Saving the world, Boston-style



MIT reports: (link via Science Blog)

The search for a Holy Grail of climate science may be nearing an end, if an MIT-led project is launched by NASA to measure soil moisture—data needed to predict global change, assess global warming and support the Kyoto Protocol.



That measurement has been missing from the array of clues—rainfall, atmospheric chemistry, humidity and temperature—used by scientists to predict change in the local and global climate. Using soil moisture, they can calculate evaporation—the process that links the water, energy and carbon cycles—giving them a better understanding of global change.

This could be phenomonal, especially for people who have been considering a law suit as a means to pressure U.S. companies or the U.S. government to change their ways. Much of the rest of the lawsuit can rely on recent ingenious class action mechanisms. Causation, however, remains one of the major sticking points.



Harvard offers a much more fluffy contribution to the global warming dilemma:

[I]f there is still anyone out there who does not believe in global warming, Michael B. McElroy, Gilbert Butler Professor of Environmental Studies and director of Harvard's Center for the Environment, has a message for them: "This is not controversial," he says. "It's not just a gentle warming. And it's caused by us."



....



The reason for the inaction, McElroy believes, boils down to partisanship. George H.W. Bush, during his tenure, was a "very easy target for people who cared about the environment. Then what happened is Clinton and Gore were elected, and suddenly the person who cared most publicly about environmental issues, Al Gore, is vice president. And so the environment now becomes a political target for the other side. And it's been politicized ever since. We've got to get to the point where the environment is not a liberal-conservative issue."

Typical Harvard. No real value added, but a lot of silly hot air.

You have read the best review article categorized by and the title . You can bookmark or spread this post by using this URL http://kitchencabinetorganizerplans.blogspot.com/2013/11/saving-world-boston-style-mit-reports.html. Thank You!