by Randy Dutton
Sven walked outside, “May I give you a lift, Peggy?”
Hours later, a couple Snath Genetics workers were cleaning up in the nearly empty hall. A portable radio was blaring in the background.
“This is Jill Brent of the Global Heartbeat Network. The UN Department of Sustainable Agriculture reported today that June’s per acre crop production reached a record 2 percent above last year’s June harvest. Of that, however, it is estimated that only 27% of the crops are edible, because the remainder have been genetically modified for biofuel production.
“DoSA today issued a directive that places a high tax on nitrite based fertilizers. A spokesperson said 3% of the fertilizer used to grow crops goes into the air as N2O, or nitrous oxide, which is 296 times worse than CO2 as a global warming gas. Therefore, effective immediately, the department will nudge farmers to organic farming practices and dramatically reduce irrigation. A Farm Bureau representative declared this as folly, saying that organic farming is much more labor-intensive and much less productive.
“DoSA also announced it is imposing carbon taxes on livestock production. A spokesperson saying that it is unhealthy for humans to eat much meat. The tax, they say, will help dramatically reduce obesity, disease, and, most importantly, the methane gas released as bovine flatulence. When asked about personal choice, the spokesperson said, ‘Earth takes priority.’”
“So Jill, we’re all going vegetarian?” her co-anchor asked.
“It seems that way, Chet.”
“We’ve got to find some way to move all that tofu,” Chet joked. “And it won’t be getting easier, that’s for sure.... In the oil futures, yesterday prices spiked 60% in anticipation of today’s implementation of the UN Carbon Law.”
Jill added, “In financial news, effective today, global carbon taxes are imposed upon all industrial and commercial carbon dioxide emission processes and products. Governments around the world are hailing the expected tax receipts.”
Workers continued cleaning up Snath’s hall as Chet continued the report. “In technology news, today a number of CO2 reduction technologies were announced for immediate implementation in agriculture, industry, and energy sectors. In a speech given...”
“Hey, man, the news is talking about us!” A worker turned up the volume.
“...at the Green Cement Company, a new CO2 scrubbing cement process was unveiled. The Secretary lauded the biofuel accumulator, which uses biological and chemical processes to scavenge CO2 from the air, combine it with other components, and create biofuel. At the Zena Company, a similar process was unveiled that creates chemical precursors for plastics and chemicals.”
“You’re crazy, Stu. Those are other companies. Put the music back on.”
“In a moment.”
“...saving the earth takes shared sacrifice, as certain regions are particularly hard hit,” Jill intoned, opening the next segment. “Food riots continue throughout Africa and Asia as shortages of cereal crops and accelerating prices cause widespread violence and theft. Locals in 17 African nations are demanding the return of land purchased by foreign nations for biofuel feedstock production. The UN Secretary General is calling for peacekeeping troops to enforce food rationing. An expert in global population studies said food shortages create the conditions where social unrest flourishes. He said progressive policies have caused society to hit a tipping point at which food-to-fuel programs have led to significantly higher edible food prices, which precipitated the current social unrest. And unlike previous cycles in 2007-09 and 2011-2013, this one is expected to last much longer.
“In today’s special section, I interview global warming skeptic, Dr. Christy Rogers, from the University of Texas, Dallas, where she discusses the global temperature record.
“Dr. Rogers, please tell our audience why you continue to claim the global temperature hasn’t risen as much as the UN claims.”
“Thank you for this opportunity, Jill. Through our research, we’ve found that several temperature monitoring stations are poorly sited next to heat-generating equipment, such as air conditioner vents, and on heat islands like asphalt parking lots. The data from these sites create outliers that skew the results, making the studies unreliable.”
“What’s the error rate?”
“Approximately 0.05°C since 1950 and as much as 0.15°C in the earliest portions of the data set. We have a similar uncertainty with the sea surface measurements. The majority of sea monitoring equipment is in the northern hemisphere, which provides more certainty, but we have much less equipment in the tropics, and southern hemisphere. Trends there are less reliable.”
