In an online conversation about subjects for future radio shows, a friend of mine said: “I like Al Gore‘s effort on climate.” I suppose he’s not wrong about liking Al Gore’s effort, but the results of his efforts are what really matter.

I’m not so confident about the positive effect of Global Warming policies. Not only does it look like global warming has reversed in the last 7 years, with a 0.7 degree C drop in the last year alone, but NASA scientists are now warning that we may be entering another mini-ice age. The culprit? The sun.

But I digress, back to Al Gore’s struggle for money, force and attention. He’s got the United States burning its food, and the UK has been fast on our footsteps. Our food prices have risen. For the first time in 250 years, we are a net importer of wheat. And the crisis isn’t just here in the US.

It has become evident recently that the US’s policies have been causing death and chaos around the world:

• As Food Riots Break Out Across the Globe, Raj Patel Details “The Hidden Battle for the World Food System
• UN announces food crisis taskforce
• Food riots rock Yeme
• Government falls after Food Riot

The typical “knee-jerk” reaction by the government to perceived problems always causes severe problems — in this case world-wide! It’s hurting the poorest the most. We’ve got to get over ourselves. The price and arrogance expressed by those who know better than everyone else, who are passing destructive laws and policies need to leave their ego at the door and start representing the people of this country and start considering global implications.

The United States, whose food prices have risen as much as 300% in some areas for some staples, can potentially afford Al Gore’s policies. However, the US is now competing with other country’s for the world’s food supplies, and other countries just can’t afford food

For the first time in history, the United States is now a net importer of wheat. That means we’re buying it on the open market and are starving people in the third world who can’t afford the new, higher prices. Even Singapore is affected:

• Singapore Hit by High Food Costs — Providing Inexpensive Meals for All

A three decade high for food costs, and they’re continuing to going up.

Hundreds of years of technology has shown that we can never predict the next major change in technology. We didn’t predict steam power, diesel power, electric power, nuclear power, gasoline power or even wind power.

How can the government predict that Ethanol or Hydrogen is the correct solution? They can’t. Yet, they use our money and their guns to force us to do what they want us to do. Why?

Obviously for money, power and control.

But in the global-warming debate, definitive answers to questions about ultimate causes and effects remain elusive. Is our planet really destined for a hot future? Or are we simply experiencing a natural variation in Earth’s climate cycles that will return to “normal” in time?

Using carbon dioxide and temperature variations over the last 400,000 years – one Massachusetts-based company, has attempted to answer the question: a natural cycle or human consequence?

Tim Wormus, an an Analytics Evangelist for Spotfire has come with a sophisticated quantitative and statistical analysis and predictive modeling supported by powerful visual information technology. In fact, many of the most successful businesses in the world – including U.S. government agencies like the FAA, FDA, and homeland defense and national security – rely on analytics like a virtual crystal ball.

• People understand pictures better than data. The famous ‘hockey stick’ graph was the image that really demonstrated man-made global warming in the popular mind. This is really the key point. For most people to really understand something, they need to see it.
• Hindsight is 20/20, but this is just not good enough in a dynamic global economy. Decision makers needs to know how to predict the future so that they can take proactive actions, rather then be constantly reacting to problems and fighting fires, as the cliché goes. Analytics software, like Spotfire, is changing the speed and accuracy of decision-making and opening new doors of opportunity by applying “what-if” scenarios to real-time data.
• Technologies like Spotfire allow for the ready analysis of data from disparate or contrasting sources. If, for instance, we want to know how much a particular abatement strategy will cost, and how much it will help against global warming, it helps to be able to see those things together.
• Visual analysis allows for a fuller picture of what’s happening to CO2 emissions, warming and other associated issues. Because the data volumes are large, we tend to talk about averages. But it may be more important to look at outliers and extreme values.
• Technology innovation like that of Spotfire directly addresses other critical issues like world energy demands, healthcare quality, transportation safety decision-making, and homeland defense and national security.

Tim Wormus – A biography

Tim is an Analytics Evangelist for Spotfire, a division of TIBCO Software Inc., He is responsible for tracking and analyzing Analytics and Business Intelligence trends, as well as advocating their use and acceptance at Global 200 companies. Tim has published and lectured on analytics, including presenting an analytics tutorial at the Gartner Business Intelligence Summit and appearing on a panel with analytics guru Tom Davenport.

