John Cronin

Climate Change Support Suffers A Blow

From The New York Times:

Hacked E-Mail Data Prompts Calls for Changes in Climate Research

By ANDREW C. REVKIN

Published: November 27, 2009

Some prominent climate scientists are calling for changes in the way research on global warming is conducted after a British university said thousands of private e-mail messages and documents had been stolen from its climate center.

Continue reading at The New York Times>>

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JOHN CRONIN:  In his column in the Guardian, George Monbiot says of the climate change "deniers," "(their) campaign of lies, grotesque as it is, does not justify secrecy and suppression on the part of climate scientists. Far from it: it means that they must distinguish themselves from their opponents in every way."

This is correct thinking (Monbiot's error in grammatical agreement notwithstanding). I am reminded of a scandal that erupted in the PCB issue on the Hudson. GE scientists questioned the veracity of the research of a respected NYS Health Dept. scientist whose work supported the case for dredging. Immediately, environmentalists, union reps, and others came to the Health researcher's defense publicly. The essence of the environmental argument was that any critique coming from GE was automatically suspect to the point of complete invalidity.

From Doghousediaries.com

 
 

The Failed Clean Water Act Continues

Copyright 2009, John Cronin

The failed Clean Water Act, emperor of American environmental laws, lost another piece of imaginary clothing today when The New York Times went front page with the scandal of the nation's overflowing sewage treatment plants. 

In other ways too, this is an old story made new.  Sewage overflows from municipal treatment plants have been ruining drinking water, contaminating fisheries and habitat, and attacking swimming beaches for decades.  Raw human waste was the stuff of mockery in the lead-up to Earth Day 1970.  39 years later, our own excrement is still chasing us from our waters. 

Signed into law in 1972, the Clean Water Act was supposed to end the discharge of pollutants by 1985.  The law also directed the president through the secretary of state to assist other nations in accomplishing the same.  Yet each year, 19.5 million Americans are made ill by water.  1.2 billion people on the planet do not have safe water.  As many as 4 people per minute, mostly children, die in the developing world from diseases caused by water pollution.

Like President Bush's declaration of "Mission Accomplished" in Iraq, aboard the aircraft carrier USS Lincoln on May 1, 2003, American environmentalists have for two decades proclaimed the victory of the Clean Water Act's mission "to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation's waters."  Unlike President Bush, most have not admitted their mistake. 

"Hitchcock-on-Hudson" Second Winner

We are proud to announce our second winner in the hotly contested Hitchcock-on-Hudson contest, Barbara Capalbo of Yorktown Heights! 

One astute blog follower has asked if Barbara and Chris DeMontravel, our other winner, will have to split the three book prize.  No, Barbara, like Chris, also wins  The Riverkeepers by John Cronin and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Denning's Point: A Hudson River History by Jim Heron, and Flyaway by Suzie Gilbert.

Barbara identified the required number scenes and provided  wonderful commentary and contemporary images of some of the Hudson River locations that one can see through the dining car windows in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest.  Like Chris, Barbara went the extra mile in giving her answers, which were submitted just under the wire at 11:27 PM last night. 

More about Barbara and her answers after the jump.

Hitchcock-on-Hudson WinnerS!

Well, the Hitchcock-on-Hudson contest has concluded, the entries are in, and it is a tie! (Jeter the dog is not one) 

While we await additional information about one of our winners we will announce Chris DeMontravel of Mohegan Lake, NY.  Chris provided three locations sited through the window of the train on which Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint travelled in the Alfred Hitchcock film, North by Northwest, and a fascinating and enjoyable history of each.  

She wins the books The Riverkeepers by John Cronin and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Denning's Point: A Hudson River History by Jim Heron, and Flyaway by Suzie Gilbert. Chris' full answer is after the jump. 

Because we had so many good entries, I have included here a quick Hudson River sunset from the conclusion of the same movie scene from North by Northwest.  Anyone want to identify it for a copy of Jim Heron's Denning's Point: A Hudson River History?  (You have until Sunday midnight -- click here to view the clip).

Chris describes herself this way:

 I am Catholic and an active member of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parish in Shrub Oak.  I live in Mohegan Lake, NY.  I moved up here about 16 years ago when my sister had her first baby. I am the proud aunt of two nieces (now 16 and 14). My family all live in the area. I am the director of MIS for  Jackson Lewis, a national labor and employment law firm. Hobbies are gardening, bird watching, and walking my parents’ dog, Jeter (a schnauzer).   My family and I love traveling, especially on cruises. My brother and I love Hitchcock movies and puzzles which is how we found your contest.

We had quite a variety of entrants.  One writer, certain she would win, called earlier Sunday to inquire after her prize.   Chris named J.C. Turner Lumber Yard, Tappan Zee Bridge, and Sing Sing.  But it was the completeness and specificity of her answers that put her over the top.

A special mention to artists John and Ann Hulsey who replied all the way from Lawrence, Kansas! (Visit their website/studio here.)

Where Are the Updates?

