Changeable

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My heartfelt thanks to all scientists (including alarmists) who have cared to express themselves on Internet. It has put a human face on science and made it tangible for the common person. I suspect what we are witnessing in macro vision happens equally effusively away from cyberspace in and between laboratories and scientists throughout the world. It is sobering to gain insight into how little we really understand, and how cherished beliefs can be turned on their head overnight. The views and experiments I've read concerning co2 and its abilities are many and diverse. One abiding factor stays with me. The physical science is with the skeptics, the hypothetical with computer operators and alarmists.

California is ablaze, my sympathies to those affected. No doubt alarmists are chomping at the bit to get some propaganda benefit, just waiting for the tragic consequences to be digested first. A balanced report from Kenneth Chang is to be found in the NYT. Recommended reading before the feather wavers get busy.
Hopefully the weather will give some relief -
"The ridge of high pressure that produced the extremely strong Santa Ana winds that fanned wildfires in Southern California was expected to move eastward Thursday [26/10], allowing for ocean breezes and cooler temperatures in the region."

In the Arctic, sea ice is confounding the experts. Warmer water is melting the ice. The wind moving the ice around is accelerating the process. Thinking goes along the lines that the return of the ice in winter will form such thin sheets, anthropogenic global warming will be a factor in avoiding the recovery. When the IPCC scientists actually supply evidence of anthropogenic gas influence (from whatever source) other than anecdotal and specious, I'll happily acquiesce to their wisdom. Till then, I'll stick with the sea temperature being the controlling factor of whether or not extensive ice sheets are allowed to reform in a substantial thickness. A report from Andrew C. Revkin NYT discusses the issue, managing to work in the polar bear distress angle.
And some people whose work is melting away give their opinions.

Just in passing, on polar bears. Instead of waving feathers, why not ship the lot (20-30000) to Antarctica? Or is that 'pristine' environment more precious? Personally, I think polar bears don't have such an easy time of it in the snow and they will fare better with less. Bears are pretty much like humans when it comes to eating, they eat anything. Even McDonald's.

The nobel prize for fooling the world was awarded. Next they will have the face to say it means something other than indicating a comprehensive knowledge hole on the part of the awarding committee. The award has gone from being something prestigious to a self-congratulatory media non-event.

A gathering for the elucidation of theoretical feather waving met in Postdam, Germany.
"It was only an academic symposium, to be sure, and none of the scholars claimed to have a master plan to eradicate the threat of climate change. Still, there was a whiff of validation, if not victory, in the air.
“The scientific findings are clear: climate is changing, and it is a response to human activities,” said Mario J. Molina, a Mexican-American chemist who won the Nobel Prize in 1995 for being the first to posit that chlorofluorocarbons and similar chemicals could poke a hole in the ozone layer./quote.
'Nuff said.

Here is a radical idea. Start again, but find an agent to put in the models, other than co2, for retaining heat in the air, say h20 and then move forward. That will free up masses of fund money. It will liberate business to focus on reducing real pollution like harmful and highly reactive greenhouse gases and soot.

Species depletion, is anyone monitoring atmospheric oxygen levels? That oxygen played a major role in the last mass extinction is discussed in this UW news article. "There's nothing with a greater evolutionary effect than oxygen".
There you go, oxygen did it. That other scientist, Peter Ward "co2 causes mass extinction", was just waving feathers saying co2 toasted them.

Life goes on. Here, they are gearing up for war. If the attack on PKK terrorist bases in Iraq goes ahead, there will be responses. The country is getting ready. In the news is Turks attacking PKK along the border. What isn't being reported is the trails that were bombed also form a heroin traffic route. Any damage to that trade is welcome.
The background from a US perspective is discussed by Bret Stephens WSJ.

Oh greenies, what are you inflicting on us now? Today's recommended article is on wing power.