Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people suffering in Texas and other places as Hurricane Harvey continues its devastation along the Gulf and inland.
This is the worst storm ever in the USA, dumping the most rain in a single event ever, because when the oceans heat up, it allows for moisture and water to funnel into such a storm and to be brought inland where it is discharged in the rain fall. Scientists have called this storm to be a once in “500 years” storm. Neil DeGrasse Tyson has been attacking climate change deniers over this very storm, as if to say in the face of this raging maelstrom, how can you deny that this is the work of climate change. To be clear, he is referring to manmade climate change and not simply the change that occurs over geological time as the continents move. So how can you deny it?
Let me count the ways.
Worst storm since records have been kept? Just how long have they been kept? In fact, how long have we had rain records for that area? One hundred years? One hundred and fifty years? Not to bother wondering about those oldest of records being more interpretive dance than science. What was the rain dump on the last “500 year event?” Oh wait, we have no idea. No accurate records exist. So we really cannot say just how bad this present storm is compared to what it was the last time something this strong hit. Let alone the time before that and the time before that. In fact, if I were to open a window in Houston right now, I would be as fully informed as the Man Made Climate Change advocates. My sole advantage would be, I would know I was all wet and not have any need to pretend I was walk between the rain drops of reason and science.
Next, over the last hundred years, people have been building homes, and landscaping the natural environment to shape it to their liking. This includes dams and changing river patterns. Also includes building homes in lower lying land that is prone to such flooding. The thought being that since a bad storm only comes once in 500 years, the builder and home owner will be long dead and this will be someone else’s problem. But “Shhh” don’t tell the climate change groupies that personal responsibility should be a focus. Instead let them spout off on their poor science of climate change that lays the blame on everyone, so no one actually has to do anything.
One great model, predicted that the rains would either increase by 200% or decrease by 100%. This so called scientific model and it claims to be evidence of climate change? So they ignore this silly prediction and point to an increase in total rainfall instead. So you ignore the parts that are stupid but hype the parts that might agree with you? And yet demand that all people accept you are the scientist? The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change certainly thinks so. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0TCrGtTEQM) Total storms will drop, they say, because I thought that those would increase with a warming ocean. No, they predict, just the severity of them. This makes even less sense. Why? Could it be that their modelling is crap? “Shhh,” don’t disturb them as they admire themselves in the mirror.
How about instead of pointing to an as yet improvable theory of manmade climate change, where there is essentially nothing that can be done. Let’s stop point those fingers at imaginary demons and things that go bump in the night. Let us organize and get people moving for real environmental protection, strong protection for homeowners that their houses are not being built in low-lying land that would be prone to flooding. Require any house to be so built, be at least 8 feet off the ground. Demand that any new house come with solar panels, and wind turbines to keep some power in the house when the electrical grid goes down. Make a commitment that all government offices to be energy neutral by 2025 and any new facilities comply immediately with this directive. That all house presently being built also be energy neutral and have a goal of retrofitting all previous housing to be neutral by 2050. That all new housing being built, has to pass tests for low-lying danger and other effects of natural disasters such as flooding. See this is real change. That might be more helpful at protecting people then loud finger point at imaginary problems.
Houston is a tragedy. The suffering is unimaginable. Neil DeGrasse Tyson is a great scientist normally, but he has missed the ball on climate change or rather on Man Made Climate Change. There are real things we can do to fix and find solutions to avoid future horrors. First, let’s point the finger at the real issue, not some unproven religious idea that made not have any real evidence for hundreds of year such that our climate models don’t even work at make any sort of usable prediction, a 300 % range is not a prediction, it’s a wild ass guess. Real change can be had now. The problem is you have deal with the garbage and pseudo science of this religious movement call Man Made Climate Change. Let’s commit to real change not setting up false straw men that the Alt Right and their Neo Nazi allies can simply knock with a puff of air, that even someone as stupid as Small Hand Donald could come up with a more plausible theory then Man Made Climate Change.