“Didn’t the University of California at Berkeley’s Earth Surface Temperature Study prove whether the urban environment did or did not affect temperature readings?”
“They validated the heat island influence, but they claim the rising trend was the same.”
“And what was the land temperature trend?”
“About 0.9 degrees C since the 1950s.”
“So do you still deny global warming?” Jill asked.
“We deny mankind makes a significant contribution to climate change,” Dr. Rogers clarified.
“So, why are a majority of glaciers melting?”
“We’re coming out of an ice age and some glaciers have been retreating from before the industrial revolution. Mankind is only partly at fault.”
“You admit mankind has caused glacial melting?”
“Yes, but in a different way than you might expect. Carbon soot and other aerosol pollutants are primary reasons. Both are byproducts of diesel and coal burning, as well as uncontrolled biomass burning, which includes dung.”
“Dung?”
“Yes, villages in India and some other African and Asian countries burn cow dung as cooking and heating fuel. Being black and energy-absorbing, soot darkens the surface of snow fields and glaciers, thus accelerating the melting process. NASA studies have concluded that at least half the glacier melting can be attributed to this.”
“So will the UN Carbon Law reduce this?” the newscaster asked.
“Yes, to some extent, by reducing the burning of coal and oil, but it may be offset by burning less efficient fuels such as biomass. A more effective strategy exists though.”
“What is that?”
“Particulate scrubbing. If all nations were required to clean the soot and other particulates from their industrial emissions, as we do in North America and Europe, much of the problem would be eliminated.”
“Dr. Rogers, can you comment on the new technologies being unveiled today to scrub out carbon dioxide?”
“Not in detail. Theoretically, they should work, but I doubt they’ll much affect the climate.”
“Why is that?”
“CO2’s a very weak global warming gas. Water vapor’s more significant. And the premise of global atmospheric feedback used by the UN is wrong—”
“I’m sorry, what’s the feedback?”
“It’s when CO2 leads to water droplet formation in the atmosphere, which then absorbs more heat.”
“Thank you. You were mentioning the water vapor—”
“Researchers at MIT and in South Korea have found that water vapor feedback is primarily restricted to the tropics, where there’s a strong correlation for cloud formation. In the tropics, upper level clouds are mostly separated from cumulonimbus towers, and cloud coverage is temperature-dependent. Outside the tropics, that feedback rarely occurred because the cloud formations are different. In temperate and cooler regions, stratiform clouds are dominant.”
“Stratiform clouds?” Jill asked.
“Those are continuous layers, or sheets of clouds. They form where the air ascends. Areas where the air descends are cloud-free. Ascent and descent are largely determined by the wave motions that dominate the meteorology outside the tropics. For these waves, we expect approximately 50% cloud cover regardless of temperature.”
“And this means what?”
“That the Global Warming
hockey stick is missing its blade. It’s a straight, nearly horizontal line with just a slight incline.”
“Thank you Dr. Rogers. That’s all the time we have today. Thank you for tuning in. This is Jill Brent, On The Beat.”
“Hey man, put the hip hop back on!” one of the clean-up workers yelled to Stu. “I’ve been working 12 hours. I don’t need no more lecturing!”
Chapter 31
July 1, 1000 hours
Profit Oil Headquarters, Dallas, TX
Tom’s secretary opened the door for the two men.
“Hi Jim, Welcome back, Don,” Tom Heyward said to the attorney and his lead investigator. He motioned them to the conference table.
“Your son was very helpful on the trip, Tom. I’m glad he came.” Don seated himself in one of the high-backed leather chairs.
“Thanks, Don. The kid’s got insight. It’s probably what saved his life in Iraq.” Tom took his customary position at the table.
“How so?” Don asked.
