Showing posts with label environmental issues. Show all posts
Showing posts with label environmental issues. Show all posts

Friday, February 26, 2016

Glyptodonts and Climate Change

Climate change is in the news: again. Scientists tracked where tiny critters called phytoplankton have been living: which may help us understand what's happening in Earth's ocean.

Other scientists reconstructed glyptodont DNA: confirming that the Volkswagen-size mammals were armadillos: big armadillos.
  1. Tiny Critters and Climate Change
  2. Sic Transit Gloria Glyptodont

Wings, Paws, Fins, and Hands



(From Jerry Crimson Mann, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.)
("The principle of homology illustrated by the adaptive radiation of the forelimb of mammals. All conform to the basic pentadactyl pattern but are modified for different usages. The third metacarpal is shaded throughout; the shoulder is crossed-hatched."
(Wikipedia))

A dolphin's flipper, horse's leg, and bat's wing don't look alike; but they've got pretty much the same bones inside.

All tetrapod limbs, including our arms and legs, have three sections: the stylopod, zeugopod, and autopod — or autopodium, if you like extra syllables. (December 26, 2014)

Flight evolved at least four different times: insects, pterosaurs, birds, and bats. A great many more glide, parachute, or otherwise move through the air.

Flying fish glide on extra-long fins; some molluscs, like the Japanese and neon flying squids, can glide 30 meters; and I'm drifting off-topic.

The point I was making is that the bird/bat/pterosaur design isn't the only way critters can stay airborne.

Insect wings are part of their exoskeleton. They took off about 350,000,000 years ago. we're still not sure how their wings developed, and that's another topic.

Draco lizard and flying squirrel wings are membranes extending from their bodies. The lizard wings have ribs inside. Chrysopelea like the kala jin flatten their entire body into a wing; and none of them really fly: they glide.

It's been a while since I talked about convergent evolution, biological homology, and why birds, bats, and pterosaurs have pretty much the same wing design. It ties in with glyptodonts, critters about the size and shape as a Volkswagen beetle, and I'll get back to that.

Anyway, "convergent evolution is the independent evolution of similar features in species of different lineages." (Wikipedia)

We're pretty sure it happens when different sorts of critters live in similar environments, with similar ways of living.

It's not just animals. When we started sorting out how plant biochemistry and genetics work, we learned that C4 carbon fixation evolved independently several dozen times.

I'm forgetting something. Birds, Volkswagens, flying squirrels. Right.

Pterosaur, bird, and bat, wings are arguably examples of convergent evolution and homology. They evolved independently — from various tetrapods, descendants of lobe-finned fish back in the Devonian Period.

God, Clay, and "Even Greater Admiration"


Being offended by our increasing knowledge of how this universe works is an option: but not a sensible one, I think. Neither is getting upset over what sort of creatures we are.

We're made from the stuff of this world, filled with God's 'breath;' matter and spirit, body and soul: "not just something, but someone." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 355, 357, 362-368)

We've known this for a long time. (Genesis 1:27, 2:7)

What's changed recently is how much we know about the 'clay' God used. (December 5, 2014)

As I keep saying, learning about God's universe is what we're supposed to do; faith and reason get along, or should; and scientific discoveries are opportunities for "even greater admiration" of God's handiwork. (Catechism, 35-38, 282-289, 2293)


(From NASA; ESA; G. Illingworth, D. Magee, and P. Oesch, University of California, Santa Cruz; R. Bouwens, Leiden University; and the HUDF09 Team; used w/o permission.)

1. Tiny Critters and Climate Change



(From R.Kirby, via BBC News, used w/o permission.)
("The role phytoplankton plays in life on Earth is often overlooked, says Dr Richard Kirby"
(BBC News))
"Climate stirring change beneath the waves"
Mark Kinver, BBC News (February 23, 2016)

"Human-induced climate change is triggering changes beneath the waves that could have a long-term effect on marine food webs, a study suggests.

"An assessment of phytoplankton in the North Atlantic found the microscopic organisms' pole-ward shift was faster than previously reported.

"It observed that the ocean's tiny plant community was 'poised for marked shift and shuffle'.

"The findings appear in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences...."
Here's where I could start ranting that climate change is a hoax, or declare that humans are a plague upon the fair face of Mother Nature, or lament the imminent death of all cute critters.

Instead, I'll try to make sense.

I don't doubt that we're affecting Earth's climate, and have been for millennia: longer, if you count what happened as we started leaving our homeland, some 1,700,000 or so years back. (January 16, 2015; July 11, 2014)

What's changed recently is how much we change our environment and Earth's climate. I've talked about Oldowan tools, agriculture, wireless telegraphy, and being human, before. Frequently. (June 19, 2015; May 29, 2015; December 5, 2014)

A recent watershed in our effect on climate happened about 12,000 years ago, when we started planting crops in Mesopotamia, the Nile and Indus Valleys, and Zhongyuan. Replacing natural habitats with cropland were a boon for some critters, like crows: not so much for others.

From the mid-1700s to mid-1800s, Industrial Revolution helped folks avoid starvation more often, live longer, and enjoy more creature comforts: eventually. It also made a mess we're still cleaning up. (August 21, 2015; July 3, 2015)

Phytoplankton, Anthropogenic Climate Change, and the Great Dying



(From R.Kirby, via BBC News, used w/o permission.)
("Often mistaken for pollution, foam found on beaches is the decaying remains of vast colonies of phytoplankton commonly known as foam algae "
(BBC News))
"...'Marine phytoplankton are crucial in marine food webs and global biogeochemical cycles and they are incredibly diverse but we don't really have a sense of what all the different organisms do when you modify climate, or even through natural climate variability,' explained co-author Andrew Barton, a researcher at Princeton University, working at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory.

