Polluters Building New Gas Station

December 6, 2020 in Archive

This comment has been acknowledged by Placer County public officials and so it has served its purpose. It has been archived.

Miami Climate Change

Positions of Credible Scientific Organizations on Climate Change

October 22, 2018 in Environment

Among scientists, there is no doubt about what is causing our climate to warm. Here is a partial list of the real, credible, legitimate scientific organizations that have concluded that we humans are causing climate change:

  • National Academy of Sciences (U.S.)
  • NASA
  • US Geological Survey (USGS)
  • National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)
  • NASA’s Goddard Institute of Space Studies (GISS)
  • American Association of State Climatologists
  • American Chemical Society – (world’s largest scientific organization with over 155,000 members)
  • Geological Society of America
  • American Geophysical Union (AGU)
  • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
  • American Association of State Climatologists
  • Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
  • American Astronomical Society
  • American Institute of Physics
  • American Meteorological Society (AMS)
  • American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
  • Stratigraphy Commission – Geological Society of London – (The world’s oldest and the United Kingdom’s largest geoscience organization)
  • British Antarctic Survey
  • Australian Bureau of Meteorology and the CSIRO
  • Australian Coral Reef Society
  • Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina (Germany)
  • Chinese Academy of Sciences
  • Royal Society, United Kingdom
  • Russian Academy of Sciences
  • Royal Society of Canada
  • Science Council of Japan
  • Australian Academy of Sciences
  • Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Sciences and the Arts
  • Brazilian Academy of Sciences
  • Caribbean Academy of Sciences
  • French Academy of Sciences
  • German Academy of Natural Scientists
  • Indian National Science Academy
  • Indonesian Academy of Sciences
  • Royal Irish Academy
  • Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei (Italy)
  • Academy of Sciences Malaysia
  • Academy Council of the Royal Society of New Zealand
  • Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
  • Union of Concerned Scientists
  • The Institution of Engineers Australia
  • Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society (CMOS)
  • National Research Council
  • Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospherice Sciences
  • World Meteorological Organization
  • State of the Canadian Cryosphere (SOCC)
  • International Council on Science
  • American Physical Society (APS)
  • Australian Institute of Physics (AIP)
  • European Physical Society
  • European Science Foundation
  • Federation of Australian Scientific and Technological Societies (FASTS)
  • Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN)
  • Network of African Science Academies
  • International Council of Academies of Engineering and Technological Sciences (CAETS)
  • European Academy of Sciences and Arts
  • InterAcademy Council (IAC)
  • International Arctic Science Committee
  • Arctic Council
  • European Federation of Geologists (EFG)
  • European Geosciences Union (EGU)
  • Federation of American Scientists
  • Federation of Australian Scientific and Technological Societies
  • Geological Society of Australia
  • International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics
  • National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT)
  • Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society
  • Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society
  • Royal Meteorological Society (UK)
  • American Quaternary Association (AMQUA)
  • American Institute of Biological Sciences
  • American Association of Wildlife Veterinarians (AAWV)
  • American Society for Microbiology
  • Institute of Biology (UK)
  • Society of American Foresters (SAF)
  • American Association of Petroleum Geologists

Among scientists, there is no doubt about the warming phenomenon or what is causing it.  The above organizations have issued statements in support of the conclusion that humans are influencing the climate.  Despite a large presence of manufactured doubt in the media from the well-funded fossil fuel industry, we know of no legitimate and credible scientific organizations that have concluded that humans are not causing climate change.

NASA has additional information on scientific institutions and their conclusions about our influence on the climate.

cantaloupe

What the United States Was Like Before the EPA

February 2, 2018 in Environment

The EPA was formed in the 1970s to address environmental problems that states were unable to manage. In case you were not around to witness it, air and water in industrialized areas during this time were extremely polluted. Cities in the U.S. were blanketed in smog and water near cities was unsafe to swim in. Where states were unable to address these issues, the EPA at a federal level was able to enact laws that resulted in cleaner air and water. The EPA also worked to phase out chemicals that were depleting the earth’s ozone layer and it helped end the practice of adding toxic lead to gasoline. America today is a far better place because of the EPA, yet it is under attack by political opponents of clean air and clean water.

Cleveland, Pre EPA

The Cuyahoga river in Cleveland in 1969, shortly before it caught on fire due to extreme pollution. In the 1970 and early 1980s, Lake Erie was considered too polluted for swimming.

