Welcome to JCI’s Climate of Change
I'm Julian, Co-Founder of Jewish Climate Initiative. We invite you to join us as we draw on Jewish sources and spirituality for wisdom to help shape changes in behavior, policy and consciousness in response to the challenge of global climate change.
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Julian,
I’m writing to let you know about the Read Green Initiative, and see if you might be interested in covering it on your site.
The Read Green Initiative is going to be giving away millions of free digital magazine subscriptions to some of the most popular magazines, and I really think your readers might be interested in taking part.
In addition, there is a widget that is being built that is going to feature full magazines that can be embedded on your site, allowing you to offer your readers additional content without having to click to visit anywhere else.
At this point, the campaign is still in pre-launch mode, but I wanted to give you a heads up so that if you’re interested, I can send over additional information as soon as it becomes available.
Let me know if you’re interested, or if you have any questions, and I look forward to hearing from you!
Best,
Cory
I am interested in Julian Sinclair’s walking tours of Jerusalem. Does he still do them? How can I contact him?
[...] Contact Us [...]
Hi!
Happy to have found you … and I wanted to let you know about us – a brand new website on climate change economics.
Since economics is really a belief system, not a science (I hold a PhD in the field and thus claim to be qualified to say that, especially since I spent my academic career as a refugee from those rigid strictures), commentaries such as yours are very relevant to the site we just built.
I hope one of you will join our site as a Member and list the JCI among our Web Sources … you would do a better job describing yourselves than I could. (Obviously, links/references to us would also be appreciated.)
… and I look forward to seeing comment from you as I blog on environmental economics more regularly for Grist, a new activity I have just begun. (I shall be referencing the July commentaries on the Stern Report in a future blog, I am sure.)
HAPPY HANNUKAH gfrom the wilds of Kentucky where menorah candles are scarce!
Peter
Hi. My name is Laura and I am an intern at Grist.org. I was wondering if it was any way possible if I could have the email of your writer who writes for the editorials. I would really like to have an actual person I can get into contact with(meaning, first and last name and email). Is it okay to put you down? This would really help me out. The purpose of me contacting you is to create updates on the Grist content to generate more links. I’m just composing a data sheet of editorial contacts of green blog websites. Someone else from Grist will contact you soon and fill you in on the details. Again, this would really help. Thanks!
-Laura
Hi all,
How can I get my hands on the “Green Haggadah”? I heard you guys have created it and I would like to take a look at it. Is there any way I could get my hands on it?
Thanks,
Dylan
Why not address Nature’s own Global Warming and Climate Change:
Recently there have been articles and reviews on the melting Arctic ice and the warming temperatures. While we may blame humans for “global warming,” Nature itself has provide a much greater source of greenhouse gases in the form of “Burning Ice” (Methane Hydrates) that in the geological past have outgassed in massive amounts periodically into the atmosphere. I will review the megatons of burning ice later on, but first there is a technical scientific issue to resolve.
The issue of “global warming” brings up the need for good mathematics in analyzing the various data sources to determine the true causes-and-effects (“inputs” and “outputs”) and to filter out those causes that either do not affect the output, or in minor ways, or in combined effects that do not show up until certain conditions are correct. As I have spent time in R&D and also getting my series of degrees, I have found that very few scientists and researchers know how to use statistics properly to be able to filter and view data for the actual, true cause-and-effects. Too many times statistical regression methods are used that assume a direct relationship between the causes and effect, which may not be real. Although there are several books on the market, one of the best books I know of that can help researchers, analysts, and scientists is a book entitled, “Statistics for Experimenters,” by Box, Hunter, and Hunter.
When it comes to global warming, there are more causes than most scientists have considered. For example, the increase in the number and intensity of solar eruptions has a much higher statistical correlation than the other causes/inputs. There are not many web pages that show these in good ways, but here are two articles for present the correlations rather easily.
http://www.qualitydigest.com/mar98/html/spctool.html
http://www.qualitydigest.com/april98/html/spctool.html
Although these graphs are from the late 1990s, the use of this type of statistical tool, SPC charting, has hardly ever been used by scientific researchers and investigators. Most of them have used other mathematical methods that assume a direct correlation between greenhouse gases and Global warming, as directed and determined by the process modeler. This traditional “assumption” may not be correct, and in some cases may potentially mislead scientists and modelers. These other tools can allow a scientist to purposely minimize the effects from natural causes and to maximize the effects of human sources.
