No one will believe me, but I had planned to go a whole day without talking about global warming or the debt ceiling or something, but just keep to the Bakken. And then I'm sent this story on global warming.
And even so, I would not have posted the story except it actually mentions the Bakken which makes it perfect for the blog -- all roads used to lead to Rome, now all fracking leads back to the Bakken, I guess.
Here's the lede to the linked story:
Freezing weather with light snow flurries greeted about 200 climate activists gathered on the steps of the state Capitol noon Monday to demand the state Legislature get serious about climate change. [Get Serious!]
The climate rally unfolded four hours after the highest predicted tide of 2013 in Budd Inlet. Climate activists draw attention to the winter high tides, calling them a precursor of a future shoreline under siege from sea-level rise. [Under Seige!]
The irony of Monday’s cold weather compared to a global climate that is heating due to a carbon dioxide buildup in the atmosphere was not lost on the crowd, or some of the speakers. [Global Heating!]
“Climate and weather are two different things,” Olympia-area environmentalist Paul Pickett was quick to remind the bundled-up crowd. Climate is long term and weather is what happens daily, he said. [Different things!]Well, I'm glad that was pointed out: that climate and weather are two different things. The other difference, of course, is that we can't predict the weather, but we can predict climate change.
By the way, the "high winter tide" failed to reach "high tide" (as predicted):
Turns out the Monday high tide of 16.9 feet fell about a foot short because of the high pressure system parked over South Sound.As my daughter would text, LOL.
Oh, that part about the Bakken? Near the end, this bizarre bit:
Look no further than the Port of Olympia, he told the climate activists. One of the port’s newest commodities is a type of ceramic sand shipped from China, unloaded in Olympia, then moved by rail to oil drilling sites in North Dakota. It’s used to prop up or “frack” the earth deep underground to release the oil.Again, the devil made me do this (post this). I was really hoping to go a whole day without a story on global warming.
You have touched on a sore point with me, reporters who don't know what they are writing about. The prop up the oil rock.
ReplyDeleteSame thing happens with economic news, except maybe fewer people notice.
Yes, I thought it was rather bizarre, to say the least.
Delete