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most profitable companies in the world are valued for their carbon stocks - whatever the result the destruction of the planet

If we could see the world through a particular set light show, one of its most important at this point would be a giant bubble of coal, the explosion that will one day the housing bubble 2007, the appearance of a lark. So far - as we shall see -. Unfortunately this is largely invisible to us

In compensation, however, we have some really beautiful pictures made possible by new technologies. Last month, for example, NASA has updated the photo gallery of the most emblematic of our civilization: "Blue Marble", originally taken from Apollo 17 in 1972. The spectacular high-definition picture shows a photo of the Americas on January 4, a good day to take pictures because there were not many clouds.

was also a good day because of how flashy could prove how the world has changed in 40 years. As Jeff Masters, a meteorologist's most popular Web, explains:

"The United States and Canada are virtually free of snow and cloud free, which is extremely rare for January 1. Lack of snow in the mountains of the western United States is particularly unusual. I doubt I could find on January 1 of this free of clouds so little snow on the ground along the entire satellite record dating from the 1960s. "

In fact, it is likely that the week that the photo was taken in order to demonstrate "the driest recorded in the first week in the history of the United States." In fact, continued in 2011, which showed the most extreme climatic conditions in our history - 56% of the country, either in drought or flood, it is not surprising, since "the science of climate change predicted that wetland areas tend to get wetter and dry tend to be drier. "In fact, the nation has suffered 14 climatic disasters, each doing $ 1 billion or more in damages last year. (The previous record was nine.) Masters again, "Watch the weather over the past two years has been like watching a baseball slugger celebrated on steroids."

Given these data - statistics that can be duplicated in almost all regions of the planet - you'd think it would be a total effort to do something about climate change. Instead, we witness a total effort for ... deny that there is a problem.

Our Republican presidential candidates are working hard to make someone think I appease the chemistry and physics. In the last Republican debate in Florida, Rick Santorum, has insisted he be the candidate because he had taken no later than Newt, Mitt global warming "hoax".

Most media pay little attention to what happens. Coverage of global warming has fallen 40% over the last two years. When, for example, a rare tornado outbreak of January, the television presenters politely to speak of "extreme weather", but climate change is a catastrophe that dare not speak its name.

And when they do break their silence, some of our elite members are happy to enjoy the pure and simple. Last month, for example, the Wall Street Journal published an opinion piece by "16 scientists and engineers", entitled "No need to panic about global warming." The article was easily refuted. It was just a mash-up and long refuted the arguments of those who were mostly not climate scientists at all, citing other scientists who immediately told his real work was just the opposite.

There is no secret that this refusal comes from the fossil fuel industry, are paid. (Of the 16 authors of the journal article, for example, five of them had ties to Exxon.) Ross Gelbspan writers Naomi Oreskes making this case, with overwhelming power so that not even deny, c This really is more. The open question is

why

industry remains in denial in the face of an endless body of data showing climate change is the greatest danger ever faced.

its value is mainly based on fossil fuel reserves that will not burn if we ever get serious about global warming

When I spoke of a bubble of carbon in the beginning of this essay, that's what I meant. Here are some relevant numbers, courtesy of the Institute of Capital: we are already seeing widespread climate disruption, but if we want to avoid the absolute disaster that shook civilization, many scientists have noted an increase of two degrees of temperature world, more than I could cope.

If we shed 565 gigatons of carbon into the atmosphere more, we'll probably go right past reddest of red lines. However, oil companies, private and state have current reserves in the books equivalent to 2,795 gigatons, five times more than we can ever safely burn. Must remain in the soil.