Spotfire is based in Somerville, Mass., Spotfire, a division of TIBCO Software Inc., is a leading provider of enterprise analytics software for next generation business intelligence. Spotfire provides an interactive, visual approach to data analysis that puts the power to ask and answer questions on demand directly into the hands of a wide range of business professionals. Spotfire customers include industry leaders among the Global 2000 such as AMD, Chevron, Merck, Pfizer, Shell, Texas Instruments, Toshiba, and Unilever.

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My discussion with Dr. Singer shows how the global warming industry are creating more money for themselves and are pushing the facts aside. (Listen to my interview here.) It is true that very moderate warming has occurred, but much of it is due to natural causes and is therefore almost unstoppable and changes in environmental policy will just impact our economy and have little or no effect on global warming.

1. Why is global warming (GW) so much less than greenhouse (GH) models calculate?
2. Is GW natural or manmade? If natural, then GW is unstoppable and CO2 is irrelevant
3. All policies to control CO2 are then useless–but very costly
4. Economic impact of biofuels, of wind/solar, carbon sequestration
5. Cap-and-Trade raises energy costs and hurts economic growth
6. What really drives the Global Warmers?

S. Fred Singer – A biography

Dr. S. Fred Singer is Research Fellow at the Independent Institute, Professor Emeritus of Environmental Sciences at the University of Virginia, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a Member of the International Academy of Astronautics.

He received his Ph.D. in physics from Princeton University. Dr. Singer has served as Vice Chairman of the National Advisory Committee on Oceans and Atmospheres; Chief Scientist for the U. S. Department of Transportation; Deputy Assistant Administrator at the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency; Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U. S. Department of the Interior; Dean of the School of Environmental and Planetary Sciences, University of Miami; (First) Director of the U. S. Weather Satellite Center; Director of the Center for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Maryland; and Research Physicist, Upper Atmospheric Rocket Program, Johns Hopkins University.

He has also been a visiting scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars; Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology; National Air and Space Museum; Lyndon Baines Johnson School for Public Affairs, University of Texas; and the Soviet Academy of Sciences Institute for Physics of the Earth. He is the recipient of the White House Special Commendation, Gold Medal Award from the U.S. Department of Commerce, (First) Science Award from the British Interplanetary Society, and Honorary Doctorate from Ohio State University.

Dr. Singer is the author or editor of fourteen books on climate science, energy, and environmental issues as well as the author of over 400 articles in scientific and public policy journals plus over 200 articles in popular publications, Dr. Singer has been featured in articles in Time, Life, and U. S. News & World Report, and he has been interviewed on Nightline, Today Show, News Hour, Nightwatch, and other national and international television programs.

Professor S. Fred Singer is the author of “Hot Talk, Cold Science: Global Warming’s Unfinished Debate,” published by the Independent Institute, a nonpartisan public-policy think-tank based in Oakland, California. He is Professor Emeritus of Environmental Sciences at the University of Virginia, and has served as Vice Chairman of the National Advisory Committee on Oceans and Atmospheres. He was also the first Director of the U. S. Weather Satellite Center. Prof. Singer’s latest book is “Unstoppable Global Warming: Every 1,500 Years,” cowritten with Dennis Avery.

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Prof. White says that we may be in for an abrupt climate change, which is when the climate system shifts modes very rapidly (in a few years), by large amounts (5 to 10 degrees C annual temperature, doubling or halving of precipitation, etc.). This type of change is particularly scary, as it is unpredictable and potentially devastating.

The timing of thresholds are hard to predict. Arctic sea ice extents dropped dramatically this past year, for example. Models can predict that change, but not the exact timing.

Is there anything we can do to prepare for abrupt climate change?

The amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the air has a direct affect on the amount of warming our planet experiences.

• At 380 ppm CO2, we are 100 ppm above the preindustrial level.
• 100 ppm is the difference we see in ice cores over the past 1 million years between glacial periods and interglacial periods.
• The climate system has inherent inertia, and thus most of the response to this increase in greenhouse gases is yet to come.
• Increased levels of greenhouse gases will change climate. This is simple physics, and not a matter of scientific debate.
• Quantifying feedbacks are key to understanding our future. Small changes in greenhouse gases can cause warming that trigger sea ice melt that in turn trigger much more warming as blue water replaces reflective, white ice.
• Climate change from greenhouse gases is only one measure of human impacts on the planet. We make as much nitrogen fertilizer as all bacteria in the world.
• We produce as much sulfate (a cooling aerosol that is a major cloud condensing nucleus) as all phytoplankton in the ocean.
• We have power, we have the domination we’ve long sought… but now we need to accept the responsibility that comes with that power. Its time to mature and start doing that.

