Weather, or Not category archive
The Climates They Are a-Changing 0
Will Bunch covers the fire this time and why it’s not getting the media play it warrants. A snippet:
Why is this, and what is to be done?
In the Why Dept., climate change is ultimately a science story — which is bad news on several fronts. Bill Nye aside, America is pretty much a nation of Not Science Guys and Gals — with study after study showing that the U.S. lags the rest of the developed world when it comes to science education. Lack of education typically leads to lack of interest, but I don’t think that’s the only reason viewers reach for the remote. We’ve also seen a steady devolution as reality-show production values trump (pun intended) any kind of real-information culture in the news media.
And it’s not just here.
Afterthought:
I fear we are well past the tipping point.
So Much for Enjoying a Nice Quiet Snow Day 0
The power went out at about 5:45 a. m. and remained out for more than 12 hours. Fortunately, the house has a little gas fireplace thingy that kept us from freezing mercilessly, as nobody was going anywhere. There was about a foot of snow, with high winds and high drifts. You can click the NOAA link on the sidebar for details.
According to the power company’s “Outage” page, over 300,000 customers (households and businesses in Southeastern Virginia) were without power, over 10% of them in my city.
I have nothing but respect for the power company staff who worked outside in those conditions so I can be warm.
Normal insanity will resume tomorrow or the next day. Right now, I’m going to enjoy the marvel of central heat.
Light Bloggery, Snow Day 0
It’s snowing as I write this and I plan to enjoy the snow tomorrow, when this will post, as I am writing it last night so I don’t have to worry about it today. (Let’s Do the Time Warp Again and all that.)
We are supposed to be hit hard, at least as folks in these parts measure it. They don’t know from two-foot snows . . . .
Putting a Price Tag on Climate Change 0
Robert Thorson, a geologist, reports that, even as oil and coal tycoons deny that the climates they are a-changing, the insurance industry is taking action. Naturally, it’s an action that will fix nothing and cost the insured, because it’s all about paying for the risk, not about fixing anything.
Moody’s has already been considering the growing risks of sea level rise and flooding into account in rating coastal properties, particularly those created on filled-in wetlands. It’s now going to do the same regarding government-issued bonds (emphasis added; more at the link).
The fiscally conservative and hazards aware part of me is loving this news because it proclaims an obvious truth that we geologists have taught for a half-century. Easy come, easy go. Lowlands created easily by shallow fill will be the first to go under. We’re talking about our national mall in Washington, D.C., much of the Bay Area in San Francisco, the Florida coastal strip, New York, Boston and countless other cities with large areas of low-lying fill within city limits.