7:00 AM: Here's a closeup of the Beach Plum blossom. Literally millions of these flowers cover the dunes here on Fire Island this time of the year. It is a beautiful sight to see. In the news this morning is a report on global warming that focuses on the amount of carbon dioxide (a "greenhouse gas" produced by human activity) that has been absorbed by the Southern seas. Apparently, the seas, which contain natural carbon, also help by absorbing CO2, are already saturated with the substance, something that scientists did not think would happen for decades. This is bad news for the planet, since the seas act as a CO2 "sink," mitigating the effects of man made CO2. The Southern sea is the biggest CO2 sink on the planet and it's already full of CO2. Scientists are saying that this will accelerate the pace of global warming. World population increases, and the peak period of oil production, which is expected to take place over about the next decade, will further stress the world's ecology. It's not a pretty picture, with forecasts for water and food shortages, the extinction of thousands of plant and animal species, human disease and death. Still, the Bush administration, which has been notably anti-science, is in denial about global warming.
Bush's buddy Tony Blair, on his last trip to the U.S. as UK PM, tried to get Bush to give in on related issues, but Bush refused.
Americablog is quoting the British press on Blair's final failure:
The Independent: NO to CO2 emissions targets. NO to a successor to Kyoto. NO to
a carbon trading market. As Blair leaves Washington, US hardens stance on
climate change
Quotable: Andrew Sullivan on Sean Hannity: "a semi-literate, fascist hack"
Jim
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