"He told BBC News: 'This study attempted to get a handle on how all these different kinds of organisms may respond to anthropogenic climate change over the coming century.'..."
(Mark Kinver, BBC News)
As a recovering English teacher, I won't let "phytoplankton" and "anthropogenic climate change" go without a mercifully-short vocabulary review.

Wikipedia starts out by saying that phytoplankton "are the autotrophic components of the plankton community," which may not be particularly helpful.

An autotrophic organism is one that can make its own food from inorganic stuff, using light or chemical energy. Green plants and algae are examples. (thefreedictionary.com)

Most phytoplankton are microscopic critters like diatoms, bacterioplankton and microphytes.

Diatoms have been around for at least 185,00,000 years: probably longer. That's the age of the oldest fossilized diatoms we've found so far.

Chemical evidence says they probably got started about 250,000,000 years back, after the Permian-Triassic extinction event. — the 'Great Dying' that wiped out about 96% of Earth's marine species, including the last trilobites.

Earth has changed quite a bit over the last few billion years. (April 24, 2015; November 21, 2014; July 4, 2014)

We started learning how phytoplankton and Earth's ocean interact in the early 20th century. It's complicated, and we're still learning:
Depending on how it's used, anthropogenic means either "pertaining to the origin of man" or "having its origin in the influence of human activity on nature." (Wictionary)

Either definition is likely to get some tightly-wound folks upset. I think we're learning more of humanity's long story: and learning why taking care of our home is a good idea.

Being Human



(From NASA, via astrobio.net, used w/o permission.)
"...The team studied 87 different species of microscopic marine plants found in the North Atlantic, looking at the organisms' mean historical range (1951-2000) and future (2051-2100) ocean conditions.

" 'The main results of the study were that we found that when the climate changes it was not just the temperature that was changing and impacting phytoplankton but it was also all the ocean circulation and the conditions in the ocean surface, such as nutrients and light, that have an ecological impact,' Dr Barton observed.

" 'Generally, the whole physical environment is altered; in some cases, quite substantially.'..."
(Mark Kinver, BBC News)
"Looking at ... the future?" This isn't divination, which is a bad idea: and strictly against the rules. (Catechism, 2116)

It's science, which as a form of knowledge is arguably a gift of the Holy Spirit. Studying this wonder-filled universe, developing and using new technology, is part of being human. So is deciding whether we'll use or misuse our gifts. (Catechism, 1831, 2293-2295)

I'm a Catholic, so I won't study the entrails of a sacrificed goat to tell what'll happen next week: but I routinely check www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=56378&wuSelect=WEATHER to get the nine-day forecast.

Rejecting haruspex and palm-reading, while keeping track of weather forecasts, isn't hypocrisy: it's being a Catholic who lives in the Information Age. We're expected to trust God and use our brains — and not just for weather forecasting. (Catechism, 154, 159, 1778, 2115)

Next, what a scientist said about the next steps in this research.

Genesis and Geoengineering



(From ESA, via NASA, used w/o permission.)
"...'Some species do appear to not move at all. Some may move much further than others,' Dr Barton said. 'This study gives you a sense that there is quite a broad range of possible responses. If the species used to live here, where might it move?

" 'To my knowledge, most previous studies on marine phytoplankton have not answered those kinds of questions.'

"Finding out what will be the impacts of this shift in distribution of the phytoplankton will be the next steps, he said...."
(Mark Kinver, BBC News)
"Finding out what will be the impacts of this shift..." is a refreshing bit of common sense in discussions of Earth's climate and human activity.

I hope that national leaders have the good sense to wait until we know more about how Earth's oceans, atmosphere, and life, work — before trying to 'fix' this planet.

Whatever is happening at the moment is an "urgent" issue — on the geologic time scale. We'll probably be wise to put off major geoengineering projects for another few generations, or centuries: until after we've learned a bit more. (December 4, 2015)

Tinkering with the machinery at our present level of ignorance might be instructive: and disastrous.

America's courts decided that a weather control experiment probably didn't cause the lethal Black Hills Flood of 1972, but that was a disturbing coincidence. (February 20, 2015)

I think we will, within the next few millennia, learn how to safely manage this planet's climate. I am not, however, particularly upset at news that our climate is changing.

Earth's climate has been changing since the planet formed, some 4,540,000,000 years ago.

Nature got along fine without us.

But now that we're here: managing the place is our responsibility:
"4 Then God said: 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and the cattle, and over all the wild animals and all the creatures that crawl on the ground.'

"God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them.

"God blessed them, saying: 'Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all the living things that move on the earth.' "
(Genesis 1:26-28)

"4 What are humans that you are mindful of them, mere mortals that you care for them?

"5 Yet you have made them little less than a god, crowned them with glory and honor."
(Psalms 8:6)

Dominion: Authority and Responsibility


First, what this does not mean.

Our "dominion" isn't the 'we can do anything we like' industrial and mining irresponsibility of the 19th century.