Have we already exceeded a level of increased greenhouse gases that will ultimately result in large increases in sea level (many meters), rainfall patterns, temperatures, and other parts of the climate system? The past would tell us yes.James White – A biography

James White is a Fellow and Interim Director of INSTAAR; Professor of Geological Sciences, Univ. of Colorado at Boulder.

James has started the INSTAAR Stable Isotope Lab in 1989. In recent years, his research has helped to show that large climate changes tend to occur in the natural system as abrupt and rapid shifts in mode probably driven by internal adjustments in the Earth climate system, rather than slow and gradual adjustments to changing external conditions, such as the amount of energy received from the sun.

His research has also helped to show that land plants are capable of removing large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, amounts that equal our input of CO2 from fossil fuel burning on short time scales. Such large changes in the uptake of CO2 by plants is a key piece in the puzzle we must solve to address future CO2 levels and climate change.

James has written following research papers and also been a contributor of number of publications

• Global scale climate and environmental dynamics.
• Carbon dioxide concentrations and climate from stable hydrogen isotopes peats and other organics.
• Climate from deuterium excess and hydrogen isotopes in ice cores.
• Isotopes in general circulation models.
• Modern carbon cycle dynamics via isotopes of carbon dioxide and methane.

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Anthony Watts of www.surfacestations.org has a big piece of data to share. 30% of the weather stations here in the United States are flawed. Click on the picture on the right to see a station in Forest Grove, OR with an air conditioner exhaust blowing directly on the temperature shelter, with nearby asphalt and buildings — and this isn’t the worst offender. To see for yourself just how bad the science is, check out these links:

• More than 500 Stations Now Surveyed
• How Not to Measure Temperature
• Adjustments to the surface temperature records are making the problem worse.
• How not to measure temperature part 2
  
• Temperatures in the past 10 years have not risen globally
• Temperatures have dropped signifcantly in the past year
• Hurricanes and Global Warming are not linked after all, NOAA says so in new press release and study.
• Some leading scientists are now questioning AGW where before they were afraid to speak out

Anthony Watts – A biography

He’s a former television meteorologist who spent 25 years on the air and who also operates a weather technology and content business, as well as continues daily forecasting on radio, just for fun.

Weather measurement and weather presentation technology his specialty. He also provides weather stations and custom weather monitoring solutions via www.weathershop.com (if you like his work, please consider buying a weather gadget there, StormPredator for example) and www.tempelert.com, and turn key weather channels with advertising at www.viziframe.com The weather graphics you see in the lower right corner of the blog are produced by his company, IntelliWeather.

While he has a skeptical view of certain issues, he considers himself “green” in many ways, and he promotes the idea of energy savings and alternate energy generation. Unlike many who just talk about it, he’s put a 10KW solar array on his home, plus a 125 KW solar array on one of his local schools when he was a school trustee. He’s retrofitted his home with CFL’s and better insulation, as well as installed timer switches on many of his most commonly used lights. He encourages others to do the same.

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I interviewed Patrick J. Michaels, the author of Shattered Consensus: The True State of Global Warming and we got the real skinny on what’s been going on.

The observed rate of warming (since 1976) has been remarkably constant, and in recent years we’ve seen a leveling off and even a bit of cooling — but none of the climate models used to show everyone that we need to change our ways have been changed. The models are overly simplistic, in other words: they’re wrong. Even taking the climate model’s as gospel truth for the foreseeable future, our temperature rise is at the low end of rates projected by the United Nations. Just another political manipulation?

About half of the warming of the 20th century is probably a result of greenhouse gas emissions, with particular emphasis on the “second” warming, which began in the mid-1970’s. The first warming took place from 1910-1945, and was largely solar in origin, and there is substantial evidence that the sun’s cycles are playing a big part in the current changes.
Disaster scenarios such as the rapid shedding of ice from Greenland are not warranted by historical data, so Al Gore‘s got this one wrong, too.

There is no known suite of politically acceptable technologies that can significantly alter the warming trajectory of the planet.

Enforcing policies now is simply a waste of money that can better be invested in future technological development.

Once I post the interview, I’ll put a link to it here… You’ve got to listen!

