This blog feature amusing and heartwarming stories about our late Leonberger dog Bronco, as well as other Leonbergers. It also has a lot of information about the Leonberger breed, the history, care, training, Leonberger organizations, etc. I also wrote a Leonberger book, which I am featuring in the sidebar.
Todays Superfactful
I would like to highlight today’s Superfactful post called “Global Warming is Happening and is Caused by us”. I think it is an interesting one that is quite educational. It features 10 conclusive pieces of evidence that it is happening and then 10 pieces of evidence that we (humans) is the cause.
Superfact 25: Global warming or if you call it Climate Change or Climate Disruption is happening, and it is happening very fast, and we also know that it is caused by us primarily as a result of our burning of fossil fuels. There is a long-standing scientific consensus on these two facts because the evidence is conclusive. Check the evidence below.
Click here to visit my superfactful post and if you haven’t subscribed yet feel free to do so.
The so-called hockey stick curve depicting the last 1,000 years. The blue line is the first hockey stick curve ever created (by Michael Mann). He used proxy measurements such as tree rings, green-dots 30-year average, red temperature measurements. Wikimedia commons <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en>. This graph is taken from this page.
My name is Thomas Wikman. I am a software/robotics engineer with a background in physics. I am currently retired. I took early retirement. I am a dog lover, and especially a Leonberger lover, a home brewer, craft beer enthusiast, I’m learning French, and I am an avid reader. I live in Dallas, Texas, but I am originally from Sweden. I am married to Claudia, and we have three children. I have two blogs. The first feature the crazy adventures of our Leonberger Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle as well as information on Leonbergers. The second blog, superfactful, feature information and facts I think are very interesting. With this blog I would like to create a list of facts that are accepted as true among the experts of the field and yet disputed amongst the public or highly surprising. These facts are special and in lieu of a better word I call them super-facts.
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36 thoughts on “Todays Superfactful”
Interesting superfactful post! Thanks for sharing 💜
Yes even today there are people who have an emotional and dismissive reaction to the topic. Therefore, I wanted to include enough evidence and explanations to create an indisputable case for it. It became a bit long that way but the evidence is conclusive and yet people don’t know it including the dismissives who could do well learning something about it. Unfortunately, like you say, the dismissives are concentrated among politicians.
Yes, and there is a good reason for that. Making changes is very costly and thus unpopular with big business. In the USA in particular, we all know who really runs the country – wink!
According to a Yale poll dismissives are 11% of the population, it is a relatively loud 11%, but luckily the dismissives are becoming fewer and less influential. Even though they are concentrated among politicians fewer politicians are dismissives compared to 10 years ago. BTW I call them dismissives instead of “deniers” because that’s what Yale University does in their polls. It is a better moniker that reflects that it is mostly an irrational and stubborn emotional reaction without carrying the stigma of “denier”.
It also differentiates from the doubtful and don’t care crowds, also shrinking groups.
This is all very good to hear, Thomas. The first world has to lead on this. Most people in third world countries are to busy finding enough food on a daily basis to worry about global warming
I agree, developed countries can afford to reduce emissions and I should say, they do. Maybe not enough but they have. For example, all developed countries except the US and Australia has a carbon price, and the carbon emissions in all developed countries have been reduced.
Thank you so much Pooja. I agree with you. There are still a lot of people who are dismissive of the problem, which is why I call it a super-fact. It is mostly an emotional reaction among older folks, but they are becoming fewer.
Yes, you’re right there are many that still deny or dismiss the tons of evidence we have but hopefully people will be open to learning and changing their mind.
It’s mindblowing that this is even a question anymore, given all the science behind it. Eventually, enough people will wake up and the discussion will turn into, “Why didn’t we do something about this before?”
Yes I agree. I really don’t understand people who are dismissive. Did they even try to take a look at the evidence? Do they think they know more than NASA, NOAA, MIT, etc? I am originally from north Sweden close to the arctic where it is happening faster and I can see it with my own eyes. Anyway, I believe you are right. Luckily, despite the dismissives we have been able to make some progress.
