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Hundreds of Thousands Turn Out For People's Climate March In New York City

mdsolar writes with an update on the People's Climate March. More than 400,000 people turned out for the People's Climate March in New York City on Sunday, just days before many of the world's leaders are expected to debate environmental action at the United Nations climate summit. Early reports from event organizers are hailing the turnout as the largest climate march in history, far bigger than the Forward on Climate rally held in Washington, D.C., last year. High-profile environmentalists including Bill McKibben, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jane Goodall and Vandana Shiva marched alongside policymakers such as Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.). U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and former Vice President Al Gore were also there, and more than 550 buses carried in people from around the country.

200 comments

  1. Largest Climate march in history by rossdee · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    I guess people couldn't afford to march during past droughts

    1. Re:Largest Climate march in history by durrr · · Score: 3, Informative

      Mass hype was harder back then.

      Now you just create a facebook page, fill it will fact-stripped alarmist language with several "Last call! we're all going to burn in this life if nothing is done! Like and share" and get big enviro pick it up and you'll have it disseminated globally soon enough, with several hundreds or thousands of environmentally minded people jetting in form all over the place to participate in your political-religious activist parade.

    2. Re:Largest Climate march in history by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

      Yeah, follow the money! There's obviously so much more wrapped up in "big enviro" than the oil and coal industries.

    3. Re:Largest Climate march in history by popo · · Score: 3, Insightful

      "Big enviro"? You mean the total sum of all non-carbon based energy industries, technology companies and carbon credits markets?

      Show me your math.

      --
      ------ The best brain training is now totally free : )
    4. Re:Largest Climate march in history by MightyYar · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Mass hype was harder back then.

      It's not just mass hype. People with completely unrelated causes march with their own banners. I didn't get a chance to walk through this protest, but I lived in New York City when all of those supposed "anti-war" protests were taking place. Sure, there were genuine anti-war protestors there - but you wouldn't believe how much of the mass was some random cause trying to get some sympathetic eyeballs. Animal rights, global warming, anti-corporation... you name it. Some of the pictures I've seen indicate the same thing happening here. I saw a group of people marching in white coats with a huge banner saying "HEALTHCARE IS A RIGHT" and a teeny tiny sign being held by one member saying "Global Warming affects Healthcare". LOL, wha?

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    5. Re:Largest Climate march in history by sycodon · · Score: 4, Informative

      They filled NY with garbage. and I'm not talking about themselves. Note that a bunch of A-listers flew in on private jets too.

      I bet that only 1 in 4 knew why they were actually marching. The rest were there for the party.

      --
      When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
    6. Re:Largest Climate march in history by jandrese · · Score: 4, Funny

      Someone found litter in NYC. Stop the presses. The whole environmental movement is a scam!

      --

      I read the internet for the articles.
    7. Re:Largest Climate march in history by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 2

      Slashdot: Can we have a new downmod category, perhaps called "Burn The Witch!" It would indicate severe disagreement with the comment and would be a way of avoiding overuse of the Troll mod.

    8. Re:Largest Climate march in history by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Reminds me of the stories about how the Tea Party was SOOOO clean, the Park Service didn't even have to pick up after their protests.

      Then wait, you checked, and no such persons were employed by the Park Service, and the people running the garbage service were still at work.

    9. Re:Largest Climate march in history by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1
    10. Re:Largest Climate march in history by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It wasn't just "some" litter, it was shit tons of garbage, from people who supposedly *care about the environment*. How disingenuous can you get?

    11. Re:Largest Climate march in history by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Now check out the story. Heck, just read the comments, and show how debunked the claims were.

      Or just ask yourself, is a pair of selected photos meaningful for comparative purposes?

    12. Re:Largest Climate march in history by jandrese · · Score: 0

      I love that story because it compared a shot of the Mall after the Inauguration to a shot of the Mall after the Tea Party protest, even though the Tea Party protest wasn't at the Mall. So it's true the Mall was very clean after the Tea Party protest. The entire story is as true as it is disingenuous.

      --

      I read the internet for the articles.
    13. Re:Largest Climate march in history by ganjadude · · Score: 1

      to be fair, depending on which source you look at it was either "millions" "a few hundred thousand" or "under 100k"

      I drove out that way, Id say realistically I saw somewhere in the neighborhood of a sold out yankees game.

      --
      have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
    14. Re:Largest Climate march in history by fustakrakich · · Score: 2

      It is the very definition of bourgeoisie... I hope somebody totals up all the carbon they put out getting there, all so nicely dressed, with their pretty signs. A media created event if there ever was one..

      --
      “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
    15. Re:Largest Climate march in history by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      People with completely unrelated causes march with their own banners.

      That is the "Professional Left" (a term used by former Obama press secretary Robert Gibbs) in action. The ProLeft seeks out anyone at all who is angry or can be convinced to be angry about anything, no matter how fringe, unreasonable or wack-o. The ProLeft then effectively makes that person or group an offer that amounts to "Do what we tell you to do. Protest where and when we tell you to protest. Say what we tell you to say about everything, not just about your particular grievance, and you will be rewarded by having a whole bunch of other people backing up your complaints. You may even get some political favoritism or taxpayer subsidies for your cause." The unifying themes are always 1) society won't change on its own so political policy must be formulated to force a change on society 2) the government must always gain power and personal political freedom must always be reduced 3) the existing culture must be undermined and destroyed.

      That's how the ProLeft co-opts others to work for its goals, creating the illusion that there are large numbers of people who care about things that, in reality, almost no one really cares about. Things like destroying one's standard of living in order to combat some undefined and nebulous threat to the climate or changing the name of the Washington Redskins or changing the definition of marriage in order to appease the gheys. Nobody really gives a damn about such issues, but the ProLeft creates the illusion that people really do. Well, the ProLeft also uses other techniques like indoctrination through the schools and threats to property, careers and even personal safety.

    16. Re:Largest Climate march in history by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Yeah, follow the money! There's obviously so much more wrapped up in "big enviro" than the oil and coal industries.

      "big enviro" seeks to use the political system to control all of society including everyone's lifestyles as well as the oil and coal industries. So, yeah, "big enviro" is a real thing and it's playing for very high stakes.

    17. Re:Largest Climate march in history by MightyYar · · Score: 1, Interesting

      No way there is any impact on healthcare. that's just fucking nuts. lol!!!!!!

      No, I was LOL'ing at the teeny tiny little sign that was ostensibly the purpose of the march while having a HUGE banner for the cause they really care about.. If they were marching as "Doctors Against Climate Change" or something, it wouldn't have been funny.

      Here's the specific image I am referring to:
      http://tinypic.com/r/2mqu44o/8

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    18. Re:Largest Climate march in history by riverat1 · · Score: 2

      You could change "Professional Left" to "Professional Right" and a few other words in your little pile of straw men and it would be just about as applicable.

    19. Re:Largest Climate march in history by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Except there is no "Professional Right". Show me the marches where "the right" (which is really the political center of the U.S. Most of the national media just insist on calling the political center "the right" or "extreme right" to try to marginalize it.) are on display with a hodge-podge of wack-o causes. Those protests don't exist, but go to any college campus protest or show up at any Occupy event or any march for civil rights or anti-slut shaming or for raising the minimum wage and you will see the same collection of professional feminists, union goons, deep green environmentalists, anti-capitalists, racial grievance mongers, pro-abortionists, etc. On the rare occasions when "the right" actually protests, the rally is targeted and the attendees for the most part understand the issue about which they are making noise. That's not true of protest rallies by the ProLeft which are frequently attended by people who have, at most, only a vague idea of what the rally is about even as they wave around high-quality signs which someone else had printed up for them. Incidentally, it is only the Professional Left which is massively subsidized with tax dollars through groups like Planned Parenthood, ACORN, VISTA, Catholic Charities and a bazillion tax dollar paths that funnel through the Universities. Without tax payer subsidies and the useful idiots in the various fringe groups organized by the ProLeft, the ProLeft would be nothing but a tiny group of weird malcontents.

    20. Re:Largest Climate march in history by riverat1 · · Score: 1

      Except there is no "Professional Right".

