by Cary McNeal
Larry West, “Scholars Predict 50 Million Environmental Refugees by 2010,” About.com, www.environment.about.com.
* * *
921
FACT : Just a slight increase in sea levels could submerge most of the Maldives. President Mohamed Nasheed has proposed to relocate the entire 300,000 person nation to India, Sri Lanka, or Australia. If Sri Lanka is safer than where you live, you need to move anyway.
Larry West, “Scholars Predict 50 Million Environmental Refugees by 2010,” About.com, www.environment.about.com.
Nicholas Schmidle, “Wanted: A New Home for My Country,” New York Times, May 8, 2009, www.nytimes.com.
* * *
922
FACT : Category 4 and 5 hurricanes have doubled in number in the last thirty years. In case you haven’t watched the news. Ever.
K. Emanuel, “Increasing destructiveness of tropical cyclones over the past 30 years,” Nature, August 4, 2005, 686–688, “What is Global Warming?” An Inconvenient Truth, www.climatecrisis.net.
* * *
923
FACT : Deaths caused by global warming will double in the next twenty-five years to 300,000 people annually. Dying people often complain of being cold; I wonder if that happens when you die of global warming.
World Health Organization, “What is Global Warming?” An Inconvenient Truth, www.climatecrisis.net.
* * *
924
FACT : Libya recorded the Earth’s highest temperature in 1922: 136°F (58°C). But it was a dry heat.
“Fun Science Facts You Didn’t Know,” High Tech Science, www.hightechscience.org.
* * *
925
FACT : Over the past decade, ice flow off Greenland’s glaciers has more than doubled due to global warming, resulting in higher sea levels. Hey, Greenland—what the hell? Knock it off already.
W. Krabill and others, “Greenland Ice Sheet: Increased coastal thinning,” Geophysical Research Letters, December 28, 2004, “What is Global Warming?” An Inconvenient Truth, www.climatecrisis.net.
* * *
926
FACT : Global warming could cause shelf ice in Greenland and Antarctica to melt, resulting in a global rise in sea levels by more than twenty feet, with devastating effects for coastal areas worldwide. The other night my daughter and I were looking at her globe. She pointed to Greenland and asked, “What’s that?”
“Greenland,” I said. “Greenland? Then why is it all white?” she asked. That’s a good question.
W. Krabill and others, “Greenland Ice Sheet: Increased coastal thinning,” Geophysical Research Letters, December 28, 2004, “What is Global Warming?” An Inconvenient Truth, www.climatecrisis.net.
* * *
927
FACT : Thanks to global warming, the Arctic Ocean could be free of ice in summer by 2050. What if your name was “Global Warming”? That would suck. You’d get blamed for everything.
W. Krabill and others, “Greenland Ice Sheet: Increased coastal thinning,” Geophysical Research Letters, December 28, 2004, “What is Global Warming?” An Inconvenient Truth, www.climatecrisis.net.
Impact of a Warming Arctic: Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2004), “What is Global Warming?” An Inconvenient Truth, www.climatecrisis.net.
* * *
928
FACT : At least 279 plant and animal species are moving closer to the Earth’s poles, a response to global warming. I’m guessing the animal species will probably get there before the plants.
W. Krabill and others, “Greenland Ice Sheet: Increased coastal thinning,” Geophysical Research Letters, December 28, 2004, “What is Global Warming?” An Inconvenient Truth, www.climatecrisis.net.
David Bjerklie, “Feeling the Heat,” Time Magazine, March 26, 2006, “What is Global Warming?” An Inconvenient Truth, www.climatecrisis.net.
* * *
929
FACT : Arica, Chile is the driest place on Earth with an average of 0.03 inches (0.76 millimeters) of rain per year. Barely edging out my wife’s pot roast.
Robert Roy Britt, “101 Earth Facts,” Space.Com, www.space.com.
* * *
930
FACT : The 1964 Great Alaskan Earthquake created disastrous tsunamis from British Columbia to San Francisco. The ground was pushed up thirty feet in the air in parts of Alaska; in others, it collapsed. Alaska sounds like a great place to live. No, really.
“Eight of the Most Devastating Deadly Land Disasters,” WebEcoist, www.webecoist.com.
* * *
931
FACT : The 2008 Great Sichuan Earthquake in China was felt as far away as Shanghai, over 1,000 miles from the quake’s epicenter. Nearly 70,000 people died, and more than 118,000 were seriously injured. Thousands of Chinese are still missing and presumed dead. Ya think?!
“Eight of the Most Devastating Deadly Land Disasters,” WebEcoist, www.webecoist.com.
