Two posts today from the blog Greenie Watch on the realities and insanities of climate change. First, the reality part. This year, many areas of the planet are experiencing severe cold spells and extremes of winter weather, with dramatic and severe consequences. However:
- ...it really is remarkable how little attention has been paid to the extraordinary weather events which in recent weeks have been affecting other parts of the world.
Simply put, the media's past commitment to building hype around global warming is now acting to preclude widespread focus on the unusual cold being experienced in countries as diverse as China, Afghanistan and Greece.
Conversely, the climate magisterium continues to grow in such eco-whipped jurisdictions as San Francisco. However, the mayor's latest appointment of a director for climate change initiatives has caused even green party politicians to express concern:
- ...critics in City Hall have pounced on the amorphous "climate protection" title and have blasted the mayor for creating the new role - as well as for creating new jobs for other members of his senior circle and doling out hefty pay raises - while the city braces for a projected $233 million deficit next fiscal year and lawmakers contemplate reducing hospital operating room hours and delaying playground improvement projects to balance the budget.
Perhaps the real choking point is the base salary of $160,000 that goes with the position: you don't need advanced math to calculate the trade-off between this one fluff position and potential playground improvements or the number of nursing positions that same revenue could have been used to create.
Or maybe its the fact that the position really doesn't do anything in applied, practical terms. Its just another body to attend meetings, host meetings and generate more paper on what needs to be done to change San Francisco into an eco-haven. Doubtless someone, somewhere has published a paper on the link between global warming and increased earthquake risk that directly pertains to the need for San Francisco to have still yet another high paid flunky for climate protection.
Words fail me. But not others thankfully.
