On Mon, Feb 22, 2021 at 08:44:32PM +0200, Saku Ytti wrote:
On Mon, 22 Feb 2021 at 20:28, Rich Kulawiec <rsk@gsp.org> wrote:
right: artificial sweeteners are safe, WMDs were in Iraq, and Anna Nicole
Hope you meant to write 'unsafe', as the conspiracy theory is that aspartame is unsafe, the science says it is safe.
Those last three points are a quote from a movie -- which is why I included the shout-out to Levon Helm (warning, spoilers, the quote's at about 2:00): Shooter: Levon Helm as Mr Rate - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVw8FPIvOZc I included them as a joke because anyone who disputes AGW at this point *is* a joke and should be laughed out of the room. Less snarktastically, a very good starting point for people who want to understand the science of global warming is this document: Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2018/02/WG1AR5_all_final.pdf It's exhaustive in its coverage (which is why it's 1500+ pages) and reading it will require basic literacy in math/stat and physical science. But it's part of the required homework for anyone trying to understand this topic. The 2021 version is now in preparation and if things go well, it should be out mid-to-late summer. Another highly useful document is: Fourth National Climate Assessment https://nca2018.globalchange.gov/downloads/NCA4_2018_FullReport.pdf which also clocks in at 1500+ pages. This document has both a broader focus (for example, it discusses impacts and mitigation) and a narrower focus (it's US-centric). It's also written for a more general audience and requires less math/science background for comprehension, so I recommend that anybody who struggles to get through the one above try this instead. Also: this one is arguably more useful for NANOG/operational/planning purposes. I think it'd be a good read for anyone who's trying to figure out what's going to happen to their physical assets/locations, or for anyone who's trying to plan where to put things and how to build them. Additional resources: Climate Change and Infrastructure, Urban Systems, and Vulnerability Technical Report for the US DoE Thomas Wilbanks and Steven J. Fernandez (This one is also useful for NANOG denizens. Chapter 5 on risk mitigation strategies is particularly interesting.) The Encyclopedia of Global Warming and Climate Change, 2ed S. George Philander, editor (A general reference. Having this handy while reading the IPCC report I mentioned above can be helpful.) Atmospheric Thermodynamics - Elementary Physics and Chemistry Gerald R. North and Tatiana L. Erukhimova (You'll need integral and differential calculus for this one, and a previous course in introductory thermodynamics will help. This is not about climate -- or weather -- per se, but it provides some of the fundamental science necessary to understand both.) Attribution of Extreme Weather Events in the Context of Climate Change Committee of Extreme Weather Events and Climate Change Attribution (Attribution science is relatively new but is making rapid progress. The ability to look back and demonstrate causal relationships is going to be invaluable as we look forward.) ----rsk