Jersey Pre EPA

View of NYC from Jersey, Pre EPA

The East Coast of the United States, Before the EPA

Smog in Brooklyn, Pre-EPA

Los Angeles Smog, 1970s

 

Today, the Environmental Protection Agency should have a central role in addressing climate change, which will require coordinated efforts from many industries and governments. Instead, the EPA’s functions are being reversed under Trump, and climate science is under attack by those who wish to continue the current levels of pollution.

Check Your Sources of Information, You Cantaloupe

April 29, 2017 in Environment

cantaloupe /ˈkan(t)əˌlōp/ noun. 1. a person who promotes false information because it supports their views or ideology, especially while calling those who disagree silly, made-up names. 2. a person who accepts information that contradicts science.

Example usage:
“You’re a cantaloupe.”

cantaloupe-comment

To the legions who embrace alternative facts, especially those calling the rest of us names from an alternative vernacular, i.e., snowflake, libtard, or climatard:

I want you to know that I know where you are coming from, and I understand that real facts do not concern you.

You should know that science-minded people see through the misleading articles that seem to make sense to you. When you cite opinion pieces, propaganda videos and fake-news sites in an attempt to debunk the conclusions of science, you show that you never learned a basic lesson: to consider the source and differentiate fact from opinion.

When you call me an idiot while you cite a non-scientific source, I feel like I am dealing with a 6th-grader. When you call me made-up names that resonate among your like-minded peers, I know I am dealing with a 6th-grade mentality.

When you first called me a “libtard,” I figured out what you meant. “Climatard,” got it.  “Snowflake,” however, I had to look up. But guess what – I am not liberal, and I certainly do not identify as right, left, alt-right, democrat, republican, or “entitled”.  I identify with reason, science, and facts, which, it seems, do not fit within your ideology. To you, because I comprehend science, I am a “libtard”.

By casting such labels, you have shown your cards.  I know where you get your “information”.

I know the ideology that you identify with. I also know that calling other people these names bonds you with your peers who share your views and sources of information.

You think you are onto something. There’s an endless internet full of Youtube videos and articles on Breitbart and other genuine fake-news and propaganda websites that fit your ideology, so you must be onto something.

The problem is: your sources suck.

I’d ask you to try to differentiate facts from opinions and science from propaganda, but actual scientific conclusions are of no use to you, especially if they do not fit within your ideology.  If I confront you with scientific conclusions and facts from credible sources, you’ll just call me a liberal and present alternative-facts from questionable sources.  Thus, there’s nothing more to say to you, except, “You’re a cantaloupe.”

wcantaloupe

That said, here is a partial list of the real, credible scientific organizations that have concluded that we humans are causing climate change:

National Academy of Sciences (U.S.)
NASA
US Geological Survey (USGS)
National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)
NASA’s Goddard Institute of Space Studies (GISS)
American Association of State Climatologists
American Chemical Society – (world’s largest scientific organization with over 155,000 members)
Geological Society of America
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
American Association of State Climatologists
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
American Astronomical Society
American Institute of Physics
American Meteorological Society (AMS)
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Stratigraphy Commission – Geological Society of London – (The world’s oldest and the United Kingdom’s largest geoscience organization)
British Antarctic Survey
Australian Bureau of Meteorology and the CSIRO
Australian Coral Reef Society
Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina (Germany
Chinese Academy of Sciences
Royal Society, United Kingdom
Russian Academy of Sciences
Royal Society of Canada
Science Council of Japan
Australian Academy of Sciences
Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Sciences and the Arts
Brazilian Academy of Sciences
Caribbean Academy of Sciences
French Academy of Sciences
German Academy of Natural Scientists
Indian National Science Academy
Indonesian Academy of Sciences
Royal Irish Academy
Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei (Italy)
Academy of Sciences Malaysia
Academy Council of the Royal Society of New Zealand
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Union of Concerned Scientists
The Institution of Engineers Australia
Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society (CMOS)
National Research Council
Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospherice Sciences
World Meteorological Organization
State of the Canadian Cryosphere (SOCC)
International Council on Science
American Physical Society (APS)
Australian Institute of Physics (AIP
European Physical Society
European Science Foundation
Federation of Australian Scientific and Technological Societies (FASTS
Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN)
Network of African Science Academies
International Council of Academies of Engineering and Technological Sciences (CAETS
European Academy of Sciences and Arts
InterAcademy Council (IAC)
International Arctic Science Committee
Arctic Council
European Federation of Geologists (EFG)
European Geosciences Union (EGU)
Federation of American Scientists
Federation of Australian Scientific and Technological Societies
Geological Society of Australia
International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics
National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT
Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society
Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society
Royal Meteorological Society (UK)
American Quaternary Association (AMQUA
American Institute of Biological Sciences
American Association of Wildlife Veterinarians (AAWV
American Society for Microbiology
Institute of Biology (UK)
Society of American Foresters (SAF)

cantaloupe

Cantaloupe – A Definition for Libtards and Snowflakes

February 17, 2017 in Environment

cantaloupe /ˈkan(t)əˌlōp/ noun. 1. a person who promotes false information because it supports their views or ideology, especially while calling those who disagree silly, made-up names. 2. a person who accepts information that contradicts science.

