tartantambourine:

Animals across the world are fleeing global warming by heading north much faster than they were less than a decade ago, a new study says. About 2,000 species examined are moving away from the equator at an average rate of more than 15 feet per day, about a mile per year, according to new research published Thursday in the journal Science which analyzed previous studies. Species are also moving up mountains to escape the heat, but more slowly, averaging about 4 feet a year.

Fascinating story. What should we conclude? Maybe that animals, who apparently do recognize global warming, are smarter than Republicans.

Animals have more sense than Republicans. 

thetripster:

A great tool to learn of the sad truth that we all must face.  Not enough time for denial, so please fight ignorance & educate yourself.

realcleverscience:

Al Gore Lets Loose In Aspen Institute Speech About “Bull**** Anti Global-Warming Pseudo-Science”

I feel bad for Al Gore. Honestly. Just imagine being in his position: You know something most people don’t know, namely, that the planet is in jeopardy. You run for president to help everyone, and are cheated out of the win - and not by another decent guy, but by Bush - the “dubya” - who helps make matters worse. You make an award winning documentary to warn people the world over, which results in major corporations paying people and agencies to mislead and fool the public about the facts. Meanwhile the environmental and governmental situation is worsening. And everywhere he goes he probably encounters people that either say, “yeah, ok, you’re right, but whatever” or “I heard someone on a talk show say this is bogus”.

Imagine that being your life.

Honestly, I’m amazed he’s stayed this collected and rational about the whole thing.

timetruthhumor:

Colbert Disects the SpongeBob Global Warming Conspiracy

In case you haven’t noticed, it’s been a really hot summer. But that didn’t stop Rush Limbaugh from declaring the heat index a government-created liberal fallacy, or prevent the esteemed hosts of Fox & Friends from suggesting Nickelodeon is using SpongeBob Squarepants to indoctrinate children to believe in that whole global warming “hoax.” And while most people with half a brain laughed at them, Stephen Colbert used Report to defend his science-hating friends.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Approximately 80 percent of our air pollution stems from hydrocarbons released by vegetation. So let’s not go overboard in setting and enforcing tough emission standards for man-made sources.”
—Ronald Reagan, quoted in Sierra, September 10, 1980

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. The U.S. Geological Survey has told me that the proven potential for oil in Alaska alone is greater than the proven reserves in Saudi Arabia.”
—Ronald Reagan, quoted in the Detroit Free Press, March 23, 1980. (According to the USGS, the Saudi reserves of 165.5 billion barrels are 17 times the proven reserves—9.2 billion barrels—in Alaska.)

“Why should we subsidize intellectual curiosity?”
—Ronald Reagan, campaign speech, 1980

“Trains are not any more energy efficient than the average automobile, with both getting about 48 passenger miles to the gallon.”
—Ronald Reagan, quoted in the Chicago Tribune, May 10, 1980. (The U.S. Department of Transportation calculates that a 14-car train traveling at 80 miles per hour gets 400 passenger miles to the gallon. A 1980 auto carrying an average of 2.2 people gets 42.6 passenger miles to the gallon.)

plantedcity:

Good news: ‘Climategate’ investigation supports US scientists, climate science

Just before the start of COP15 in Copenhagen thousands of emails from the Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia in the UK were leaked online. What followed was the manufactured ‘Climategate’ controversy where skeptics and deniers alleged that scientists had been fudging their data and that we should no longer be concerned about record levels of carbon dioxide and other climate destabilizing gases being released into the atmosphere.  

Last Friday, the US Commerce Department released its own ‘Climategate’ investigation, concluding:

In our review of the CRU emails, we did not find any evidence that NOAA inappropriately manipulated data comprising the [Global Historical Climatology Network] dataset or failed to adhere to appropriate peer review procedures.

For those keeping score at home this follows investigations by the British House of Commons’ Science and Technology committee, an independent body, and an international panel created by the University East Anglia. Each one affirmed the integrity of the science linking human activities (e.g. burning fossil fuels, industrial agriculture, deforestation) to our warming and changing climate.  

(Photo credit: UK Graffiti artist Banksy’s take on climate change denial, Guardian UK)