      LOL. It sounds to me like your ideology just makes you blind to them. BTW, ACORN went out of business 6 years ago so you can remove it from your list.

    21. Re:Largest Climate march in history by Talderas · · Score: 1

      How about -1 Heretic and -1 Heathen? That way we can use heretic while we have some agreement but disagree on core points and heathen when we outright disagree?

      --
      "Lack of speed can be overcome. In the worst case by patience." --Znork
    22. Re:Largest Climate march in history by Talderas · · Score: 1

      Id say realistically I saw somewhere in the neighborhood of a sold out yankees game.

      About 50,000.

      --
      "Lack of speed can be overcome. In the worst case by patience." --Znork
  2. What a Waste of Fossil Fuels by xdor · · Score: 3, Insightful

    550 buses not including air-travel for speeches that could have been gotten over the internet. How ironic.

    1. Re:What a Waste of Fossil Fuels by bug_hunter · · Score: 3, Insightful

      What a news story that would be. 400,000 people watched a You-Tube video. Everything we do has a level of pollution attached, it's not ironic.

      --
      It's turtles all the way down.
    2. Re:What a Waste of Fossil Fuels by xdor · · Score: 1

      Oh, too true

      But data transmission energy is such a small consumption by comparison and since power plant energy production is lost if its not used: 400,000 people watching a youtube video might affect google's bottom-line (if they have one of those), but energy-wise the difference hardly registers at the utility level.

      Now if you had 400,000 people charging their Prius to go to an environmentalist convention, that might be a little different.

    3. Re:What a Waste of Fossil Fuels by Xest · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Sometimes to get your point across you have to temporarily sacrifice your principles short term for a massive improvement in gain long term.

      An environmentalist burning 1 barrel of oil in fuel to do the necessary travelling to raise awareness of and put a stop to thousands of barrels of oil in spillage in a part of the Niger Delta isn't ironic, it's a net gain in their cause to the tune of thousands of barrels of oil no longer being spilt and the rational thing to do.

      I'd like to think it's just that you're not grown up enough to understand that sometimes short term pain is worth the long term gain or something, but let's be honest, when people like you make such facetious arguments what you're really saying is "I disagree with the point these people are making so I'm going to suggest they should be silenced by insisting that they do something that wouldn't advance their cause in the slightest".

      These points of determining merit and relative gain of an action are a necessary evil of furthering any cause, whether you're a staunchly right wing NRA member that accepts that the worst criminals should be banned from having guns to protect the principle of well meaning people to continue to be able to have them to defend themselves, or whether you're a left leaning flower loving hippy that blows a barrel of oil to go and buy an electric car and some solar panels or a wind turbine that means you'll never have to use any more oil in your vehicle ever again - whatever portion of the spectrum you sit on, compromising your underlying morals for a greater long term gain is a fact of life and there's nothing ironic about it.

      I doubt there's a person on this earth that's ever achieved their political goals without at some point having to sacrifice their principles to at least some degree.

    4. Re:What a Waste of Fossil Fuels by L.+J.+Beauregard · · Score: 2

      Most Priuses don't charge. Mine doesn't. I fill it with gasoline, and it goes as far on a gallon as Allen West's Hummer goes on three. Anyway, the cool kids have moved on to Leafs and Volts and Teslas, which *do* charge.

      --
      Ooh, moderator points! Five more idjits go to Minus One Hell!
      Delendae sunt RIAA, MPAA et Windoze
    5. Re:What a Waste of Fossil Fuels by xdor · · Score: 1, Troll

      By this argument you would be justified in killing all the non-environmentalists who disagree with you and thereby save the planet.

    6. Re:What a Waste of Fossil Fuels by Xest · · Score: 1, Flamebait

      I backtrack, it turns out you really are just far too child-like to understand the discussion at hand.

    7. Re:What a Waste of Fossil Fuels by mi · · Score: 0, Troll

      I doubt there's a person on this earth that's ever achieved their political goals without at some point having to sacrifice their principles to at least some degree.

      Golden words. And it is especially true about Communists, who nowadays masquerade as "environmentalists". Like watermelons, they are green on the outside, but red inside.

      Scratch a "green" activist, and you'll find a Che Guevara T-shirt underneath. Whether global warming is really happening (and it is already accepted, that we are living through a "pause" in it), if it helps sabotage Capitalism, it is a worthy cause.

      And you'll notice, that these types — who also appear on every "anti-war" demonstration — would call themselves peaceful, non-violent, and opposed to "hatred". But, should they ever be allowed to perform their "revolution" (because Capitalism can't be reformed, you see), they'll all recall Che Guevara's

      A revolutionary must become a cold killing machine motivated by pure hate.

      --
      In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
    8. Re:What a Waste of Fossil Fuels by xdor · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Really? I thought my argumentum ad absurdum was rather pithy.

      On most other subjects when people engage in an activity that contradicts their beliefs they are labeled hypocrites. But I understand from your explanation that environmentalism is a special brand of religion whose dalliances must be overlooked for the greater good, an outlook the mature understand; only a child would dare say the emperor has no clothes.

    9. Re:What a Waste of Fossil Fuels by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Sometimes to get your point across you have to temporarily sacrifice your principles short term for a massive improvement in gain long term.

      The same rationale used by a lot of so-so people and some pretty awful people.

      Be the change you want to see --Ghandi

    10. Re:What a Waste of Fossil Fuels by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The cool kids drive GT-Rs.

    11. Re:What a Waste of Fossil Fuels by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      that's nice dear. Be sure to wear a coat outside.

      And when you say "ad absurdum" to the other kids, you shouldn't try to defend the position. They will think you're simple.

    12. Re:What a Waste of Fossil Fuels by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      For what it's worth I think you illustrated the point perfectly.

      - Anonymous Coward

    13. Re:What a Waste of Fossil Fuels by frank_adrian314159 · · Score: 2

      But I understand from your explanation that environmentalism is a special brand of religion whose dalliances must be overlooked for the greater good...

      Well, no, but if you can show me the true Scotsman organizations of your world that somehow achieve their goals without stepping over the line into hyperbole and "active fundraising" I'm sure I can poke holes in those, too. You're just being a pedantic douche at this point.

      --
      That is all.
    14. Re:What a Waste of Fossil Fuels by xdor · · Score: 0

      Yeah, but its fun!

    15. Re:What a Waste of Fossil Fuels by Xest · · Score: 2

      I guess it depends whose doing the calling. Sure a child minded simpleton who believes the whole world is black and white might call it hypocrisy, but most intelligent minded people with an understanding of how the world actually works call it what it is more reasonably defined as- pragmatism.

      Again, you're free to try and offer counterexamples, but you won't find any because whether it's Stallman having to use a computer with a proprietary BIOS to push his FOSS philosophy because he's sometimes had little other choice or Ayn Rand accepting social security when it was her only option to survive. Sometimes reality leaves you a choice - compromise, or give up. Anyone who gets anywhere in life with their goals selects for compromise, no one has achieved anything by giving up.

      Even Ghandi's principle of non violent opposition had to take a back seat once Hitler's tanks started rolling and the Japanese got ever closer.

    16. Re:What a Waste of Fossil Fuels by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      Ghandi had no power during WWII.

      His principle of non violence had to take a backseat when West and East India (Pakistan and Bangladesh) wanted independence.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    17. Re:What a Waste of Fossil Fuels by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ghandi was only against violence when it was politically useful to his cause to be against violence, i.e. when trying to sway British public opinion. Ghandi didn't condemn the people committing acts of violence in the name of Indian indepence. Don't believe the B.S. in the Ben Kingsley movie (which was produced by Ghandi's family).

  3. With scientists like Leonardo DiCaprio behind it by NotDrWho · · Score: 5, Funny

    How could I *NOT* accept it as established science?

    --
    SJW's don't eliminate discrimination. They just expropriate it for themselves.
  4. Decisions by Thanshin · · Score: 1

    I wonder how many on that 400.000 group, if offered a choice between ten thousand bucks or eliminating their entire personal carbon foot print, would chose the former.

    I wonder how many would know how much it would cost to eliminate their entire personal carbon footprint.

