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Climate change

Anglosphere

Wow. There's a first for everything, apparently. The Beeb reports on our changing climate and increasing temperatures, without a big, red, flashy neon sign that blames humanity.

One of the paper's lead authors, Tim Sparks from the UK's Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH), said the findings did not go as far as pointing the finger of blame at human-induced climate change.

This time it's just small, red, carton sign:

"We can't tell that from our study but experts have already shown that there is a discernable human influence on the current climate warming."

But why would we listen to experts appointed by a researcher who isn't even aware of the meaning of the word climate?

The team examined 125,000 observational series of 542 plants and 19 animal species in 21 European countries from 1971 to 2000.

Climate is defined as the average weather over a span of thirty years. Thirty years of observation can at best define one single climate. Never climate change.

Netherlands the best

Anglosphere

Looks like Holland cares most about the poor and the environment:

The Netherlands is the rich nation which does the most to improve lives in developing countries, a Center for Global Development (CGD) report says.

While the Netherlands led the pack on generous investment and aid as well as measures to curb greenhouse gases, the CGD added they could work harder.

Yeah? If we lead the pack, shouldn't the CDG moan about everyone else?

I'm really trying to have an open viewpoint here, but this research looks sloppy. For example, the CGD criticises the US for an apparent 90% inefficiency of aid to Iraq, but they include greenhouse gas emission as criterium even though mankind is only responsible for roughly 10% of total global output, so a similar inefficiency is inherent.

I have read some PDFs on their web site and it is still unclear to me what exactly the CDG is proposing we do to solve all the misery in the world. It's easy to say we don't do enough yet criticise all we are doing, but any organisation asking for more effort and money to aid their cause will need to be able to provide some solid arguments for their case.

The Netherlands are the best. But at what exactly? Adhering to vague mission statements?

Hitler and global warming

Anglosphere

We need something better than Kyoto, screamed scientists. Well, Dutch research of the Little Ice Age might just provide the answer:

Europe's "Little Ice Age" may have been triggered by the 14th Century Black Death plague, according to a new study.

Pollen and leaf data support the idea that millions of trees sprang up on abandoned farmland, soaking up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

This would have had the effect of cooling the climate, a team from Utrecht University, Netherlands, says.

The study also suggests that deforestation and overpopulation pose a bigger threat than CO2-levels. After all, it was the extinction of a third of Europe's pre-industrialised population that might have triggered a little ice age.

Maybe Hitler was just trying to help mother nature.

(Filed under Anglosphere as it's home of the two major opponents of Kyoto, the United States and Australia.)

The Day After Tomorrow

Anglosphere

Went to the movies with Pim tonight and it's been a while since I've seen a theatre from the inside, so here's a quick movie review.

The US refugee camps in Mexico were hilarious. The whole movie is phony. But the special effects were great and impressive. And he gets the girl. All in all, two hours of fun. It's not Nietzsche nor the Gutenberg Bible, but an entertaining popcorn flick, that's what it is. Even though the science is junk.

The Eurotrip trailer made me giggle: "No actual Europeans were harmed in the making of this film". I'll have to check that movie out, especially because Michelle Trachtenberg looks hot in it.

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