“Sensing an ambush, getting his guys under cover before all hell broke loose, great peripheral vision, and quick reflexes. In five seconds, he earned both the Silver Star and a Purple Heart.”
Don pointed to the wall. “Those pictures about him?”
“The football and hospital bed ones are. My eldest daughter, Paula is the equestrian and mother of two; Patrick’s the baseball pitcher; and MacKenzie’s my ice skating princess. What can I say, I’m a proud papa. Hell, proud grandpa, too, with Paula’s kids.”
“Since you’re paying the bills, we should cut to the quick,” Jim interrupted. “Interpol backed off. All charges have been dropped. They don’t want a war – they aren’t sure they’d win. They’ve gone to the press and said their initial reports appear to be inaccurate and are now pointing to a problem with the boat.”
“So, a cover-up is their strategy. And the Maldivian government?” Tom was more relaxed.
“Seems the money Hassan used to buy the boat didn’t come from his family or his salary,” Don said. “The Maldivian government clammed up. They don’t want the bad press from my threat to link the murder to bribery for changing the ocean-level data. The family will stay mum as well, to preserve the family reputation. Besides, they got to keep the couple hundred grand they found in Hassan’s account.”
“And the US government?”
“They’re happy not to have any more fingers pointed at a US company, no matter how distasteful an oil company is to them.”
“So what now?”
“Tom, with your permission, and your pocketbook, I propose we keep on this. I want to investigate this Anna Picard.”
Tom leaned forward and clasped his hands together. “Why, Jim? If I’m off the hook, what will it accomplish?”
“Because this woman’s dangerous,” Don explained. “She very effectively set you up for murder, which nearly worked. She may have more malicious intent in store. I want to do an in-field background check on her. There are some leads I’d like to explore.”
“Such as?”
“The Spider, Swanson’s megayacht.… Someone ferried her to shore, brought a bomb to her, and then picked her up.”
“Hell, he may have made the bomb on the yacht,” Jim added.
“And if you find him?”
“Perhaps scare him into a confession. At least it’s leverage to prevent anything else from happening.”
“Any other leads?”
“Well, someone got the bottle off your dinner table. That’s probably a security detail guy, or could be the same guy. And there’s something else,” Jim said.
Don pulled out a photo. “This is a painting she illegally bought from the Maldives National Museum. We purposely did not leave a paper trail on this because we didn’t want the police leaking it. If we can find it, we can tie her to the false identity that dealt with Hassan, and her plot unravels.”
Tom looked skeptically at the photo. “Glad you guys are on my side.”
“You should be,” Don replied.
“How long will it take?”
“About a week, I reckon,” Don said.
“Okay, you have my approval to investigate this mystery woman...Anna Picard.”
Chapter 32
July 2, 1100 hours
Sven’s Apartment, San Francisco
Midday light streamed through Sven’s bedroom blinds. Peggy leaned over and kissed Sven, her full chest up against his. She smiled sweetly, got up, and walked to the shower.
Sven lay on his back, wearing only a content smile. Back in the groove – that was fun. Can’t figure out why I didn’t call someone over when I first got back from France. I needed this.
With the sound of the shower in the background, he pressed a button that automatically opened the blinds, then sat up.
He admired his St. Regis Residence penthouse apartment view.
I’ll never tire of this.... The Golden Gate Bridge...the Bay. Could I really give it up? Before I took this job, I would have been happy with a studio apartment. When I found this place, I figured Anna would tell me even Swanson had his limits. Best view at the Regis for only $6.8 million! I thought it would force her to accept my $2 million backup place. It was so funny that her smile didn’t even crack. Anna just walked to the Steinway, played a quick arpeggio, returned to the agent and holds a check inches from the agent. Then she said, ‘This deal includes the furniture and the grand, and he’ll be moving in today. Okay?’ That agent just stammered and nodded.
Hell...I don’t even play the piano.
The shower door opened. “Honey, could you bring me my dress?”