Mars also has Global Warming (and from the Solar Sun, NOT human-causes) http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/02/070228-mars-warming.html
http://www.canadafreepress.com/2007/global-warming030207.htm
http://www.cfif.org/htdocs/legislative_issues/federal_issues/hot_issues_in_congress/energy/Al-Gore-Scours-for-Extraterrestrial-SUVs.htm
Some researchers say that they know all the effects that the increased solar flux has on the atmosphere and have included this in their models, and stated that there are no real effects from the solar flux. But then there are other scientists with different theories on the effects of increased flux that present different scenarios for atmospheric reactions, such as the geomagnetic fields and changes, volcanics and their outgassings, etc. You do not hear much in the news about these other scientists and their results.
People should be very cautious about assuming that the global warming “effect” is due solely to “greenhouse” gases. Also, it should be noted that recent satellite data has shown that upper atmosphere is actually
cooling:
http://www.lanl.gov/orgs/pa/News/121699text.html
http://ees5-www.lanl.gov/IGPP/Debate2.html
(some of these links may not be working due to computer changes since 9-11)
Some researchers say that their theory and modeling shows that this cooling should occur, while others show differing effects. We see that there are still not complete agreements on the causes and especially the effects of global warming. Then there are some researchers who have purposely manipulated their models, formulas, and analyses to purposely disregard all other inputs and only tie the temperatures to greenhouse gases.
There is the other issue of how some scientists and researchers can purposely change the structure of the formulas used in their models, the mathematical terms used in the formulas, the parameters and scaling factors in the formulas, and the values of any exponentials so as to obtain predetermined results that the scientists wanted to get anyway.
This allows the scientist to minimize effects from natural causes and to maximize the effects of human sources. This is “tampering” with the formulas so as to get the predetermined results that someone might want to get, no matter what the real processes are.
In my experiences in the scientific / R&D cultures, I have seen this happen several times, even with Peer Reviews. Peer Reviews are “supposed” to catch incorrect things, inconsistencies, and errors. But this does not always occur. In some cases, the scientific peers involved in those Peer Reviews also wanted “certain” results to come out of the modeling and designs that they were reviewing. In other cases, the peers were not paying attention to critical items and issues.
Also the issue of temperature collection has not been properly resolved. Temperatures are taken in cities that have the heat island effect. I have seen several different approached to handling and correcting these heat effects, but these approaches vary and also give various results. Then there is the issue of thermometer calibration. I have observed where some thermometers for city temperatures were not calibrated properly at the required intervals, and some times not calibrated at all. How can we trust the temperature data if there are these variations in the instruments?
When it comes to Nature’s greenhouse generators through the Burning Ice (Methane Hydrates), we soon realize that our gases are very small when compared to the megatons of methane hydrates that are held within our oceans in a manner similar to a bathtub ring. Also the Earth has had major accumulations and releases in its geological past over the eons, some of which scientists now believe may have lead to some great temperature increases in the Earth’s past, long before humans were ever around.
Let me give you some web sites that describe the characteristics and issues with the Earth’s Burning Ice and the natural abundance of methane greenhouse gases:
General information on chemistry and biology of Methane Hydrates:
–> http://www.at-sea.org/missions/extremes/preview.html
–> http://www-ocean.tamu.edu/Quarterdeck/QD5.3/sassen.html
–> http://ench1.ench.ucalgary.ca/~hydrates/
–> http://fossil.energy.gov/programs/oilgas/hydrates/
–> http://www.mbari.org/ghgases/
–> http://www.mbari.org/ghgases/geochem/gas_hydrates.htm
–> http://www.mbari.org/volcanism/Margin/Marg-Hydrates.htm
–> http://www.netl.doe.gov/scngo/NaturalGas/hydrates/index.html
U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) fact sheets:
–> http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/hydrates/
–> http://marine.usgs.gov/fact-sheets/gas-hydrates/title.html
–> http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/fs021-01/
–> http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/project-pages/hydrates/
Germany’s research:
–> http://www.mpi-bremen.de/deutsch/biogeo/mumm2.html
–> http://www.gashydrate.de/
In the geological records and how dramatically and even violently the climate has changed, long before modern man came around. There is very strong geological and scientific evidence that the massive Extinction in the Permian Era many millions of years ago in the Earth’s geological past was caused both by massive volcanism and by Methane Hydrates.
http://www.terradaily.com/news/deepimpact-05r.html
Climate models overheat Antarctica incorrectly
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Climate_Models_Overheat_Antarctica_999.html
Shame on those computer models!
