No global warming? Trees are dying and my grass has turned brown

[Elwood P Dowd]

The Poplar and Maple trees in my yard are turning yellow and the leaves are falling. The grass is brown and dying. This is July in Alabama. Never have I witnessed such in 59 years.

I gathered a few tomatoes and a few peas, but the garden is now toast. Lima beans died a month ago. Blackberries were long gone before July. I irrigated the garden, but everything turned a funny brown/orange color and died. It was either the city water or the pollution. Everything looks like October outside, but it's July. The soil test says it's not the soil. What the fuck is going on?

My neighbor is feeding her horses hay in July. Their pasture is now dirt and dead grass. This usually starts in November. She blames it on Gore and Democrats for pissing off God with global warming talk. She is one of the 23 percent. Time for me and Harvey to get drunk.



:toast:

:beer:

[LeftyMom]

1. "She blames it on Gore and Democrats for pissing off God with global

warming talk."

Please tell me you're joking, I beg you. :scared:

[Elwood P Dowd]

3. "God hates liberals"

This girl really believes liberals are the root of all evil. Still has a W sticker on the back window and a Bush/Cheney/04 sticker on the bumber of her truck. She can twist every problem in the world back to Clinton, Gore, Carter, or anyone not republican. She can't even find Iraq on my globe.

[pitohui]

2. is it the beetles?

a lot of trees now are being killed by various foreign beetles

in louisiana, if your lawn/trees weren't killed by intrusion of salt water they are dead now because of the drought but i don't know if the drought goes into alabama

i do know that foreign pests (that can only survive here now because of global warming) have been destroying the trees of tennessee and perhaps this is one thing that caught al gore's attention

alaska, same deal

[ladjf]

5. I just spent a month of my life preventing Japanese beetles from

eating up everything in my yard. We've had only one substantial rain in about 60 days. (Georgia)

[Lorien]

4. I've noticed one tropical species of tree turning early here in Florida

also, the red oaks don't look very healthy. I also read that in Germany huge numbers of oak trees are dying. :scared:

[bullimiami]

6. say hi to harvey for me.

[Elwood P Dowd]

13. Harvey sez "Hello it's me". Remember 1973?

Who sang that song? :beer:

[bananas]

19. Jim Croce? nt

[Elwood P Dowd]

21. Hint! First name is Todd

:beer:

[bananas]

27. Todd Rundgren! nt

[Elwood P Dowd]

30. You win a date with Harvey at the Lake Wobegon Beach festival

next January.

[bananas]

28. Somehow I got it confused with "Operator". nt

[DoYouEverWonder]

44. I thought he was talking about Lionel Richie

n/t

[bananas]

29. And say hello to Harvey for me, too.

:beer:

[zippy890]

45. Hello its me!

"Maybe I think too much but something's wrong
There's something here that doesn't last too long"

loved that song
:beer:
:hi:

[Robbien]

7. The most underhyped story is the drought the planet is having

Removing as much vegetation as the world has been doing has caused not only the severe weather, but a large scale drought.

Headlines in just the last half hour:

Wildfires lead to state of emergency
http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/nation/15032787.htm
... Swaths of Southern California forests have been weakened by drought and killed by bark beetles

Many of city's trees are in serious danger
http://www.madison.com/wsj/mad/top/index.php?ntid=91072&ntpid=1
. . .About 40 percent of Madison's 100,000 street trees are being seriously threatened this summer by stress, drought and the possible arrival of an insidious Asian . . .

Huge fire threatens resort town
http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,19786167-5005361,00.html
... "There's been a drought in the area and the moisture levels are critically low.


More CRP Land Opened For Use
http://www.yankton.net/stories/071406/news_20060714003.shtml
SIOUX FALLS (AP) -- Additional Conservation Reserve Program land is being opened as an emergency feed source in drought areas of South Dakota

Emergency Help Available For Farmers
http://www.yankton.net/stories/071406/news_20060714002.shtml
... Gov. Mike Rounds said he's working with governors from other drought-stricken states in hopes of convincing Congress to provide some kind of disaster aid

South Dakota fields look like winter in July
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2006/07/10/sddrought/
North central South Dakota is in a severe drought. ... The US Department of Agriculture has made a drought disaster declaration for 20 South Dakota counties.