Lulu: “That was a very informative article! Our Dada says he likes the xkcd comic about this, too, where you scroll down a very, very, VERY long graph that maps the temperature to what humans were getting up to at that time. It doesn’t have all the facts included that your article does but it paints a pretty clear picture of what’s going on.” Java Bean: “Ayyy, now if only facts mattered to more people …”
Thank you Lulu. I did not know about the xkcd comic. After finding the site I found the comic you are talking about. You are right Java Bean “if only facts mattered to more people”.
As scary as it is, we need to know the truth. It makes sense that humans are responsible – we’ve done so much damage over the centuries and have a lot to clean up. Thank you for backing up common sense with evidence.
I’ve been watching climate change occur since I lived in California in the 1980s. I am not a climate change denier. I’ve always been very much in tune with nature. However, the way politicians and activists have handled the issue has turned off a lot of people, and no amount of data is going to bring them back. People just want to live their lives without being threatened, shamed, told they’re going to die, forced to embrace technology that hasn’t been fully developed or supported with new infrastructure, and ostracized by a bunch of hysterical nut jobs with mental health issues. I’ve found that most eco activists don’t have a clue what they are talking about. All they do is spout off a bunch of talking points that have been given to them by people with an agenda. Environmentalists have been wrong about a lot of things, including the whole paper to plastic change that is destroying our oceans and filling up our landfills. Environmentalists and their hysteria about paper, which is biodegradable, are directly responsible for this mess. And they have no concrete solutions to fix it. Humans have always been responsible for environmental degradation, from chopping down the forests all across Europe, to damaging the Amazon rainforest, to water and air pollution. Since humans rely on technology to survive, our actions almost ALWAYS lead to some sort of environmental damage. And it’s going to get worse in the future, as we deplete necessary minerals for advanced technology. In my opinion, WWIII will be about who controls the precious minerals and territory needed to support this technology, since almost all wars have an economic basis. Yes, you are right – humans ARE the problem. Homo sapiens are the only species that foul their own ecosystems. If Mother Nature sees fit to cause our extinction in order to restore balance, it will benefit the planet and the natural ecosphere. Kudos to you, Thomas, for doing actual research on the subject. Most people never do.
I realize this is the same comment over at my Superfactful blog so I am copying my reply but I changed one sentence in my reply because I misread one of yours.
Thank you for your kind words Dawn. As you know I am a member of Citizens Climate Lobby a non-partisan environmental organization and the CCL volunteers tend to be well informed and avoid taking extreme positions. I have to admit I don’t know much about other organizations but I agree that I’ve noticed some environmentalist taking counter productive positions such as the strong opposition to nuclear power. I have to admit I did not know there was a paper to plastic movement, but then I don’t live in California. As a consumer it is very difficult to know which personal actions are best for the environment and some actions that are popular amongst some environmentalist are pointless or even counter productive. That’s why we need well informed political leadership and that’s what CCL is about. About minerals used for, for example, batteries, it is true that the mining, manufacturing, and disposal of critical minerals can have a negative impact on the environment. For example, lithium mining can lead to land degradation, water depletion, and contamination. However, based on the statistics I’ve read the fossil fuel mining (coal, fracking, etc.) that it would be replacing is worse for the environment. About competition and wars over minerals, that is hard to assess but also keep in mind that improved battery technology, alternative energy storage technology, as well as improved grid interconnectedness looks promising. So I am not too worried about that but I am going to try to find out more about it.
Yes, we all need to stay on top of these developments because they affect our daily lives. The paper to plastic movement happened in the past when environmentalists were concerned about logging old growth forests. Their concerns were valid, but their solution to use plastic as an alternative has been harmful to the environment. Now, they want to go back to paper, such as paper straws, but many people are resistant to it. I can always count on you to do your research.
