Description
THIS WILL BE A JOINT MEETING WITH THE SPE-GCS RESERVOIR STUDY GROUP, THE WESTSIDE STUDY GROUP, THE NORTHSIDE STUDY GROUP AND THE DRILLING STUDY GROUP.
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Temperatures during the recent Little Ice Age (1250 to 1850 A. D.) were likely the coldest of the last 10,000 years and resulted in horrific climatic effects on humanity. Accompanying the cold were crop failure, famine, pestilence and mass depopulation. The coldest part of the Little Ice Age occurred in the late 17th century and the planet has been warming in fits and starts now for more than 300 years and can be viewed as a beneficial recovery to typical temperatures of the last 10,000 years
The modest warming (1.2 degrees C) since the mid-1800’s, combined with a 50% increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide, has resulted in remarkable benefits to earth’s ecosystems and improvements to the human condition.
By nearly every metric examined, we find that the planet and humanity are thriving and prospering. Deserts are shrinking; rainfall is modestly increasing; droughts are declining; vegetation is increasing in nearly every niche (planetary greening; global wildfires are declining; and extreme weather related deaths have declined dramatically.
Most importantly, warmer temperatures and more CO2 are fueling agricultural yields that continue to break records. The warmer temperatures mean that growing seasons are lengthening. Increasing CO2 is turbocharging crop growth and enhancing drought resistance.
There is a strong correlation between the rise and fall of temperature and the rise and fall of civilization. Each of the past three warm periods (Minoan, Roman and Medieval) were all warmer than current temperatures and coincided with the rise of great empires. Food was abundant and life was good. Each intervening cold era led to crop failure and mass depopulation.
So relax - all of the above does not point to a climate crises.
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PARKING INFORMATION
The TOTAL Plaza building (1201 Louisiana Street across from the Houston Hyatt Regency Hotel) is connected to the downtown Houston tunnel system. Using the tunnel system, those working downtown can walk to our meeting in air-conditioned comfort.