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Climate change propaganda alert (I warned you)

By | October 15, 2009, 3:00 PM PDT

Updated: Removing country-specific comments.

How many world citizens care about climate change? The TckTckTck social action web site has registered approximately 2.2 million people who have signed its “petition” calling for a “fair, ambitious and binding” agreement out of the climate talks set for Copenhagen in December.

There are close to 6.8 BILLION people on the planet, so they’ve got a ways to go. But businesses might want to keep an eye on the numbers when considering their own climate change stance. If the numbers start climbing quickly, it might affect whether or not they take action on sustainability strategy in the absence of meaningful government regulations.

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Heather Clancy

About Heather Clancy

Heather Clancy is a contributing editor for SmartPlanet.

Heather Clancy

Heather Clancy

Contributing Editor

Heather Clancy has written for United Press International, ZDNet, Entrepreneur, Fortune Small Business, the International Herald Tribune and the New York Times. She holds a degree from McGill University. She is based in New Jersey.

Follow her on Twitter.

Heather Clancy

Heather Clancy

I am fascinated about how businesses of all sizes can transform their operations through technology -- not just to make themselves more efficient, but to rise above their competitors. That's the theme for my two ZDNet blogs, Small Business Matters and Next-Gen Partner. For SmartPlanet, I'm focused on profiling inspirational and controversial business leaders who have great leadership lessons to share. I also write regularly and passionately about corporate social responsibility and sustainability issues for GreenBiz.com.

Occasionally, I will pop up at an industry conference in some sort of speaking capacity. In cases where an engagement involves a sponsor that may be covered in this blog, that fact will be disclosed in coverage as appropriate.

My corporate writing work usually consists of crafting research white papers about some aspect of technology or moderating Webcasts. In the event that my commentary (in written, audio or video form) mentions a company for which I have provided consulting advice, I will disclose that fact. However, there is no connection between these projects and topics that I cover in my blogs.

She writes for SmartPlanet and is not an employee of CBS.

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0 Votes
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What is interesting about that?
"One interesting stat: Apparently the site has signed up 130,000 people
in New Zealand, which is approximately 2 percent of the population."

I didn't get why this is interesting, please elaborate.
Posted by dave_helmut
16th Oct 2009
0 Votes
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There's something missing from the story
Your chain of logic in the story is missing a vital link. Please review and re-write it.
Posted by LarryPTL
16th Oct 2009
0 Votes
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RE: Climate change propaganda alert (I warned you)
Okay, let's see -- as far as 2% of Iceland's population is concerned, well, uh, 2% of Iceland's population IS concerned. In a wide-open spread-out country where the population isn't huddled in igloos with opinions stuck right in each others' faces, 2% may or may not still reach a threshold of "things that should be on the table demanding concerned discussion".

On the other hand, given their location, maybe they're seeing indicators that the rest of us aren't seeing yet. Little things like "historically, we are still in a minor up-tick in a longer-term period of reduced insolation" and "there have been significant and meaningful physical records of climactic change found, most of which seem to indicate that up-tick endpoint transitions seem to be bracketed by very temporary periods of global warming."

In other words, contrary to MOST of the climactic scare-mongering going on, you MAYBE should be concerned to know where your mukluks are. And be strategically aware -- any report of a significant volcanic eruption including megatonnes of particulate ejecta should probably be considered a "sell" indication for non-equatorial properties...
Posted by flared0ne
16th Oct 2009
0 Votes
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DO you know where your mukluks are??
I'm struck by the potential amusement value in contemplating "binding", re "fair, ambitious and binding agreement", when it comes to litigious arbitration of volcanic processes.

Because all the indications show that when the Earth 'burps' (let's keep the gaseous emissions above the table, right) global CO2 levels have been known to "take a hit" at levels which reduce any and all contributions from us surface-dwellers to literally meaningless levels by comparison.

Making this very much a case of "irresistable force" approaching down the tracks... Putting humanity's concerns all in one handbasket and, you would think, stamping "waste of time" on all efforts that don't include a substantial "Plan Ahead for Afterward" component.