* * *
932
FACT : In 1980, volcanic Mount St. Helens in Washington violently exploded, killing fifty-seven people and flattening 200 square miles of surrounding forestland. It was the most deadly, economically destructive volcanic event in American history. Unless you count what the stock market has done in the last year, which I do, because I’m still dumb enough to look at my monthly IRA statement.
“Eight of the Most Devastating Deadly Land Disasters,” WebEcoist, www.webecoist.com.
“History—Mt. St. Helens,” Mount St. Helens Information Resource Center, www.mountsthelens.com.
* * *
933
FACT : When Colombia’s volcanic mountain Nevado del Ruiz exploded in 1984, the resulting mudslide buried the nearby town of Armero, killing more than 23,000 people. No one heard it coming?
“Eight of the Most Devastating Deadly Land Disasters,” WebEcoist, www.webecoist.com.
* * *
934
FACT : In 1902, a landslide of boiling mud spilled into the sea on the island of Martinique, causing a tsunami that killed hundreds. Three days later, Mount Pelee exploded, obliterating the town of St.
Pierre with an avalanche of hot lava. Of 30,000 residents, only two survived. The boiling mud would’ve been enough to send me packing. Why was anyone around three days later for the volcano eruption?
“Eight of the Most Devastating Deadly Land Disasters,” WebEcoist. www.webecoist.com.
David Wallechinsky, The New Book of Lists: The Original Compendium of Curious Information (Canongate U.S., 2005), 397.
* * *
935
FACT : More than 2,000 people died in 1960 when a tsunami pounded the coast of Chile with a massive thirty-foot wave, flooding 500 coastal miles and triggering the largest earthquake in the twentieth century. The real tragedy is that all those people missed the '60s, which were a blast.
“Six Chilling Ice Storms, Tsunamis and Floods,” WebEcoist, www.webecoist.com.
* * *
936
FACT : At least one group of researchers predicts that the world’s production of oil will peak in 2011. The sharp decline in oil supplies that will follow will drastically affect the world economy. That will be fun.
Daniel Howden, “World Oil Supplies Are Set to Run Out Faster than Expected, Warn Scientists,” The Independent, June 14, 2007, www.independent.co.uk.
* * *
937
FACT : The 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo on the Philippine island of Luzon caused a sulfuric haze around the world, a global drop in temperatures, and a spike in ozone damage. Most residents were evacuated before billions of tons of ash, magma, and debris destroyed the region. The worldwide drop in temperature was quickly corrected by global warming, though, so no worries there.
Matt Rosenberg, “Mount Pinatubo Eruption,” About.com, August 5, 2007, www.geography.about.com.
* * *
938
FACT : The world’s oceans contain enough salt to cover every continent to a depth of almost 500
feet. Which is the same amount needed to make grits edible.
“Fifty Weird Science Tidbits & Oddities,” Science News Review, February 11, 2009, www.sciencenewsreview.com.
* * *
939
FACT : There are 909 billion tons of coal reserves worldwide, enough for 155 years worth of energy.
But using coal as an energy source would only increase global warming. Burn the coal; we need it. They can worry about what to do in 155 years. None of us will be here anyway.
Daniel Howden, “World Oil Supplies Are Set to Run Out Faster than Expected, Warn Scientists,” The Independent, June 14, 2007, www.independent.co.uk.
* * *
940
FACT : Ethanol from corn offers an alternative to oil, but ethanol production negatively impacts the environment because corn requires so much space to grow. We have the room. What the hell else are we gonna do with Iowa and Nebraska?
Daniel Howden, “World Oil Supplies Are Set to Run Out Faster than Expected, Warn Scientists,” The Independent, June 14, 2007, www.independent.co.uk.
* * *
941
FACT : Twenty-two million hectares of tropical forest and savanna in South America are on course to be displaced by rapidly expanding soybean plantations in the next twenty years, resulting in the destruction of tropical ecosystems, the acceleration of climate change, and the elimination of biodiversity. I’m not sure what a hectare is, but that doesn’t sound good.
Dan Shapley, “Natural Resources Being Depleted At Record Rates,” The Daily Green, September 13, 2007, www.thedailygreen.com.
“Global Ecological Emergency: Brazil Must Succeed in Keeping Soybeans Out of Amazon,” Action Alert, EcoEarth.info, www.ecoearth.info.
* * *
942
FACT : Four years of deforestation shares the same the carbon footprint as every air flight from the dawn of aviation thru 2025. Deforestation doesn’t give you free soft drinks, though.
Debra Ronca, “How Deforestation Works,” HowStuffWorks.com, www.science.howstuffworks.com.
* * *
943
FACT : Biologists believe that the flora and fauna of rainforests holds the cures to many diseases.
Rainforests cover only 7 percent of the Earth but are inhabited by 50 percent of the plant and animal species of the world—species becoming extinct as deforestation shrinks rainforest areas. Deforestation is named for DeForest Kelley, famed tree-cutter and actor who played Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy on Star Trek.
