War, Politics, and Life by Bruce Maulden
(Illustration found here). In just a week, a bit of frightful climate news — maybe more frightful than usual. Starting off last Monday, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) released its Status of the Climate Global Climate report, and the card looked real bad (via Climate News Network) — WMO secretary-general Petteri Taalas: “The future is…
Deeply-overcast and drizzling this noon Sunday on California’s north coast, as the whole region prepares for another roller-coaster weather ride. Big storm due in this afternoon and evening, first in a series supposedly packing way-more rain than snow, though, the mountain-tops already look good for the season (via The Weather Channel): ‘According to winter weather…
In climate news, the big-story is COP21, the UN talks starting Monday in Paris. Despite the reality, a lot of the gloss is greased oratory: “The stars are more aligned right now to reach agreement than I have ever seen them,” U.S. Special Envoy for Climate Change Todd Stern told reporters last week. “We are…
Sunshine and a warm breeze this Monday afternoon on California’s north coast — at least along the shoreline we’re supposed to be in the low 70s today and tomorrow, but if the ocean breeze kicks in, all bets are off. Forest fires continue burning to the east and south of us, but apparently winds have…
Overcast with some occasional thin-ass sunshine this Tuesday afternoon on California’s north coast, and another mundane summer-weather episode for us. Not so last weekend down southern-California way — Science writer Bob Henson at WunderBlog this morning: Amazingly, the past weekend produced more rain in San Diego than the previous 100 Julys combined (1915–2014). This was also…
No-more-excuses point, in a kind of watershed moment this morning — via the Guardian: Catastrophic climate change can be averted without sacrificing living standards, according to a landmark UN report published on Sunday. It concludes the transformation required to a world of clean energy and the ditching of dirty fossil fuels is eminently affordable. My…
High overcast again this early Tuesday on California’s north coast, and as the planet spins into oblivion the dark lingers. And sunshine won’t change matters. In light of the EPA’s okay last Friday of the Keystone XL pipeline, was this prior to the report’s release from Jack Gerard, CEO of the American Petroleum Institute: “It’s…
Clear and really-cold this early Wednesday here on California’s north coast with the air getting colder the closer to dawn. Away from the ocean and into the interior, temperatures could drop into the single digits, but even with us on the beach, it’s going to be a record-setting cold snap. However, since I leave for work…
Overcast and cool this way-early Wednesday on California’s north coast, and if the last few days are any indication, the weather up here is returning to its normal mode of cool damp. We’re coming off the most-extended warming period I’ve experienced since moving up here more than six years ago. A feel for the future.…
Another of the ‘canary in a coal mine‘ motif, this one via butterflies. Two years ago in the UK, a bunch of people calling themselves ‘citizen scientists,’ took part in the first Big Butterfly Count to much-better track their slowly disappearing butterfly species — 10,000 people participated in the original, 34,000 last year, no telling…
