A Youthful View of Environmental Issues
Cole Camplese points to an interesting example of student work on an environmental theme.
The Great California Blizzard of '08
Although I was in the Pacific Northwest and therefor managed to miss most of it – except for flying through an astonishing snow squall while on approach to SJC – the recent California storm was one for the record books… or maybe not quite. The following article includes some amazing information about Sierra snowfall totals in earlier years:
Blizzard of ’08 leaves 11 feet of snow in the Sierras. The blizzard of ’08 is over in hard-hit California, Oregon, and Washington, but the storm has left in its wake flooding, downed power lines, and prodigious amounts of snow. In the Sierra Mountains, 4-8 feet of snow were common. At the Kirkwood ski resort near Lake Tahoe, an astounding 11 feet of snow fell in just 72 hours–10 feet of that in only 48 hours.Figure 1. Cleared tracks on the Southern Pacific Railway at Blue Canyon during the winter of 1917. Some of the h…
Read More [Dr. Jeff Masters’ WunderBlog]
Click the title link to read the whole article.
If nothing else, this set of New Years storms has reduced the immediate concerns about another drought year in California. Last year was extremely dry, especially in the southern part of the state, and I would hate to see another summer like that one.
Surge in Off-Roading Stirs Dust and Debate in West
From the New York Times:
In the San Juan National Forest here, an iron rod gate is the last barrier to the Weminuche Wilderness, a mountain redoubt above 10,000 feet where wheels are not allowed.
But the gate has been knocked down repeatedly, shot at and generally disregarded. Miles beyond it, a two-track trail has been punched into the wilderness by errant all-terrain-vehicle riders who have insisted on going their own way, on-trail or off.
Read the rest here
Is Greenland on Your Map?
Perhaps it should be. From Dr. Jeff Masters’ WunderBlog:
Next century’s most important place in the world–Greenland?. If one had to pick the region of the world most likely to influence the course of human history this century, the Middle East would be the obvious choice, due to its political volatility and rich oil resources. However, the Middle East may have a significant challenger next century from a seemingly unlikely place–Greenland. Why Greenland? Well, the Greenland ice sheet holds enough water to raise global sea level 7 meters (23 feet). There are worrisome signs that th…
Read More
If you live in a coastal area, Greenland may not only be on your map in the future, but its melting glaciers may be lapping at your front porch.
We're All on the Same Plane… or Planet
Seen in an article in SF Gate:
“The United States in particular is behaving like passengers in first class in a jumbo jet, thinking a catastrophe in economy class won’t affect them,” said Tony Juniper, a spokesman for the environmentalist coalition [at the Bali climate talks]. “If we go down, we go down together, and the United States needs to realize that very quickly.”
Study Details How U.S. Could Cut 28% of Greenhouse Gases
From an article in the New York Times:
The United States could shave as much as 28 percent off the amount of greenhouse gases it emits at fairly modest cost and with only small technology innovations, according to a new report.
A large share of the reductions could come from steps that would more than pay for themselves in lower energy bills for industries and individual consumers, the report said, adding that people should take those steps out of good sense regardless of how worried they might be about climate change. But that is unlikely to happen under present circumstances, said the authors, who are energy experts at McKinsey & Company, the consulting firm.
Unlikely to happen “under present circumstances…” or under the current administration?
Prescribed Burns in SF Bay Area
Yesterday I was surprised to see a large smoke cloud over the Diablo Range east of Santa Clara Valley, in the area of Mount Hamilton and Lick Observatory. It is unusual to see fires this late in the season, but I assumed that perhaps our less-than-typical rainfall might be playing a part.
Today the California Fire News blog reports that this fire, a fire in Big Basin, and others not too far away are actually prescribed burns. I’m used to seeing this in the Sierra in the fall, but it is a new development – as far as I know – in the Bay Area. It is also probably a very good idea given that wildfires in areas where fires have been long suppressed have the potential to do very serious damage.
Shopping Bags
Yes, shopping bags.
More than 20 years ago we shopped at a grocery store that offered reusable canvas grocery bags for sale. I balked at the price – while paper bags were free the canvas bags cost a few dollars – but eventually picked up a half dozen or so. On balance it seemed like a reasonable and environmentally aware thing to do.
A few years ago I considered how this has played out since that time. On a typical weekly grocery shopping trip we probably pick up about a half dozen bags of food – though a bit less now that our youngest kid has gone off to college. Doing a bit of math (6 bags per week x 52 weeks per year x 20 years) it seems that:
- We have avoided the use of well over 6000 paper bags!
- Adding up the 5 cents per bag credit for bringing our own bags to the store we have earned back perhaps as much as 100 times the original cost of the bags!
- We now donate our bag credits, helping some charities in a small way. It adds up to $5/month or more – a small amount, that could be significant if multiplied many times over.
Looked at this way:
- A small change has larger effects over time than you might imagine.
- Not only was it “the right thing” to do, but in the end it was cost free.
- The bags are useful for lots of other things. For example, I use them to pack food for car camping trips.
Next time you are at the grocery store, pick up a few canvas grocery bags.
Gore "deeply honored" by Nobel Prize win
From SFGate:
“We face a true planetary emergency,” Gore said. “The climate crisis is not a political issue, it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity. It is also our greatest opportunity to lift global consciousness to a higher level.
– Al Gore, winner of the Nobel Prize (and the 2000 presidential election vote…)
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Dan's Outside 
A Whale of a Stupid Move
The New York Times Dot Earth blog reports on The White House and the Whales – definitely worth reading. The good news is that we now have less than a year of this embarrassing travesty of an administration left to endure.
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January 17, 2008 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary, Environment | 1 Comment