BloggeRhythms

Slow news days continue as the holiday season goes on, reinforcing the premise that just about every aspect of citizen’s lives would improve if politicians stayed home all year long.

 

Despite the lull in reportage on politics, though, there are a couple of items today that indicate clearly a growing problem faced by environmentalists. Unfortunately for them, their claims, assertions and predictions keep getting disrupted by facts.

 

According to Ashe Schow of the Washington Examiner via Fox News on-line: “Despite claims from anti-fracking activists that hydraulic fracturing contaminates ground water, a new study by the University of Texas found the process actually saves water and prevents droughts.” 

 

Bridget Scanlon, senior research scientist at UT’s Bureau of Economic Geology, said: “The bottom line is that hydraulic fracturing, by boosting natural gas production and moving the state from water-intensive coal technologies, makes our electric power system more drought-resilient.” And, “For every gallon of water used by fracking, Texas saved 33 gallons by using that water to produce electricity from natural gas instead of coal.”

 

So, in this case, not only does every aspect of fracking provide positive results, it helps reduce coal usage as well, making it a win-win-win situation for all except those dependent on derailing the process to benefit themselves.

 

Then there was the following from the Financial Express back on Saturday, December 28, 2013 in an article headed: “Ships may sail over North Pole by 2050 due to Arctic melt.”

 

The text says: “Arctic sea ice cover, melting rapidly due to global warming, will be so thin by 2050 that ships will be able to sail directly across the North Pole for the first time, experts have predicted. 

 

Researchers said it could also lead to unprecedented geo-political tensions between countries that have territorial claims in the region. 

 

Global warming will make these frigid routes much more accessible than ever imagined by melting an unprecedented amount of sea ice during the late summer, a University of California - Los Angeles (UCLA) research shows. 

 

"Nobody's ever talked about shipping over the top of the North Pole. This is an entirely unexpected possibility," said lead researcher Laurence C Smith, a professor of geography.”

 

However, despite the preceding, the following story appeared on Fox News on-line today.

 

“A Chinese icebreaker that was en route to rescue a ship trapped in Antarctic ice was forced to turn back on Saturday after being unable to push its way through the heavy sea ice.

 

The Snow Dragon icebreaker came within 7 miles of the Russian ship MV Akademik Shokalskiy, which has been stuck since Christmas Eve, but had to retreat after the ice became too thick, said expedition spokesman Alvin Stone.”

 

So, just like the best way to determine whether it’s raining or not is to stick your hand out the window, perhaps these forecasters of looming global warmth ought to put their crystal balls away and head for Antarctica to discover the truth. Because just like the anti-frackers are now finding out, their beliefs and reality are as polar as you can get. 

 

That's it for today folks.

 

Adios