I have to admit I was not entirely aware of this background. However, I’ve noticed that there are environmentalist groups here in Texas wanting to get rid of plastic bags. That’s not bad but I am not getting too excited about it because the US and Europe contribute less than 1% each to the ocean plastic problem, which is a serious problem, we are just not the major contributors to it. The countries that contibute the most to it are China, India and South East Asia (those three regions contribute more than 80%).
Leonberger Life 
Interesting superfactful post! Thanks for sharing 💜
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you so much The Introverted Bookworm.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Scary, even scarier is the denial by world leaders
LikeLiked by 3 people
Yes even today there are people who have an emotional and dismissive reaction to the topic. Therefore, I wanted to include enough evidence and explanations to create an indisputable case for it. It became a bit long that way but the evidence is conclusive and yet people don’t know it including the dismissives who could do well learning something about it. Unfortunately, like you say, the dismissives are concentrated among politicians.
LikeLike
Yes, and there is a good reason for that. Making changes is very costly and thus unpopular with big business. In the USA in particular, we all know who really runs the country – wink!
LikeLiked by 1 person
According to a Yale poll dismissives are 11% of the population, it is a relatively loud 11%, but luckily the dismissives are becoming fewer and less influential. Even though they are concentrated among politicians fewer politicians are dismissives compared to 10 years ago. BTW I call them dismissives instead of “deniers” because that’s what Yale University does in their polls. It is a better moniker that reflects that it is mostly an irrational and stubborn emotional reaction without carrying the stigma of “denier”.
It also differentiates from the doubtful and don’t care crowds, also shrinking groups.
LikeLike
This is all very good to hear, Thomas. The first world has to lead on this. Most people in third world countries are to busy finding enough food on a daily basis to worry about global warming
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree, developed countries can afford to reduce emissions and I should say, they do. Maybe not enough but they have. For example, all developed countries except the US and Australia has a carbon price, and the carbon emissions in all developed countries have been reduced.
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Great information, Thomas. Thanks.
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Thank you so much John
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This is really insightful info, Thomas! Thank you so much for sharing!
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Thank you so much Laura
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A very informative post, I just wish more people cared about global warming.
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Thank you so much Pooja. I agree with you. There are still a lot of people who are dismissive of the problem, which is why I call it a super-fact. It is mostly an emotional reaction among older folks, but they are becoming fewer.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, you’re right there are many that still deny or dismiss the tons of evidence we have but hopefully people will be open to learning and changing their mind.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes I hope so too. Thank you Pooja.
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You’re very welcome.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s mindblowing that this is even a question anymore, given all the science behind it. Eventually, enough people will wake up and the discussion will turn into, “Why didn’t we do something about this before?”
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yes I agree. I really don’t understand people who are dismissive. Did they even try to take a look at the evidence? Do they think they know more than NASA, NOAA, MIT, etc? I am originally from north Sweden close to the arctic where it is happening faster and I can see it with my own eyes. Anyway, I believe you are right. Luckily, despite the dismissives we have been able to make some progress.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree, Pete – very worried that it’ll just get worse under trump…
LikeLiked by 2 people
That’s a very informative post, Thomas. It’s scary too, especially considering the fact that many people in positions of power think it’s not true.
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Yes you are right. Fortunately, that attitude among policy makers here in the US is becoming less common. Thank you so much Schweta
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes that’s so sad indeed.
You’re welcome, Thomas
LikeLiked by 1 person
What I like is that you lay out the facts for what you say. I can’t believe so many people don’t believe this is happening!
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Thank you so much Kymber. You are right the facts and the evidence is very clear, which is why there is a scientific consensus.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lulu: “That was a very informative article! Our Dada says he likes the xkcd comic about this, too, where you scroll down a very, very, VERY long graph that maps the temperature to what humans were getting up to at that time. It doesn’t have all the facts included that your article does but it paints a pretty clear picture of what’s going on.”