Public responds to Virginia drought plan
http://www.dailyprogress.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=CDP%2FMGArticle%2FCDP_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149189147070&path=!news
Things looked grim for local officials last month as they issued a drought watch and faced a year-to-date rainfall deficit of about a foot

And these are the stories google has in just the past half hour.

Let the water wars begin.

[bullimiami]

9. its not a drought everywhere. look at india.

[MADem]

11. It seems like forever since I have seen the sun

And we had flooding in the NE....and it won't stop raining here.

[skids]

26. And the vegitation is well -- bulging.

Up here in MA every tree is full of thick, green leaves and if you're the type to maintain a lawn, you're being kept pretty damn busy. Too bad we're not that huge of a farming state, though we do have more ag here than many people might expect. You should smell Hadley. Mmmmm. Manure.

Raspberry bushes outside mu kitchen window yielded their first batch two weeks ago.

Given how moist it's been I'm surprised there's not more rot on the trees by now, but they seem to be doing just fine. (One small drawback in my case is that last year the leaves stayed on well into the cold weather, robbing the house of sunlight -- I suspect unless we get a real snap that will happen again this year. That and the ticks, they're everywhere.)

[Robbien]

25. There are droughts all over India

this article states
http://www.hindu.com/2006/07/14/stories/2006071413650100.htm

Dr. Reddy said a large number of farmers had committed suicide due to poor economic conditions and unprecedented drought over the past 15 years. As many as 4,261 farmers had ended their lives in the last three years which was a matter of concern to the Government.

Now I am not a weather person, but I read that droughts cause severe rains and flooding occasionally. The US has been having severe flooding, but it hasn't really helped the drought situation because all the moisture falls all at once and runs off into streams and underground reserves.

[Elwood P Dowd]

10. We have had less than one inch of rain here since May

plus 90+ temps for weeks.

[pitohui]

12. do people know abt the drought destroying what's left of louisiana?

thanks for the links

i wonder if people even know the extent of it

it is killing us down here, what's left of our birds and vegetation after the two storms which seemingly used up our quota of rainfall for the decade

what audubon once called, the most beautiful place in the world, is becoming a desert, it's just beyond belief

[Robbien]

17. There was an article in the half hour mix about the Katrina area

I didn't include it in my sample (sorry got tired of listing them all)

Typically, a Fire Department responds to more medical calls, but the drought and extra debris on the ground from Hurricane Katrina has increased the number of wildfires the district has handled, Cutrer said.
http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/suburban/3349831.html

[jerry611]

14. The debate isn't about whether the globe is warming

Very few disagree with that...

The debate is about whether we are causing it or if it is the earth doing it naturally. Most meteorologists claim it is normal weather cycles. While others claim we are doing it.

Regardless of the cause, one thing is certain, the world is not going to stay the same. Scientists say there will be another ice age for example.
We do know the world wasn't always this calm. About 50 million years ago there were tropical plants growing in the artic circle. We know because fossils have been found there. Just imagine what it must have been like at the equator.

[Lorien]

20. Of over 920 peer reviewed scientific journal articles written since 1989

exactly ZERO cast any doubt what so ever that global warming is caused by human activity.

Of over 3,000 articles written in mainstream "news" sources (WSJ, NYT, LAT, WP) 54% cast doubt that global warming is caused by human activity.(Source: Utne reader feb. 2006).

No credible scientist has ever published peer reviewed research that casts any doubt that human activity causes global warming. None.

[pitohui]

24. agreed and in any case it's a debate w.out a purpose

even if it wasn't caused by humans, we would still have to do something abt it, we can't just sit on our hands and die

the whole purpose of the "debate" is to delay action because of some financial interests that benefit from delay, it is a stupid debate, whatever the cause, i'm like -- hello? we gotta DO something NOW

[jerry611]

31. What can we do?

No matter who is to blame...there is nothing that can be done about it. In the end, Mother Nature will always get her way.

