Institute of Climate Studies, USA

May 6, 2012
RAY JOHNSON, Climate Science

Climate Science and Climate Change: No Longer a Puzzle

Referring to Russia in a radio broadcast in October 1939, Winston Churchill stated: “Russia is a riddle
wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma ...” The same may have been true several decades ago in terms
of our understanding of Earth’s climate system, but no longer.

“Water, water, everywhere,

And all the boards did shrink;

Water, water, everywhere

Nor any drop to drink”.

This short excerpt from Coleridge’s long poem, “The Rime of The Ancient Mariner,” evokes an image of the oceans that play such a central role in our planet’s weather and climate systems. Just consider the fact that they cover 70% of the Earth’s surface with an average depth of about two miles.

The nighttime satellite photo of North America, centered on the United States, is both beautiful and troubling. The photo allows one to trace the complete outline of the lower 48 states from light given off by our activities. Boston, Metropolitan New York, Chicago, San Francisco, L.A. and many other towns and cities, clearly stand out.



That is the beautiful part.

The photo below is courtesy of the Mine Safety and Health Administration. It shows a coal miner in the early 1900’s with a canary in a cage. These birds, preferred over mice, were used to alert underground miners to the presence of carbon monoxide, a toxic gas. The birds became visibly distressed in the presence of small amounts of this gas and provided a warning to the miners.

Vaxjo. Now that is an interesting word. No, it is not a floor polish or a tooth paste. But it is the name of a city of 80,000 in south central Sweden [see map] that is frequently called “The Greenest City in Europe.” The background to all of this is that Vaxjo is knowledgeable about climate change and “has the ability to see solutions instead of problems.” In 1996 they made a unanimous decision to become a Fossil Fuel Free City by 2030.