Sven frowned. Honey? One night and she’s initiating possession? He stood up and picked up her purse and the various clothes strewn around the living room. On the floor by the fireplace was an empty bottle of Bonneau Du Martray.
Damn. I was going to save that.
He looked around and saw a couple bottles of Moët Champagne lying around as well. No wonder I have a headache.
“Here you go.” Cheerfully, he handed Peggy her things while admiring her wet body. Even the morning after, she’s attractive. Yes, definitely a natural redhead.
As he stepped out of the bathroom, he asked, “Peggy, how about lunch?”
“That would be wonderful. I’m famished!” her voice echoed from the bathroom. “Sven, I really love your apartment.”
“Thanks, it’s—”
“It’s got a killer view!”
“Yes—”
“Great Steinway. Do you play?”
“Not—”
“My cousin plays piano. What do you play?”
“As I—” His expression soured more with each interruption.
“Flowers would really enliven the place,” she added. “I like pink roses.”
“They’re nic—”
“You should consider modernizing your art. I know this great gallery. We should go there sometime. Your furniture’s a little too contemporary. You should refresh the style. I’ve got a friend…”
Reporters! Sven stopped listening as she chattered on.
Peggy stepped out of the bathroom half-an-hour later, looking ready for another on-camera shot. “Honey, what’s the story behind the music last night?”
“Story?” He put down the newspaper.
“You played it five times in a row. Don’t get me wrong, I loved it even more after I’d heard it a couple times, but seriously, is it the only thing you have?”
Sven stood and walked to the CD player and popped out the disc. I didn’t even realize I kept playing. “It’s something I picked up in France called Rondó Veneziano, their Scaramucce album…Yeah, I’ve got more music, it just seemed right at the time.”
“Honey, it was great music for making love!” She joyfully pecked him on the cheek.
I’ve got to stop playing that CD, he quietly fumed.
Chapter 33
July 2, 1500 hours
Snath Genetics, South San Francisco
Sven sat quietly in
his office thinking about his future. I had a great success yesterday, so why am I in my office on a Saturday and not celebrating the weekend? Certainly I could have had any number of beautiful women since yesterday afternoon. The Real Wives of San Francisco actress who gave me her card certainly was hot. So why am I in a funk?
He sat at his desk making calculations.
Did the drinks on the flight inspire me to seek my own path to save the world, or did they condemn me to betray the man who gave me all of this?
He was scratching out notes on the timing and logistics of the rough plan that had formed on the plane.
Would it work? It should. When will it be too late for someone to stop it? What will Swanson do to me if he finds out? Probably scold me…maybe fire me. Would he send Anna after me? Were her threats idle, just to keep me under her thumb? Would she ‘eliminate’ me? Would Jared?
Do I care about the risk?
He scoffed.
Not really! I can save the world with this – the ultimate Carbon Trap! Swanson may even thank me. My idea might solve the problem before the old guy croaks. Hasn’t he always said ‘we, as a world, can’t afford not to take bold and irreversible steps to reverse the threat’? If I do this, how will history remember me?
He continued his research.
The logistics require careful timing, and significant resources. And the secrecy must be total. I can bury the expenses under our expansion plans until someone audits the company. Even then, I probably can stall until the deed’s done.
His fingers were drumming on his desk.
I need to start now...and I need help.
Sven picked up the telephone. “Jeffrey, how the hell are you doing? This is Sven...Yeah, it was a great day yesterday and lucrative for both of us.… Yes, I’m back in the office…. No, but you’ll be getting another order from us soon on those bioreactor cylinders. Hey, sorry to bother you on a Saturday, but I need to pick your brain on a separate project.... Yes, it’s big, and I’ll make it sole-source if you can jump on it immediately… Sure, dinner’s on me. No, I insist. Tonight at six…. Great...My place. We can work privately. Keep this between us. You’ve got the address right?.... Excellent. See you then.”