noticed through sensationalism.

      The only people they convince here are those who already signed up to the religious beliefs years ago, most have moved on and advanced their knowledge and beliefs after having read real scientific research and seen real-world evidence that constantly disputes anything the extremists spew out on an almost daily basis.
      Most meteorological agencies are already distancing themselves from the "Global Warming/Climate Change" link when it comes to understanding weather. Russia and Texas' recent heatwaves were deemed nothing to do with climate change, as were recent floods and other so-called 'weird' weather events.
      The extremists world of doom and gloom, and attempts at making people feel guilty about their enjoyments, is slowly coming to an end, hence the last-ditch attempt at grasping at any event and linking it with climate change.
      Time to look for another way to scare people, this one, good as it was, failed miserably.

      Enjoy your climate - it's the best you could have hoped for.

    • 5 months ago
  • Gravity_Man
  • JanforGore
    • +2
      JanforGore  

    • I truly will hope for deniers in this coming year that they can overcome their delusional state and join the rest of us in reality and actually understand that REAL SCIENTISTS, not weathermen wannabees or Margaret Thatcher era has been throwaways have corroborated this as have those living through the 1 in five year droughts and1 in 10 year storms that were once 1 in 100 year events.

      But then, I suppose in their ice castles in England or wherever they are I am sure they have all the ammenities THEY need so caring about anyone else in this world is just not part of their lives. Oh , and of course, their ideology precludes them from caring. Some like Roy Spencer who lies in his "research" also denies evolution. Ian Plimer thinks asbestos is HEALTHY. Most of them think that even smoking or nuclear waste is good for you.

      They live to spread doubt because it is lucrative and serves their own fear of "watermelons." It isn't because they care about us or this planet at all. These are the types of people who also post on these Internet sites spreading their "everything is rosy" scenario in the face of obvious crisis knowing it is killing people. That's downright immoral as far as I am concerned.

      They don't see the devastation of crops. The deaths. The changes to biodiversity. The millions of trees lost in droughts. The acidification of our oceans harming marinelife and other ecosystems. The wildlife gone. The effects on agriculture and water sources that are NOW effecting life for millions. The millions of refugees already moving from their homelands. The culture affected. Why do they refuse to see all that? Hmm, because again, they don't care about anyone else. Only their agenda. They never stray from the talking points. And some of them just live to come here on this little old website and others to respond to people they don't care about and see as irrelevant to cut and paste their cherrypicked bs because we are so irrelevant ....What are they afraid of?

      People are dying and we are changing our relationship with this planet because of the effects of our behavior. What REAL scientists have been telling us is coming to pass and we are woefully unprepared to protect this planet and ourselves from it. There is no time left for those who do nothing here and elsewhere but play on their own psychological and ideological fears of a changing planet and who think they are above it all.

      Frankly, at this point, they can all go_themselves.

      After what we have seen slowly building up for the last three decades, the only time we have left is time we need to look beyond their BS distractions and get busy in working to decrease our emissions and work on ways to sequester carbon and decrease our emissions of greenhouse gases as a whole. It is simply the right thing to do to protect our environment from pollution and to keep it as thriving as possible for those to come. To continue to ramp up the atmosphere and load the dice is a fool's errand. Anyone with any caring for this planet at all and those living on it would feel the same.

    • 5 months ago
  • Gravity_Man
    • +1
      Gravity_Man  
    • JanforGore:

      I was taught in school that "what goes Up always comes Down". I think that trumps anything IceKat says. THE MOISTURE RISING FROM THE OCEANS IS COMING BACK DOWN. The big one is coming TO MILLIONS and it is spelled FLOOD, similar to what happened to Australia with their flooding except the next time is WORLDWIDE. All the ocean rise that should be happening now is instead going up into the air. WHEN IT COMES DOWN PLANET HOUSTON HAS A PROBLEM, CALLED MUD, MUDSLIDES, LANDSLIDES, EARTH SHEAR FROM SIDEWAYS EARTHQUAKES GROUNDSLIDES UNDER THE GROUND.

      The Science is simple but time-proven. BOOMERANGS COME BACK.

    • 5 months ago
  • Gravity_Man
    • 0
      Gravity_Man  
    • Gravity_Man:

      When all that ocean water going into the air comes down Hot & Heavy those living on oceanfront property can find themselves underwater in an hour, be it 2.5 feet or 25 feet => Drowning is Drowning.