Patrick Michaels
Senior Fellow in Environmental Studies
CATO Institute

Patrick Michaels – A biography

Michaels is a research professor of environmental sciences at the University of Virginia and visiting scientist with the Marshall Institute in Washington, D.C. He is a past president of the American Association of State Climatologists and was program chair for the Committee on Applied Climatology of the American Meteorological Society. Michaels is a contributing author and reviewer of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

His writing has been published in the major scientific journals, including Climate Research, Climatic Change, Geophysical Research Letters, Journal of Climate, Nature, and Science, as well as in popular serials such as the Washington Post, Washington Times, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Houston Chronicle, and Journal of Commerce.

He was an author of the climate “paper of the year” awarded by the Association of American Geographers in 2004. He has appeared on ABC, NPR’s “All Things Considered,” PBS, Fox News Channel, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, BBC and Voice of America. According to Nature magazine, Pat Michaels may be the most popular lecturer in the nation on the subject of global warming.

Michaels holds A.B. and S.M. degrees in biological sciences and plant ecology from the University of Chicago, and he received a Ph.D. in ecological climatology from the University of Wisconsin at Madison in 1979.

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The move to biofuels is a good thing in moderation – too much and we could actually cause a net increase in greenhouse gas emissions. There are several concerns with biofuels. Central among them is that if we use productive lands to produce biofuels we can directly or indirectly cause increased rates of deforestation and release of stored carbon in a variety of landscapes.

And to the extent food diverted to biofuels is not replaced, because higher prices reduce demand, the world’s poorest people will bear much of the cost. That represents a greenhouse gas benefit but not an acceptable one.

Opportunities to produce environmentally beneficial biofuels come from:

• municipal or industrial waste
• agricultural wastes
• harvesting fall grass from agricultural reserve lands
• tapping into unutilized forest harvest byproducts
• Increased forest harvesting when sustainable

Biofuels do not have to be liquid fuels, in some situations it makes more sense to directly burn biofuels.

Prof. Steven Hamburg
Head of the Global Environment Program
Watson Institute for International Studies
Brown University, Box 1970
Providence, RI 02912-1970
Email: Steven_Hamburg@brown.edu

Prof. Steven Hamburg – Biography

Steven Hamburg is an ecosystem ecologist specializing in the impacts of disturbance on forest structure and function. His research activities have most recently focused on linking climate change impacts to climate change mitigation, including in the corporate sector. He has served as an advisor to both corporations and non-governmental organizations and was awarded an Environmental Merit award by the US Environmental Protection Agency for his climate change-related activities.

At Brown he is the advisor for the environmental science concentration and graduate advisor for the Center for Environmental Studies, as well as director of Watson’s Global Environment Program. He is the vice chair of the International Long-term Ecological Research Network, whose first secretariat is being established at Watson.

He has published widely including in Nature and Science and has served as a lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Hamburg came to Brown in 1995 after spending a year at Environmental Defense working on climate change-related issues and nine years at the University of Kansas, where he directed the Environmental Studies Program and served as Environmental Ombudsman. He received his graduate training at Yale University, held a post-doctoral position at Stanford University, and was a Bullard Fellow at Harvard University.

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According to Arnold Klann, the solution to this problem is sitting in your trash can.His company, BlueFire Ethanol, is in the home stretch to breaking ground on California‘s first cellulosic ethanol plant, which will produce 3.1 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol per year from municipal solid waste.

By locating biorefineries directly in the markets with the highest demand for ethanol, BlueFire Ethanol can utilize its technology to help cities manage landfill waste while increasing biofuels supplies — solving two problems for the price of one.

BlueFire Ethanol is also one of six ethanol companies awarded funding from the U.S. Department of Energy for another planned ethanol production facility southern California which will produce approximately 17 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol per year from green waste, wood waste and other cellulosic urban wastes.

BlueFire’s use of the Arkenol Process Technology differentiates BlueFire from competitors in the cellulosic ethanol field by providing them with the ability to site anywhere (landfills, MRFs, next to biomass power plants, etc) and convert anything cellulose (from rural to urban to forest waste) into useable fuels.

Arnold R. Klann
Chairman / President / CEO
http://www.bluefireethanol.com

Arnold R. Klan – Biography

Thirty years of experience in corporate management, project finance, engineering, design, construction, start-up, environmental permitting, and real estate acquisition. Mr. Klann is the Chief Executive Officer for BlueFire Ethanol and Arkenol. As cofounder of both companies, he has been responsible for the successful development or acquisition of over 610 megawatts of natural gas-fired cogeneration facilities, and been the driving force behind the research and development effort leading to the commercialization of the Arkenol technology.

