Global Warming Strikes Mars

Earth isn't the only planet heating up. Recent data about the climate on Mars shows that the red planet is getting warmer too.

In 2005 data from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor and Odyssey missions revealed that the carbon dioxide "ice caps" near Mars's south pole had been diminishing for three summers in a row.

Habibullo Abdussamatov, head of space research at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Astronomical Observatory in Russia, says the Mars data is evidence that the current global warming on Earth is being caused by changes in the sun.

"The long-term increase in solar irradiance is heating both Earth and Mars," he said.

Where is the Martian Al Gore? Because he needs to get to work.

[NatGeo]

Dishonesty: Thy Name is Good Intentions

Maternal death during childbirth has been almost eradicated in the United States, where for every 100,000 births only about 9 women die.

According to a recent Lancet study funded by the Gates Foundation, the global rate is around 250 deaths per 100,000 births. This number, while high, is a stark improvement from 422 deaths per 100,000 births just 30 years ago.

So great news, right? The maternal death rate is falling quickly, thanks to "higher income, which improves nutrition and access to health care; more education for women; and the increasing availability of “skilled attendants” — people with some medical training." Wonderful.

However, not everyone wants to spread the good news:

[S]ome advocates for women’s health tried to pressure The Lancet into delaying publication of the new findings, fearing that good news would detract from the urgency of their cause, Dr. Horton said in a telephone interview.

“I think this is one of those instances when science and advocacy can conflict,” he said.

Dr. Horton said the advocates, whom he declined to name, wanted the new information held and released only after certain meetings about maternal and child health had already taken place.

He said the meetings included one at the United Nations this week, and another to be held in Washington in June, where advocates hope to win support for more foreign aid for maternal health from Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

As usual, when science conflicts with advocacy, the advocates try to hide or distort the science with the best of intentions--they are, after all, trying to help people (ostensibly). But do the ends justify the means?

This story parallels nicely with the climate change debate. Skeptical scientists with contradicting data are marginalized and ignored by advocates and the media because they don't fit the message. After all, advocates think they are saving the world.

However, they have become slaves to their own message, no longer thinking or basing their arguments in fact, but pushing the message forward without regard to honesty or ethics. To them, the ends justify the means.

[via Freakonomics]

Obama Talks Energy with his Bio-fuel F-18 Hornet

Obama insults our intelligence again, this time with a speech on energy, as he spoke in front of a bio fueled F-18 Hornet. Are you kidding me? We spend $50 million for each of these jets, and we're worried if it's going to increase our carbon footprint? Am I the only one who sees how stupid this is?

Obama also proposed opening our coastlines to new oil drilling exploration. Oil drilling stocks naturally jumped up on the announcement today, rising 2-4%. That's great for them, but for the rest of us, we probably won't see any oil for a decade, and hey aren't we supposed to be moving off of oil for good? What happened to that?

The drilling of these new wells would theoretically keep the price of oil lower, keeping it as the go-to energy option, cheaper than the "green" alternatives.

The real lesson from this episode is that Obama doesn't believe in the climate crisis theory, and he's willing to drill for oil because, economically speaking, we just don't have a choice.

Blizzard Dumps Snow on Copenhagen as Leaders Battle Warming

This year, give the gift of Irony.

Dec. 17 (Bloomberg) -- World leaders flying into Copenhagen today to discuss a solution to global warming will first face freezing weather as a blizzard dumped 10 centimeters (4 inches) of snow on the Danish capital overnight.

“Temperatures will stay low at least the next three days,” Henning Gisseloe, an official at Denmark’s Meteorological Institute, said today by telephone, forecasting more snow in coming days. “There’s a good chance of a white Christmas.”

Delegates from 193 countries have been in Copenhagen since Dec. 7 to discuss how to fund global greenhouse gas emission cuts. U.S. President Barack Obama will arrive before the summit is scheduled to end tomorrow.

Denmark has a maritime climate and milder winters than its Scandinavian neighbors. It hasn’t had a white Christmas for 14 years, under the DMI’s definition, and only had seven last century. Temperatures today fell as low as minus 4 Celsius (25 Fahrenheit).

DMI defines a white Christmas as 90 percent of the country being covered by at least 2 centimeters of snow on the afternoon of Dec. 24.

[Bloomberg via Pat Brown]