      Australia's flooding was Nuthin'.

    • 5 months ago
  • IceKat
    • -3
      IceKat  
    • Image

    • Oh dear... more "the climate is broken" claptrap without one single scientific fact in evidence. Anyone can spend hours trawling the internet looking for bad weather stories and falsely attributing them to the mythical man-made climate change hoax.
      However, try it the other way round, i.e. point out record cold or snow events and watch the sneers and insults fly.

      "Yesterday morning the snow measured 33 centimetres deep in Reykjavík and neighbouring municipalities. “Since records keeping began in 1921 there has never been a 24 hour period in December with more snowfall over the Icelandic capital.
      Another record has also been set in the capital region, where snow has laid on the ground uninterrupted since the 26th November — the longest period of early winter snow cover since records began.”"

      ...Wait for the cries, "Global Warming causes more snow!!!" Except it doesn't, well, it does when it suits the greenies, but when there's no snow, that's Global Warming too. Global Warming causes everything, including a severe lack of consistency, me thinks.

      Still, maybe the ban of 100 Watt lightbulbs will save the planet from it's death-spiral... but look, (image above) there's a consensus about what people really think about eco-stupidity.

    • 5 months ago
  • Gravity_Man
    • 0
      Gravity_Man  
    • Image
    • IceKat:

      "record has also been set in the capital region, where snow has laid on the ground uninterrupted since the 26th November" HAHAHA THANKS that was the exact day my Countdown ran out that the snowfall began => http://www.newpath4.com/9182011antichristfacingsatan69daysabbath112611countdown2...

      The Countdown began on September 18 and was to last 69 days => turned out 69 days later WAS MY BIRFDAY, and now also coincides with your snowfall. Thanks again. It's always a great day when fellow posters work together on each others Countdowns!

      Hmm. I wonder what happens the Day the Snowfall Stops?

      This has suddenly gotten interesting again.

      Reykjavík Rocks YEAH!!!

    • 5 months ago
  • Gravity_Man
    • 0
      Gravity_Man  
    • Gravity_Man:

      Meaning that my "Countdown to 11/26/11" was the kickoff to a Natural Snowfall~Hourglass Countdown that BEGAN SOON AS MY CALENDAR COUNTDOWN RAN ITS COURSE.

      Yes, now it makes a lot more sense.
      The prophet preceded the Action.

    • 5 months ago
  • Gravity_Man
    • 0
      Gravity_Man  
    • Gravity_Man:

      CHEMTRAILS! Chemtrails are being poured into the atmosphere to cause increased GLOBAL DIMMING because they knew this was coming so THEY'RE TRYING TO KEEP THE EARTH COOLED SO THE SNOW CAN'T MELT.

      HAHAHAHA THEY'RE TRYING TO STOP GOD'S HOURGLASS.

    • 5 months ago
  • jimstoner
    • +3
      jimstoner  

    • I recently saw a documentary that said for every 10% of the Antarctic ice sheet that melts, the sea levels will rise by 15 feet. And it is melting. I should add that it has been an ice sheet for millions of years. It's been there longer than humans have existed. So this climate change phenomenon is not just some natural cycle.

    • 5 months ago
  • IceKat
    • -3
      IceKat  
    • Image
    • jimstoner:

      "And it is melting." - jimstoner

      Data says different. And as sea levels are similar (slightly lower) to what they were eight years ago, your theory that Antarctica is flooding the planet doesn't seem to hold much water.

    • 5 months ago
  • Gravity_Man
    • +2
      Gravity_Man  
    • IceKat:

      THAT'S RIGHT! But the melting water IS flooding the atmosphere that's where the water is going. This coming summer this planet is likely going to be a SWELTERING SAUNA EXPERIENCE LIKE WE'VE NEVER HAD IN THE HISTORY OF MANKIND.

    • 5 months ago
  • Gravity_Man
    • 0
      Gravity_Man  
    • Gravity_Man:

      Which with jus' a little extrapolation means THE EXTRA SNOW WILL BECOME A RAGING FLOOD IN 2012. MILLIONS WILL DIE WORLDWIDE FROM 2012 FLOODWATERS.