I think you trying to ask if there is something we can do to make the earth stay the same forever. And the answer is no. If you look at the history of the earth, we are extremely fortunate to have developed during a period of global and solar stability. When we look into the past, we can see that the earth has not always been a very nice place to live. And this stable period we are in will not last no matter what do with the environment.

We can pass all the Kyotos we want. We can switch completely to solar energy. We can conserve like crazy. And guess what...this planet will still be warming. Global climate trends cannot be reversed. They are like falling dominos. Once the trend begins, it can't be stopped.

[Robbien]

33. Since human activity is to blame

then human activity should be changed to stop the damage.

The RW consistently says IF it is happening, no it is not caused by human activity. The RW wants to say 'hey if it is happening it is just the routine course of events of planet change and there is nothing anyone can do to change that'.

Of course doing anything to stop the damage we are doing will hurt the profits of the rich stockholders everywhere, so it is no wonder the RW clings to their denials.

[jerry611]

36. So you realistically think....

That we adopt Kyoto and completely change the way we use fuel and energy that the world will suddently stop warming? Where is the scientific proof to show that?

Just because we stop what we are doing does not mean the earth will stop warming. Greenhouse gases build up in the atmosphere and don't suddenly go away. They will stick around for a very long time, and while they are here, they will continue to trap heat.

[pitohui]

37. i think i'll die on my feet and not on my knees

you can choose to give up, i won't

[Robbien]

39. Since global warming has been caused by human activity

we need to adjust our human activity to stop the damage. Then instead of ignoring the whole issue, we need to set up investigative research and programs to devise ways to reverse the damage already done.

If all the gazillions of dollars BushCo has put into his propaganda system of Global Warming denial was put into Global Warming reversal programs, we would be in a much better place today.

Right now the only money being spent is on trying to convince people there is no global warming and if by any chance global warming exists it wasn't caused by humans so we are off the hook to try and do anything about it.

[jerry611]

40. And what about the Chinese?

In 6 years the Chinese will become the world's leading producer of greenhouse gases. They are hogging up oil right now like crazy. In fact, the Chinese are right now bidding on oil rights to drill in OUR Gulf of Mexico. And they are exempt from Kyoto.

And how will we convince the Chinese to change their habits? The Chinese are starting to learn how to play the game. Their oil companies are starting to make more money than ours. They already own half our ports on the west coast.

[pitohui]

41. well then die on your knees

it's all hopeless, boo hoo, there is nothing to be done, boo hoo

seriously, what is the use of giving in to despair

even hannibal lector says, courage

[laruemtt]

46. hannibal lector -

someone who will survive the coming food shortage..............

[Robbien]

42. Are you saying we shouldn't do anything because China isn't

Or are you saying yes we should set up programs to stop global warming and one of those steps is getting China involved.

[Lorien]

48. The really sick part is that companies that go green save huge amounts

on their yearly operating expenses. BP decided to adhere to the limits set by the Kyoto treaty at a number of it's facilities; not only were the changes minor and inexpensive, but they saved the company an average of $1.2 million a year at each facility. They've chose to go "beyond Kyoto" now so that can save the company more millions every year. They asked to present their findings to our congress to show how "going green" can significantly cut corporate expenses, but were flatly denied. Republicans consider any changes of behavior an "idealogical loss", therefore they strongly discourage it (even if it means lower profits). If businesses discover that "being green" is good for their bottom line, then that's a triumph for environmentalists, and by extension, liberals. The GOP won't permit that. Repugs in congress even admit that there's no real profits to be made by drilling in ANWR (except by Halliburtan, who would build the infrastructure), but drilling in ANWR would be a "symbolic defeat of liberalism", so it's important to them.

[Lorien]

47. I don't think that it can be stopped, but we may be able to slow

it down. Doing nothing ensures our swift demise.

If you are diagnosed with Cancer do you attempt the suggested treatments, or do you simply say "we all die eventually, so why bother"?

