Warming the Climate, Heating up Tempers

This map I did to show potential hotspots around the world.

Hi there! Well, the good thing about doing this blog is that the potential for fresh material keeps cropping up. My reservoir is always being replenished. The problem with my last blog was that I always felt like it took a lot of energy to look at the issue of each post, then put an essay out there on it. With this, I always seem to have enough energy to do this. Lots of times, I only have ideas for a few posts in the future, but ideas suddenly crop up, and the material has its way of falling into place.

Anyway, this might cause controversy, but here goes. Last night, at dinner, a discussion at the table turned heated. My grandfather, who is visiting from back east (Barre, Mass.) brought up an email he had sent to us all early yesterday morning. He is a chemist, who specializes in the study of applying biomass for uses in fuel and other utilities. He takes a very contrarian opinion on the issue of Climate Change/Global Warming. Quoting the email, he said: "I came to the conclusion in my note below that we should put more CO2in the atmosphere ASAP to prevent the next ice age, which is overdue."

He floated this at the dinner table, and my Mom was not going to have any of it. He pointed to this story on how airliners should be spouting more fuel into the atmosphere. He has floated this hypothesis that the Earth revolves around cycles of Ice Ages, and that our climate is currently overdue for such an Ice Age. He said in the email that it is "irresponsible" to only look at part of the climate data.

On the contrary, I believe, with all due respect, that it is irresponsible to use these findings to extrapolate that we should have even less regard for what our actions do to the Earth's cycles. It seems to be a way of justifying our poor environmental habits, rather than looking at the effect our processes have on the Earth's atmospheric, tidal, and climate cycles. As such, this is not solely a scientific argument, but also about our society, and our outlook.

This was what got under my skin about his train of thought. However, you have to understand that he was part of the World War II generation. To him, technological might has always been a good thing. The idea that our collective actions could harm the earth itself would severely undercut that narrative. This is why it struck me as a smug rationalizing away information that would help our worldview, literally our view of the world, evolve, mature.

His assertion was that most climate scientists only look at a limited portion of the past climate data. This is not entirely true, by the way. My brother looked up a graph, found on wikipedia that shows CO2 levels vs. atmosphere warmth for the last 800,000 years. It is very similar to this one that I found, that shows the same data taken over the last 400,000 years.

This graph is taken from data from Epica and Vostok measurements, which look at ice findings in the Poles.

Anyway, I think my brother made exactly the right move here. Not only did it shift the focus back to a discussion of science, rather than a statement made blithely, regardless of the views of others, and the explosion of resentments pent up, but it showed, in verifiable and nonconfrontational terms, that people have been researching this and pondering the data. I think this was the perfect way to defuse this situation.

Anyway, as I said, the way he presented this view just annoyed me with its blithe mockery of ocncern for our physical Earth, the climate scientists who have found this warming to be happening, and efforts to reevaluate our communities, our use of, just, anything, because it all comes from somewhere. His argument about an ice age being overdue may be the case, but it does not necessarily mean that this much CO2 is good for the climate, still less that we should continue, at more rapid rates, to put out CO2 in the ways we are now.

Furthermore, this totally ignores the undue harm that a warming climate does to the ecosystems of the world. To say nothing of the absolute havoc, chaos, and possibly violence it will elicit in societies around the world. As I mentioned, water and food will be more difficult to produce for people, and starvation can occur, and violence can follow.

Even more startling, Harry Shearer did a piece on his Sunday radio show called "News of the Warm," last November 6. He quoted a recent study from Science Daily that outlined how climate change is shifting the landscape of the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada, much more drastically, and with the potential to introduce unwelcome new species into this area.

One line in this study said "Conditions have become more favorable to outbreaks of diseases and insects." The one thing that got me was the point that large parts of Northern California, Oregon, Washington state, Idaho and British Columbia may shift from pine forests to grasslands or sagebrush desert. Imagining Oregon and Washington state covered in the kind of desert we have down here in Southern California. Just that image in my mind was startling.

The video below is presented to show the energy industry's influence on some scientists critical of the climate data. It also highlights some of the ways that "Global Warming" does not mean that it will be hotter all the time.

In all fairness to the skeptics, I do not believe that all people who don't believe in climate change are puppets of the oil industries. I am also including a story about a physicist who was skeptical, of his own volition and will, of the Climate data, and decided to double check it himself. Here's what his findings were:

My point here is not that CO2 is bad, or to just be a "doomsayer" as my Grandfather sometimes says. In fact, just this past Friday, we all went to a screening of a film called Carbon Nation, which focuses more on energy production without spewing unnecessary CO2 into the atmosphere. It has stories of self-interested business people, newly-converted environmental caretakers, people working on this issue, and, in the case of Van Jones, a heartwarming story of community growth and rejuvenation. From the tough ghetto of Richmond, California to the struggling to of Roscoe, Texas, it provides inspirational stories. These stories make you think "Gee, I didn't think that was possible." Far from being an indictment of humanity, it was full of the rich experience of people changing their lives, with the call to responsibility for our "footprint" being the rallying cry around which their lives could grow and do what human lives can do again.

think this pencil drawing above, done back in late 2007, is a good representation of my view now. It is trying to capture the quality of this landscape, up in the Central Valley, near the town of Lost Hills, and the starkness of the rusty oil derricks and pipes running over the brittle desert floor. Here, the bleak, ugly oil machinery is juxtaposed against the mellow, picturesque Central California semi-coastal sky. Even though people try to manipulate this land, and morph it into a technological landscape, they ultimately exist and live within it, and according to its laws. This leads nicely into my view, as it eveloves, on the environment itself.