    1. Re:Decisions by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I wonder how many of those who took a bus there, realized they were increasing their carbon footprint by taking a bus to it. I stayed home, and didn't increase my carbon footprint one iota. Who's the bigger supporter of not increasing climate change? I'll bet there are more people like me, than who attended the rally. I'm not one who denies climate change, either.

    2. Re:Decisions by the+eric+conspiracy · · Score: 0

      It wouldn't cost much. All you would have to do is kill yourself.

    3. Re:Decisions by Thanshin · · Score: 0

      Suicide doesn't erase the past carbon footprint. I would expect an ecologist to want to erase his footprint debt before leaving.

    4. Re:Decisions by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 2

      But I was always told it was okay to leave nothing but footprints!

    5. Re:Decisions by Thanshin · · Score: 2

      Sasquatch? Is that you?

  5. Re:Just in time for another record cold winter by NotDrWho · · Score: 2, Informative

    Obviously, you don't understand how science works:

    Record hot summer = Evidence of global warming
    Record cold winter = Well, that's just weather, pay it no mind.
    Extreme weather events = Evidence of global warming
    Lack of extreme weather events = Well, that's just weather, pay it no mind.
    Ice melting in Antarctica = Evidence of global warming
    Record ice in arctic = Well, that's just weather, pay it no mind.

    IT'S SCIENCE, PEOPLE!

    --
    SJW's don't eliminate discrimination. They just expropriate it for themselves.
  6. Re:Just in time for another record cold winter by AmiMoJo · · Score: 4, Informative

    It's climate change because some morons look out the window, see that it's cold today and decide that global warming must be fake.

    While the global climate is warming, the effect locally at any given time may not be warming. It sometimes causes more extreme weather, including cold. Hence, climate change.

    --
    const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
    SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
  7. Re:With scientists like Leonardo DiCaprio behind i by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    YOU RACIS--oops, sorry, wrong forum...

  8. Re:Just in time for another record cold winter by tbannist · · Score: 2, Informative
    --
    Fanatically anti-fanatical
  9. Joel Hodgson from MST3K was there too! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    How dare you list all of that b-list trash, when the creator and original star of Mystery Science Theater was there!?! THAT'S a celebrity!

    1. Re:Joel Hodgson from MST3K was there too! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Too bad it wasn't Mike Nelson. ;-)

    2. Re:Joel Hodgson from MST3K was there too! by fuzznutz · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Joel was way funnier than Mike.

  10. Re:Just in time for another record cold winter by mwvdlee · · Score: 2

    You'd also be complaining if they labeled it warming or cooling. It's fighting climate science by being a grammar nazi.
    Just say "I don't care what happens to the world after I'm gone" if you don't, but stop playing word-games to justify your believes.

    --
    Slashdot social media options: AIM, ICQ, Yahoo, Jabber and Mobile Text. Why no MySpace?
  11. business as usual by duke_cheetah2003 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    March all ya want, business will go on, fuels burned, industry will churn. Only thing you can vote with here is your wallet. Marching does nothing, protesting does nothing, STOP BUYING THINGS YOU DON'T NEED IF YOU CARE ABOUT THE CLIMATE.

    Start by not buying the bus ticket next time to a complete waste of time, effort and energy.

    kthxbye

    1. Re:business as usual by schlachter · · Score: 1

      build smaller, more efficient homes.
      drive smaller, more efficient cars.
      walk more.
      eat less.
      simple stuff.
      but people feel entitled.

      --
      My God can beat up your God. Just kidding...don't take offense. I know there's no God.
  12. Re:Just in time for another record cold winter by Errol+backfiring · · Score: 1

    "Global warming" quickly got replaced with "Global weirding". Not all places on the world heat up, but the extremes get a lot more extreme, so some parts have now droughts for years, other places get flooded, permafrost areas thaw, etc.

    --
    Nae king! Nae laird! Nae yurrupiean pressedent! We willna be fooled again!
  13. I have an idea by slashmydots · · Score: 1

    Why didn't they all hop on exercise bikes with alternators? That would have been around 24 megawatts of electricity.

    1. Re:I have an idea by ArcadeMan · · Score: 1

      That's still not enough watts to go back in time to prevent all this mess.

  14. Re:Just in time for another record cold winter by CrimsonAvenger · · Score: 2

    so some parts have now droughts for years,

    I'm assuming you're referring to Oklahoma in the 1930's, right?

    What, there have been "droughts for years" before now? How can that be???

    --

    "I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
  15. Man. Bear. Pig. by xxxJonBoyxxx · · Score: 0

    >> former Vice President Al Gore were also there

    How's the hurricane-o-meter look at the moment?

  16. Re:With scientists like Leonardo DiCaprio behind i by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hey, that's the bloke that invented the prism that could turn lead into gold, right? He ever get that back from Bruce Willis?

  17. I went by Gerafin · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Something about this march has inspired a lot of ire across the internet, so before the negativity rolls in let me share my experience. I was hesitant to attend the march on Sunday, because I feel like protests like these are accomplishing less and less as time moves on. I was worried that people would feel they had 'done their duty' by showing up, and gone back to their day-to-day without changing anything. I've also constantly been cynical about the global warming movement, believing that we've done too much harm to reverse, that nothing we can do can slow the inexorable and extinction-level rise of global temperatures. After arguing about it with my girlfriend, I came to a few important conclusions. First, cynicism is laziness in disguise. The problem was too big, too scary, too complex, for me to tackle, but at this point is impossible to deny. How can I acknowledge the problem without allowing any responsibility to fall to myself? Cynicism and negativity (which I've seen comment board after comment board filled with regarding this subject). Another conclusion I came to was that our generation is going to be held accountable for any damage that climate change caused. We knew the danger, yet we allowed it to happen. I want to be able to tell the next generation, 'I tried.' I want to be able to show them pictures of the march and say, 'We were not filled with apathy, we fought, we tried.' Plenty of people who recognize the issue of climate change have been deriding the march based on the presence of socialists, 'dirty hippies,' punks, gays, etc. Yeah, there were some whackos there. I saw some people with signs about chem trails, 9/11 truthers, religious nuts. When you have 400,000 people in one place, you're not going to agree with all of them. But I also talked to doctors, scientists, politicians, students, teachers. And I work at a bank. Did we accomplish anything? Perhaps very little. But I could see the people there were galvanized by the event, their batteries were recharged, and they were full of hope. It generated discussion today. There are a lot of corporations throwing a lot of money around to prevent legislation regarding climate change. We can't challenge them on the money front, so numbers is one of the only tools we have left. If we can get enough people on our side, perhaps we can change the political climate (harr harr) through elections. I'd rather try, than sit at home and do nothing, and have to answer to future generations about my apathy.

    1. Re:I went by Gerafin · · Score: 2

      Sorry, haven't finished my coffee yet. We CAN challenge them on the money part by choosing where we spend our money wisely. Always good advice, but that's also something that needs to be organized to have a real impact. One of the nice things about the march was that hundreds of organizations worked together to organize it, forming bridges between groups that will hopefully hold and assist further actions like boycotts.

    2. Re:I went by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      From the pictures of the trash and pollution left behind... Maybe you guys could lean something by watching a Tea Party Rally and notice how it's always procedure to pick up after themselves. But, as long as you guys feel better about yourself, you have accomplished your goals.

    3. Re:I went by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Where you spend your money counts an awful lot. But if the Market Basket protests taught us anything, it is the the middle-level management that can make a big difference. Many of them refused to work because of what happened. The people under them refused to work. Store shelves looked like something out of Soviet Russia, mostly empty.

    4. Re:I went by Gerafin · · Score: 2

      I won't deny that that was a big issue, and sad to see. I don't want to sound like I'm defending people who would litter (and pollute, whatever you mean by that) at an environmental rally. But I can give you an idea of why it happened. Four times the expected people showed up, and trash cans along the route were overwhelmed quickly. Some people brought bags for trash, but those filled up too - and businesses along the route resisted letting people dispose of trash in their bins. The march stretched for LONGER than the route, and people were dispersed from the route before the back of the march reached the end of the route. It's hard to clean up while you're marching, and people were kicked from the route suddenly and without warning by the police. There was no time to clean up afterwards, unlike at a stationary rally like you mention.