Ever wonder what it is about the human psychology which keeps the "climactically concerned" so separate from the "Asteroid-Watch" contingent, and everyone looking so incredulously at the orbital habitat groupies? Given that statistically the end results come down to essentially the same set of problems: triage, life rafts and biome preservation, and sustenance issues...
Posted by flared0ne
16th Oct 2009
0 Votes
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RE: Climate change propaganda alert (I warned you)
Global warming as caused by humans is a global hoax, perpetrated by politicians looking for a new source of revenue...can you spell "cap and trade"!!
Global warming is a cyclical event driven by sun spots, ie, high sun spot activity=warming, low sun spot activity=cooling. Right now sun spot activity is low and the earth is actually cooling. Read this article... http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=34000 for the truth about so-called global warming. You will see that it is all about trying to remove the USA from a position of authority so that the European Union can become the superpower with a one world currency. The best thing that we can do as citizens is to put pressure on our elected officials to keep them from socializing this country and when it comes election time, vote them out of office and vote in conservatives who will uphold the constitution and put this country back on track to regain our position as the most powerful and profitable country in the world.
Posted by jim_d@...
16th Oct 2009
0 Votes
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RE: Climate change propaganda alert (I warned you)
It is rather humorous to read the comments by the "Global Warming Deniers" ne.flat earth society? Ignore the vast majority of scientists, don't believe your lying eyes, go right ahead and pretend it isn't happening, I have one question for you, "How long can you tread water?"
Posted by cdhanks
16th Oct 2009
0 Votes
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RE: Climate change propaganda alert (I warned you)
To cdhanks...I say, how about the large percentage of reputable scientists who don't buy the political evidence of global warming. I'll tell you what, you pay for your's and my share of the outrageous taxes coming if cap and trade is passed, I'll take my chances treading the non-existant water!!
Posted by jim_d@...
16th Oct 2009
0 Votes
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Whose is the REAL 'Propaganda' Here?
National Science Academies of all the major nations of the world have come together to agree: climate change is a very serious problem, we must cut CO2 and other GHGs NOW to prevent a catastrophe.

Anyone who disputes these basic facts is simply lying to us.
Posted by mejohnsn
19th Oct 2009
0 Votes
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RE: Climate change propaganda alert (I warned you)
Actually a poll was performed on 3146 earth scientists and 97.4% believe that human activity is the driver of global warming.
http://www2.sunysuffolk.edu/mandias/global_warming/is_global_warming_hype.html

Also, there is no evidence for an increase in solar activity significant enough to contribute to warming.
http://www.medialens.org/alerts/07/0313pure_propaganda_the.php

Do a little more research before you open your mouth.
Posted by appleforapple
29th Oct 2009
0 Votes
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RE: Climate change propaganda alert (I warned you)
P.S. wouldn't it be better to be safe than sorry. I mean if climate change is happening and it is our fault, wouldn't you like to know now while we may still have time work towards mitigating it before its to late or at least buy ourselves more time? I don't understand this. No one, and I mean NO ONE can know for a fact what the future holds. But if the hundreds of thousands of scientists in hundreds of countries around the world are right about climate change, then why not just jump on the band wagon and work together to form more efficient technologies and less environmentally harmful energy sources while at the same time potentially reducing our dependence on foreign resources.
Whats so bad about that?
Posted by appleforapple
29th Oct 2009
0 Votes
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RE: Climate change propaganda alert (I warned you)
Before professionals or the public make decisions about climate
change, they need to understand that 100% of the politics, science
and education of the world is literally blind to temperature. Climate
is changing and rapidly and the domino effect of this affects
everything we do including health, economy, food, etc.

It is because of the lack of sight of temperature that people are
indifferent. The Co2 theory as represented is ridiculous temperature
science but it is all we had. I design emissions for a living and the
buildings we use energy for. Both of my educations are absolute
science with temperature considered in a calculator. Here is a link
to what we missed in that calculator and people better be concerned.
Copenhagen and the UN are going to commit to spending 100s of
billions a year addressing symptoms. That money is going to come from
you. Here is information on cause of Urban Heat Islands we couldn't
see. http://www.thermoguy.com/urbanheat.html
Posted by Thermoguy
3rd Nov 2009
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