Prior to founding ARK Energy, he successfully launched three businesses and managed complex teams for project development and operation. Areas of technical expertise include cogeneration development using natural gas-fired and solid fuels technologies, ocean thermal energy conversion, and offshore oil exploration design and operations.

As Vice President of Engineering and Product Development for GWF Power Systems Company, led technical commercialization, development and permitting activities for eight petroleum coke and coal-fired power plants. Specializes in frontier technology development. A.A. (electrical engineering) 1972, Lakeland College.

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Hummers have long been bashed because of their non-green image. According to experts, the Prius is even worse than the Hummer when it comes to true environmental damage. The Recorder has quite an article about the whole issue, too.

So what’s the truth about Apple Computers? According to Apple, it’s not what Greenpeace is pushing — and considering the track record of those screaming about being green, I tend to believe Apple.

This non-story turns out to be just another ploy to distract the World from the real problem. We have far too many special interest groups screaming to try and get attention from the public and funding from government.

Let the special interests and government get out of the way, and let the people use our money, our intelligence and our businesses to build a better mousetrap. Everyone cares about the environment. Let’s all work together to solve these problems — don’t force people to follow your way.

When it comes to Apple and the Environment, I can’t think of any companies who truly care about the world and its environment more than Apple. Get over it.

Dr. Timothy Ball, one of my guests on today’s radio show has some great information about the real problems.

Our buildings consume nearly three-quarters of all electricity generated at U.S. power plants, natural gas and coal fired power plants. In addition, Buildings contribute nearly half of America’s green house gas emissions that cause climate change.

U.S. buildings account for nearly the same amount of carbon emissions as the economies of Japan, France and the United Kingdom combined.

RK will discuss the steps that can be taken to employ eco-friendly design across the U.S., the technology surrounding sustainable design, as well as details on tax incentives for homeowners and businessowners to build green.

Buildings account for an estimated 48 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions, far more than transportation or industry sectors. Additionally, buildings consume 76 percent of all electricity generated by power plants.

AIA recently testified before the US Senate Energy subcommittee where the organization recommended that all new buildings and major renovations owned or leased by the federal government should immediately meet fossil fuel generated energy consumption targets that represent a 50 percent reduction from that of similar federal buildings in 2003.

The use of green building materials, proper site selection, renewable energy sources and innovative heating and cooling technologies can have a measurable impact on reducing the adverse effect that buildings have on our environment.

Where Boston ranks in “green” building:

From www.sustainlane.com. The site recently published its 2006 US city rankings of the 50 largest cities—the nation’s most complete report card on urban sustainability. Boston ranks as #7. “Recent efforts at urban renewal have had positive environmental effects: A 12 percent reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, a 25 percent to 33 percent reduction of noise in surrounding neighborhoods, and the addition of 320 acres of new parkland, according to Boston.com.”

Atlanta, Portland, Seattle, Washington, DC and Sacramento top the list for LEED certified and registered buildings. In general, the West coast and East coast dominate when it comes to LEED certified structures.

The AIA has recently launched How Design Works, a website that shows consumers how they can work with an architect in order to design or renovate a green home.

Video case studies and FAQ sheet are included on the site: http://howdesignworks.aia.org/

About The American Institute of Architects
For 150 years, members of The American Institute of Architects have worked with each other and their communities to create more valuable, healthy, secure, and sustainable buildings and cityscapes. AIA members have access to the right people, knowledge, and tools to create better design, and through such resources and access, they help clients and communities make their visions real.

RK Stewart’s bio:

RK Stewart, president, American Institute of Architects: RK Stewart, FAIA, a principal at Gensler… Architecture, Design & Planning Worldwide, was elected to serve as the 2006 American Institute of Architects (AIA) first vice president/president-elect and 2007 Institute president-elect-elect. The election took place on May 20 during the AIA National Convention in Las Vegas, NV. In 2007, the organization, with a current membership of nearly 75,000 licensed architects, will mark its 150th anniversary representing the nation’s architects.

In his role as 2007 AIA president, RK will leverage his expertise and experience to increase the profession’s overall value to society through the AIA’s focus on advocacy, community, and knowledge. He will work to broaden the architectural profession through greater support for emerging professionals and to promote diversity within its ranks. RK hopes to see the industry enhance its influence through new ways of constructing a more sustainable built environment. He hopes this effort will be led by design professionals who utilize their creativity and expertise to design and build projects more efficiently, while incorporating strategies and elements that are sustainable, more economical, and of higher quality. By guiding the profession toward active engagement with government through advocacy efforts, he hopes the industry will play a greater role in creating “livable communities” across the nation.