      ALL LOW-LYING POPULATIONS NEED TO BEGIN EVACUATION NOW TO HIGHER GROUND.

    • 5 months ago
  • Gravity_Man
    • 0
      Gravity_Man  
    • Gravity_Man:

      A World-Size Hourglass FILLED WITH SNOW. Yes indeed this is getting very interesting. DO WE KEEP QUIET and let the Poor Darkies along the shores die or what?! Less tribespeople means more for us eh?

      More for the smart people.

    • 5 months ago
  • jimstoner
    • +1
      jimstoner  
    • IceKat:

      Latest NASA data. "Gravity data collected from space using NASA's Grace satellite show that Antarctica has been losing more than 24 cubic miles of ice each year since 2002. The latest data shows that Antarctica is losing ice at an accelerated rate too". But you are partly correct. NASA says it is not melting in place, it's crumbling and falling into the ocean where it can. The ice in the east is at a higher altitude, so it is colder and will not be affected the same. The ice in the west, however, is low lying and over a chain of islands. It is this ice that should be a concern. You can read the entire report at NASA's web site.

    • 5 months ago
  • artemis6
    • +2
      artemis6  

    • It is interesting how people talk of the economy . Nature and the stability are what allows ANY economy to flourish . Floods , No crops , NO economy . Earthquakes Tsunamis , economic break down . The global vultures (1%) actually believe they will be able to pick off the bones of the dead ,and the desperate . They are fools .

    • 5 months ago
  • coolplanet
  • JanforGore
    • +2
      JanforGore  
    • coolplanet:

      Great to see youth dedicated to this. This speech was incredible. My son watched it and said, "she was speaking for me." It is our youth we need to engage in this since they will be dealing with most of the fallout.

    • 5 months ago
  • dugdog47
    • +1
      dugdog47  

    • Jan, I think alot of people care about our planet way more than you think. Problem is...most folks are to busy trying to just get through the day to think about it much. We need to free up peoples lives so they have a chance to catch up. Freedom is the answer.

    • 5 months ago
  • coolplanet
  • dugdog47
  • coolplanet
    • +2
      coolplanet  
    • dugdog47:

      I think it's the Protestant 'work ethic' that is destroying this planet. Everyone is expected to drive to work every day from 9 to 5 to build the bombs that fuel our oil economy.
      I could go on and on myself.

    • 5 months ago
  • JanforGore
    • +4
      JanforGore  
    • dugdog47:

      I know people have busy lives, so do I. The point isn't whether they have time, the point now is that there is no choice but to make time. This is a matter of survival. People can find time to watch movies, go shopping, spend money, take vacations, watch reality tv though... is that not true? Perhaps a better prioritization of the time they do have would then be a better idea considering what is happening to our world now.

    • 5 months ago
  • dugdog47
    • 0
      dugdog47  
    • coolplanet:

      That ain't no shet. I drive my gas guzzling v6 about 2 miles a day. Thats maybe $20 a week. What really makes me think is when I do travel out of town I see thousands of vehicals on the road. We all know gas is running out. How can this be sustsanded?

    • 5 months ago
  • JanforGore
  • dugdog47
    • 0
      dugdog47  
    • JanforGore:

      I make a little time every day to think about our planet. Espescialy when I'm tending to my vegetable garden in the spring. I live within walking distance of the Mississippi river and know all too well what it is capable of. Heh, you should see the little rivers around here. Ever seen a creek turn into a river in a matter of minutes? I wish climate change was more of an issue.

    • 5 months ago
  • coolplanet
  • JanforGore
    • +2
      JanforGore  

    • Sri Lankan floods.

      How much devastation will we humans wreck in 2012 as we continue to spew our pollution into the atmosphere treating lit like a sewer as we cut down and burn everything we can get our hands on?

    • 5 months ago
  • JanforGore
    • +3
      JanforGore  

    • Wow, one of THE BIGGEST events of this year, and virtual silence. A bit overwhelming?

      Kind of why people have been calling for ACTION on this for the past thirty years.