    5. Re:I went by Mr+D+from+63 · · Score: 2

      Sure, lots of people want to 'do something'. But when it comes down to which solution paths to take it all breaks down. Huge sums of money being spent thus far by many countries, but there has pretty much been a zero total sum impact. There are no models that have improved at all. What are people really willing to pay or sacrifice? What risks are they willing to accept? How stuck are they on the 'may be possible' vs the 'proven'? Unfortunately, 99% don't really understand all the elements that real solutions must consider, the technical issues, the local and global socioeconomic issues, the trade-offs that make sense and lead to faster adoption. Its easy to get large masses march, its harder to get them to take the time, learn, and understand.

      The political response will be to have the appearance of doing something. Nice visible projects that can be called "green". And many of the marchers will love those politicians, regardless of actual progress that will result in a real impact on a global scale.

    6. Re:I went by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Seems like you skipped the paragraph march. You cynic insensitive clod.

    7. Re:I went by TapeCutter · · Score: 1

      Nice post, and brave too considering the hostility and derision in the comments above. Good on you for standing up and being counted.

      --
      And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
    8. Re:I went by Gerafin · · Score: 1

      I'm using an old version of internet explorer. (thanks work!) For some reason it deletes all formatting when I submit a comment.

    9. Re:I went by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Those with the greatest numbers have the greatest potential power. Those who are more organised have the greatest actual power.

      One of the nice things about the march was that hundreds of organizations worked together to organize it, forming bridges between groups that will hopefully hold and assist further actions like boycotts.

      That, to me, is the only way. Big Business is by its very nature organised, whereas "the people" aren't. That is why Big Business currently runs the show. But if we, the "little people" manage to get ourselves organised then, and only then, will we be able to enforce change.

      So, yes, that's a very nice thing to happen. =)

    10. Re: I went by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

      No, it is actually quite easy. If you brought it with you, take it with you.

    11. Re: I went by Gerafin · · Score: 1

      I'm not disagreeing with you. But things get dropped without people realizing it, stuff gets blown by the wind, thrown by a toddler, etc. There's going to be stuff left over when you have a few hundred thousand people march a few miles no matter how careful people are. Arguing otherwise is pretty futile. And it would have been nice for people to clean up afterwards, but like I said, there was no chance to.

    12. Re:I went by dave420 · · Score: 1

      The ol' Tea Party cleaning-up-after-themselves thing wasn't/isn't always true, so it's not a great idea to ask that question...

    13. Re:I went by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It only requires a few people paid by the oil companies to litter trash.

    14. Re:I went by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Tea Party rallies have corporate memos reminding the paid astroturfers to clean up as they "protest" on private property. It sure is nice having an unlimited amount of money funding your political organization and requiring you not to think about what you're doing.

    15. Re:I went by jfengel · · Score: 1

      Thank you for caring. Seriously.

      I've made my peace with future generations about my apathy. In part that's because I have no children, and don't want them; in fact, a (tiny) part of the reason I have none is that I don't want the burden of the fact that I don't believe I can contribute to a fix to this problem.

      I am sorry, future generations, but the enemy was too big to move. Most of the world understood, but crucial people in crucial positions were happy to leave you a worse world, and let you deal with it. They found an awful lot of common cause with a large group of self-centered, gullible people who were easily led to believe anything that meant that they could live any way they wanted with no repercussions. No reasoning could dislodge them from that, and emotional appeals were met with contempt. It was clear that I couldn't win, and that by the time it became obvious that something had to be done, it would be much too late. It is, I suspect, already too late.

      I really appreciate that you're not taking the coward's way out, as I am. Maybe you can do something I should be doing. But I simply can't justify anything but apathy. I've tried.

    16. Re:I went by sumdumass · · Score: 1

      What exactly is it you want from big business? I find it odd that a protest over the enviroment is focused on big business as if it was the evil being protested. Have we been mislead or is there some inside baseball the rest of us should know about?

    17. Re:I went by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Allow me to save you a lot of angst, Gerafin. Humans aren't changing the climate. The climate is not heading for some *pauses to wave hands wildly over his head* unspecified grand disaster. The whole issue is fabricated by people who crave political power and a conduit to massive handouts from taxpayers. There, now you can sleep well tonight.

      Geesh man, quit being such a gullible putz. There. is. no. problem. with. the. climate.

    18. Re:I went by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You must be new here to planet Earth, Big Business runs the world. The new trade agreement from the USA is being forced upon countries like mine with threats of economic impact. The TPP was actually written by Big Business, for Big Business and is intended to help Big Business as well as allow them to sue and change my democratic laws!

      I live in Australia and my politicians are all happy to allow this trade agreement even after being confronted with a demand for discussion on allow companies outside our borders to change our laws without any say from our citizens. If you are seriously unaware that rampant crony capitalism in the USA has taken over the world stage, you have a lot of catching up to do!

    19. Re:I went by sumdumass · · Score: 1

      Nice little rant there but it fails to address anything i said or asked.

      Now if you think your politicians are not representing you, vote them out and vote ones that will in. If you find that not possible, then it is likely that outside your little circle, you are in the minority. No worries, it just means you will have to convince others to side with you.

      So do you have anything to say about what i actually asked?

    20. Re:I went by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think your tinfoil hat is on too tight!

    21. Re:I went by tgrigsby · · Score: 1

      This is actually pretty simple. Put yourself in the place of the business owner. The demonstration illustrates the mood of the consumer. I as a business owner might start to see a benefit in being able to advertise that my company is "green", since I might reasonably expect that being green might improve my sales.

      --
      *** *** You're just jealous 'cause the voices talk to me... ***
  18. Re:Just in time for another record cold winter by tbannist · · Score: 5, Informative

    I know I shouldn't feed the trolls, however, ...

    Obviously, you don't understand how science works:

    Record hot summer = Evidence of global warming

    As part of a trend of record hot summers, for sure. Individually? Not unless the record heat is so extraordinary that it falls outside of what would be possible without global warming.

    Record cold winter = Well, that's just weather, pay it no mind.

    A record cold winter would be evidence against global warming if it was part of trend, or it was so cold that it fell out of what should be possible with global warming. Having said that, globally this past winter had the 3rd warmest december, the 4th warmest January and the 21st warmest February, none of which exactly qualify as "record cold" on the global scale.

    Extreme weather events = Evidence of global warming

    Again it's the trends in extreme weather events more than the individual events that matter with certain exceptions where the events themselves fall out of what would be possible without global warming.

    Lack of extreme weather events = Well, that's just weather, pay it no mind.

    Again, it the trends, not individual weather on any specific year that matters

    Ice melting in Antarctica = Evidence of global warming

    Record ice in arctic = Well, that's just weather, pay it no mind.

    I think you might have your north and south mixed up. We're near the record low for Arctic ice extent, and at record highs in Antarctic ice extent. Both of which are expected as part of global warming.

    IT'S SCIENCE, PEOPLE!

    It actually is, whether or not you resort to derision and mockery.

    --
    Fanatically anti-fanatical
  19. Re:Just in time for another record cold winter by internerdj · · Score: 1

    The climate change folks set the public expectation with the original wording of this discussion. There is a significant amount of the population who don't understand the issue any deeper than the two words "global warming." You can rant and rave about the idiodicy of people, but until you actually tackle the grammer nazi issue then you won't make it anywhere with policy changes.

  20. Caught in it... by khr · · Score: 1

    Yikes! We ran into that by accident yesterday... The terminal point of the march was right by the north-most exit from the High Line park at 34th Street that just opened yesterday, too, which I wanted to check out.

    It was insane! And we had to walk a few blocks opposite the direction of the march to get home... I thought we'd get trampled before we found a cross street (41st Street) that wasn't so jam packed we could get off the main route.

    Being short, I didn't get many good photos from it as most of them are of peoples' backs that I couldn't see over.

  21. irony by mrprogrammerman · · Score: 0

    Does anyone else see the irony in riding 500 buses to NYC from all over the country if they're really concerned about climate change?

    1. Re:irony by Dr.+Evil · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Yes, that's why they had local events in other cities.