RK Stewart joined Gensler in 1988 with extensive experience in large scale, mixed-use projects, institutional, renovation/restoration projects, and high-rise office towers. Mr. Stewart manages large-scale, complex projects applying his expertise in the architectural design, development and documentation process coupled with his understanding of engineering disciplines. Mr. Stewart’s experience in complex regulatory approval processing makes him a firmwide resource for planning code, building code, historic preservation and similar issues. As a rotating member of the firm’s Management Committee in 2000 – 2001, Mr. Stewart led development of improvements in Gensler’s Design and Delivery Systems, including technical, specifications, CAD, project management and learning committees. To improve the communities in which we practice, Mr. Stewart has been involved in advocacy efforts across the state and nation. Mr. Stewart’s contributions to the profession were recognized with his investiture in the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows in 2001. At the 2005 American Institute of Architects Annual Meeting Mr. Stewart was elected to serve as the organization’s national President in 2007. He received his Bachelor of Environmental Design from The University of Kansas, and a Master of Architecture from the University of Michigan.

Patrick Michaels the author of Meltdown: The Predictable Distortion of Global Warming by Scientists, Politicians, and the Media joins Craig to discuss the truth about Global Warming.

There is no politically acceptable technological strategy at this time that would result in a significant change to the warming trajectory that surface temperatures are on.

If every nation on earth lived up to the Kyoto Protocol, the amount of warming that would be “saved” would be 0.07 degrees Celsius per half-century, and amount too small to measure.

Because instruments like Kyoto cost money, they destroy capital that could better be used for investment in future technologies. Ironically, these failing (and failed) attempts to “do” something about warming delay the time by which technologies that may really be effective can be implemented. All invention and distribution of technology requires capital.

Other, much less expensive technologies allows us to live with environmental and climate extremes, and this type of accidental “adaptation” to climate change will continue in the future, as long as, again, the capital is available.

Here’s an example of adaptation: people in hurricane-prone regions build their homes on pilings so that they are not destroyed by the storm surge. As an example, in the North Carolina Outer Banks (which experiences more hurricanes than just about anywhere on earth), used to build without this protection. But when they realized it was the water (not the wind) that was causing damage, they elevated their homes. As a result, visibility has dramatically improved, and many of these homes can see both the ocean (at sunrise) and the Albemarle Sound (sunset). Rental rates approach $15,000 a week in the homes with the best views. Consequently, people adapted to prospective sea-level rises of approximately 12 feet in 30 minutes, a typical strong storm surge. It is therefore strange to think that people can’t adapt to 12 inches of sea level rise over 50-100 years!

Death rates from tornadoes have dropped dramatically with the evolution of weather radar and modern communications. The same applies to flash floods. While the frequency of these events MAY change with warming, the technological adaptation via forecasting and preparation will almost certainly be greater than any climatic change.

Finally, heat-related death rates are dropping dramatically in North American cities. In fact, the more frequent heat waves are, the fewer people die. This is clear evidence of adaptation, as cities warm naturally, with or without global warming, and this warming has been accompanied by a decline in heat-related deaths. The reasons for the decline are infrastructural, technological, and political.

“What’s Hot, and What’s Not,” San Diego Union-Tribune (Online), March 11, 2007

“Inconvenient Truths,” National Review (Online), February 23, 2007

“New Climate for Global Energy Policy,” San Francisco Chronicle, February 2, 2007

“Live with Climate Change,” USA Today, February 2, 2007

“Global Warming: So What Else Is New?,” San Francisco Chronicle, February 2, 2007

Patrick Michaels Bio: He is a past president of the American Association of State Climatologists and was program chair for the Committee on Applied Climatology of the American Meteorological Society. Michaels is a contributing author and reviewer of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. His articles have appeared in the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and USA Today, Houston Chronicle, and the Journal of Commerce. He holds A.B. and S.M. degrees in biological sciences and plant ecology from the University of Chicago, and he received his Ph.D. in ecological climatology from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

About Cato: The Cato Institute is a non-profit public policy research foundation headquartered in Washington, D.C. The Institute is named for Cato’s Letters, a series of libertarian pamphlets that helped lay the philosophical foundation for the American Revolution. Learn more about Cato and Patrick Michaels by going to www.cato.org.

Either see business leadership as social leadership and prosper

Risk decline and defeat in the global marketplace.

In the next 25 years, the world will increasingly look to corporations instead of governments to solve its major social problems; among them, global warming, energy diversification, and nature conservation.

