In a July 18 testimony to Congress, Dr. Jennifer Francis, an atmospheric scientist from Rutgers and key innovator to understanding how climate change has brought about dangerous alterations to the Northern Hemisphere Jet Stream, provides five compelling reasons why we should all be quite concerned about human caused global warming.
They include:
1. CO2 levels are higher than they’ve been in probably 2.5 million years.
2. The northern polar sea ice has lost more than 3/4 (80% ) of its volume since 1979.
3. The pace of sea level rise is accelerating.
4. The Arctic has warmed 2-3 times faster than the rest of the Northern Hemisphere.
5. Climate misleaders deliberately ignore and misconstrue the science.
The video is well worth the five minutes it takes to watch. A more in depth PDF was also provided for those looking to dig deeper.
Hat tip to Peter Sinclair for the heads up.
robertscribbler 
Nancy
/ July 23, 2013I had the good fortune to meet Dr. Francis and spend some time talking with her. She is a brilliant scientist, but she is also a mother of two who cares deeply about the lack of climate action. I enjoyed talking to her very much. I am also a mother of two, and I am astonished that parents of young children are not marching in the street demanding action for their kids’ futures.
I always (to my husband’s dismay) bring up climate change in every conversation, especially the melting of the Arctic in our lifetime. That should be the biggest wake-up call any parent needs to know. But I generally get blank stares and lots of fidgeting, and sometimes a response of “We recycle in our home.” But they still drive huge SUVs, leave their A/C on all summer long, and fly to vacation destinations every few months (I live in a wealthy town). I offer to send them articles, but they refuse.
Until parents and grandparents wake up and fear for their kids’ futures, I don’t think our politicians are going to do anything. If I were a young woman today, I would not have children. The future is too frightening.
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robertscribbler
/ July 23, 2013She seems very genuine, very down to Earth. Hopefully, I’ll have a chance to meet her one day as well. And you’re absolutely right that we should all be very concerned for our children. In my view, it is the very sign of love that parents work to leave the best world possible to the ones they’ve had the joy to give life.
Individual action is very important, but I also think there’s no way for us to deal with the problem without public action. Even if we all became vegans, cut off our AC, and lived the most efficient lives possible, we are still captive consumers to a system that, in my view, implies an enforced dependence on fossil fuels and emissions-based agriculture. We will not all be able to afford the solar panels. We will not all be able to afford the electric vehicles. We will not all be able to live close enough to work so that we can bike there. We will not all have jobs that give us the time to grow our own food or have access to local, organic food sources. So, in my view, some of our action must also be demand changes from leadership, from politicians and from businesses. We will need new products, new ways of working together, more resilient, localized communities, and, in general, systems that re-weave the web of life rather than break it.
I admire all the individuals who have worked so hard to live lives that impact the Earth less. And they do help us. But they cannot do all the necessary work on their own. If we wish to leave a less hostile world for our children we will. likely, have to work together to give us all the opportunity to make more benevolent choices. And the good thing is that there’s a huge list of changes we can begin to make now, as societies, that will help. Unfortunately, there are a number of vested interests who are bound and determined that we do not make these changes. So there may be conflict as we work in this direction.
Warmest regards to you and yours and thank you for your kind comment.
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