      But I think it's kind of dumb to think that in a city with tens or hundreds of thousands of cars idling daily in traffic for the past 70 years, that 500 busses making a single trip is going to have a more negative impact than if leaders don't hear some kind of voice for change.

    2. Re:irony by iggymanz · · Score: 4, Informative

      no, that's an extremely efficient way to travel compared to individual cars. Did you know a diesel bus can get over 150 passenger miles / gallon compared to 49 for jet?

    3. Re:irony by amiga3D · · Score: 1

      Boeing 747-400 is 91 passenger miles per gallon. Not as good as a bus though.

    4. Re:irony by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You know what has Infinity passenger miles / gallon? Staying at home.

    5. Re:irony by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      Airplanes travel in almost a straight line.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    6. Re:irony by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      Division by 0 error. Stopped in east St Louis.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    7. Re:irony by Cl1mh4224rd · · Score: 1

      But I think it's kind of dumb to think that in a city with tens or hundreds of thousands of cars idling daily in traffic for the past 70 years, that 500 busses making a single trip is going to have a more negative impact than if leaders don't hear some kind of voice for change.

      The criticism also assumes that those 500 buses wouldn't have been doing anything else at the time.

      --
      People will pass up steak once a week, for crap every day.
    8. Re:irony by iggymanz · · Score: 1

      Those big bad boys usually don't fly between US cities though

  22. Re:Just in time for another record cold winter by dywolf · · Score: 2, Insightful

    hey look, it's a guy who doesnt undertsand science, and misquotes what people say in order to tell them theyre wrong.

    --
    The guy who said the election was rigged won the presidency with the second-most votes.
  23. More harm than good by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If they really cared about the environment, maybe they should have stayed home or rode into town on bicycles instead of 550 diesel guzzling buses.

    1. Re:More harm than good by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 2

      But those were GOOD buses, carrying environmental activists to a protest, as opposed to those BAD buses, which carry Silicon Valley nerds to work.

  24. 400,000? by neilo_1701D · · Score: 2

    AM New York is reporting tens of thousands.

    1. Re:400,000? by omems · · Score: 2

      40 of them?
      :)
      j/k i saw that too. not sure how they could be so different.

    2. Re:400,000? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      They used the Michael Mann data manipulator to make it match their pre-determined goal. The chart of attendance looks like a Hockey Stick.
      Facts, data, accuracy? From these people? HHehehehe...

  25. Finally, the sane people have spoken! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This was truly a victory for science and reason.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZlsKvOkHIY

    1. Re:Finally, the sane people have spoken! by sumdumass · · Score: 1

      hmm.. I'm convinced more than ever now.

  26. "Marching does nothing" by jpellino · · Score: 4, Insightful
    --
    "Win treats sysadmins better than users. Mac treats users better than sysadmins. Linux treats everyone like sysadmins."
    1. Re:"Marching does nothing" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Go ahead and try and now and see what happens.

    2. Re:"Marching does nothing" by WrongMonkey · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Times change. Cavalry was a military necessity up to WWI, 50 years later it was irrelevant. Marches were a stunning political tactic 50 years ago, now they're just another blip in the 24 hour news cycle.

    3. Re:"Marching does nothing" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Have to agree, the media will just throw up a story about some celebrity whoring themselves out for views and all will be forgotten.

  27. Sponsored by... Kool-Aide. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    No matter how much you bring, they drink it all.

  28. Re:Just in time for another record cold winter by CajunArson · · Score: 5, Informative

    Yes, and I'm sure you're next post will be that nobody on the face of the earth has ever EVAR claimed that:
      1. Hurricane Katrina
      2. "Superstorm"* Sandy
      3. The smelt-made California Drought
      4. 2011 Japanese Tsunami **
      5. Back to back record years for agriculture in the midwest in 2013-2014 ***

    were caused by global warming!!

    * So named because it wasn't even strong enough to count as a real hurricane... while stronger storms have been known to hit NYC in the 19th and early 20th centuries!

    ** Yes, earthquakes are now caused by Global Warming. Get with the politcally correct program you denialist scum.

    *** No wait, that's not post-apocalyptic bad sounding. Two consecutive years of weather patterns over an entire geographic region is just an insignificant random weather event...

    Now, a not-particularly unusually strong hurricane that happens to hit a low-lying city that's in the middle of a region where you expect to see hurricanes over a 12 hour period... THAT'S CLIMATE CHANGE YOU DENIALIST SCUM!

    --
    AntiFA: An abbreviation for Anti First Amendment.
  29. Re:Just in time for another record cold winter by L.+J.+Beauregard · · Score: 0

    Lightning causes forest fires. Therefore I don't have to be careful with my campfire.

    --
    Ooh, moderator points! Five more idjits go to Minus One Hell!
    Delendae sunt RIAA, MPAA et Windoze
  30. But what about the hiatus? by mveloso · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    There hasn't been warming for over a decade, but the warming/change advocates have ignored that because it confounded their model - until a bit ago, when they sized upon the ocean as a heatsink due to another study.

    How many billions of dollars have been wasted chasing that chimera?

    If they really cared about reducing their carbon footprint, they'd all kill themselves. As a westerner, they have a massive carbon footprint that they'll never erase. At least that way they'd be able to give back by fertilizing a tree or something. Of course, if they choose cremation that'll release even more carbon and waste, since they'll need an urn of some sort.

    1. Re:But what about the hiatus? by TwoEyedJack · · Score: 2, Insightful

      One of course wonders about the seriousness of a model that does not take account the oceans in the first place. These people don't care about reducing their own carbon footprints in any meaningful way. But they do care about reducing *your* carbon footprint, preferably using the heavy hand of an all-powerful state, that they envision themselves directing.

    2. Re:But what about the hiatus? by dave420 · · Score: 1, Flamebait

      Ugh. The hiatus doesn't exist. Warming has continued, albeit not as much as first thought. So please educate yourself before you keep embarrassing yourself like this.

    3. Re:But what about the hiatus? by ganjadude · · Score: 1

      in other words.. .the scientists were wrong... yet we are supposed to believe they are right THIS TIME!

      --
      have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
    4. Re:But what about the hiatus? by sumdumass · · Score: 1

      I have yet to find any creditable explanation to why all the sudden the oceans are a sink and not before. I mean seriously, if something didn't all the sudden cause it to soak up heat, then all previous temp records would have been impacted by it too making the suggestion of the oceans being a sink for the current warming (or lack thereof) somewhat moot.

      But say that out loud and you will ..lol. As if it really matters any more. This isn't about science or the environment any more. It was politicized from near the beginning and now they are much more brazen about it. Anyone can look around and see the real situation- it was proudly on display at this rally.

  31. Re:Just in time for another record cold winter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    Obviously, you don't understand how science works:

    Record hot summer = Evidence of global warming

    That's a record hot after NOAA has adjusted the past temperatures downward.
    There are records, and then there are records.

  32. Frank Luntz by TapeCutter · · Score: 4, Informative

    The terminology "climate change" goes back to at least the 1950's in the literature, "global warming" first appears in the 70's. There was no confusion until the early 2000's when this silly terminology argument was started by the brain fart of "public opinion guru" Frank Luntz, a GWB advisor who penned a memo advising the Bush administration to use the term "climate change" in preference to "global warming" because...I don't recall why...it "sounded less threatening"......or something equally inane and deceitful.

    --
    And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
  33. Re:With scientists like Leonardo DiCaprio behind i by dfenstrate · · Score: 1

    He didn't appreciate being questioned about his yachts and mansions.

    --
    Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms should be the name of a store, not a government agency.
  34. Re:Just in time for another record cold winter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You forgot to add that in the beginning of the 20th century that we had unusually cold temps, and so if you look at the past 100 hundred years the mean temp balance has account for about zero...If you going to trumpet science stop cherry picking your results.

  35. When the people who say it's a crisis.... by dfenstrate · · Score: 4, Insightful
    When the people who say it's a crisis act like it's a crisis, then maybe I'll look into the matter. Until then, I have a hard time taking a finger-wagging jet setter seriously. You know the type, they want to make everything more expensive so only the rich can enjoy the benefits of modern life.