Example usage:
“You’re a cantaloupe.”

cantaloupe-comment

To the legions who embrace alternative facts, especially those calling the rest of us names from an alternative vernacular, i.e., snowflake, libtard, or climatard:

I want you to know that I know where you are coming from, and I understand that real facts do not concern you.

You should know that science-minded people see through the false and misleading articles that seem to make sense to you. When you cite propaganda videos and fake-news sites in an attempt to debunk the conclusions of science, you show that you never learned a basic lesson: to consider the source and differentiate fact from opinion.

When you call me an idiot while you cite a non-scientific source, I feel like I am dealing with a 6th-grader. When you call me made-up names that resonate among your like-minded peers, I know I am dealing with a 6th-grade mentality.

When you first called me a “libtard,” I figured out what you meant. “Climatard,” got it.  “Snowflake,” however, I had to look up. But guess what – I am not liberal, and I certainly do not identify as right, left, alt-right, democrat, republican, or “entitled”.  I identify with reason, science, and facts, which, it seems, do not fit within your ideology. To you, because I comprehend science, I am a “libtard”.

By casting such labels, you have shown your cards.  I know where you get your “information”.

I know the ideology that you identify with. I also know that calling other people these names bonds you with your peers who share your views and sources of information.

You think you are onto something. There’s an endless internet full of Youtube videos and articles on Breitbart and other genuine fake-news and propaganda websites that fit your ideology, so you must be onto something.

The problem is: your sources suck.

I’d ask you to try to differentiate facts from opinions and science from propaganda, but actual scientific conclusions are of no use to you, especially if they do not fit within your ideology.  If I confront you with scientific conclusions and facts from credible sources, you’ll just call me a liberal and present alternative-facts from questionable sources.  Thus, I have nothing more to say to you, except, “You’re a cantaloupe.”

wcantaloupe

That said, here is a partial list of the real, credible scientific organizations that have concluded that we humans are causing climate change:

National Academy of Sciences (U.S.)
NASA
US Geological Survey (USGS)
National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)
NASA’s Goddard Institute of Space Studies (GISS)
American Association of State Climatologists
American Chemical Society – (world’s largest scientific organization with over 155,000 members)
Geological Society of America
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
American Association of State Climatologists
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
American Astronomical Society
American Institute of Physics
American Meteorological Society (AMS)
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Stratigraphy Commission – Geological Society of London – (The world’s oldest and the United Kingdom’s largest geoscience organization)
British Antarctic Survey
Australian Bureau of Meteorology and the CSIRO
Australian Coral Reef Society
Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina (Germany
Chinese Academy of Sciences
Royal Society, United Kingdom
Russian Academy of Sciences
Royal Society of Canada
Science Council of Japan
Australian Academy of Sciences
Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Sciences and the Arts
Brazilian Academy of Sciences
Caribbean Academy of Sciences
French Academy of Sciences
German Academy of Natural Scientists
Indian National Science Academy
Indonesian Academy of Sciences
Royal Irish Academy
Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei (Italy)
Academy of Sciences Malaysia
Academy Council of the Royal Society of New Zealand
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Union of Concerned Scientists
The Institution of Engineers Australia
Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society (CMOS)
National Research Council
Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospherice Sciences
World Meteorological Organization
State of the Canadian Cryosphere (SOCC)
International Council on Science
American Physical Society (APS)
Australian Institute of Physics (AIP
European Physical Society
European Science Foundation
Federation of Australian Scientific and Technological Societies (FASTS
Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN)
Network of African Science Academies
International Council of Academies of Engineering and Technological Sciences (CAETS
European Academy of Sciences and Arts
InterAcademy Council (IAC)
International Arctic Science Committee
Arctic Council
European Federation of Geologists (EFG)
European Geosciences Union (EGU)
Federation of American Scientists
Federation of Australian Scientific and Technological Societies
Geological Society of Australia
International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics
National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT
Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society
Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society
Royal Meteorological Society (UK)
American Quaternary Association (AMQUA
American Institute of Biological Sciences
American Association of Wildlife Veterinarians (AAWV
American Society for Microbiology
Institute of Biology (UK)
Society of American Foresters (SAF)

cantaloupe

Trump: Chief Misinformation Officer

December 9, 2016 in Environment

crowdTrump putting climate deceivers in top U.S. government positions

Mainstream America is misinformed, and agenda-driven propaganda funded by corporate interests is the root of the misinformation phenomenon. The problem is so bad that teenagers are now  making small fortunes by feeding fake news stories into the already off-base population, which eagerly accepts these complete falsehoods. But the root of the false news problem is that corporate interests have been spreading misinformation to benefit conservative lawmakers for decades. It’s now working so well that those behind the misinformation campaigns have found their way into the most powerful office in the world.