We've learned a bit since then, happily. Quite a bit, actually; some more than others. (February 12, 2016; July 3, 2015; October 3, 2014; July 15, 2014)

"Little less than a god" isn't "God," which got us in trouble right out of the gate; and that's yet another topic. (February 7, 2016; September 27, 2015)

We are still made "in the divine image," but the harmony we had with ourselves and with the universe is broken: which makes loving ourselves, others, and God a struggle. (Genesis 1:27; Catechism, 355-361, 374-379, 398, 400, 1701-1707)

We still have dominion over this world: which is not ownership.

We're like the steward of an estate, or a shop foreman: with authority and responsibilities.

Making reasoned use of the world's resources is part of our job. So is making sure that future generations have what they'll need. (Catechism, 339, 952, 2402-2405, 2456)

I've been over this before — a lot. (November 27, 2015; September 20, 2015; July 3, 2015; June 18, 2015)

2. Sic Transit Gloria Glyptodont1



(From BBC News, used w/o permission.)
("Some glyptodonts would have dwarfed even the largest armadillo alive today."
(BBC News))
"Monstrous fossils 'were armadillos', says DNA evidence"
BBC News (February 22, 2016)

"An extinct group of giant, armoured animals with spiky, club-shaped tails belongs firmly within the family tree of modern armadillos, according to a study of 12,000-year-old DNA.

"The glyptodonts roamed South America for millions of years until the last Ice Age, and some grew as big as cars.

"Their physical attributes - notably an impenetrable shell - already placed them as likely cousins of armadillos.

"Now, researchers say they are not even a sister group, but a subfamily.

" Glyptodonts should probably be considered a subfamily of gigantic armadillos,' said Frederic Delsuc, from the National Centre of Scientific Research (CNRS) and Montpellier University in France...."
Glyptodons/glyptodonts weren't the first critters with tank-like armor. (November 21, 2014)

Various species of ankylosaurs showed up around the same time as the crocodile-like Metriorhynchus and lasted a lot longer: right up to the extinction event that killed off all non-avian dinosaurs.

Turtles showed up later, about 157,000,000 years back, and are still with us. They're shaped more-or-less like ankylosaurs, armadillos, and glyptodonts — which is why I rambled on about convergent evolution earlier.

Glyptodonts had comparatively poor eyesight: which probably didn't matter all that much, at least until we moved into their territory.

Being a Volkswagen-size smorgasbord with a shell that could, with a bit of cleaning, serve as a small shelter wouldn't have helped their survival odds: and neither would climate shifts of the Quaternary glaciation. (February 20, 2015; July 11, 2014)

Whatever happened, they're extinct now.

Scientists figured glyptodonts were a variety of armadillo, or closely related critters, based on their anatomy. There haven't been all that many armored mammals. We couldn't be sure, though, until researchers reconstructed DNA from a Doedicurus: the biggest glyptodont.

Glyptodonts: BIG Armadillos



(From Science Photo Library, via BBC News, used w/o permission.)
("Oddly, the dwarf pink fairy armadillo is among the glyptodont's closest living relatives"
(BBC News))
"...Dr Delsuc and his colleagues used computer predictions to reconstruct some likely DNA sequences of armadillo ancestors, based on the genes of living species.

"They then made RNA 'bait' based on these sequences and used it to fish for glyptodont DNA in a tiny, mashed-up sample of shell from a fossil in a Buenos Aires museum.

"This technique allows scientists to confidently identify real DNA sequences from the ancient target species, without worrying about contaminating genetic material.

"Sure enough, the team eventually managed to reconstruct the entire mitochondrial genome - because the computer simulations and bait sequences were mitochondrial DNA - of a glyptodont....

"...One of the main differences between this ancient group and their modern cousins is the glyptodont's huge, dome-shaped shell, which was not articulated like the iconic, layered bands of the armadillo...."
(BBC News)
Today's armadillos, even the giant armadillo, are a whole lot smaller than glyptodonts. The giant armadillo and Brazilian three-banded armadillo may be headed for extinction.

Then there's the nine-banded armadillo that crossed Rio Grande from Mexico, entering the United States in the late 19th century. By now it's doing well from Kansas and eastern New Mexico to South Carolina, and will probably reach Rhode Island.

They're not indestructible: a determined cougar or human can kill one. But they're tough little critters: two folks were injured recently by bullets that bounced off armadillo shells. (theguardian.com)

More of my take on life, the universe, and using our brains:
1 "Sic transit gloria mundi" is Latin for "Thus passes the glory of the world." The phrase was used when installing new Popes from 1409 to 1963: and the idea is ancient.

Impermanence is one of the three marks of existence in Buddhist thought.

As a Christian and a Catholic, I take these reminders quite seriously:
"2 A thousand years in your eyes are merely a yesterday,

"3 But humans you return to dust, saying, 'Return, you mortals!'

"Before a watch passes in the night,

"4 you have brought them to their end; They disappear like sleep at dawn; they are like grass that dies."
(Psalms 90:4-5)

"3 Raise your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth below; Though the heavens grow thin like smoke, the earth wears out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies, My salvation shall remain forever and my justice shall never be dismayed."
(Isaiah 51:6)
I've talked about long-term planning and the big picture before:
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Friday, December 4, 2015

Climate Summit: Costumes and a Smog Brick

Climate change talks in Paris started this week, with the usual protesters and editorials.

