December 3: International Day of Action to Stop Global Warming

This Saturday, December 3 is shaping up to be a pivotal day of action against global warming. At the U.N. Conference on Climate Change in Montreal this week, representatives from 189 nations are making headway on an agreement that could make the Kyoto Protocol fully operational -- thereby paving the way toward a society based on clean, renewable energy that's in balance with our global biosphere.

Unfortunately, the United States government refuses to join the international community in ratifying Kyoto, or in shifting away from polluting fossil fuels as the basis for our economy. That's where the rest of us come in.

Climate activists are on the move in every state of the union, demanding that their communities, state legislators, and the federal government take bold action to fend off a runaway climate catastrophe. At least 60 local actions are planned around the country for December 3.

Momentum is building across the United States. Check out local actions in your part of the world

This ties in really well with an article in the news about a study done by British Scientists who have found that ocean currents that transport heat around the glob and keep northern Europe's weather relatively mild appear to be weakening. According to data collected from a section of the Atlantic, gathered periodically since 1957, the overall movement has slowed 30 percent, especially the low of cold water back to the south.

The currents act like radiator pipes, carrying warm water from the tropics to northern latitudes (i.e. the Gulf Stream); while others carry the cold water south from the poles. The currents warm the climate of various places by several degrees because of prevailing winds.

Of course, scientists disagree on the effect of this weakening currents. Some say it will disrupt the way the planet regulates heat & cause Europe to become cooler & have harsher winters. Others say it will balance out the effect of global warming.

This article to me seems to give some credance to the Pentagon report from February 2004, in which the usually conservative Pentagon says, "A secret report, suppressed by US defence chiefs and obtained by The Observer, warns that major European cities will be sunk beneath rising seas as Britain is plunged into a 'Siberian' climate by 2020. Nuclear conflict, mega-droughts, famine and widespread rioting will erupt across the world.". Here's the original article from the Guardian article.