[jerry611]

8. Guess it depends on the region

...here in Florida my lawn is very green and is growing faster than I can cut it. I've never had to cut my lawn as many times as I have been doing it this year. It's not just my yard but the entire street has good lawn this year... The trees are healthy too...

We've been getting a ton of rain and sunshine here the last month or so. So that obviously has a lot to do with it.

[undergroundpanther]

15. Things are green

in maryland pretty much the rain has made some a bit sickly and the humidity has been well damn..a sweat bath..

But I notice stuff with the plants too,driving along the road I see some nice green trees than a chunk of dead trees,bare dead trees standing there a dead in a zone of fallow ground. Global warming and pollution to killers that ruin life together Methinks.My grapevine has barely grown and my raspberry bush Anemic.
Last year I was digging in the dirt in the yard and the soil smelled strange and it gave my fingers chemical burns. Yeah this all freaks me the fuck out too,I see the wrong kinds of insects at the wrong times of year,and animals acting weird the rabbits are too small for as late as it is,.Some bugs are mutated....

[undergroundpanther]

16. oh,and my mom

spotted a bright red tropical looking bird in the mountains of Galax Virgina. I told her to take a picture if she sees it again.

[pitohui]

22. could be scarlet or summer tanager

they are technically neotropical birds, there are many more tanager species in central/south america and these species do migrate to winter in better climate but they breed in north america including virginia

i will try to get you photos



scarlet



summer

these birds used to be common, very common, it is a shame that they have become so unusual that people have to comment on them

[undergroundpanther]

34. It was bigger than a pheasant

She said, I'm thinking Ibis bird..

[pitohui]

38. ah okay got some other suggestions

if she can get photos or even descriptions w.out photos of these they should go to the virginia rare bird alert so the sightings can be collected and documented

don't worry, rare birds are no longer "collected" by shotgun but by camera

these would be sightings very much worthy of record if they can be documented

if true red, right now the only one coming to mind is this:


scarlet ibis -- that one's a zoo animal, i think, i see a band in the photo, normally they are v. much to the south of usa

if pink, you have more choices, and one that is spreading east (altho not to my knowledge yet documented that far east) is roseate spoonbill--



supposedly in olden times (when my mom was a kid) they saw flamingoes in the east usa, don't know if i believe her or if they were actually spoonbills as shown above

a photo is a great idea but even if she can't get a photo, notes are good and worth reporting, all they can do is say they can't verify the record

[Elwood P Dowd]

18. All my bird houses were empty this year by early June

Where have the birds gone? There are very few frogs in the yard, plus my dogs and cats are now catching rabbits in the yard and eating them. I've never seen that before.

[pitohui]

23. millions of land birds killed by katrina and rita

literally, w.out exaggeration, millions

keep in mind that these storms occurred during fall migration :-(

[shanti]

32. it's been an unusually humid summer here in sacramento

unusual because sacramento summers are traditionally very hot and dry ("but it's a DRY heat"). even natives residents say the same.

global warming is most definitely here :(

[Solon]

35. I actually think that the Midwestern climate, especially midway...

to southern Midwest is turning into a Savannah type climate. Instead of our, used to be, Hot, somewhat dry summer, Wet Springs and fall, and snowy and bitterly cold winters is slowly turning into a total summer drought and then a wet, mild winter. I mean, last winter we had TWO days of frost! Think about that a moment, we haven't had a significant snowfall in years, at best we would have a day of good snowfall, and it melts in a day or two. I'm a child of the 1980s, and I remember winters being MUCH snowier, I mean, 6 inches to a foot of snow each winter, at least enough to last winter break. This is getting ridiculous.

We got our first rain of the summer precisely two days ago, and today we had lightening storms, hardly any rain. Our trees and grass are also dying, and we are of the mind to NOT water them either, no need to waste water.

[Robbien]

43. I am also a midwesterner and also remember the same winters

you describe. It use to be there would be snow on the ground from right around Thanksgiving up through the spring thaw. Now sometimes a really good snowfall will last on the ground about a week, but most winter days there isn't a snowflake to be seen. Most snowfalls are gone within a couple of days.