In October, we observed that social media comments on our posts about climate change showed that an alarming, abnormally high portion of the population believes climate change is a hoax or a scam (it’s not). Comments were lifted directly out of the climate denial playbook, with links to Breitbart, Infowars and other false news outlets supporting climate denial. It turns out, everyday Americans are regurgitating false conspiracy theories and bogus scientific claims about climate change like it’s their job.

We quickly realized that the election was going to be heavily influenced by misinformation, and that groups like Americans for Prosperity, the political arm of a fossil fuel corporation, were winning their war on truth. Donald Trump’s political strategy has been to embrace this disinformation, and it is now entrenched in mainstream America.

Trump started his campaign by feeding conspiracy theories about Obama’s birthplace.  He tweeted false conspiracy theories about climate change to his millions of followers.  He was (and still is) embracing and benefiting from conspiracy driven websites like Breitbart and Infowars.  Trump has learned to play the media to his advantage, but his strategy goes beyond getting news attention.

Trump is aligned with new forms of “news media” that continue to spread agenda-driven news to support his presidency. His top adviser, Steve Bannon, turned Breitbart news into a misinformation haven for anti-science white nationalists.  Trump has praised Alex Jones, the head of Infowars, which is a major source of conspiracy theories and false news that helped Trump win the election.  One of Trump’s top advisers, Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn, has repeatedly tweeted fictional news stories about Hillary Clinton.  His National Security Adviser, K.T. McFarland, is a Fox News analyst that frames fighting terrorism and climate change as an either/or choice.  Rex Tillerson of Exxon Mobil, which for decades funded climate denial, is set to be Secretary of State. Rex Tillerson‘s Exxon Mobil has oil deals pending in Russia. If that is not enough, Trump has direct, unfiltered access to millions of Twitter followers with no fact checking whatsoever.

Update 12/13/2016: Rick Perry, a climate denier and Texas oil enthusiast who spreads disinformation about climate science, has been picked to head the Energy Department.

I think there are a substantial number of scientists who have manipulated data so that they will have dollars rolling into their projects. – Rick Perry

There is a history behind misinformation campaigns in this country, and the practice of misinformation has turned into a kind of science that has developed into a seemingly legitimate trade.  Organizations such as The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think-tank that spread disinformation about the health effects of secondhand smoke in the 1990s, are now being paid to spread disinformation about climate change for oil companies. American’s For Prosperity, a Koch-funded organization, has campaigned across America to inform Americans that climate change is “bullshit”. Infowars, Breitbart, and Trump’s tweets all are aligned to setup a disruption of progress on climate change by spreading falsehoods. Besides winning an election, what’s the point of all this misinformation?

These misinformation campaigns are designed to influence policy to favor polluters and tax cuts for billionaire oilmen. Could it be that simple? Yes, which is why Trump picked Scott Pruitt, a staunch denier of climate science and a man aligned with polluters and fossil fuel interests to head the Environmental Protection Agency. Pruitt is a puppet for fossil fuel lobbyists, and his appointment to be in charge of environmental protection is a holy grail accomplishment for polluters.

With an army of false news followers and his Twitter account, Trump is poised to advance the agenda of polluters and stay in power through disinformation until Americans learn to discern fiction from facts.  It’s going to be a tough road ahead with the sources of misinformation occupying the highest offices in the U.S. Government.

Welcome to Earth Forums

March 21, 2016 in Environment

Earth Forums is a place for you to post environment-related topics and start discussions about anything related to the environment. Register to blog, post in the forums, and social share your topics. You may post topics about efficient living, reducing waste, recycling, global warming, politics, alternative energy, and any ideas to reduce our impact on the environment.

Earth Forums is a free place start your environment blog too. You can create a profile, blog from your profile, share your posts, and initiate conversations. Your topics are yours, and may be edited at any time.

After a shut down for a few years due to spam abuse, we’re glad to be back, just in time for Earth Day 2016.

Environment topics only, please. Spam of any kind will not be tolerated.