Meanwhile, folks in Minnesota are shopping at Christmas tree farms: and a performance artist in Beijing made a brick from smog.
  1. Costumes, Protesters, and Something Serious
  2. Tree Farms
  3. Climate Change, Today's Problems, and a Brick Made With Smog
I'm convinced that climate change happens: and has been happening since before life began on Earth, 3,800,000,000 or so years back. As I've said before, the natural world got along fine without us. Now that we're here, however, we're responsible for its maintenance. (July 3, 2015)

United Nations Climate Conference, 2015


Another big United Nations Climate Conference started Monday, November 30, 2015.

I'm pretty sure some folks will think it's some sort of plot because the United Nations is involved: and that others will think it's wonderful for the same reason.
2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference
(Wikipedia)

"The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP 21 or CMP 11 is being held in Le Bourget, from November 30 to December 11. It will be the 21st yearly session of the Conference of the Parties to the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 11th session of the Meeting of the Parties to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. The conference objective is to achieve a legally binding and universal agreement on climate, from all the nations of the world....
My guess is that achieving "...a legally binding and universal agreement on climate, from all the nations of the world..." isn't likely.

Not when we've got leaders like Kim Jong-un, Saparmurat Niyazov, and Sweden's Regeringen in the mix. I think getting that many folks agreeing on where to eat lunch would be an accomplishment.

Basically Good


As Johnny Cash sang, there's a problem with being "so heavenly minded, you're no earthly good." (No Earthly Good, from Cash Unearthed (Box Set), via metrolyrics.com)

Somebody said that first: maybe Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., or Jr.; or D. L. Moody. Or maybe it was Terence, or Petronius — the Roman courtier, not 3244 Petronius, that's an asteroid.

Aristotle said that virtue is practical, or should be: and I think he's right.

I've talked about faith, works, and getting a grip, before. Basically, If I've got faith that's worth something, it'll affect how I live. (November 22, 2015; September 6, 2015)

Then there's the notion that 'spiritual' is good and 'material' is bad. (June 26, 2015; April 24, 2015)

The idea that the physical world "...is evil, the product of a fall, and is thus to be rejected or left behind..." is not what the Catholic Church teaches. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 285)

I see the natural world as basically good, since I believe that:
I've used that list before. (June 26, 2015; June 15, 2014)

The world is God's property. We're stewards, responsible for maintenance of natural resources: for our use, and for future generations. (Catechism, 339, 952, 2402-2405, 2456)

We're also responsible for the other critters here.

Human Dignity and Blue-Eyed-Lemurs


This is not a good time to be a Madagascan blue-eyed black lemur. (BBC News)

Folks living in Madagascar have used slash and burn agriculture: felling and burning trees in a field-size area, planting crops on the exposed ground, then moving on in a few years when the soil is depleted.

It's a very low-tech approach to farming, and works: as long as population density is very low, and the forest is very large.

Madagascar isn't all that big.

Although there's enough woodland in the island's northeast region, black-eyed lemurs would have to cross cleared land to get there. My guess is that someone will think of catching the critters and carrying them to a new habitat: or not.

I've got blue eyes, but I'm not a lemur: so why should I care what happens to them?

I must care, within reason, because I'm human. We're expected to respect the "integrity of creation," including animals. (Catechism, 2415-2418)

Making animals needlessly suffer or die is "contrary to human dignity," and we shouldn't do it. On the other hand, spending money on them instead of relieving human misery is wrong, too. Loving animals is okay: but we should love humans more. (Catechism, 2418)
"The seventh commandment [You shall not steal] requires respect for the goods of others through the practice of justice and charity, temperance and solidarity. In particular it requires respect for promises made and contracts agreed to, reparation for injustice committed and restitution of stolen goods, and respect for the integrity of creation by the prudent and moderate use of the mineral, vegetable, and animal resources of the universe with special attention to those species which are in danger of extinction."
(Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 506)
Does that mean God will smite us if we let Madagascan blue-eyed black lemurs, or any other species, go extinct? And what about species that we've intentionally exterminated, like the smallpox virus?

The 'fire and brimstone' approach to God notwithstanding, the Almighty does not have anger management issues. We developed a distorted image of God after the Eden incident. I think it's more accurate to say that God 'gets angry' at our behavior: not us. (Catechism, 397-401)

I've discussed disease, Edmund Massey, and Pope Pius Pius VII, before: and healing the sick is not wrong. (January 23, 2015)

My guess is that maintaining the integrity of creation does not mean trying to keep everything exactly the way it was at some arbitrary date. Species have been appearing and disappearing since life began here, 3,800,000,000 years ago. Maybe longer. (October 23, 2015)

Change Happens


Getting back to climate change and that United Nations conference, Earth's current ice age started about 2,580,000 years back.

So far, we've uncovered evidence of five ice ages, starting with the Huronian glaciation. That one started about 2,400,000,000 years ago, after the Great Oxygenation Event, or GOE. (June 27, 2014)

The GOE happened when critters like today's blue-green algae started making oxygen, triggering the Huronian glaciation. Some anaerobic species died out, and some didn't.

Critters that use oxygen to 'burn' organic stuff emerged: like fungi and animals. The new oxygen-using metabolism let critters process and store more energy, and get bigger.

More recently, some 555,000,000 years back, Albumares, Dickinsonia, and Pteridinium — weren't like anything alive today.

Neither was Dendrogramma enigmatica. (September 12, 2014)

We've learned that Tribrachidium, a three-lobed animal (?) was a filter-feeder. Apparently life in the Ediacaran was more complex than we thought, and that's another topic: maybe for next Friday's post.

Where was I? The United Nations, Deuteronomy, lemurs, ice ages. Right.

