Blue Ribbon Climate Panel
Nothing like a vacation to rejuvenate the mind and soul. This past week I spent most of my time sailing the glorious waters off Nova Scotia, St Margaret’s Bay and Mahone Bay specifically. It did my heart good.
Most of the time we were able to use the wind and sail, only requiring the power of my trusty universal diesel when the weather turned foggy on the last day and the batteries wore out, necessitating a somewhat tense ride back to our safe Halifax home port. In total, I might add, despite the need to motor, our total carbon tally to move a nine-tonne boat over the week came in at less than 50 kg.
Vacation or not, thoughts of AGW were not far away as we sailed past the many homes so closely nestled along the shore. It is hard to understand what goes through the minds of home owners and potential home owners of these seemingly idillic settings when they read, as I did, when I returned home, about the massive melt of our Arctic sea ice and the breaking off of yet another vast chink of ice from the Greenland ice cap.
We are a sea people, more so than many others of the world. We are surrounded by the sea, it influences our lives, industry, weather, climate activities and, will most assuredly affect our future. Nothing in a Maritimer’s life happens without influence of the sea. Our weather, both a bane and pleasure, in alternating charges, is especially driven by the sea changes. And the sea is changing. Ocean levels are rising, storms are increasing in frequency and intensity, as our best and brightest in climate science research tell us. And yet we demure. Developers, in tandem with all levels of governments, municipal, provincial and federal and especially the parrot of the media with their pseudo-news, continue to pretend that it is business as usual. Not a word about how the changing ocean will devastate the coastline. Not a word about what we will do when the piper demands to be paid.
My question is simple, why do we not do something. Not plan. Do something. No simple break wall, no matter how many millions of dollars in the spending, will hold back the raging, roiling sea. Not far from our homes, our backyard is in metamorphosis. Vast chunks of ice are disappearing into melt water and with each passing study the prognosis grows worse. Mr. News Reader, Mr. Mayor, Mr. Premier, Mr. Prime Minister and Mr. Developer, it is way past the time for rhetoric.Here is what I suggest. We must convene a blue ribbon panel composed of scientists, first and foremost, government and business leaders, to grapple with the coming changes, because come they will. Lay out the areas of most immediate concern and then immediately act on them. Not in 2020, 2030 or goodness knows, when me and my government are not in power and will not be held accountable, but now.
3 Responses to “ Blue Ribbon Climate Panel ”
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November 11th, 2010 at 3:50 pm
But see this is the problem with getting all excited about sea level rise. We can convene a blue ribbon panel if you like, but just ensure that some of them are local geologists who know something about maritime isostac rebound history.
for example i recently read the following from a report on LIDAR;
“The relative sea-level curve reported for the upper Bay of Fundy region by Amos and Zaitlin (1985) has relative sea-level at approximately 40 m above present at 14 ka, followed by a decline to –30 m at 7 ka, then increasing to present levels. Postglacial isostatic adjustments in the region are ongoing as a result of the removal of ice (Grant 1980).”
This report says that sea level was 40 meters higher than today only 14k years ago, then fell to 30 meters below todays level by only 7k years ago, then back to todays level now. What the hell? How can anyone claim sea level rise today is caused by human acitvity when it rises and falls so much in such short bursts naturally?
So yes we should be prepare for more sea level changes, no question. But don’t go telling me that humans are the cause. Not buying it.
reference http://agrg.cogs.nscc.ca/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=812
November 11th, 2010 at 4:05 pm
Here’s more from the NS Museum of Natural History:
In most areas where we have Relative Sea Level (RSL) data back to 4000 years ago, we can see a break in the rate of RSL rise at 2500 years ago. Rates of RSL rise prior to 2500 years ago can be as high as 1 m/century. Rates of RSL after 2500 years ago are usually less than 20 cm/century, except at the edge of the continental shelf, where rates do not appear to have changed since 4500 years ago. Average RSL rise in Nova Scotia is between 25 and 30 cm/century, almost all of which is due to crustal subsidence resulting from isostatic adjustment at the Earth’s surface following glaciation.”
So Nova Scotia averages about 1 foot sea level rise per century. I think these people who have built their homes too near the water still have a bit on time, I think. But we can still convene the blue ribbon panel.
reference http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mnh/nature/nhns/t3/t3-3.pdf
November 24th, 2010 at 11:47 am
Richard, I agree totally!! Today is November 24th and the warmest place in Canada is Iqaluit at 3 degrees Celcius! Thats almost 20 Degrees above normal and Environment Canada’s forcast for the next 7 days has that temperauture staying steady.