Debra Ronca, “How Deforestation Works,” HowStuffWorks.com, www.science.howstuffworks.com.
* * *
944
FACT : Burning rainforests account for roughly 30 percent of the carbon dioxide released in the air. We shouldn’t burn the rainforests. We need to save them to burn when we run out of oil and need the heat.
Tom Harris, “How Rainforests Work,” HowStuffWorks.com, www.science.howstuffworks.com.
* * *
945
FACT : Burping cows emit up to 100 gallons of methane gas per animal each day, joining other livestock to create nearly a third of man-made methane emissions annually. Methane is a greenhouse gas that warms Earth’s atmosphere at twenty-one times the rate of carbon dioxide. You don’t even want to know about their farts.
Bettina Gartner, “How Better-Fed Cows Could Cool the Planet,” Christian Science Monitor, August 16, 2007, www.csmonitor.com.
* * *
946
FACT : Depletion of the Earth’s ozone layer aggravates health effects caused by exposure to UV radiation. Even a 10 percent loss of ozone could cause an additional 300,000 skin cancers and up to 1.75 million more cases of cataracts worldwide every year. It’s easier to get a tan now, though.
“Ultraviolet Radiation and Health,” World Health Organizations, www.who.int.
* * *
947
FACT : One gallon of used motor oil can ruin approximately 1 million gallons of fresh water. Hello? That’s why we seal up the barrels before we toss them in the ocean.
“Why We Should Recycle Used Oil,” L.A. County Department Of Public Works, www.dpw.lacounty.gov.
* * *
948
FACT : In 1979 Skylab, the first U.S. space station, crashed to Earth in pieces. So did David Bowie, but nobody cared about that, either.
“Fun Science Facts You Didn’t Know,” High Tech Science, www.hightechscience.org.
* * *
949
FACT : Because of time zones, if you fly from London to New York by Concorde, you can arrive two hours before you departed. I knew the Concorde was fast, but damn.
“Fun Science Facts You Didn’t Know,” High Tech Science, www.hightechscience.org.
* * *
950
FACT : A bolt of lightning discharges up to 100 million volts and 30,000 amperes of electricity, and at 54,000°F (30,000°C), is roughly six times hotter than the sun. That’s why it’s not a bad idea to always carry Neosporin and a Band-Aid with you.
“Fun Science Facts You Didn’t Know,” High Tech Science, www.hightechscience.org.
CHAPTER 20
What
the—?!
The Worst of
the Worst and
the Weirdest of
the Weird
* * *
951
FACT : In 2008, an Illinois woman had her big toe chewed off by her pet miniature dachshund while napping. Because of diabetes-related nerve damage in her extremities, the woman felt nothing and slept through the attack. Maybe her feet smelled like cheese. Mine sometimes do.
“‘Beloved Dachshund’ Chews Off Owner’s Toe,” Reuters, July 4, 2008, www.news.com.au.
“Sausage Dogs Are the Most Aggressive,” Telegraph UK, July 5, 2008, www.telegraph.co.uk.
* * *
952
FACT : Freshly laundered towels might smell and look nice, but if they were washed with underwear, they could be contaminated with feces. That’s the kind of underwear you just throw out, not wash.
Philip M. Tierno, The Secret Life of Germs: What They Are, Why We Need Them, and How We Can Protect Ourselves Against Them (Simon & Schuster, 2004), 93.
* * *
953
FACT : Some of the most prestigious libraries in the United States have books bound in human skin. They don’t have any skin magazines, though, so don’t ask.
M.L. Johnson, “Some of Nation’s Best Libraries Have Books Bound in Human Skin,” Boston Globe, January 7, 2006, www.boston.com.
* * *
954
FACT : In 2005, a ten-year-old boy in Perth, Australia lost both hands and a foot when a brick wall supporting a basketball goal gave way when he attempted a slam-dunk. He got gimp.
“Boy Who Lost Three Limbs Awake and Smiling,” Sydney Morning Herald, March 30, 2005, www.smh.com.au.
* * *
955
FACT : There are an estimated 27 million slaves in the world today, more than were taken from Africa during the four-century long transatlantic slave trade. Where the hell are they? My car could use a wash.
Andrew Cockburn, “21st Century Slaves,” National Geographic, www.ngm.nationalgeographic.com.
* * *
956
FACT : In 1970, a dead sperm whale on an Oregon beach was blown up with dynamite in an attempt to get rid of the decomposing corpse. Flying debris from the blast destroyed the roof of a nearby car, and onlookers were covered with whale particles. Really? Because it sounds like such a great idea. Who came up with it, Gilligan or the Skipper?