Climate, and everything else, on Earth has been changing since the planet formed, some 4,540,000,000 years ago. I've talked about change, God, clay, and getting a grip, too. A lot. (June 26, 2015; May 8, 2015; December 5, 2014; July 11, 2014)

Let's take a closer look at that chart, the one that shows temperatures for the last 5,000,000 years.


(From Lisiecki and Raymo (2005), via Wikimedia Commons; under GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later; used w/o permission.)

The 41 kyr (kiloyear) and 100 kyr cycles may be coincidences — or not. Either way, Milankovitch cycles, periodic and predictable changes in Earth's movements, line up pretty well with shifts in Earth's climate. Scientists still aren't sure why.

Earth has been cooling off, on average, for the last 5,000,000 years. But that's just recent geological history: very roughly 1/900th Earth's age. The story's a bit more complicated as we look further back.


(From Robert A. Rohde, from published and publicly available data, incorporated into the Global Warming Art project; via Wikimedia Commons; under GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later; used w/o permission.)

"Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum" is a fancier name for the Eocene Optimum. It was 170,000 years of good times for critters that like it warm. That didn't last; and about 34,000,000 years back, Antarctica started looking the way it does now: with lots of ice.

There have been ups and downs since then: but we never quite got back to the 'good old days' of the Eocene Optimum, when something killed off deep sea life in spots.

Antarctica, South America, Africa, India, and Australia, used to be part of the same continent, and that's yet another topic.


(From Ron Blakey, NAU Geology; via Wikimedia Commons; used w/o permission.)
(Earth during the Late Triassic, 220,000 years ago.)

Scientists call Earth's current eon the Phaerozoic It started 541,000,000 years ago, give or take 1,000,000, when critters with hard parts like Trilobites and reef-building Archaeocyatha appeared, and I'm drifting off-topic again.


(From Dragons flight, from publicly available data, part of the Global Warming Art project; via Wikimedia Commons; under GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later; used w/o permission.)

Psalms and Antarctica's Rainforest


Over the last few centuries, we've learned that Earth is billions, not thousands, of years old, and has been changing since day one.

I'm okay with that.

Some folks aren't, but I see what we're learning as opportunities for "even greater admiration" of God's greatness. (Catechism, 283)

If anything, what we're learning of this creation's cosmic scale emphasizes the Creator's majesty. (July 26, 2015; July 15, 2014)
"3 Terrible and awesome are you, stronger than the ancient mountains."
(Psalms 76:5)

"Yours are the heavens, yours the earth; you founded the world and everything in it."
(Psalms 89:12)

"Your throne stands firm from of old; you are from everlasting, LORD."
(Psalms 93:2)
Earth's ice caps aren't as large as they were during the last glacial maximum, 26,500 years ago, but a mile-deep glacier still covers most of Greenland.

That's not "normal" for this planet. Our home hasn't always been as warm as the early Carboniferous and early Paleogene: and it's been colder. The Marinoan glaciation, some 650,000,000 to 635,000,000 years back, may or may not have covered the planet.

The last I heard, some scientists figure we're in an interglacial period of the current ice age. Or maybe the Quaternary glaciation is finally over. (May 8, 2015)

As I keep saying, change happens. Around 52,000,000 years ago, for example, a rainforest covered at least part of Antarctica: where the temperature was about 20 degrees Celsius, 68 Fahrenheit:

1. Costumes, Protesters, and Something Serious



(From CNN, used w/o permission.)
("Women dressed as angels pose at the Place de la République"
(CNN))
"How ISIS inadvertently helped climate talks"
Frida Ghitis, op-ed, CNN (December 1, 2015)

"ISIS planners were probably not thinking about climate change when they chose the date for their terrorist attacks in Paris earlier this month. It's highly unlikely that they looked at the calendar and considered the implications of striking the French capital just two weeks before the world's most important gathering on climate change.

"And yet, by attacking Paris just before the U.N. Climate Change Conference, COP21, they inadvertently gave a boost to the chances that the conference will succeed.

"The blood drawn by ISIS christened Paris as a central stage in a momentous global drama. And then, by an accident of timing, the climate conference became a new act in this historic play. Savage violence juxtaposed against saving the planet has turned the conference into a show of resistance against terrorism...."
Not all protesters in Paris for the climate talks looked like they were attending a fancy-dress ball, but the folks cosplaying angels had company.

Photos associated with that CNN op-ed showed at least one person was dressed as a panda, and another dressed as a bear wearing a panda pin. Someone else came as Skeletor, or maybe a skeleton in a babushka; and the group in this photo sported natty penguin costumes.

I suspect Frida Ghitis is right, though: ISIS probably gave the climate change conference a bigger boost than the demonstrators.

Folks who want an effective climate agreement may or may not like what happens after negotiators from the 195 countries involved are finished. Money is apparently one of the difficulties.

A Reuters article points out that developing nations use fossil fuels: and will almost certainly need financial help to upgrade.

2. Tree Farms



(From KARE, used w/o permission.)
"We asked KARE 11 Facebook fans last week to share their favorite Christmas tree farm. Here is a list of the top 11."
(KARE))
"Top 11 Christmas tree farms, picked by KARE 11 Facebook fans"
Dana Thiede, KARE (November 30, 2015)

"Those Thanksgiving leftovers are likely a distant memory, and it's officially time to turn attention towards the next holiday on the calendar.

"For many, that means loading the kids in the ol' family truckster, and heading out to one of the many tree farms in Minnesota or western Wisconsin to harvest the perfect Christmas tree.