Java Bean: “Ayyy, now if only facts mattered to more people …”
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Lulu. I did not know about the xkcd comic. After finding the site I found the comic you are talking about. You are right Java Bean “if only facts mattered to more people”.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s gonna be an interesting couple of decades coming up …
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes interesting indeed
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As scary as it is, we need to know the truth. It makes sense that humans are responsible – we’ve done so much damage over the centuries and have a lot to clean up. Thank you for backing up common sense with evidence.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you JoAnna, you are so right. We need to understand what the facts are.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great post to share to spread awareness which I never get how people don’t get, Thomas! Thanks for sharing this!!❣️
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I’ve been watching climate change occur since I lived in California in the 1980s. I am not a climate change denier. I’ve always been very much in tune with nature. However, the way politicians and activists have handled the issue has turned off a lot of people, and no amount of data is going to bring them back. People just want to live their lives without being threatened, shamed, told they’re going to die, forced to embrace technology that hasn’t been fully developed or supported with new infrastructure, and ostracized by a bunch of hysterical nut jobs with mental health issues. I’ve found that most eco activists don’t have a clue what they are talking about. All they do is spout off a bunch of talking points that have been given to them by people with an agenda. Environmentalists have been wrong about a lot of things, including the whole paper to plastic change that is destroying our oceans and filling up our landfills. Environmentalists and their hysteria about paper, which is biodegradable, are directly responsible for this mess. And they have no concrete solutions to fix it. Humans have always been responsible for environmental degradation, from chopping down the forests all across Europe, to damaging the Amazon rainforest, to water and air pollution. Since humans rely on technology to survive, our actions almost ALWAYS lead to some sort of environmental damage. And it’s going to get worse in the future, as we deplete necessary minerals for advanced technology. In my opinion, WWIII will be about who controls the precious minerals and territory needed to support this technology, since almost all wars have an economic basis. Yes, you are right – humans ARE the problem. Homo sapiens are the only species that foul their own ecosystems. If Mother Nature sees fit to cause our extinction in order to restore balance, it will benefit the planet and the natural ecosphere. Kudos to you, Thomas, for doing actual research on the subject. Most people never do.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I realize this is the same comment over at my Superfactful blog so I am copying my reply but I changed one sentence in my reply because I misread one of yours.
Thank you for your kind words Dawn. As you know I am a member of Citizens Climate Lobby a non-partisan environmental organization and the CCL volunteers tend to be well informed and avoid taking extreme positions. I have to admit I don’t know much about other organizations but I agree that I’ve noticed some environmentalist taking counter productive positions such as the strong opposition to nuclear power. I have to admit I did not know there was a paper to plastic movement, but then I don’t live in California. As a consumer it is very difficult to know which personal actions are best for the environment and some actions that are popular amongst some environmentalist are pointless or even counter productive. That’s why we need well informed political leadership and that’s what CCL is about. About minerals used for, for example, batteries, it is true that the mining, manufacturing, and disposal of critical minerals can have a negative impact on the environment. For example, lithium mining can lead to land degradation, water depletion, and contamination. However, based on the statistics I’ve read the fossil fuel mining (coal, fracking, etc.) that it would be replacing is worse for the environment. About competition and wars over minerals, that is hard to assess but also keep in mind that improved battery technology, alternative energy storage technology, as well as improved grid interconnectedness looks promising. So I am not too worried about that but I am going to try to find out more about it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, we all need to stay on top of these developments because they affect our daily lives. The paper to plastic movement happened in the past when environmentalists were concerned about logging old growth forests. Their concerns were valid, but their solution to use plastic as an alternative has been harmful to the environment. Now, they want to go back to paper, such as paper straws, but many people are resistant to it. I can always count on you to do your research.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have to admit I was not entirely aware of this background. However, I’ve noticed that there are environmentalist groups here in Texas wanting to get rid of plastic bags. That’s not bad but I am not getting too excited about it because the US and Europe contribute less than 1% each to the ocean plastic problem, which is a serious problem, we are just not the major contributors to it. The countries that contibute the most to it are China, India and South East Asia (those three regions contribute more than 80%).
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