Earth Day Network wrong to connect extinctions with global warming
By Dr. Jay Lehr and Tom Harris
Monday is Earth Day, an annual event celebrated globally since 1970. Dedicated to demonstrating support for environmental protection, this year’s Earth Day includes events in over 193 countries, coordinated by the Earth Day Network (EDN).
For Earth Day 2019, EDN is concentrating on species extinction. That appears to be a good change from the years EDN focused on the highly debatable issue of dangerous man-made climate change. However, EDN lists climate change as the first cause of the supposed extinction problem. On their Web site, they assert:
“The unprecedented global destruction and rapid reduction of plant and wildlife populations are directly linked to causes driven by human activity: climate change, deforestation, habitat loss, trafficking and poaching, unsustainable agriculture, pollution and pesticides…”
In reality, there is no meaningful, real data to support the contention that "unprecedented global destruction and rapid reduction of plant and wildlife populations" is occurring. Regardless, linking extinctions to the past century’s climate change makes no sense. Despite recent claims that the Australian brown rat is the first mammal to have been killed off by human-induced climate change, not a single species has been shown to even be threatened or endangered by so-called man-made global warming.
It is estimated there are currently more than 10 million species on Earth—more than at any other time in history. New species are constantly replacing old ones. Although humans have been responsible for the extinction of some species in recent centuries, extinctions have always been an integral part of life.
A range of interrelated phenomena contribute to extinctions. They include temperature changes, habitat destruction, competition, invasive diseases, and reproductive failure. Species are more vulnerable when there are major temperature changes over a short period, which is what most experts believe caused the end of the dinosaurs following an asteroid impact. Some scientists are now predicting major extinctions in Southeast Asia from deforestation. The introduction of the brown snake in Guam during World War II is thought to have eliminated a dozen bird species there. The woolly mammoth and sabre tooth tiger became extinct in North America because their reproductive rate could not keep up with population losses. And there is no question that human activities have contributed to extinctions as our population expanded into animal habitats.
However, none of these extinctions have had anything to do with the past century’s modest global warming, just over 1 degree Celsius since 1880, according to NASA. Regardless, many animals, while still endangered, are recovering due to excellent conservation programs. White tail deer, moose, blue whales, and wolves are but a few of these.
Tropical forests cover less than 12 percent of all land, yet they contain a majority of all plant and animal species that inhabit the Earth. The Arctic covers 10 percent of the planet’s land area but contains only 600 plant species and only 100 species of birds, no reptiles or amphibians, and only 20 mammals. Obviously, plants and animals thrive in warm climates. Warming is good for life. It is cooling that should most concern us.
Climate change advocates try to circumvent the obvious connection between warm climates and biodiversity by claiming that the secondary effects of global warming, such as droughts or the melting of planetary ice, threaten life. However, droughts are not increasing and, on a planetary scale, the ice is not melting.
If tropical conditions allow life to thrive, what conditions lead to extinctions? In The Book of Life, S.J. Gould tracks 20 mass extinctions in the geologic record. There are strong clues that each event was driven by global cooling.
Conservation organizations routinely rank species relative to their risk of extinction. In descending order of risk, species are: critically endangered, endangered, vulnerable, near threatened, or of least concern. Threat levels are determined by considering a wide range of factors including existing and historical populations, whether populations are increasing or decreasing, and whether habitats are being destroyed. For example, mountain gorillas, with only 400, and hawksbill turtles (25,000) are on the critically endangered list. Snow leopards (6,000) and sea lions (50,000) are considered to be endangered.
Most endangered species are large animals with relatively low reproductive rates. Currently, the World Wildlife Federation (WWF) has 19 major animal species listed that are critically endangered. All of these are threatened due to human predation and habitat destruction. For instance, the orangutan population of 15,000 is dwindling as a result of deforestation. None of these species are endangered by global warming, however.
The WWF has identified 27 endangered animal species all due to either hunting or habitat destruction. In fact, Galápagos sea lions have grown from 20,000 up to 50,000 since 2002. In the next lower category of threatened animals, the WWF lists 20 that are vulnerable, again due to hunting and habitat destruction, with one possible exception.
Al Gore warns that, due to ice melting, polar bears will soon have no place to live. But the reality is quite different: floating ice (pack ice) is not melting significantly and polar bears are thriving. Indeed, the number of polar bears has quintupled in the past 50 years from about 5,000 to about
25,000 today.
The message to Americans who treasure our wonderful world of animals is a positive one: you have no reason to fear global warming-induced species extinction. We should focus our efforts on protecting wildlife from real human threats, not fictitious ones.
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Dr. Jay Lehr is Senior Policy Analyst with of the Ottawa, Canada-based International Climate Science Coalition (ICSC) and former Science Director of The Heartland Institute which is based in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Tom Harris is Executive Director of ICSC.
Portions of this article have been excerpted with permission of the publisher and author of the 2018 book The Mythology of Global Warming by Bruce Bunker Ph.D., published by Moonshine Cove. The authors recommend this book as an excellent source of information on the climate change debate.
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SEAWAY
Release New Album
Fresh Produce
Available Now via Pure Noise Records
Streaming via Spotify & Apple Music
On Tour Now with Free Throw, Heart Attack Man, and Young Culture
Previously Featured on Alternative Press, Rock Sound,
Paste Magazine, Tattoo.com, Bands In Town, & more
Oakville, ON, CAN - April 19, 2019 - SEAWAY are bringing summer a little early with the release of their new album, Fresh Produce, out now on Pure Noise Records. Fresh Produce features a selection of b-sides and alternate versions of fan favorites such as "Lula On The Beach," "Slam," "Something Wonderful," and more. The album can be purchased online at seawayband.com, or streamed in full via Spotify and Apple Music.