BECAUSE

Growing Influence: Fifty-one of the world’s top 100 economies are now corporations, and more than 40% of world trade now takes place within multinationals. As power and influence move into the hands of corporations, the world is looking to business instead of government to solve its problems. The corporations that can best address social issues by creating superior products will thrive and profit in this new world.

A trend has started (and is tipping now) where top corporations are not just competing on price and quality, but competing on “Social Response.” In other words, their products have a PROFITABLE ADVANTAGE if it has an element of social responsibility built in, they will thrive and naturally win in a capitalistic environment (this is Social Response Capitalism).

EXAMPLES:
o For the last decade Corporations like Toyota (Hybrid) and BP (alternative fuels) have been developing technologies that are superior in social response, they are now thriving. Other corporations must catch up or be left behind.
o Fact: Most green house gases emitted into the atmosphere are from HOMES not CARS. LP has designed new building material called Tech Shield to better insulate homes and reduce CO2 emissions.

World Inc. Social Branding is the definitive major business opportunity for corporations and investors, by linking environmental and social performance to products.

Many corporations are already in the lead in this area, many are catching on, many are being left behind. As companies recognize this, and invest more and more money toward socially responsible technology and practices, Global Warming can be solved through the sheer competition of World Capitalism.

Consumers can speed this process simply by being aware, and choosing to buy products from socially responsible companies.

Bruce Piasecki is the author of five previous seminal books on business strategy, valuation, and corporate change, including the Nature Society’s book of the year, In Search of Environmental Excellence: Moving Beyond Blame (to be re-released in April 2008 by Hampton Roads Publishing Company). His business articles have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Baltimore Sun, Technology Review, and Christian Science Monitor.

NATIONAL SURVEY REVEALS 70% OF AMERICANS CONCERNED ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING

80% Agree Urgent Government Action Is Needed to Improve Situation

New York, NY, March 21, 2007 – An overwhelming majority of Americans – 70% – say they are concerned about global warming, according to results from a new national survey. In addition, 80% feel it is urgent for government officials to take immediate steps toward reducing America’s use of fossil fuels and harmful emissions like carbon dioxide (CO2).

The survey, commissioned by Piaggio Group Americas, was conducted by the International Communications Research firm on a representative sample of 1,000 U.S. consumers in February 2007. It produced these additional findings:

Over 40% of respondents indicated that their concerns about global warming and climate change have escalated over the past 12 months.

While respondents referenced numerous factors driving their environmental concerns, almost 20% specifically cited Al Gore’s Academy-Award winning documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth,” as a source for increased awareness of the issue. Unusual weather patterns, including the relatively mild winter and increased violent storms such as hurricanes, prompted over 60% of respondents to take notice of the issue as well.

Willingness to Take Action

In addition to asking participants about their level of concern regarding global climate change, the survey also queried them on personal behaviors they would be willing to change to reduce the nation’s use of fossil fuels and harmful emissions like carbon dioxide (CO2).

In fact, over a third of those surveyed said that they would be willing to consider using a motor scooter for a portion of their mileage to help improve fuel economy and curb vehicle emissions.

“It’s clear that Americans feel the urgency to act now to address the global climate issue facing our world today,” said Paolo Timoni, president and CEO of Piaggio Group Americas. “As we continue discussions with people about these issues, we’re seeing that more and more are now willing to adapt their transportation behaviors in ways which can immediately benefit the environment – even as scientists, governments and other parties explore other longer term solutions. By shifting just a portion of their mileage to more fuel efficient motor scooters, people can do their part toward reducing negative impacts on their surroundings while saving money and time from their own daily commutes.”

By comparing the new survey results to national fuel consumption and emissions averages, it is possible to project the impact of increased motor scooter usage in the U.S. If Americans were to utilize one of the latest eco-friendly motor scooters for just 10% of their everyday travel, they could potentially reduce national fuel consumption by 14 million gallons of gasoline per day and decrease carbon dioxide emissions by 324 million lbs. per day.

Transportation Shifts Found to Have Significant Impact

In addition to the survey examining consumers’ attitudes on global warming, Piaggio has also studied how motor scooters can alleviate traffic- and emissions-related issues in urban areas like New York City.

