Global Warming's Terrifying New Math

Clark, Forest fires have been happening for thousands of years. The effects of the fires are exaggerated by the fact the once virgin forests are now subdivisions. I have worked in the forest industry and it shuts down every year for the fire season. So to blame a forest fire on Global warming or what ever you want to call it is a stretch.

The record temperatures you speak about is weather not climate and if you where interested in the facts you might want to check out this published study that shows global temperatures have actually cooled over the last 2000 years.

It's a proven fact that the mid evil warm period was warmer than today, as well the 30's had some extreme heat all without the help of human induced C02. I will not deny that it has been a warm summer but patiently await proof that C02 is the cause.

Well said Bill, people like Bill McKibben are not bothered about telling it has it is if they did they would not sell many books or be paid for the articles that they write, this man preys on the gullibility of many people who do not question the science but believe everything that people like him tell them.

Clark, Forest fires have been happening for thousands of years.

Umm, did you read the article Clarke linked? Other than a couple of incidental mentions of fires it had absolutely nothing to to do with fires. In fact, it was entirely about "three simple numbers."

1) 2 degrees Celsius (about 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), which is the maximum before we totally screw up our climate (actually, most scientists believe that 2 degrees C is already too late)

2) 565 Gigatons, which is the amount of CO2 that we estimate is the maximum we can spew into the atmosphere by mid-century and still have a shot of staying below that 2 degrees C.

3) 2,795 Gigatons, which is the actual amount of CO2 we are on track to spew by mid-century. So much for limiting the increase to 2 degrees C.

The record temperatures you speak about is weather not climate and if you where interested in the facts you might want to check out this published study that shows global temperatures have actually cooled over the last 2000 years.

Yes, please explain that particular study for us. Because it has been grossly distorted by the denialist industry blogs you get your information from. In fact, saying "temperatures have actually cooled over the last 2000 years" while ignoring the massive impact human activity has had on temperatures in the last 130 years is as good as any demonstration of your lack of understanding of the science.

It's a proven fact that the mid evil warm period was warmer than today,

"mid evil?"

As for the medieval warm period, the real science tells us differently. Perhaps if you stopped relying on non-science blogs supported by the fossil fuel lobbyists? Just a thought.

I will not deny that it has been a warm summer but patiently await proof that C02 is the cause.

Rather than further give credence to the straw man you created to attack, the actual point of the article was to discuss the three critical numbers that must be considered when dealing with the unequivocal fact that 100 years of science tells us we are warming the planet and need to take action to deal with that reality.

this man preys on the gullibility of many people who do not question the science but believe everything that people like him tell them.

The irony of that statement is hilarious to anyone who knows your history on this venue.

Bill McKibben, just another green activist who has made his money on the back of climate change. No scientific climate degrees just a few honorary degrees from Marlboro College, Colgate University, the State University of New York, Sterling College, Green Mountain College, Unity College, and Lebanon Valley College.

Just another journalist who writes books and gives talks on what he sees as global warming so you will forgive me if I dont take much notice of what he has to say.

One day perhaps in the not to distant future warmegedinists and doomotoligists might just wake up and have an epiphany and realize that they have been taken for the biggest ride in the history of mankind by people like him.

WOW Graham.....Your so right but what blows my mind is someone that posts and is silent on the comments. HMMM

No scientific climate degrees

McKibben has a journalism degree from Harvard. He's a journalist who has won several awards for his writing.

Meanwhile, you are citing an anonymous blogger writing under a fake name who has been demonstrated to get everything he writes wrong. Obviously wrong. Grossly wrong. Every. Single. Time.

Just another journalist who writes books and gives talks on what he sees as global warming

Actually, he's a journalist who has taken the time to research the topic, interview climate scientists, and do fact checking to make sure he is being accurate in what he says.

so you will forgive me if I dont take much notice of what he has to say

Right, you would rather plagiarize from non-science bloggers. Got it.


So to recap, McKibben is a journalist writing a journalism article in a popular magazine.

While you are claiming a non-scientist writing a blog under an assumed name who gets even the most basic facts wrong is somehow "a reliable source."

Just wanted to make sure that was clear.

Oh, by the way, since you didn't cite your source but carefully extracted all the award stuff from the Wiki article you copied, here's the entire paragraph, including the parts you intentionally clipped out because they disputed the aspersion you wanted to impart:

McKibben has been awarded both a Guggenheim Fellowship (1993) and a Lyndhurst Fellowship. He won a Lannan Literary Award for nonfiction writing in 2000. In 2010, Utne Reader magazine listed McKibben as one of the "25 Visionaries Who Are Changing Your World."[21] He has honorary degrees from Marlboro College, Colgate University, the State University of New York, Sterling College, Green Mountain College, Unity College, and Lebanon Valley College. In 2010 he won the Puffin/Nation Prize for Creative Citizenship for his work with 350.org[22]

One has to wonder about the ethics of someone who would intentionally clip out all the parts of a very short paragraph that disputed his predetermined narrative, for the sole purpose of disparaging that person.