Well, Can't We Just Turn Down The Thermostat?

Several recent news items strongly indicate that Mother Nature has snuck up behind us with a broom handle while we were picking up the soap....

First up, there is disturbing new research that shows Greenland's glaciers melting faster than ever. In fact, the rate has doubled over the last ten years. This, of course, means rising sea levels.

Meanwhile there's even more bad news from the bottom of the planet, where satellite surveys indicate that the ice sheet covering Antarctica is also shrinking. And while previous studies had suggested that global warming would lead to more snowfall, thereby offsetting the accelerated loss of ice, that is no longer the case. It's melting faster than the it can be replenished.

And in Canada, there is the tale of the mountain pine beetle, which has destroyed millions of acres of forest in Canada. The pest's population used to be kept in check by prolonged extreme cold during the winters, but that is no longer the case. As average temperatures have gotten milder, the beetle's population has exploded.