If you are wondering where our updates have been, we are at work on a new blog/news site: TheBlueTimes.com, a collaboration of Pace University and Beacon Institute.  We are finalizing design and content for the roll-out.  You will be hearing more soon.  Sorry for not being current lately but constructing a new site is time consuming.  -- John

Hitchcock On-the-Hudson: A Contest

You could win 3 books by Hudson Valley authors if you can identify 3 Hudson River locations from the following scene in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest, starring Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint -- or as many, or few, locations as you can.  Note: The film clip may take a minute to load.  You can also view it here. 

Be as specific as possible.  If you can, use landmarks, town names, or river reaches.  If your entry is chosen, you will win this package of books by Hudson Valley authors: The Riverkeepers by John Cronin and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Denning's Point: A Hudson River History by Jim Heron, and Flyaway by Suzie Gilbert.

Click here to email your answer by Midnight, November 22, 2009.  Specificity and accuracy count.  In the event of a tie, the winner will be chosen at random.  The winner's name will be published in a future announcement on this site.   If you are a relative of mine, you're not allowed to enter, so don't even try.  Otherwise, don't be bashful.  Good luck!

A Blue Planet

Why Do We Think Green Instead of Blue?

I am puzzled why green became the official color of the environmental movement.  I suppose it is a little late for concern now, the practice dates back to at least the first Earth Day (April 22, 1970). 

"Green is the color of life," one environmental friend explained.  That of course is true if photosynthesis is your game.  But is that what we mean when we say, "think green" or "green future" or "green economy?"  Photosynthesis in the workplace!  Think springtime in the Northeast!

We live on a decidedly blue planet. 


 
If an exploring extraterrestrial civilization passes by here in its own version of the Half Moon (perhaps hopelessly lost, like the original), it will suspect there is life on our little smudge in space in part because we look blue, and from a very great distance. (See Pale Blue Dot below).  Last March, NASA launched its Kepler mission to search for life on Earth-size planets.  It is hoping to find evidence of water, the first indication that life might exist in other solar systems. 

Think blue.  You can't go wrong planning your future around restoring the most abundant stuff on the planet. Try it on, at least.  It's a lovely color, a great fashion statement.  Trust me, it's you -- or about 3/4 you. 

Besides, the chlorophyll won't mind.  Without water, it's nothing.

Chesapeake Pauses Fracking in Watershed

There are arcane battles aplenty in the environmental world, where the average citizen can only hope that one expert is more believable than another.  Hydraulic fracturing in the Marcellus Shale in the New York City watershed also pits clean water against the national hunger for new sources of energy. 

The practice of "fracking" -- fracturing deep rock with pressure and chemicals, including benzene, in order to capture natural gas -- has gained national prominence as environmentalists ramp up the call for more regulation by state and federal governments, and more transparency by the industry about the practices and chemicals it uses.  Fracking has been implicated in a range of environmental impacts, including groundwater and well contamination and the poisoning of cattle, due to improper or uncontrollable use of chemicals. 

But one industry trade organization, Energy In Depth, has devoted web pages to proving that fracking has always been effectively regulated on a state by state basis, and to fighting federal regulation.  The industry won an exemption under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, and decries additional attempts to hinder exploration and production through regulation.  See this shale blog.

Here in New York, Chesapeake Energy has just withdrawn its proposal to "frack" the Marcellus Shale, a stretch of rock that underlays the New York City Watershed in Sullivan County and runs to Tenessee, after stinging rebukes from environmental organizations that the health and integrity of the watershed would be threatened.  Riverkeeper, which has been tracking and reporting on the issue since 2004, hailed the victory as an indication that even Chesapeake Energy has determined the proposal is environmentally unsound.  In an editorial two weeks ago, The New York Times had called for a ban on fracking in the city's watershed.

But has Chesapeake Energy withdrawn? 

Clean Water Act Revisited

The post below originally appeared on September 18, 2009.  I am reposting it in light of today's New York Times editorial on the Clean Water Act.

Imagine No Pollution

The Future, and the Failed Clean Water Act

Copyright 2009, John Cronin

The Clean Water Act has failed.  It is time for a new law.

There is a mistaken, popular belief that the central purpose of the 1972 Clean Water Act is to bring to justice the bad guys who are polluting the nation’s waters.

The Clean Water Act was written to create a global market place based on American innovation that would end pollution in our lifetime, and “restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the nation’s waters.” 

But a list of the Clean Water Act's failed policies reads like an indictment of the law itself.

The first policy goal on the first page of the Clean Water Act is the elimination of the discharge of pollutants by 1985.

The law also sets a goal of making the nation’s waters fit for sports and recreation, and for fish and wildlife by July 1983.

It calls for management plans to end pollution from runoff, protect watersheds, and enhance water resources, in keeping with the 1983 and 1985 goals.

It requires the cessation of toxic discharges in toxic amounts.

It establishes a sweeping domestic and foreign policy on water designed to protect life and health here and abroad.

Indeed, the enormity of the Clean Water Act’s failure can be measured in lives.  The law directs the Secretary of State to assist other nations in eradicating their water problems to “at least the same extent as the United States does under its laws.”  But since the Clean Water Act was enacted, an estimated 70 - 100 million people, mostly children in the developing world, have died from diseases related to water pollution.  The Pacific Institute estimates that between 36 million and 70 million will die by 2020.