My view is that we, as humans, need to be both indicted and cared for. We should both respect the dignity of the people in the business of raw material extraction, but we also must realize that these activities are often harmful to the physical world, to the animals, and to us, as well. We must respect our technological prowess, but know enough to realize that technology can harm both its creators, us, and, again, the Earth. The Earth itself operates much like a macro-organism. Indeed, no technological development or breakthrough can occur without our physical world and the materials it provides.

Anyway, the reason I sat down to write this is to talk about the family conflict. My Mom was really getting flustered. I could see her face turning red. There seems to be more drama happening between my family members now. Or maybe it just seems that way, because I am older, and I can pick up on familial conflicts now.

I had a few reactions to this. On the one hand, as I have explained, I objected to the argument, and thought I needed to say so, and why. On the other, I didn't want to get involved in all the ruckus of my four other family members talking heatedly at each other. At many points, I just stepped out, in between saying things I wanted to say, making sure that I didn't make anyone even more agitated. I don't like the confrontation. I have come to believe that people should listen in these arguments. Anyway I don't like to write others off, and tune them out, even if I am very pissed off at them, and want to get them back. Fault me for it, but that's what I have developed.

So, I didn't want to yell back at anybody. I also do not think it is right to just go along and indulge people. To agree when you do not really agree just makes you resent them even more. They will even begin to suspect, sooner or later, that you do not really mean it when you say "Yes. Okay. Nothing is wrong. I agree." Your body language and tone of voice will give you away. I didn't want to just tune out and be apathetic, either. I think it is better to talk about and mention things, rather than ignore them or wish them away. So I couldn't yell, I couldn't play along with his point, and I didn't want to just tune him out. What could I do?

I think that it is much better to say what you mean, listen earnestly, and respond in kind. Sometimes this is dangerous, but not having any other appealing options, I usually choose either tuning out, or in my better moments, saying honestly what I believe in. I have, as often as I could, given the other person or people, room to express themselves. I believe the best way to honor someone is to listen to them. After that, you do what you have to.

So my question for you, the reeder, is this. How do you deal with uncomfortable family conflicts? Do you withdraw, or fight back, or acquiesce? Is there anything you have done that you wish you hadn't? Tell me what you think you need to express here. See you soon!

See ya, and Keep wondering, folks!

This Blog Has Been Occupied!

Hi There!

Well, this one took me longer to do than I thought. I thought I could get it done by yesterday evening, and put this post up last night. However, my family persuaded me to tear myself away from drawing this, and looking back, I think that was probably a good idea. One thing I have to realize, and you probably do, too, is that taking breaks and taking time to do things can be helpful.

When I take time away from doing a task, and then come back to it, I do better and think of ways around that I hadn't thought of before I took the break. So even though I lost some time, I think it was worth paying that small price. I think the challenging thing to do is to find the right balance between getting things done within a small window of time, but not lose your sanity while trying to do so.

Now, as promised, my post on the Occupy the Rose Bowl Parade. My brother and I went up there. We didn't arrived in time to march in the event itself (The parade took off at about 8 in the morning, and the protest followed the tail-end of the parade), but we were there for a rally in front of Pasadena City Hall. There were speeches and songs. Honestly, we were there to take it in. I just wanted to see who was present at the rally. Thankfully, even at the late stage we caught it at, the rally was well-attended (there were at least 200 there when we arrived, then it thinned out). Even KCAL 9 News was doing a story on it.

I published the video in the previous post. Told ya it would come in handy, didn't I? Again, I tried like hell to find a way to embed it in this post, but alas, that was the only way. Anyway, if you watch their coverage, you'll notice that the woman doing the report was the exact same one in this picture taken by me.




So, the key to the meaning of this picture is, why did I include these people? During the concert, the musician, a woman wearing a skimask as she was singing and playing the guitar, as seen below, was asking people to step up to the adjoining mic and sing out their frustrations, troubles, hopes and goals as members of "the 99%," as they call it.




While all this was going on, I could not help but notice that police had been assembling nearby, en masse, using ATV's, heavy trucks, patty wagons, even armored black vehicles that looked like small tanks. Many of the cops were from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Counterterrorism unit, and some of them were wearing what appeared to be bulletproof vests or flak jackets. As I said, some of this was occurring directly adjacent to our rally, making me think the cops might be ready, at a moment's notice, for some rumble to go down. This was because I had heard many reports of police units getting generous with their force on said occupy protestors.

