Sound Politics: Global Warming Update (VIII)

February 14, 2007

Global Warming Update (VIII)

Speaking of Greg Nickels, the Mayor was in San Francisco this week "attending a conference on climate change".

With all the unseasonably cold weather California has been having lately, climate change is indeed a big deal down there:

As the cold slowly loosens its grip on California's Central Valley, the pink and white flowers on fruit and nut trees are just beginning to blossom and growers are scrambling for a dwindling supply of bees to pollinate their fields, The Associated Press reported last week.

Harsh weather across the country, pesticides and mites are blamed for killing off billions of bees needed to pollinate just about every crop throughout the year.

Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at February 14, 2007 04:17 PM | Email This

Comments

1. Was Al "the frostman" there? Or did they just plan to show "An Inconvenient Truthiness"?

Posted by: starboardhelm on February 14, 2007 04:32 PM

2. Well said Stefan-Greg Nickels is little more than a fat ,ugly thieving socialist.I intend to become more involved in Republican Politics in the near future.Rather than just sitting back and donating to RINOS(Republicans in Name Only)and watch as they vote with Democrats for one sickening tax increase after another-I intend to actually run for office.I am a business owner and a minority ,raised in a strict ,conservative Methodist home.I thank God for two great parents (like me both business owners)who provided me a great upbringing-a household where there were moral absolutes-not wimpy spineless liberal indoctrination.The Republican party needs strong principled leadership -right now it's like a piece of driftwood in the ocean.

Posted by: Edward Prentice on February 14, 2007 05:10 PM

3. Hey Stefan, I just read a article that the Capitol of Nepal, Kathmanda, had it's first snowfall in 63 years today.

Posted by: Brandan Stafford on February 14, 2007 05:42 PM

4. Are we sure killer bees aren't responsible for offing the honey bees? That way we can still blame mankind for something, since we created killer bees.

Posted by: Organization Man on February 14, 2007 06:05 PM

5. My lib brother tried to tell me how great Al's movie is. I told him Al is a fine Science Fiction film producer, but I won't give him any money, or vote for him for president. My brother changed the subject.

Posted by: ljm on February 14, 2007 06:29 PM

6. Nothing they can do about the weather and mites killing off the bees, but they sure could ax the pesticides and give those needed bees a chance to thrive. How 'bout it? The soil would sure be in better shape and less dangerous chems flying around in the air (yes, it does fly around there. I could tell last time i drove down central Calif and back).
Personally, I like organic produce/products and hope to see more coming from all those California fields.

Posted by: Michele on February 14, 2007 09:38 PM

7. Michele,
It's unfortunately a myth that pesticides do more harm than good. If it were not for pesticides, crop yields would be lower and extremes in productivity would be more common.

There's a market for organic crops to be sure, but the market should be the determiner of what farmers ultimately produce. And many consumers will continue to choose perfectly healthy food based on price, and ultimately on high yield successful crop production that requires pesticides.

And there have been plenty of well documented and debunked myths against many different pesticides. A blanket condemnation of all pesticides as dangerous is unfounded, and actually right along the same lines as global warming hysteria.

Posted by: Jeff B. on February 14, 2007 11:56 PM

8. The market is deciding on organic foods - the demand is up sharply.

Growth hormones - children are reaching puberty much earlier in the past few decades when these have been put in the food system. These growth hormones are affecting humans.

Preservatives - the whole point of preservatives is to prevent the food breaking down. The whole point of the digestive system is to break food down. They make it harder for the body to operate.

Pesticides - are by definition poison. Whether and how they affect humans is something else. They are also being highly overused.

Though these do have their uses, especially during the transition to determine better ways to keep crops clear, and that transportation systems have improved significantly to get fresh food distributed quicker, the use of these chemicals can be reduced.

In all cases, conventional and organic, these foods do not provide all the nutrients required. Crops are no longer rotated, and fields are not furloughed so that the minerals can be restored to the ground. Supplementation is needed.

Posted by: Right said Fred on February 15, 2007 06:37 AM

9. Wasn't it the same global warming type 'scientists' that were predicting the end of civilization in the USA from the 'killer bee' plague?

Posted by: swatter on February 15, 2007 06:41 AM