    "F*ck the poor people who want to stay warm, or get to a job. They should die off anyway, the earth is overpopulated!"

    --
    Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms should be the name of a store, not a government agency.
    1. Re:When the people who say it's a crisis.... by L.+J.+Beauregard · · Score: 1

      So if AAAAALLLLL GOOOOORRRRRE! took a wrecking ball to his mansion, composted the shards and retired to a hippie commune, you might change your mind?

      --
      Ooh, moderator points! Five more idjits go to Minus One Hell!
      Delendae sunt RIAA, MPAA et Windoze
    2. Re:When the people who say it's a crisis.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      When the people who say it's a crisis act like it's a crisis, then maybe I'll look into the matter.

      That seems a bit late, by the time they have their secure Vault set up, you won't be able to get a reservation yourself.

    3. Re:When the people who say it's a crisis.... by amiga3D · · Score: 1

      I'm not buying any beach front property in the near future regardless.

    4. Re:When the people who say it's a crisis.... by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      About Al Gore? Perhaps. Then he would be a non-hypocritical idiot.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    5. Re:When the people who say it's a crisis.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      it would be a start

  36. There are a lot of pet rock owners in the world... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They've moved on to something equally as profound.

  37. Yawn by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yawn

  38. Re:Just in time for another record cold winter by radtea · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Again, it the trends, not individual weather on any specific year that matters

    Except that after every single warm snap or hurricane the same people who were smugly reminding us that "weather is not climate" are busy pointing to the event as "evidence" of AGW, which it is not. Distributions are evidence, events are not, because the science shows that the AGW/no-AGW distributions substantially overlap in our current situation, particularly with regard to extreme weather events.

    So only a person who does not understand science and statistics would ever suggest that any single event or small handful of events is worth mentioning as evidence either way. And yet Warmists are always out in force after any given extremum telling us it "proves" AGW.

    Don't get me wrong: AGW is real, although there are some pretty well-proven techniques for reducing it (notably carbon taxes, which also have the benefit of reducing corporate and income taxes, so you'd have to be some anti-capitalist nut-job to oppose them). But anyone who ever opens their mouth to point at a single event as if it was somehow worth the bother of discussing is an anti-science wing-nut, and adds only heat, not light, to the discussion.

    --
    Blasphemy is a human right. Blasphemophobia kills.
  39. Decisions by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I wonder what you take, if you had nothing to choose from.

  40. Re:With scientists like Leonardo DiCaprio behind i by timeOday · · Score: 4, Informative

    The science is settled. What remains is to rally people to action en masse - more like "putting bums on seats" than proving theorems.

  41. Not just the NYC by Misagon · · Score: 1

    The same day, people were also marching at 2808 other official events in 166 countries. (http://peoplesclimate.org/)
    So there is quite a lot more than ~400'000 people.

    In our march in Stockholm, Sweden we endured pouring rain, hail and thunder ...

    --
    "We mustn't be caught by surprise by our own advancing technology" -- Aldous Huxley
  42. Re:With scientists like Leonardo DiCaprio behind i by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Here's the thing. Whether it's happening... whether it's human caused or not... LET'S STOP POLLUTION FOR IT'S OWN SAKE.

    Let's not care if it does stop global warming, or if it has no effect. We should be pursuing environmental efforts for the good of the air, water, land, etc.

    We need to be realistic about changes though. Any change may have a negative effect on poor people. For example, plastic bag bans. I'd rather see a tax than a ban. Even then, there are biobags that appear as plastic bags which I think are a better options. (Plastic bags are better than paper bags when it comes to those who have to walk in the rain to the bus stop, to home, wherever. Plus most paper bags don't have handles.)

  43. Re:Just in time for another record cold winter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    until you actually tackle the grammer nazi issue then you won't make it anywhere with policy changes.

    Achtung! It's "grammar Nazi", dummkopf.

  44. Re:Just in time for another record cold winter by Dixie_Flatline · · Score: 2

    Actually, I've yet to see that come from anyone that's actually in the field of climate science. Don't conflate internet commenters and assorted science writers with people that are actually studying the climate. Every time a big climate event happened, I saw a lot of hedging from climate scientists who were consistently pointing out that one event is impossible to extrapolate from.

    If you'd care to provide an example of someone actually in research and not someone that you should probably be ignoring, I'd be interested to see it. (Really, I would--it would be a very unusual event.)

  45. hollywoods motivation is not good by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    they actually dont care so much for the environment as the tech you use to download and that in this they can slide laws to slow progress on technology

    technology however will be what saves us not the lack thereof.

  46. Re:Just in time for another record cold winter by Dixie_Flatline · · Score: 1

    They also tend to forget that while it's cold where they are, it's hot where other people are. The winter may have seemed extra cold in North America last year, but they've had to add extra colours to the heat maps in Australia in the last couple of years to indicate just how blisteringly hot its getting now.

    Climate is global, folks. Your local weather is not representative of what people around the world are experiencing.

  47. what would be funny is if they were solar powered by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    be awful funny if those busses ran on solar power .....

  48. Waffling by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Of course not. Then they could be wrong and the con defunded.

  49. Re:Just in time for another record cold winter by mrchaotica · · Score: 2

    "Superstorm"* Sandy

    * So named because it wasn't even strong enough to count as a real hurricane...

    On the contrary, Sandy was a category 2 hurricane when it made landfall on Cuba. Moreover, it still had hurricane-force winds when it made landfall in New Jersey; the only reason it wasn't called a "hurricane" was that it was post-tropical. In other words, it was as severe as a hurricane, but a different kind of storm.

    --

    "[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz

  50. Re:Just in time for another record cold winter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    try UK met office julia slingo

    She indicated the floods in the UK were attributable to AGW/climate change etc in interviews

    But the met office had to back track quickly

  51. Well, isn't this wonderful by mikein08 · · Score: 1

    400,000 people oppose climate change. Well, what changes is anyone willing to make to prevent climate change? Stop using electricity (coal and natural gas are bad, hydroelectric harms fish/streams/etc, wind power kills birds)? Stop using petroleum products (imagine the economic effects of that)? Live in much smaller houses? Stop having children? Stop all medical treatment designed to prolong or save lives? The primary problem is overpopulation. Reduce the world's population by about 95% and our climate change problem will go away.

  52. Not like China India US create all Global Warming by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 2

    It's not like, since 2010, that China, India, and the US are responsible for creating all the increased climate change gasses for Global Warming.

    Oh.

    Wait.

    It is.

    Just end the fossil fuels subsidies and tax exemptions and cheap land and sea leases and the entire system will fix itself. This is why Adam Smith, the Father of Capitalism (and a Scot), warned against the anti-capitalist Mercantalists.

    --
    -- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
  53. Re:Just in time for another record cold winter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    hey look, a guy who doesnt understand grammar

  54. Re:Not like China India US create all Global Warmi by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    By the same line of thought lets end subsidies for the study of global warming that falsify data, lie about warming trends, and manipulate statistics to support their stance. Add in that a lot of times corporations are just involved in "fundraising" for these groups. They have all sorts of ideas of what we need to cut back on, but when you ask what research they have done to support these ideas, the silence after the "Whhhhaaaat?" says it all

  55. onion article by schlachter · · Score: 1

    I can see this as the basis for an Onion article...

    "400,000 people turn out for people's climate march, promptly kill themselves in bid to reduce impact of over population on climate"

    --
    My God can beat up your God. Just kidding...don't take offense. I know there's no God.
  56. Climate has got the 1% attention... by Kazoo+the+Clown · · Score: 1

    Yep, the 1% sees their assets at risk. So it gets news coverage. Try protesting against Citizen's United or the banking abuses, and it would take far more people than 400,000 to get any kind of coverage. As far as I am concerned, SCREW THEM. Let their mansions get washed out to sea. If they can't address the complete corruption of money in politics, I don't give a damn about climate change. Bring it on.

  57. Re:Just in time for another record cold winter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How about a whole union of them?

  58. Big Deal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    400K is large, but certainly doesn't set any records for a religious rally. The Pope routinely draws much bigger crowds.