"Last week we asked KARE 11 Facebook fans to share their favorite Christmas tree farm. Here is a list of the top 11...."
The trees in that photo's background aren't dead, and neither is the grass. It's late fall or early winter in this area by the time most folks are buying Christmas trees. Autumn colors have come and gone, deciduous trees have shed their leaves, and the grass will be dormant until next spring.

Christmas tree farms are probably the best-known sort of tree farm: but I think the odds are pretty good that lumber you see at a building supply retailer came from a recent tree farm harvest.

I've been noticing fewer 'save the forests, stop using timber' op-ed pieces, so maybe word is getting around that not only does wood grow on trees: trees are a pretty good crop choice for some farmers.

Rockwood Tree Farm & Timber Frame Homes, up in Ontario, grows trees and processes them into construction materials: and that's yet again another topic.

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3. Climate Change, Today's Problems, and a Brick Made With Smog



(From Getty Images, via BBC News, used w/o permission.)
("The Paris conference is seen as the best opportunity in six years to agree a new global climate treaty"
(BBC News))
"COP21: Public support for tough climate deal 'declines' "
Matt McGrath, BBC News (November 27, 2015)

"Public support for a strong global deal on climate change has declined, according to a poll carried out in 20 countries.

"Only four now have majorities in favour of their governments setting ambitious targets at a global conference in Paris.

"In a similar poll before the Copenhagen meeting in 2009, eight countries had majorities favouring tough action.

"The poll has been provided to the BBC by research group GlobeScan.

"Just under half of all those surveyed viewed climate change as a 'very serious' problem this year, compared with 63% in 2009....

"...The number rating climate change as a very serious issue in richer countries declined significantly from 2009, while support for strong action at the Paris conference has only grown in three of the 20 countries polled.

"Canada, France, Spain and the UK are the only four with majorities in favour of their governments taking a leading role...."
I think climate change is an issue we'll have to deal with: eventually. I do not, however, think it is an urgent problem.

The question isn't whether we can change Earth's climate. We've been doing that for the last few generations.

What we must decide, probably within the next thousand years, is what changes we should make. (February 20, 2015)

We must also, I think, learn a great deal more about how our planet's climate works.

Going straight to field tests is probably not a good idea. (February 20, 2015)

As I recall, scientists became extremely cautious about weather modification after a 1972 flood left 238 dead, five missing, 3,000 injured, and cost $165,000,000 USD in lost property and infrastructure.1

There's no evidence that a cloud-seeding experiment exacerbated the storm: but the coincidence was disturbing. (February 20, 2015)

At the moment, I think our best option is to keep learning more about Earth's climate: and clean up some of the planet's worst problem areas.

China's industrial northeast still depends heavily on coal for power, with predictable results.2
"A performance artist used a vacuum cleaner to suck up particles in super smoggy Beijing to make a brick of condensed pollution.

"Beijing has been swamped for days in a beige-gray miasma of smog, bringing coughs and rasping, hospitals crowded from respiratory ailments, a midday sky so dim that it could pass for evening, and head-shaking disgust from residents who had hoped the city was over the worst of its chronic pollution.

"But 'Brother Nut,' a performance artist, has something solid to show from the acrid soup in the air: a brick of condensed pollution.

"For 100 days, Brother Nut dragged a roaring, industrial-strength vacuum cleaner around the Chinese capital’s landmarks, sucking up dust from the atmosphere.

"He has mixed the accumulated gray gunk with red clay to create a small but potent symbol of the city's air problems...."
(Chris Buckley, Adam Wu; The Seattle Times (December 1, 2015))

People Being Human


We've been changing Earth on a local and regional level for several thousand years. That started when some of us developed agriculture, about a dozen millennia back now. (January 16, 2015)

Large-scale projects like Egypt's irrigation system are more recent. A ceremonial Egyptian macehead shows someone wearing Upper Egypt's Hedjet, or White Crown, opening dikes: or maybe cutting a furrow. Either way, it's about 5,000 years old.

Ever since the European ice cap melted, much of the Netherlands has been damp: or under water. Folks there stopped living on artificial hills a thousand years back or so, and started building dikes.

The 'up' side is that they don't have to live on terps now. The 'down' side is that if they don't maintain the dike system, quite a bit of their country will be under water.

The point of that history lesson is that we've been affecting the environment for millennia. What's changing is the degree to which we can affect our home.

I don't see a problem with it: since that's what happens when we use tools, and using technology is part of being human. Ethics apply, of course. (Catechism, 2293-2295)

When we ignore the ethical angle, bad things happen. (Catechism, 339)

I've talked about passenger pigeons, dodos, hydraulic mining, and the London death fog, before. (January 16, 2015)

A short ramble about Deuteronomy and ownership, and I'm done.

Respect, Resources, and Looking Ahead


Exodus 20:15, Deuteronomy 5:19, and Matthew 19:18 say "you shall not steal."

Owning property is fine. It helps maintain our freedom and dignity, and gives a measure of security. But the right to private ownership isn't absolute.

Other folks matter, too: and stealing is wrong, even if it's called something else — or the victim is someone who isn't here yet. (Catechism, 2401-2449)

Respecting the "integrity of creation" means taking care of this world and its resources, for the common good of all humanity: including everyone who will follow us. (Catechism, 2415)

We've made — and learned from — mistakes. We have a great deal left to learn.

