Polar Ice melt is Man made OFFICAL

While it is well known that the ice at the poles is melting, the reports in the media have been contradictory. In Britain one right wing paper reported that the Sea Ice in the Arctic still covered more of the sea this summer and was not disappearing as fast as us environmentalist have been claiming. Then three days latter the same newspaper were reporting that the Arctic Sea Ice was significantly thinner.

While both articles were factually true, there was a spin being placed on both pieces.
The problem is that just relying on the area of sea covered by Sea Ice as the measure for climate change, will not give the whole picture. With the Arctic we are fortunate in that there are measurements going back to the 1950s made by the US Navy of the depth of the ice. Therefore, there is a clear data set that shows the effects of climate change.

However, there is still a significant part of the world population that refuse to believe that Climate Change is man made. So while the current study, published in Nature Geoscience, is welcome as it proves that man's activity is responsible for the melting of the polar ice, I feel that we should have moved on to finding solutions to the problem.

While there is nothing we can do to stop the loss of Sea Ice in the Arctic, and I still hold to my prediction that by 2012 there will be little or no Summer Sea Ice, it is in the choices we all make now that will determine how much damage climate change will bring.

Just as all the other studies show, the science is clear and human activity is the cause of climate change. It is not the Sun, nor is it part of gods plan, it is human activity that is responsible for the damage that is occurring. While I personally don't believe in god, any god, I fully respect that the majority of people do. However, one of the aspects of religion that has always perplexed me has been that in all religious texts, humans are supposed to be custodians of the planet, the environment, yet so often sacred texts are used to justify our destruction of the environment.

Well as I risk of getting hung, I may as well get hung for a sheep as a lamb, I have long thought that a major obstacle to tackling the problem of Climate Change, is fundamental Christianity Well not just fundamental Christianity but all fundamental religions. However it is in America where fundamental Christianity has had the greatest influence upon the governmental policies that have prevented action for tackling Climate Change. When you have people that don't believe in Evolution, and believe that the Earth is only six thousand years old, even though science proves that they are wrong, then no amount of science will change their belief that science is bunkum.

Genetics proves that Evolution is true, just as Geology proves that the Earth is billions of years old. But when we have fundamental Christians in power, and influencing governments that Climate change is part of gods plan then we really are screwed.

While I wanted to avoid making any further comment here on the US elections, there was comments that Sarah Palin made that shows just how dangerous these beliefs are. In a rally she told her supporters that she would stop funding scientific funding of Fruit Fly research. Citing research that is going on in France. Well from my perspective over here that is just another ill-informed comment by a woman that could be the president of the most powerful nation on the planet. As the research in question is looking at controlling pests and diseases of Olives, a very important crop.

Also scientific research into Fruit Flies has generated many benefits already. While I don't believe that the solutions to Climate Change will come from a technological fix, having leaders that are so ignorant as Palin is dangerous. When it comes to politicians I personally mistrust all of them, however I would rather choose one that has the intellectual capacity to at least attempt to find solutions. From my prospective here, that looks like Barack Obama.

This will not stop Climate Change happening, but once Bush has gone, and good riddance, the real choice is weather the hold of that the oil companies is broken. With Palin/McCain, (or is that John McCain and Tina Fey) that hold by the oil companies will remain. As will the old style failed economic thinking that has done its best to destroy the planet.

I remain quite sanguine about the future. While there are many aspects of Climate Change that will be disastrous, drought, sea level rise, famine, storms, flooding, species loss, I could go on, I really do think that the changes Climate Change will enforce will benefit us all. The trouble is that its only when we are on the brink that humans seem to stop and think.

Also the economic problems across the world should provide the impetus to develop the new Green technologies that are needed. Had Bush had the intelligence and intellect to understand the problem, he would have seen the opportunities there too. As in developing the new Green Technologies the nations that do this will then be able to sell the solutions to the world. All bush could do was say we are not going to do anything until China does, just like a petulant three year old.

Germany is building and testing Carbon Capture, not a total solution but one proved to work, Germany will earn billions selling the units across the world. In Britain a prototype Hydrogen generator has been produced that could be sold for two thousand pounds a time. Its about the size of a Refrigerator and could fuel Hydrogen powered vehicles. Just think of the jobs created building all these cars. Also think of the lower costs to business and industry if we were not using oil but Hydrogen instead.

I am not underestimating the problems we are facing, nor will the actions taken now stop the sea ice melting, but we really are on the brink of a vital choice. We either chose to save humanity or destroy it.