This morning I woke to one newspaper article reporting that our NSW State Government is getting ready to appeal against the recent landmark ruling that it must consider the greenhouse impacts of burning coal to make electricity.

And, another article about a New Zealand-led scientific drilling team in Antarctica that has recently recovered three million years of climate history. Their conclusion — the Ross Ice Shelf, a raft of ice the size of France, may collapse as quickly as Larsen B did in 2002, triggering a dramatic rise in sea level.

The Larsen Ice Shelf which is on the Antarctic Peninsula had been stable for 10 thousand years or so but in 2002 proved that when these things decide to go, they go extremely quickly. A total of about 3,250 km2 of shelf area disappeared in a 35-day period. The Larsen Ice Shelf is now about 40 percent of the size of its previous stable minimum. You can view the speed and the extent of the Larsen B break up at the British Antarctic Survey. Link

The scientific consensus is clear: global warming is real, it’s happening now and it is the result of our use of oil and other fossil fuels. There is a lot you and I can do. Learn more here!

The Kyoto Protocol is an international treaty on climate change, assigning mandatory targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to signatory nations. It has been signed and ratified by upward of 160 countries.

The USA and Australia continue to be the only countries that refuse to ratify the Kyoto Protocol.

Meanwhile the French are also getting worried. One little old Turkey with the flu has caused their poultry industry to drop by more than thirty percent. French scientist and politicians (who we all love and trust) are saying that it’s okay to eat well-cooked eggs and chicken meat.

I suppose if you like your Sunday eggs fried (or poached) with hard shrivelled up yokes and without any hollandaise sauce, well then, that’s okay. Personally, I’m off to cook some good old Aussie lamb chops for breakfast. Honey, where’s the barbecue sauce?

There is no longer any doubt that the world is getting warmer. Glaciers in Greenland and the USA are melting. Ocean temperatures are on the rise. And weather patterns seem to be less reliable/predictable… well less like they used to be. Yesterday for instance, Mumbai (Bombay, India) had nearly a meter of rain over a 24 hour period. 200 people died — imagine that! Link

… The reasons for this trend are less certain. The Earth’s climate changes naturally all the time. Witness the many occasions over millions of years in which the planet has slipped into and out of ice ages.

Mark Henderson | Times Online | Link

A few months ago I joined the Stop Global Warming Virtual March on Washington as a bit of fun. It was also a way of putting my hand up and saying ‘I AM CONCERNED’ about what we are doing to our environment.

I’m not sure if global warming is an issue that will bite us today or in a hundred or a thousand years time. What I am sure of is that something funny is going on with the bloody weather. And maaate, when it quacks like a duck, then in my book it may well be a duck. Which only goes to show, I’m really quite a simple sort of guy.

This email arrived today from the Virtual March:

Dear Fellow Marcher,

With most of the country trapped in a sweltering heat wave this week, we turn our attention to Glacier National Park, where the ultimate heat wave — Global Warming — is threatening to destroy a national treasure.

In 1910, Glacier National Park had 150 glaciers. Today, just 37 remain. At the current pace at which temperatures are rising, they will all be gone by 2030! You can read more about the dramatic destruction of Glacier National Park at http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/march/glacier.

This weekend, the March goes electric at the Lollapalooza Festival in Chicago. The festival’s founder, Perry Farrell (front man for Jane’s Addiction), will take the stage to urge 90,000 festivalgoers to join our March! Using state of the art “Mobile Marching” technology, music fans will be able to sign up by sending a simple text message from their cell phones via 4INFO.

But don’t leave all the work to Perry! Invite your favourite music lovers to join us on the March to Stop Global Warming from your personal impact page!

More from the road in two weeks…

Laurie David
Founder

Dear Fellow Marcher,

As we continue our trek across America, new leaders with big ideas emerge in the fight to stop global warming. Last week, MTV joined the ranks of the 75,000 already marching, featuring the Virtual March on their student network, mtvU.com, and hatching big plans for the fall.

This week, the Virtual March stops in South Dakota, where the leaders of the Rosebud Sioux Reservation have given us a powerful example of how clean energy can harness nature’s power without destroying it.

Find out more about the exciting potential of wind energy here.

Are your legs getting tired yet? Well, lets hope not, because we’ve got a long way to go.

Keep on marching. And send the March to 3 new friends this week.

Laurie David
Founder

If that is the case then the short answer to Global Warming is simple. Diesel Cars, Log Fires and Deforestation — let’s create more dust and keep this planet cool!

Global warming looks set to be much worse than previously forecast, according to new research. Ironically, the crucial evidence is how little warming there has been so far.

Three top climate researchers claim that the greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere should have warmed the world more than they have. The reason they have not, they say, is that the warming is being masked by sun-blocking smoke, dust and other polluting particles put into the air by human activity.

Fred Pearce | NewScientist | Link

I also urge you find out more about Global Warming and their site is a place to start.

Dear Fellow Marcher,

What do the organizers of the Indianapolis 500 have in common with the NASA Goddard Space Institute, General Electric, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Robert Kennedy, Jr., the National Association of Evangelicals and the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops?

Each of these organizations or individuals is dedicating their unique talents to the fight to Stop Global Warming. By 2007, the Indianapolis 500 plans to convert all of its high performance racers to run on clean burning Ethanol. The new fuel provides all of the power and excitement of world class racing with less pollution, proving you don’t have to stop racing to stop global warming. You can learn more about their efforts here.

USA Today recently ran an excellent story detailing the many ways diverse organizations are working to stop global warming, which you can read here.

Thanks to your incredible work, we’ve recruited over 30,000 new marchers in the last two weeks alone: that’s one new marcher every minute!!! Let’s keep up the momentum! Encourage your friends to join our march at Stop Global Warming today.

Sincerely,

Laurie David
Founder

Me, I don’t know whether it’s an imminent problem or not. What I do believe is the effects of Global Warming are being felt by some right now and that it can’t be denied as a major global issue. Today, tomorrow or in 50 years time it will impact everyone on this planet, so fixing the problem is rather important.

Today, I got this email:

Dear Fellow Marcher,

Today the Stop Global Warming Virtual March on Washington arrives in my home state of Arizona, where global warming will make normal, seasonal droughts longer and more severe. Ranches in my state recently endured six long, dry years that devastated grazing lands. Many were forced to abandon land they’d worked for generations, and others saw long-profitable and proud businesses pushed to the brink of bankruptcy. This spring, the rains returned, but the climate change that made this drought so severe threatens us still. Read more about what is happening in my home state and the ranchers’ plight.

Joining us on the March this week is the world’s most respected newsman, Walter Cronkite. As you can see, the March continues to grow and is supported by our country’s most visionary leaders and experts on global warming.

Joining the March is a powerful way for you to have your voice heard in the fight to stop global warming and I hope you will join me in reaching out to friends, family and colleagues to march with us. If we all work together as one voice, we can shift the debate on this issue this year.

Sen. John McCain
Marcher