A traffic model created by Sam Schwartz PLLC, noted transportation engineering and planning firm, examined a central section of midtown Manhattan and found that if scooters accounted for 20% of the vehicles in that area, the following would result annually:

A total decrease in delay of more than 4.6 million hours per year – which translates to time savings of nearly 100 working hours per person
A reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by over 26,000 tons (52,000,000-pounds) per year
A decrease in fuel consumption by over 2.5 million gallons per year
A total savings for New York City of more than $122 million per year in fuel and labor productivity

Both the consumer survey and New York City traffic model are part of a national initiative known as “Vespanomics,” created to raise awareness of the environmental and economic impact of alternative modes of transportation like motor scooters. For more information, please visit http://www.vespanomics.com/

What is Vespanomics? The ecological, economic, and personal satisfaction one achieves after purchasing a Vespa scooter.

About The Piaggio Group:
Established in 1884 by Rinaldo Piaggio and based in Pontedera (Pisa, Italy), the Piaggio Group is one of the world’s top manufacturers of two-wheel motor vehicles. With seven production facilities, five Research & Development centers, over 6,300 employees in 50 countries and an annual production of more than 610,000 vehicles, the Piaggio Group has a consolidated leadership in the European 2-wheeler market. Piaggio ended 2006 with more than 300 dealers in the US, and an over 20 percent share of the US scooter market for Piaggio and Vespa scooters.

Its production includes scooters, motorcycles and mopeds in the 50cc to 1,200cc displacement range, marketed under the Piaggio, Vespa, Gilera, Derbi, Aprilia, Moto Guzzi and Scarabeo brands. The Piaggio Group is controlled by Immsi S.p.A., an industrial and services holding listed on the Milan Stock Exchange, and is headed by Chairman and CEO, Roberto Colaninno. As of July 11th, 2006, Piaggio & C. S.p.A.’s ordinary shares are listed on the Milan Stock Exchange (Borsa Italiana).

Across its more than 120-year history, the Group has been active in almost every area of transport including: naval fittings; the construction of locomotives and rolling stock; engines for the aeronautics sector; seaplanes; and civil and military aircraft. Since the introduction of the Vespa scooter in 1946, Piaggio has led the way in meeting the growing demand for personal mobility. A universally recognized symbol of Italian style, Vespa is an outstanding success story with more than 16 million scooters produced to date. In addition, at the end of 2004, Piaggio acquired two prestigious brands, Moto Guzzi and Aprilia.

- Climate and change go together. Climate changes on every time scale from millions of years to thousands to decades, etc.
- Many people do not understand the difference between climate and weather. Weather is day-to-day and is always changing. For some odd reason, every heat wave or cold spell is seen by some folks as unusual, a rarity, unexpected, and other such silliness.
- The current topic of global warming is definitely worth understanding.
- The global scientific community is overwhelming agreed that average annual surface temperature on the Earth is the warmest it has been in over one thousand years.
- Some of the scientists most vocal about global warming not being real are ignoring facts to focus on a personally favored view; some of them are doing it for publicity and/or to gain more funding.
- At present, the Earth is undergoing a natural warming, but piggybacked on top of this trend is an even greater amount of warming due to human activities.
- Carbon dioxide additions to the atmosphere have accelerated as we have burned ever more oil, natural gas, coal and wood. The expected greenhouse warming is actually less than it ought to be. The dominant thought now is that the excess heat is being stored in the ocean and thus much of our excess will be dealt with by future generations.
- It has long been popular to state that the US is the main producer of CO2. However, in a matter of months China will pass us up.
- The much argued Kyoto Treaty exempts “developing” countries from greenhouse gas restrictions. China and India are near the top of the list of CO2 emitters but are not required to do anything. Is Kyoto really about climate?
- The biggest part of the problem is the one not talked about anymore — the explosive growth in the human population — it reached 3 billion in 1960, 4 in 1974, 5 in 1987, 6 in 1999, and has now passed 6.6.billion. About 30% of the world population is below the age of 15 and has not yet done their breeding. The soaring population will all use energy thus adding to global warming.
- Other gases also add to the greenhouse effect. For example, methane (CH4). Humans release CH4 via rice production and cattle raising (>1 billion cows now). Methane is 21 times as potent as CO2 as a greenhouse gas.-
- World population and energy usage both are on unstoppable growth trends. Thus global warming will increase. The big worries are not how the rising temperatures affect us directly but how they change rainfall and agriculture.
- It sure would be nice if technologists could figure out a way to make CO2 capture into a profitable business. I have more confidence in technological creativity than in the abilities of the world’s political leaders and bodies.

Pat Abbott
Professor Emeritus of Geology at San Diego State University
Department of Geological Sciences

Author of textbook Natural Disasters (6th ed.) published by McGraw-Hill.