After the Great Smog of '52, the United Kingdom's Parliament cobbled together the Clean Air Act 1956. America's 1955 Air Pollution Control Act and 1963 Clean Air Act were some of my country's efforts to clean up mistakes made during the first generations of industrial development.

'None of the above' are perfect solutions. But I am convinced that we can keep learning, and build a better world:
1 More about the 1972 Rapid Cities, South Dakota, flood:
2 Northeastern China's heavy industries still use coal, with familiar results:
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Sunday, September 20, 2015

Family, Firsts, and Francis: also Trading Cards


(From Libreria Editrice Vaticana, used w/o permission.)

Pope Francis arrived in Havana, Cuba, yesterday. It's his first stop on the latest apostolic journey:
The first two events in Havana today are Mass at Plaza de la Revolución, followed by a courtesy visit to Cuban officials at Palacio de la Revolución.

Weirdness Ahead?


Conspiracy buffs take note: Pope Francis plans to stay several days in Cuba, one of the last bastions of Marxist/Leninist politics.

I won't be surprised if 'down with Francis' enthusiasts warn about the Pope's 'communist sympathies.' Again.

Hue and cry over the 'communist crucifix' never quite got traction, maybe because too many folks realized it was a gift to the Pope. World leaders get all sorts of offbeat gifts. (July 19, 2015)

The Pope's first stops in the United States are in Washington, D.C. — I'll get back to that. Then he goes to New York City, for meetings at the United Nations, and an interreligious encounter at the Ground Zero memorial.

The United Nations1 meetings will probably ruffle some feathers:
"...The Secretary-General welcomes the visit of Pope Francis as an important part of a historic year in which the United Nations marks its 70th anniversary and in which Member States will take major decisions about sustainable development, climate change and the future peace and well-being of humankind.

"During the visit, Pope Francis will address the United Nations General Assembly. His Holiness will also have bilateral meetings with the Secretary-General and the President of the General Assembly and will participate in a town hall gathering with United Nations staff.

"The Secretary-General is confident that His Holiness Pope Francis's visit will inspire the international community to redouble its efforts to achieve human dignity for all through ensuring greater social justice, tolerance and understanding among all of the world's peoples."
("Visit of His Holiness Pope Francis at the UN Headquarters and public address," United Nations)
Cross-referencing the papal itinerary with durable conspiracy theories, I came up with a doozy: the Pope's visit is part of the New World Order's plot to establish the Fourth Reich through population control and mass media.

I think it sounds silly, but some folks might not: so I'd better explain that I'm just making this up. 

Apocalyptic prognostications are another perennial favorite, so someone may cook up another End Times prophecy — starring Obama as the Antichrist, the Catholic Church as Babylonian paganism, and the United Nations as a Zionist plot.

Or maybe not. I haven't heard a peep about the Papal corn alter in Paraguay, back in July: apart from a CNA article.

Corncobs and Rookie Cards



(From CNA, used w/o permission.)
("Papal altar at Asuncion's Ñu Guazú park in Paraguay. July 2015."
(CNA))
Spectacular Paraguay altar destined to be broken down, recycled
Catholic News Agency (July 12, 2015)

"Asunción, Paraguay, Jul 12, 2015 / 03:07 pm (CNA).- The more than 60,000 corncobs, 20,000 squashes and 150,000 coconuts that adorn the altarpiece in Asuncion’s Ñu Guazú park where Pope Francis celebrated Mass on the last day of his visit to Paraguay won't be going to waste.

"Now that the Mass and the Pope have come and gone, the products will be recycled.

" 'The coconuts will be used to make soap and the corncobs are destined to feed animals. The squash will be given to people. From it, a sweet called "andai" is made,' the artist, Kiko Ruiz, told CNA days before the celebration...."

(From CNA, used w/o permission.)
(Corncobs, coconuts, squashes, and the Pope, in Paraguay. (July 2015))

The altar was 131 feet long, almost 56 feet tall: more than 4,305 square feet covered with corn, coconuts and squash. The mosaics show St. Francis, left; and St. Ignatius of Loyola, right: recalling the Franciscan and Jesuit missions who evangelized Paraguay.

Getting back to the Pope's visit to Cuba and the United States, the Philadelphia Phillies have been giving away Pope Francis Rookie Cards. (cardboardconnection.com)


(From cardboardconnection.com, ABC6 News in Philadelphia; used w/o permission.)
("...Phillies-themed Pope Francis at the First Base and Third Base Kiosks...."
(CardboardConnection.com))


(From cardboardconnection.com, ABC6 News in Philadelphia; used w/o permission.)
("In addition to his basic info, the card is number 266 in honor of his spot in the chronological order of popes. It also notes his Papal Debut and Position."
(CardboardConnection.com))

This isn't the first time a Pope appeared on a trading card.

Pope Francis is on a 2013 Topps card. Beckett.com says Popes St. John Paul II, and Bl. Paul VI, and Leo XIII, had cards, too.

I think Becket.com's Ryan Cracknell has a good attitude about the 'Papal' trading cards:
"...The Pope Francis card looks like a fun piece with a definite late 1990s or early 2000s vibe to it. The bottom says that it’s a rookie card, an innocent nod to the hobby that does actually add to the presentation...."
(Ryan Cracknell, Becket.com (September 16, 2015))
One thing I appreciate about the cards pictured by CardboardConnection.com is that they seem to be fairly high quality.

I've opined about kitsch, schlock, and religious art, before. (August 17, 2013)

Another positive point about the new Papal trading cards is that they got their facts straight.

