Warming Scares And Wildfires

[♦ nivek ♦]

Folks,

 

Before the article, let me let you know I live in the "Great Western Desert". Live right on the Columbia River, deep in the interior of Oregon State. We have sagebrush and cactus growing in places right to the river..

This place is d r y as a popcorn fart DRY.

 

Everything that grows requires irrigation with the exception of a few wild plants. Anything but the sand itself is combustible, can and will burn.

 

Any place Man sets up camp out here is in the middle of a potential wildland fire. Or if not, that place will eventually be surrounded by wildland fire, and eventually burn his place down.

 

We take extraordinary care to prevent fire from starting and getting out of control.

 

This area by its nature, basin desert, just enough natural topcover to burn like Hell a'fire is not a "nice place to live" if you do not want SoKal-esque fires to happen in your backyard..

 

One adjusts and lives with the possibilities and potentials, and hopes for best, prepares for worst.

 

kFL

************

Warming scares and wildfires

Classically Liberal

by CLS

 

“Columnist Paul Simons, at the London Times, is blaming global warming for the fires in southern California. He says that ‘much of the western US has been in drought for almost a decade. That has helped to stoke up the wildfires and much worse. Forget talk of what global warming might do in 50 years’ time — large swaths of the West are parched dry as temperatures grow warmer ….’ Democratic Senator Harry Reid made similar claims: ‘One reason why we have the fires in California is global warming.’ Of course the American west has been dry, very dry for centuries — in fact it has been dry for as long as any humans have lived there and long before warming became an issue.” (10/26/07)

 

http://tinyurl.com/3bu39h

[♦ nivek ♦]

Wildfire crises exacerbated by government policies

Competitive Enterprise Institute

by staff

 

"In the aftermath of devastating fires ravaging parts of Southern California and causing an estimated $500 million in damage, it's time to reassess government's role in exacerbating the problem. 'Essentially every one of this week's Southern California's 15 major fires started on government lands -- mainly in the three or four National Forests that stretch 250 miles from Mexico into Ventura County,' noted Robert J. Smith." (10/26/07)

 

http://www.cei.org/gencon/003,06224.cfm

[Dave]

Are any of these guys whining about these fires ever published in a peer reviewed journal that deals with any aspect of the atmosphere?

 

If not, then ignore them.

[♦ nivek ♦]

Umm.. Dave..

 

Got a pulaski handy? If not I do.. Go find a fireline that needs your expertise and work it.

 

Send a snailmail addy PM and I'll have my former USFWS marked, replaced handle, derusted, sharpened tool sent your way. Have several. "Used once, abandoned until uncovered, restored to use"...

 

Otherwise yer just spitting on firefighters..

 

kFL

[Dave]

Umm.. Dave..

 

Got a pulaski handy?......

And that has what to do with the science that backs up the fact that our climate is getting warmer?

 

The topic is not how many pulaski's or mclouds I have, or how many hours I or anyone else has spent on fire lines. Try discussing the science behind climate change... and all but the most brainless diehards have accepted the fact that the climate is warming up and has been for some time now. Try discussing the topic instead of attacking those that don't say what you want to hear.... that is.... unless personal attacks are all you have. If so, I'll move on like I usually do when the topic becomes personal attacks instead of adult conversation.

[♦ nivek ♦]

Then get to work saving the planet buds.. Quit wasting your precious scientific mind trying to spread the Gore Gospel.

 

You've got the opportunity of a lifetime in front of you, alas you've read that post set and decided to find other victims here on ExC to dazzle with llamashavings.

 

If you are going to attempt to fix all we who do not share your enviro-fundyism, you've got tons of work to do.

 

Get to it, quit fucking with the dimbulb of the ExC Science Braintrust.

 

k, lights damn dim, but still on, FL

[Dave]

Then get to work saving the planet buds.. .....

bye.

[♦ nivek ♦]

Fires of the feds: How the government has destroyed forests

Ludwig von Mises Institute

by William L. Anderson

 

"As the wildfires in California and elsewhere burn forests, homes, and businesses, and as a Katrina-sized evacuation continues, environmentalists and the media are making new claims: these disasters are the results of global warming. According to a recent '60 Minutes' broadcast and new claims on CNN, global warming is causing these newest disasters, and if we wish to have fewer fires in the future, we need to 'change our lifestyles' now." (10/25/07)

 

http://www.mises.org/story/2764

[♦ nivek ♦]

The earth's prognosis

AlterNet

by Amy Goodman

 

Interview with Tim Flannery. Flannery: "Look, the best way to think about these things, really, is to take a bigger global view. And Americans might feel they're suffering from a whole lot of severe weather at the moment, but look globally and you see exactly the same thing around the world. Anywhere with a Mediterranean climate, such as Greece or Australia or California, is suffering extreme wildfires. Now, why is that happening? The climate is slowly shifting, so that the desert regions adjacent to those Mediterranean areas, you know, are starting to expand. The same with droughts and floods." (10/30/07)

 

http://www.alternet.org/environment/66434/

[♦ nivek ♦]

US Forest Service has money to burn

Cato Institute

by Randal O'Toole

 

"A few weeks ago, the secretary of Agriculture gave the U.S. Forest Service a special award for 'exemplary leadership and accomplishment in reducing the risk of catastrophic fire.' At that time, wildfires in 2007 had already burned nearly 1,900 homes and other structures along with nearly twice as many acres as the average burned in any decade prior to 2003. The fires that have roared through Southern California this month have only made this award more ironic. The firestorms will lead some to propose bigger budgets for the Forest Service and other fire-suppression agencies. That is exactly the wrong solution. If anything, the Forest Service has too much money. Its fire budgets have quintupled in the past 15 years." (10/30/07)

 

http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=8763