Here is some photographic evidence of the police crackdown on Occupy Wall Street's participants.





Here, you see the cops in full riot gear, ready to stomp ass. The one guy on the left, there, seems to be slapping the nightstick in his hand, as if to say, "you have to ask yourself one question: do I feel lucky?" These pictures were provided by photojournalist Zach Roberts, who described in vivid and graphic detail his arrest at the 3-month anniversary rally in Lower Manhattan. Between all of these stories, that was my main concern, going into all this, that the cops would get very brutal. Below is another photo, taken, again by Mr. Roberts, from his holding cell.



Thankfully, nothing of this sort happened, either in the parade itself, or at the susequent rally in the shadow of Pasadena City Hall. However, their presence put this inspiration in my mind. What if the cops had joined us? After all, the police are public employees, who are themselves being squeezed by budget cuts nationwide. In some cities, such as Camden, New Jersey, police forces are being cut altogether. Can you imagine how much it would suck to live in a locale with little or no police protection? Violent crime is a big problem in Camden and other cities where this is happening, and this will spell disaster for those communities.

This economic discontent has been boiling for all of last year, 2011. The catchphrase "We Are the 99%" is similar to an online mobilization, The Other 98%, which began in 2010. In response to all of Washington's dealmaking on tax cuts, a group calling itself US Uncut was formed in early 2011. When "Tea Party" Governors in Wisconsin, and then Ohio, tried to remove public unions' right to collectively bargain with employers, people began marching in the streets last Winter and Spring.

The most interesting thing I found in these protests was this. When the Police and Fire Unions there were put in the deal, firefighters and cops began joining the marches. When I learned of it, I found it very intriguing and heartwarming.






Now, this is Rachel Maddow reporting this, so she's got her very clear point of view on this. What I found most interesting of this is that here, the people usually thought of as the protestors' opponents were actually with the protests here. Why? Because this was not about some divisive political back-and-forth. Now, protesting is about more than just idealism and rabblerousing. This is about all of us in our society.


Here are the realities. You have probably heard some of these stats. The top 1% of earners have had their share of income go up significantly over the last 30 years. Here, I think this graph will help explain.


You see that there is a distinct "u"-shaped curve to this graph. You can also clearly see that it begins climbing sharply in 1980. The two apexes seen on the u-curve are in 1928 and 2007, both years, wait for it, right before, that's right, the economy went into a 500-mile-per-hour nosedive. Coincidence? Now, let's look at this graph.


This graph is a vivid illustration of the statistics I was first introduced to six years ago. Back then, around the end of 2005, beginning of 2006, there were about 38 million people in this country with below-poverty wages. I remember hearing that this meant that about 1 in 8 people here lived in poverty. As of 2009, according to the above graph, the number climbed to over 43 million, and is now over 1 in 7.

These numbers, however, hide the condition of each of these peoples' lives. Behind each of these 43.6 is someone trying to get by. Trying, with less and less success, to build a full, satisfying, meaningful life for themselves. Interestingly, the young are most likely to be poor, now. Millions of children now live in poverty. Shockingly, some barely have enough food just to keep them alive, in the United States. Add to all this the pressure of trying to get or keep one, or two, or three jobs, care for a family, and the pressure, hardship, and often pain, is unimaginable.

The basic needs of people are food, water and shelter. I would add medicine to the list. However, what is scary is that people are having more trouble getting, in some cases, even the most basic of those met. This is a painful reality that those in power, in politics or business, don't seem to get. To them, it seems to exist as an anomaly, that they encounter sometimes, but never confront on a constant basis.

What causes all this hardship and pain, is what I wanted to speak to in this drawing. Here, I recorded my thought of an event of unprecedented unity. Here, the Counterterrorism officer, in full flak-jacket, riot apparel, is sharing some of his hardships, and struggles, being part of the downtrodden. He is coming together with the stigmatized protestors, both parties realizing that for all their differences in their lives, many parts of their lives bond them, as well. One of the speakers was saying "We are 1," and I thought "including all the cops over there."

This speaks to a deep longing of mine. I would love to see the people of this world be more unified with each other. Now, I have grown and matured, I know that this will not come easily. For this to happen, some overhaul of our lives must happen. who knows what form this will take? Might be positive, might be negative. I didn't draw this as an endorsement of Occupy Wall Street. I support them to the extent that I support any political movement these days.

What this speaks to is the surface of what is going on, but also its transcendence. I may generally side with the left, but I also have come to realize that beyond right or left, there is some sense of unity, of connection, people can have with their world, and with each other. Conveying this was my main hope with this drawing.

Well, this entry certainly went longer than I expected it to. I never know when I sit down to blog. Sometimes I do a light, short post, other times, it's a big, landmark piece, like it is here. I mean, I knew this would be a big one, but I didn't know it would be this long and involved. Thanks for bearing with me, and I hope you found this reading worthwhile. I'll have some more good things ahead for you soon.

See ya and, keep wondering, folks!