Know a global warming skeptic?

Gristmill has a comprehensive list of responses to every possible argument the global warming naysayer might introduce. But it's still up to you to make him or her care.

2006 warmest on record for US

Britain's Meteorological Office reported yesterday that the average temperature for the 48 states last year was 55 degrees -- 2.2 degrees warmer than average and 0.07 degrees warmer than 1998, the previous warmest year on record. Worldwide, 2006 was the sixth warmest year on record.

Here are the world's six warmest years since the 1890s (starting with the warmest)
2005
1998
2002
2003
2004
2006

I think the pattern here is clear. We all need to take steps to slow down global warming while we prepare for life on a very different planet.

Global warming

It's been an unseasonably warm January in Chicago. Rain instead of snow and sleet. Fall jackets instead of down coats, hats and mittens. And everyone I talk to seems to agree. This is not normal. This must be global warming. And while few Chicagoans will complain about a mild winter, it's also kind of freaking us out (me and those I've talked to at least).

But you want to know what really freaks me out? Reading about places where global warming is destroying whole communities.

Go Wal-Mart

When a company as big, powerful and successful as Wal-Mart gets behind something, you know it's going to move the needle. So more power to them as they push Americans to adopt compact florescent light bulbs.

We're committed to the bulbs, and we've been swapping them into our light fixtures as the old-fashioned kind burn out.

More global warming news

The reports keep coming in. Now EU scientists are releasing a study showing that the Alps are experiencing record warmth--the hottest temperatures in 1300 years.

Let's not inconvenience Big Oil

Much of Al Gore's presentation on today's Oprah Winfrey show was a retread of the information on An Inconvenient Truth, but there was one tidbit he shared that really struck home with me. An older woman stood up during the after show discussion to say that she thought schoolchildren should see the movie and become a force for changing their parents--much as they helped propel the anti-smoking movement. Al Gore agreed wholeheartedly but pointed out that the National Science Teachers Foundation had just turned down 50,000 free copies of the DVD Paramount was making available to them as teaching tools. Their reason? Accepting the DVDs, would place "unnecessary risk upon the (NSTA) capital campaign, especially certain targeted supporters." Supporters, it turns out, that include Exxon Mobil.