    • 5 months ago
  • Gravity_Man
    • +2
      Gravity_Man  
    • JanforGore:

      Well Jan, you don't really sport the PhD credentials to give weight to your work => same as me. I lack credentials for re-designing the nation's 4-cylinder car engines => http://forums.signonsandiego.com/showpost.php?p=4576911&postcount=2479

      85% less exhaust emissions: 250 MPG: double the horsepower. You see Jan, I'm supposed ta STAY IN MY PLACE.

      We know all about that too, and the people who use that lame an argument. However, if ONE DAY their brain starts working again and they realize the oil companies could raise the cost-per-gallon to $16.00/gallon for gasoline with such a Fuel Miser engine the Big Oil execs might conceivably go into the Action you say needs to happen.

      Big Oil could wrap up, and rack up. Rack Em, Dan-O.

    • 5 months ago
  • JanforGore
    • +2
      JanforGore  
    • Gravity_Man:

      "Well Jan, you don't really sport the PhD credentials to give weight to your work =>"

      Yes, I'm not some big shot politician or an actress... they seem to have "credentials" even when they don't. What an upside down world.

    • 5 months ago
  • coolplanet
    • +2
      coolplanet  
    • JanforGore:

      It's maddening and depressing. This is BY FAR the most important issue of our time and too few want to talk about it. It's such an overwhelming emergency that people's eyes glaze over (ego). They don't want to believe that we in the "first world" are causing this crisis, don't want to do anything about it that would threaten our big party, and just wish it would go away.
      A lot of us deeply appreciate all the time and effort you put into this. I guess they're all out partying today.....

    • 5 months ago
  • coolplanet
  • Gravity_Man
    • +1
      Gravity_Man  
    • JanforGore:

      That's the spirit Jan!!! Now Go! Enroll in college, actress classes, Law, move to Hollywood, show em what ya got Jan! Then oh say around 2025 they'll listen to ya then. I'll enroll in college so that the PhD's will scream every blade of grass as I walk.

    • 5 months ago
  • dugdog47
  • Gravity_Man
    • 0
      Gravity_Man  
    • dugdog47:

      Nope. I am reconciled to the King of the Hill principle. Big Oil has the high ground. But they can go to even higher ground by raising the price of gasoline to $16.00/gallon if my engine design was built, get the U.S. using 100% Domestic Land-drilled oil => clean up hand over fist $$$$$$.

      And we'd be driving our fannies off getting 200-250 MPG. Win-Win.

    • 5 months ago
  • Gravity_Man
  • Gravity_Man
    • 0
      Gravity_Man  
    • Gravity_Man:

      Big Oil wins BIG morphing from hated corporation to World Benefactor overnite. Big Oil investors & shareholders would see an immediate jump in their stockholdings value> all Big Oil execs hafta do is snap their fingers & get Detroit on my engine changes and everybody concerned starts having money belts too heavy to wear.

    • 5 months ago
  • Gravity_Man
    • 0
      Gravity_Man  
    • Gravity_Man:

      A mountain of money would go streaming into Washington DC coffers from $16.00 a Gallon Gasoline. #1 no more importation of foreign oil PLUS #2 cleaner air & water cleaning up the groundwater table would move the entire shebang ahead of the 8 ball.

      This isn't a law problem it's an engineering solution. Going to homegrown domestic-drilled crude oil will return the United States to being world leader NO LONGER HELD HOSTAGE BY ANYBODY.

    • 5 months ago
  • JanforGore
  • JanforGore
  • coolplanet
  • JanforGore
  • JanforGore
  • JanforGore
  • JanforGore
  • JanforGore
  • JanforGore
  • coolplanet
    • +3
      coolplanet  

    • Very well done!
      I look forward to the rest of the series.
      This is unique as it addresses the whole world, not merely the United States.

    • 5 months ago
  • JanforGore
    • +3
      JanforGore  
    • coolplanet:

      Yes I tried to cover somewhere from all parts of the world to show the intensity simultaneously and floods/extreme precipitation and droughts. And it is about extremes because last year at this time we were digging out of one of the most severe snowstorms in our history (which would have given us nine feet of rain if it wasn't snow) before our record setting summer. Today, it hit 50 degrees and it is all part of what I have noticed here for at least 10 to 15 yrs. The oversaturation of our atmosphere by our forcings is now showing itself and we need to make that connection. Part 2 is going to be a humdinger...Thanks as well for all your contributions to the group all this year. It's really appreciated.

    • 5 months ago
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