Study breaks ice on ancient Arctic thaw:
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Study_Breaks_Ice_On_Ancient_Arctic_Thaw_999.html
(previous periods of global warming)
And then there is the aspect of climate change from meteors:
http://www.spacedaily.com/news/climate-05zzzzo.html
Outgassing of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) from volcanoes:
http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/fs172-96/
Inaccuracies in measurements of climates:
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Antarctic_Snow_Inaccurate_Temperature_Archive.html
Ancient Climate Studies Suggest Earth On Fast Track To Global Warming http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Ancient_Climate_Studies_Suggest_Earth_On_Fast_Track_To_Global_Warming.html
Green plants also cause Global Warming:
http://www.the-scientist.com/news/display/22944/
http://www.germany-info.org/relaunch/info/publications/week/2006/060113/e-list.html#Wi1
http://www.terradaily.com/news/The_Forgotten_Methane_Source.html
http://www.terradaily.com/news/Could_Forests_Worsen_Global_Warming.html
http://www.terradaily.com/news/Extinctions_Linked_To_Climate_Change.html
Farming Provides Wildlife Habitat And Reduces Global Warming http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Farming_Provides_Wildlife_Habitat_And_Reduces_Global_Warming.html
Prehistoric warming helped preserve fossils:
http://www.terradaily.com/news/climate-05zzzzzi.html
Ancient tropical warming and nature’s greenhouse gases http://www.terradaily.com/news/climate-05zzzzzj.html
Volcanic impacts on ocean levels:
http://www.terradaily.com/news/oceans-05y.html
Climate change and massive flooding:
http://www.terradaily.com/news/The_Role_Of_Massive_Floods_In_Climate_Change.html
Late Pleistocene Americans Faced Chaotic Climate Change Environments:
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Late_Pleistocene_Americans_Faced_Chaotic_Climate_Change_Environments.html
Global Warming evidence from 55 million years ago:
http://www.terradaily.com/news/climate-05zzzzzzb.html
Tropical ice cores shows two abrupt Global Climate shifts:
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Tropical_Ice_Cores_Shows_Two_Abrupt_Global_Climate_Shifts_999.html
How continental splits resulted in global cooling:
http://www.terradaily.com/news/antarctic-05q.html
Earth’s burping from wobbling also affects climate:
http://www.terradaily.com/news/climate-05zzzzt.html
Geomagnetism as one factor in rain / weather:
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Magnets_Help_Explain_Rain_Patterns.html
None of the environmentalists or businesses involved in reducing carbon emissions can go and blame massive climate changes in the past on power plants and vehicles!
It is not wise to make international policies on theories that are not agreed upon by the scientists who have been studying these causes and effects. Other scientists have published their works dealing with other causes, but have not been given the publicity such as the US National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) has received.
But if the Solar Sun is the major, primary cause and we are just a minor contributor, then our Governments are imposing on us a major compliance issue that will NOT solve the problem. Control of carbon emissions does NOT equal Control of the Solar Sun and its flux intensities on us.
Several environmental groups have told us and openly admitted at other times that they want to use the idea of human sources in order to shut down industrial activities — their words, not ours.
Retired Univ. of California technical staff member Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA.
Dear Rabbi Sinclair,
Thank you for using our Sukkah image in your blog. We are honored that a person of your stature has found something useful in our website, and that we are able to provide that which aids people in their worship.
If there is anything we can do for you, please do not hesitate to ask.
Sincerely,
Chris Graves
VP Operations
Baldwin Pergolas
Thanks very much, Chris. It’s a great shot, and we linked the photo to your site in order to give you the credit you deserve for taking it.
Have a great day,
Yannai Kranzler
Jewish Climate Initiative