"We really just wanted to bridge the gap between 'Vacation' and the next album. We've been so busy for the last two years. If we weren't touring we were writing and then recording so it's a lot of time away from home. We then realized we had recorded all of this stuff. So this is just a bunch of different sessions coming together into one big release. It's just a really fun treat for our fans." says singer Ryan Locke.
"Fresh Produce is a release that is somewhat years in the making. It is a compilation of new and old, fresh and reworked. It has 2 brand new singles, a couple reimagined versions of tracks from Vacation, as well as the rerelease of our 2014 EP, All In My Head," Locke shares.
He continues: "We sat on some of these songs for quite a while now, not really too sure what to do with them. It finally boiled down to us wanting to get them out there so we threw them all on one 12" for your consumption. We hope you enjoy Fresh Produce, it's good for you."
Earlier this week, Seaway kicked of a month-long U.S. headline tour in support of the new release. The tour features support from Free Throw, Heart Attack Man, and Young Culture, with upcoming stops in Brooklyn, Baltimore, Nashville, Chicago, and more.
Formed in 2011, Seaway is Ryan Locke (vocals), Patrick Carleton (guitar, vocals), Ken Taylor (drums), Adam Shoji (bass), and Andrew Eichinger (guitar). The band has become known for their highly infectious brand of pop punk - one that strikes the perfect balance between the two styles and recalls a time when the genre centered on having fun.
Along the way, they released two energetic and explosive records - Hoser [2013] and Colour Blind [2015]-and churned out hits such as "Best Mistake" and "Sabrina The Teenage Bitch," which both cracked the 1-million mark on Spotify. Consistently averaging over 160K streams per month, they toured with the likes of Simple Plan, Neck Deep, and Four Year Strong between landing acclaim from Alternative Press, Rock Sound, Paste Magazine, and more.
Six years deep into their career, Seaway progressed the patented pop punk prowess that put them on the map with sharper songcraft and a nod to the nineties on their third full-length record, Vacation. The Ontario, Canada quintet confidently stepped up their game across the board, while maintaining the spark that ignited a fervent fan base.
Now they've returned with Fresh Produce, out now via Pure Noise Records. Fans can purchase the album now at seawayband.com.
For More Information, please visit:
Website: www.seawayband.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/seawayband
Twitter: www.twitter.com/seawayband
Instagram: www.instagram.com/seawayband
Fresh Produce Tracklisting:
1. Pleasures
2. Blur
3. Something Wonderful (Alternate Version)
4. 40 Over (Alternate Version)
5. Lula On The Beach (Alternate Version)
6. Slam/Shy Guys (Alternate Version)
7. Just What I Needed
8. Hand In My Pocket
9. Closer
10. Your Best Friend
11. Alberta
12. The Let Down
13. If I Came Back For You
Upcoming Headline Tour Dates:
4/19 - Poughkeepsie, NY @ The Loft
4/20 - Hartford, CT @ Webster Underground
4/21 - Worcester, MA @ The Palladium
4/23 - Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Bazaar
4/24 - Lancaster, PA @ Chameleon Club
4/25 - Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery
4/26 - Virginia Beach, VA @ The Bunker
4/27 - Charlotte, NC @ Amos' Southend
4/28 - West Columbia, SC @ New Brookland Tavern
4/30 - Jacksonville, FL @ 1904 Music Hall
5/1 - Nashville, TN @ Exit / In
5/2 - Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups
5/3 - Milwaukee, WI @ The Back Room at Colectivo Coffee
5/4 - Bloomington, IL @ Nightshop
5/5 - Chicago, IL @ Subterranean
5/6 - Burnsville, MN @ The Garage
5/8 - Grand Rapids, MI @ The Stache
5/9 - Indianapolis, IN @ Hoosier Dome
5/10 - Toledo, OH @ Frankies
5/11 - Lakewood, OH @ Mahall's
Brook Davis
Release Debut EP
Serious Damage
Available Now via Spotify & Apple Music
New York, NY - April 19, 2019 - NYC-based pop-punk duo, Brook Davis have released their debut EP, Serious Damage, today, and is now available across all streaming services including Spotify and Apple Music.
The 6-track EP includes singles "I Can't Keep This Up Anymore" and "Zoey (Somewhere in Your Backseat)" whose video premiered earlier this week on Substream Magazine.
On the EP, the band shares, "Using pop sensibilities, and tackling subjects like infidelity and destructive relationships, we wanted to show that heartbreak can still be catchy."
Forming in the fall of 2018, Brook Davis (named after fashion mogul from One Tree Hill) aren't your typical angsty pop-punk boys. The NYC-based duo is made up of guitarist/vocalist Moses Charles, and drummer Calvin Gaynor, who met in high school bonding over shared influences, such as All Time Low, The Maine, Mayday Parade and other pop-punk contemporaries.
The duo recorded their debut EP, Serious Damage, with Jack Mason of Spotify Studios. Through energetic riffs and enormous hooks, Brook Davis prove their catchy guitar pop isn't to be messed with.
Serious Damage Tracklisting:
To keep up with Brook Davis, please visit:
https://www.facebook.com/BrookDavisNY/
https://twitter.com/BrookDavisNY/
https://www.instagram.com/BrookDavisNY/
