Wednesday November 21st… Dear Diary. The main purpose of this ongoing post will be to track United States extreme or record temperatures related to climate change. Any reports I see of ETs will be listed below the main topic of the day. I’ll refer to extreme or record temperatures as ETs (not extraterrestrials)😊.
Our New Book, World Of Thermo, For Education
Yesterday I was so very pleased to announce to the world that a project that I have been working on for the last five years has finally come to fruition. My writing partner, Nick Walker who remains on air at The Weather Channel, and I published World of Thermo…Thermometer Rising:
My heartfelt thanks go to my co-author Nick Walker @wxdude to help launch World of Thermo-Thermometer Rising, a #climate and #weather primer for middle schoolers out just in time for the holidays: https://t.co/VBfoBAwLdp @MichaelEMann https://t.co/JBUBLNrgGg
— Guy Walton (@climateguyw) November 21, 2018
Please use this link if you wish to purchase the book:
Today I would like to use this platform to better explain the purposes of going to the trouble of publishing this climate primer for young people. Over a decade ago I began to realize that the future is now as far as the brave new world of climate change goes. Millennials, generation Z, and those living beyond will come face to face with the reality so aptly described by Bill McKibben as the “shrinking planet” due to sea level rise and climate change related harsh weather. Education of younger generations is essential to win the climate war, but how can children at an early age get hooked into any interest and conversation on the subject? The answer partially may be in the burgeoning “cli-fi” or climate fiction genre, which five years ago I never dreamed would grow so fast.
Our premiere scientist on climate, Dr. Michael Mann, has also just published a book in the cli-fi genre but for the 4-6 year age bracket entitled The Tantrum That Saved The World. World of Thermo is targeted for those young people from age 7-12, beginning sort of where Tantrum ends. Here is more:
World of Thermo—Thermometer Rising is the story of Thermo the Flying Thermometer, a character designed and illustrated to educate young people about climate change and meteorology. Thermo, much like Smokey The Bear for Forest Fires, is a character created and illustrated for young people to instantly associate with the climate issue. This is the story of Thermo’s struggle to sway humans toward a green future, away from reliance on fossil fuels. Following each fictional story in Thermo’s universe, there is factual and educational information relating to the real world we live in. On one level, World of Thermo: An Unfortunate Release is a simple story for young people. This allegorical and satirical story of heroes and villains, climate scientists and politicians takes readers through some of the major historical and meteorological events of the past two centuries, explaining the science of weather and climate along the way. After each story in Thermo’s fictional universe is a factual and educational commentary from the author, relating the events in the story to the real world we live in. On one level, World of Thermo—Thermometer Rising is a simple story for young people. More sophisticated readers will recognize parallels in the real world as they meet more characters and recognize political satire, and as Thermo grows older and more experienced. The aim of the stories and illustrations is to arouse curiosity about the climate issue among young readers, while adults should appreciate the underlying humor and parallels to our world.
Ever since Dr. James Hansen’s testimony before Congress in 1988, I have observed the struggle experts have endured in convincing Americans about the urgency of the global warming/climate issue. One reason for that is because carbon dioxide is a faceless, odorless, colorless gas. That faceless gas has increased in the atmosphere due to the burning of fossil fuels, while at the same time, average temperatures have risen dramatically over the Earth, especially since the beginning of the 21st century. Even so, there are still enough cold weather events every winter to cause intelligent people to believe that climate change is either not occurring, or is of minor importance. Add to that the habit of humans to act only on what seems urgent, plus our tendency to largely accept information that confirms our preexisting beliefs, and we end up generally ignoring the biggest environmental problem facing the world today.
World of Thermo—Thermometer Rising is a tale for young people that addresses the problem. It is the fantastical story of Thermo the Flying Thermometer, a magical creation who interacts with clouds, storms and humans to help save humanity from a terrible plight of its own making. His enemy Carbo, a twisted carbon dioxide molecule, tries to convince humans that global warming is not a problem in order to help his other carbon dioxide friends. As his friends turn out to be more dangerous than anyone knows, Carbo’s good intentions vanish, and he becomes the “face of evil” in the modern climate world. The fight between Thermo and Carbo represents the struggle of science and reason to overcome shortsighted apathy and greed.
The stories in this collection chronicle some of the major climate and weather events from the Industrial Revolution to the 21st century. After each chapter is a short section explaining the parallels in the story to “real world” events. At the end of the book is an Appendix with further details about each historical event, as well as more scientific explanations and personal observations. In World of Thermo: Thermometer Rising I have presented climatologists and meteorologists as heroes, particularly those whom I have personally known in my thirty-plus year career at The Weather Channel.
I hope you enjoy the stories and will be enlightened. Once again, here is the link to get the book off Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1724917269
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Here is some of Wednesday’s weather and climate news:
(As usual, this will be a fluid post in which more information gets added during the day as it crosses my radar, crediting all who have put it on-line. Items will be archived on this site for posterity.)
https://twitter.com/BernadetteWoods/status/1065261449944158209
Great piece on increasingly extreme precip in warmer world by @alexwitze. "Next 20 years will be worse than last 20–all indications point to that…& things will be completely nuts by end of century if we keep doing what we’re doing now” says @apuffycloud.https://t.co/9uFztgX3jU
— Daniel Swain (@Weather_West) November 21, 2018
Drought conditions have increased across California, now covering the entire state. Severe and extreme drought conditions are present in both far nothern California and coastal southern California.
With heavy rain across the state this next week, much of this state will imrpove. pic.twitter.com/0lDrKmVqQ1
— Edgar McGregor (@edgarrmcgregor) November 21, 2018
Overnight low of -33.6°C in Wabush, NL is the coldest temperature ever recorded in November. Previous was -33.1°C on Nov 20, 1986. Records kept since 1960. #NLwx #Labrador
— Patrick Duplessis (@Pat_wx) November 21, 2018
Study: Greenhouse gases to trigger chain reaction threat to humanity. I have the complete research paper and the Mora Lab simulation links in this tweet. This is one you really should have!! https://t.co/zU0fxxvlAb
— Scott Cook (@scook2214) November 21, 2018
Throughout #Paradise, CA, you hear the constant sound of chainsaws as crews work in the pouring rain to take down what are infamously referred to as, “widow makers,“ or charred trees deemed dangerous that could fall after the #CampFire. @weatherchannel is live in #California. pic.twitter.com/IHVWEYTZpv
— Justin Michaels (@JMichaelsNews) November 21, 2018
Climate change will bring multiple disasters at once, study warns. via @CBSNews @WeatherProf https://t.co/hj1TcWi6AN
— Earth Institute (@earthinstitute) November 21, 2018
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The Climate Guy