Two 'Firsts,' and Business as Usual


If all goes well, we'll have two 'firsts' next Wednesday: a canonization Mass in the United States, and a Pope addressing this nation's Congress.

Predictably, not everybody is happy about this:
That's understandable.

Father Junípero Serra's missionary activities "suppressed" local cultures here — much as Christian missionaries suppressed my ancestors' more colorful habits. (August 9, 2015)

More recently, Pope Francis upset quite a few folks with his 'environmental encyclical.' Instead of skimming through it, I've been studying the document — all 31,000-plus words.

As nearly as I can tell, the Pope says that we should behave as if we care about future generations. I can see where that would be controversial, since he also says 'business as usual' isn't acceptable.

The Pope's address to Congress apparently will include some concerns raised in "Laudato si'." Maybe that will prod me into studying the last few pages.

Getting a Grip about "Dominion"


Being rich or poor is okay. Having money isn't a problem: loving the stuff is. (1 Timothy 6:10; Hebrews 13:5; Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2544, 2546)

The trick is being detached from wealth. (Catechism, 2556)

Everyone — rich, poor, and in between — has equal dignity. But we're not all alike: and aren't supposed to be. These differences include age, physical abilities, and wealth. (Catechism 357, 1934-1938)

We can use our differences as opportunities for generosity, kindness, and sharing of goods. Or we can decide to misuse them. (Catechism, 1937-1938)

Here's where I get back to environmental concerns, climate change, and "Laudato si'."

One of our jobs is having "dominion" of this world's resources. (Genesis 1:27)

"Dominion" is not ownership.

We're like the steward of an estate, or a shop foreman: with authority and responsibilities.

Making reasoned use of the world's resources is part of our job. So is making sure that future generations have what they'll need. (Catechism, 339, 952, 2402-2405, 2456)

Earth's climate has been changing for billions of years, and will, I think, continue to do so. But now that we're here, and have technology that affects climate, managing that change is our responsibility.

So is using our brains.

I've been over this before:

World Meeting of Families, 2015


Someone's sure to be upset after Pope Francis meets with Hispanics and other immigrants at Philadelphia's Independence Mall, and visits detainees at Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility: either because of what they read in the news, or what they didn't read.

I've already run into imaginative comments — praising Pope Francis for his "openness" to non-traditional families, and criticizing him for the same reason.

As far as I can tell, it's like his 'changing stand on abortion.'

It's what our Lord told us: repentance is possible, and so is forgiveness.

Instead of pitching the first stone, Jesus told the woman whose accusers "went away one by one:" "Neither do I condemn you. Go, (and) from now on do not sin any more." (John 8:3-11)

I've talked about sin, forgiveness, and the news, before. (September 6, 2015)

I checked out the World Meeting of Families Congress website yesterday. It's not the same as being there, but my online jaunts are a whole lot easier on the family budget.
Photos and an excerpt from the Pope's Family Day 2013 homily seems like a good way to wrap this up:


(Copyright Photographic Service L'Osservatore Romano, www.photo.va - email: photo@ossrom.va; used w/o permission.)
"...True joy comes from a profound harmony between persons, something which we all feel in our hearts and which makes us experience the beauty of togetherness, of mutual support along life's journey. But the basis of this feeling of deep joy is the presence of God, the presence of God in the family and his love, which is welcoming, merciful, and respectful towards all. And above all, a love which is patient: patience is a virtue of God and he teaches us how to cultivate it in family life, how to be patient, and lovingly so, with each other. To be patient among ourselves. A patient love. God alone knows how to create harmony from differences. But if God’s love is lacking, the family loses its harmony, self-centredness prevails and joy fades. But the family which experiences the joy of faith communicates it naturally. That family is the salt of the earth and the light of the world, it is the leaven of society as a whole.

"Dear families, always live in faith and simplicity, like the Holy Family of Nazareth! The joy and peace of the Lord be always with you!"
(Holy Mass for the Family Day,"2, Pope Francis (October 27, 2013))
Part two of Synod 14 starts in about a month, and that's another topic.

So are these posts, more or less:
1 I'm no great fan of the United Nations — or the United States Congress. But these institutions are what we have to work with today. (July 5, 2015; August 24, 2014)

Tomorrow — I hope that we will eventually cobble together an international authority "with the necessary competence and power" to settle disputes with justice and mercy. (Catechism, 2308; "Gaudium et Spes," 79)

That will take time, and a great deal of effort, but I think we can. We certainly must try:
"...We must overcome our fear of the future. But we will not be able to overcome it completely unless we do so together. The 'answer' to that fear is neither coercion nor repression, nor the imposition of one social 'model' on the entire world. The answer to the fear which darkens human existence at the end of the twentieth century is the common effort to build the civilization of love, founded on the universal values of peace, solidarity, justice, and liberty...."
("To the United Nations Organization," Pope St. John Paul II (October 5, 1995)
2 Full text of the Pope's homily:
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Marian Apparition: Champion, Wisconsin

Background:Posts in this blog: In the news:

What's That Doing in a Nice Catholic Blog?

From time to time, a service that I use will display links to - odd - services and retailers.

I block a few of the more obvious dubious advertisers.

For example: psychic anything, numerology, mediums, and related practices are on the no-no list for Catholics. It has to do with the Church's stand on divination. I try to block those ads.

Sometime regrettable advertisements get through, anyway.

Bottom line? What that service displays reflects the local culture's norms, - not Catholic teaching.