  59. The Best Thing For The Planet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    By far the best thing these protesters could do for the planet is immolate themselves as they fall into the Atlantic ocean. While 0.4 million people is only a small fraction of the 7000 million on earth, it would be a decent start.

  60. Hypos in NYC by NetNed · · Score: 1

    Apparently it's not the current environment they are worried about?

  61. Re:Just in time for another record cold winter by NotDrWho · · Score: 1

    If it's all global, why does ice melting in the arctic count as evidence of GW, but ice *expanding* in Antarctica not count as counter-evidence?

    --
    SJW's don't eliminate discrimination. They just expropriate it for themselves.
  62. NOAA's "hottest month ever" based on oceans by peter303 · · Score: 1

    Nearly every other month is the hottest month in recorded observation from satellites that measure ocean temps, i.e 2/3rds of the Earth's surface. In the mentime we've had some cold winters and resurgence of ice caps at both pole. Not easy to figure it all once.

  63. Re:Just in time for another record cold winter by M1FCJ · · Score: 1

    Because ice is not expanding in Antarctica. It's flowing off the continent into the sea at faster and faster rates.

    For example, see: http://www.iflscience.com/envi...

    Arctic sea is different, is is a sea. The ice level there is completely proportional to the amount of water that freezes.

  64. Re:Just in time for another record cold winter by NetNed · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Science is changing every environmental measurement scale to make things seem more extreme? Look that up. Tornadoes and hurricanes now have factored in the amount of damage they do. So a F3 tornado on the old scale becomes a F5 because it hits a more heavily populated area. Same with earthquake scales. Now winter storms are receiving names even though I remember storms just as bad in my youth, now they are "extreme!!!" Tropical storms are now "SUPERSTORMS!!!". The kicker is we are less then a year past the IPCC models to be proven wrong and they still are hammering home that their prediction are still correct even though there was scientific proof that no significant warming to place in the last 15+ years. You can't tout science till it doesn't agree with your stance because it makes you a hypocrite and makes the people that ignore it seem like they are out for money and nothing else. I was like the CC community touting Gore as the messiah till his hypocritical action were pointed out, then it was "well he isn't really a scientist, and he doesn't stand for all CC believers". I akin it to fans of certain baseballers not wanting to admit the players they are big fans of did steroids to reach the level they did.

  65. All this proves by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    is that it's easy to get idiots to do nothing loudly.

  66. what about canada? by rewindustry · · Score: 1

    has anyone an opinion how canada is showing in this matter? last time i looked we came dead last, behind the benighted states even, and as far as i know we are currently not co-operating at all. i've been watching for mention of canada in the "international" media (slashdot foremost of these) and so far have seen nothing, except we may have managed to kill off rob ford, at last. is anyone able to correct this impression?

  67. Prove it. by Jawnn · · Score: 0

    I was outside yesterday. It was a nice day and I didn't seen any climate change protesters. In fact, I have seen any all year. I think that the whole "climate change protester" thing is just a myth, started up by some gubamint researchers tryin' to make sure their research gets funded next year.

  68. Re:Just in time for another record cold winter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That article is discussing decades-long trends. In other words, climate. Moron.

  69. Re:Just in time for another record cold winter by riverat1 · · Score: 1

    If it's all global, why does ice melting in the arctic count as evidence of GW, but ice *expanding* in Antarctica not count as counter-evidence?

    Because a simple analysis like that is seldom adequate. Scientists who have looked at the increase in Antarctic sea ice have found several reasons that combine to cause the increase. First the circumpolar winds have grown stronger apparently because of the ozone hole over Antarctica. That pushes the existing sea ice around more opening polynyas that subsequently refreeze increasing the ice area. Second global warming causes the ice sitting on the continent to melt and also increased precipitation which causes the water on the surface to freshen making it easier to freeze. Finally the fresher water is less dense than the warmer saltier water under it so the ocean stratifies and the the warmer saltier water is prevented from rising to the surface reducing ice melt from it.

  70. No trends to be scared of ! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Sorry, the "trends" do not support your alarmism.

    The trend in temperature is flat for the past 13-22 years depending on which temperature series you look at. And that does not account for the blatant "adjustments" to make to past appear cooler (GISS we are looking at you here !).

    The best temperature measurement (USCRN -Google that ) with pristine rural sites, no adjustments, triple redundant aspirated platinum sensors, since inception 10 years ago, shows NO warming at all, confirming the temperature plateau.

    There is NO trend to increasing tornadoes, heavy rains, hurricanes etc. Despite media manipulation of weather stories to create fear in a gullible public with poor or short memories.

    The sun is an a quiet mode, in the past this has meant cooling, as well as the ocean decadal oscillations are going into their cool phases. This means the earth is probably cooling soon. And this is why the global warming alarmists are panicking trying to ram some draconian energy disaster upon the world before the cooling becomes apparent. And when it cools, we will need that energy.

    Sea level is rising as it has for hundreds of thousands of years, and shows NO trend to accelerating.

    Saying this year or that year is the hottest in the record says nothing about temperatures rising. It is like a 30 year old man saying that his height is the tallest for the past five years of his life. It does not mean that the temperature is rising or he is getting taller.

    Antarctic ice is a record high extent, and this is NOT predicted by global warming models. Arctic ice is increasing the past couple of years, and is nearing the 2 sigma from the 30 year climate mean, which means we are approchign what would be normal arctic ice.

    1. Re:No trends to be scared of ! by radio4fan · · Score: 0

      Phew! I can now relax, knowing that AGW is not real, and that they vast, vast majority of climatologists are just lying for some unknown reason.

      And all thanks to an anonymous person on the internet who makes a bunch of assertions without citations.

  71. Arithmetic Denialism by Mike+Van+Pelt · · Score: 1

    How many of the people marching in this protest have also marched in "No Nukes Shut 'Em Down" marches? How many agree with the anti-nukes? To power an industrial-technological civilization, the alternatives we have are (1) nuclear and (2) coal. There is no (3), no matter how much the arithmetic denialists claim that we can power our civilization on "sunny days when the wind is blowing" energy.

    1. Re:Arithmetic Denialism by mdsolar · · Score: 1

      Turns out, you are mistaken. http://www.engineering.com/Ele...

    2. Re:Arithmetic Denialism by Mike+Van+Pelt · · Score: 1

      Not a very detailed article -- basically, it just says "Amory Lovins says that..." which I find singularly unconvincing without more support than that.

      Lovins is an absorbing speaker. I heard him give a talk on his idea for his super-duper-ultra-mega-hypercar. But his arguments veer towards the tendentious. In the example of his car ideas, it's amazing to me to hear someone who supposedly has a degree in physics assert that crumple zones will protect someone in a featherweight vehicle in a collision with a normal car. Really? Has conservation of momentum been repealed because he says so? I don't think so.

      I'm not ever going to forget that one of his premises is that cheap, clean, abundant energy is inherently a bad thing. "Nothing short of disasterous", in his words.

      Not that I'm going to toss it out just because Amory said it. But I'm certainly not going to blindly accept it as TRVTH because Amory said it, either. I'm going to subject it to a great deal of scrutiny, to see what his assumptions are.

    3. Re:Arithmetic Denialism by Mike+Van+Pelt · · Score: 1
      Meanwhile ... this week's Science Friday podcast had a couple of people on touting the "Stop Global Warming" march, and one of them did, in fact, with no sense of irony whatsoever, tout his previous activity in anti-nuclear marches. And Ira Flatow did not call him on it.

      As I suspected...

    4. Re:Arithmetic Denialism by mdsolar · · Score: 1

      It is a result from NREL.

  72. hypocrites by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What's the carbon footprint of 550 buses and 400,000 people crammed into one space?

  73. I marched by psydeshow · · Score: 1

    I marched. I took the subway to get there, not a private jet. I know exactly what I was protesting. I didn't see any celebrities, just a lot of people.

    I also left early, and had the eerie experience of walking two blocks to Broadway, where life was going on as normal. There was no indication that less than half a mile away there were hundreds of thousands of protestors. It was amazing.

  74. Re:Just in time for another record cold winter by NetNed · · Score: 3, Informative

    You had me till you pointed to carbon taxes as a proven technique. Carbon tax is a money scam and the is easily proven.

