Temperature Rising

This summer has been a hot one in Italy but I’ve just learned how hot: 1.9 degrees Centigrade higher than the 30 year period documented  from 1961-1990.  Almost 2 degrees hotter than my first forty years on this planet.  I don’t believe there is any serious scientific debate about the central role human civilization has played in this climate change.  What is incredible is the general response on the street: complaints about the heat and retreats into air-conditioned cocoons, often automotive ones, ignoring the fact that such behavior is a principle cause of climate change. 80% of greenhouse gas emissions derives from burning fossil fuels, and yet their use continues to rise.

Now that Rome has finally cooled slightly and politicians are gradually returning to work from the long seaside vacations, the countdown to Copenhagen will pass with less urgency.

Thanks to Claudio Giambelli – GRE: Gruppo Risparmio Energetico di Reti di Pace – Laboratorio di Monteverde for this data. http://sites.google.com/site/grerdp/home