  75. Re:Just in time for another record cold winter by Dixie_Flatline · · Score: 1

    Alas. This is honestly something that I see very rarely, but it's worth noting that

    a) other climate scientists disagreed with her claim, because at the time it was untrue; and
    b) it *happened* to be true in the end (in the sense that climate change DOES seem to be responsible for the weird path of the jet stream). But that doesn't let her off the hook for saying it before there was actually peer reviewed research on the matter to back her up.

  76. Opposite Goals by SuperKendall · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Here's the thing. Whether it's happening... whether it's human caused or not... LET'S STOP POLLUTION FOR IT'S OWN SAKE.

    I totally agree.

    But all of the Alarmists don't care at all about pollution, they only care about CO2 - which is not pollution, and stopping that does pretty much nothing in terms of stopping real pollution.

    When you all get back to caring about the environment and not making people at alternative energy companies (or carbon exchanges) rich please get back to us so we can start trying to protect the environment again.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re:Opposite Goals by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Poster #47964657 here. I favor nuclear. Do you have an opinion?

  77. Extremes not as extreme by SuperKendall · · Score: 1

    but the extremes get a lot more extreme

    The opposite is true, we've had fewer very large storms, less destructive weather of all kinds across the globe.

    Gaia is pissed off you are trying to make her dance like a monkey for your own agenda and is sitting ion her hands.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  78. Re:Just in time for another record cold winter by Archangel+Michael · · Score: 1

    "Actually, I've yet to see that come from anyone that's actually in the field of climate science."

    Convenient Narrow Definition. I've yet to hear ANYONE that's actually in that field say anything.

    Let me know when the AGW enthusiasts/scientists start correcting their spokesmen (like Al Gore, and various celebrities ) when they say stupid shit. I won't hold my breath.

    --
    Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
  79. Re:With scientists like Leonardo DiCaprio behind i by SteveFoerster · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Whether the climate is changing is settled, because it always changes. Whether human activity is a factor is settled, because it does. So far so good. Unfortunately, however, the effect of that activity on future climate is not at all settled, and that's unfortunate because it's the question that actually matters.

    --
    Space game using normal deck of cards: http://BattleCards.org
  80. And look who's not bothering to come... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The number #1 producer of CO2, and the #3 producer of CO2. Who always get exceptions, anyhow, because they won't abide by any "climate' treaty in the first place - which is why EVEN IF WE SPEND TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS DOING EVERY DAMN FOOL THING THE GREENIES WANT US TO DO INCLUDING BEGGER OURSELVES AND OUR DESCENDANTS we will change the global temperature by no more than a few hundredths of a degree.

  81. Re:Just in time for another record cold winter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Well, they could spend a lot of effort on the billions of degrees gaffe, but like the 57 states slip-up, nobody outside of the right-wing fringe gives a shit about minor slip-ups like that.

  82. Re:Just in time for another record cold winter by Archangel+Michael · · Score: 1

    Except Liberals making fun of Democrats. Or haven't you noticed? I wonder if you say the same thing every time someone makes fun of Sarah Palin? Nahhh

    --
    Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
  83. Re:With scientists like Leonardo DiCaprio behind i by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yes it is settled: nipccreport.org

  84. Re:One huge scam by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    directly ruled ~2 billion people, indirectly affected all people
    > 100 million dead
    75 years
    4 generations
    fashionable amongst intellectuals for generations
    promoted by professors throughout the West
    failures ignored or excused endlessly
    tried in geographically small countries
    tried in geographically large countries
    tried in small groups
    tried in vast, highly populous nations

    never even came close to fulfilling its promises

    I'd say Marxism is a much bigger scam than AGW.

    (I like how someone modded you offtopic. Somebody doesn't like dissent.)

  85. Re:Just in time for another record cold winter by CaptQuark · · Score: 1

    It was still offshore at that point. When it made landfall it was below hurricane strength. Wind gusts don't count.

    ~~

  86. Re:Just in time for another record cold winter by mrchaotica · · Score: 1

    I guess I should have linked the New Jersey landfall update instead of the "Sandy becomes post-tropical" update. The landfall update claims sustained winds of 80 mph, which is well within the category 1 hurricane range.

    --

    "[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz

  87. Re:Just in time for another record cold winter by Stuarticus · · Score: 1

    Maybe they are too busy correcting people who are even more wrong?

    --
    If you think someone isn't free to have a different definition of "freedom" you may be a tyrant.
  88. How long? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    A question for everyone who thinks that CO2 controls the climate. How long with rising CO2 and flat or falling temperatures before you admit your theory is wrong? 20 years? 30? Never?

    All 5 of the major datasets (RSS, UAH, HadCRUT4, GISS, NCDC) show no warming for between 14 and almost 18 years. In that time CO2 has risen 8-10%.

    Here are 2 predictions. First I predict that CO2 will continue to increase because China and other countries don't care about CO2. They don't even care about real pollutants much less CO2. Second I predict it will get colder over the next 20-30 years. Why?

    Dr Libby in the 1970s said that "looking forward it will stay cold until the mid 80s (it did), then it will warm by about 1/4 degree F until the end of the century (it did), then it gets cold". When asked how cold she was predicting a 1-2 degree F drop with an outside chance of a 3-4 degree drop. Pray it is the former.

    Dr Easterbrook in 2001 said the PDO was done it's positive warm cycle and that we were in for 25-30 years of cold weather. How cold? We have his good, bad and ugly predictions based on previous negative cold phases of the PDO. Pray it is the first one.

    Dr Abdusamatov in 2006 said we are at the top of the temperature sine wave and it will be 200 years of cold weather. Pray he is wrong.

    Why do I join with them and side with their predictions? While past performance is not a guarantee of future correctness it is a lot better record than the IPCC and their dozens of models of which none have been accurate. They are all based on CO2 controlling the climate and the other 3 are all cyclical natural cycles. I'll go with those who have a good track record at predicting future climate. Dr Libby is the most impressive as her prediction is 30+ years going and still accurate.

  89. Re:Just in time for another record cold winter by tgrigsby · · Score: 1

    I think you might have your north and south mixed up. We're near the record low for Arctic ice extent, and at record highs in Antarctic ice extent. Both of which are expected as part of global warming.

    Correction: *Parts* of the Antarctic ice sheet are increasing in thickness due to increased precipitation caused by warmer seas, but the overall extent of the ice sheets has decreased.

    --
    *** *** You're just jealous 'cause the voices talk to me... ***
  90. Re:Just in time for another record cold winter by Dixie_Flatline · · Score: 1

    It's the only meaningful definition, honestly.

    Climate scientists are the ones actually doing the work. You have to listen to them. If I say something to you, I URGE you not to take my word for it until you've verified it against some actual science, or at least the work that I'm claiming to get it from.

    Pundits and internet commentators are more often a source of noise than signal. I try to be honest and accurate with all of my claims, but at the end of the day, I can't think of a single reason why you'd trust me. Sometimes you develop a level of trust for a science writer and you can use that as a convenient short-hand for actually verifying the science yourself.

    They're the ones working on the IPCC reports. Those reports are effectively what the scientists are saying, so they've said a lot, and they say it frequently. Some of those scientists also blog. If you haven't heard anything from them, it's because you haven't been looking. You can definitely see what they say if you want to.

  91. Re:Just in time for another record cold winter by Archangel+Michael · · Score: 1

    Except that all the predictions of Global Warming (Climate Change) made at the beginning haven't even come close to actually coming true. No rise in temperature, no extreme weather, no increased hurricanes, tornadoes etc.

    Science is about reproducibility, and for all the "Sky is falling" cries being made, and hockey stick manipulations to amplify their points, to drowning polar bears.... I've seen the "science" and it isn't science, except that the hypothesis' haven't been verified. The ONLY thing I'll agree to is that CO2 is increasing, and Ocean Acidification, neither of which equate to "global warming". There are good reasons for this (H2O vapor is also Greenhouse gas) that haven't been accounted for.

    FYI, IPCC is using the same flawed data from the UEA scandal. Just because you change the alphabet letters doesn't mean the scandal has gone away.

    --
    Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.