He was a skeptic during his 2010 election campaign.  But his Staten Island based district was hit hard by hurricane Sandy, and that can happen again.  Grimm started taking his research more seriously, and he found out just how much data there is on Climate Change. 

But it will be an uphill battle.  "It's much bigger than me", he said.  "I don't think that Americans have the will to do it".  It is very rare for a sitting Republican to publicly take a position like this - so we say that Rep. Grimm is a man of principles, and deserves our support and respect.  This is a sign that the debate over Climate Change is changing - for the better.  How often do you hear a politician change their mind? How often are politicians willing to really speak the truth?   Grimm is a courageous man.
   

  
The GOP overall is deeply divided on the issue of Climate Change.   Publically, Republicans try to put up a United Front. But you suspect that privately it is a different story. There is considerable pressure on this matter; House Speaker Boehner discourages members from even talking about Climate Change.  With that kind of pressure, its no wonder that Republicans are scared to have an honest debate.  

In fact, the Tea Party is the only group in America that still does not understand Climate Change.  In a recent study by the Pew Research Center, only 25% of Tea Party Republicans say there is solid evidence of global warming, compared with 61% of non-Tea Party Republicans.  Overall, in the US, 67% believe in Global Warming, and of the remainder a significant portion are unsure.  So the tide is definitely turning; to find out ore about the Pew survey, click here.  You can find many articles online now about how Republicans fall victim to 'denial behaviour'.  It is unfortunate, and it hurts our country.

What we say, here at ManMadeClimateChange.com, is that if more Republicans would have an open mind, then the world really could change. America could lead the world in this, instead of being one of the big polluters - and driving global warming higher.

Grimm goes on to say, “The mass majority of respected scientists say that it’s conclusive, the evidence is clear. So I don’t think the jury is out,” Grimm told Hayes, a reversal from his previous position on the issue. “I mean there’s no question that, um, you know, the oceans have risen, right? And the climate change part is, is a real part of it.”

The worst-case scenario for Climate Change is if the Earth's Poles completely melted; along with Greenland and Siberia.  Calculations show that sea levels would rise by about 250 feet or more.  This would change every coastline in a a significant and very damaging way. Many islands would disappear and even entire countries would be reduced in size, such as Holland - and Brasil.   Los Angeles would be done; Amsterdam would be gone.  Major cities would disappear - you cannot build a wall to hold back a 250 foot sea level rise.

This scenario is awful that many people are afraid to think about it.   But we cannot afford to ignore reality.  We simply need to react now, in order to prevent it.

One of the great benefits of the changes to reduce Global Warming is a byproduct of more efficient industry and products, more re-use and recycling, and thus a conservation of resources.  Because we are running out of certain natural resources - and this too is something we can address, if we all work together.
  

  
No one knows if the Global Warming process will spiral out of control, or continue simmering at a slow pace.  There are some models that predict Global Warming will accelerate when Siberia melts, due to extensive release of methane.  Methane is a potent factor in Global Warming, and both Siberia and the Arctic regions have considerable amounts of Methane that will be release with widespread melting.  Some melting has already started in all of these areas.
 
A map has been created to show what the world would look like if sea levels rose by 250 feet - and the effects would be catastrophic.  Here is the map - click on it to find out more about Halcyon Maps (and order prints): 

  
National Geographic has had a number of good articles on the risks of Global Warming, the resulting threat to biodiversity, and how Climate Change will affect our world.  Click Here to read their story on what will happen if the poles melt.
 
 

Our website, ManMadeClimateChange.com, made its debut today, Earth Day 2014.

Earth Day this year focus's on cities.  About half of the world's populations live in cities, and cities are growing all the time.  The planet now has many cities with over 5,000,000 inhabitants; this overpopulation is creating many burdens. City managers need to include planning for climate change as well. 
  

  
We cannot forget our oceans.  With rising acidification, increasing pollution, and over fishing we are putting more and more stress on our oceans.  Oceans are the life-blood of our planet, so we need to take better care of our oceans.

The essence of Earth Day is individual's getting involved; that is the core of the environmental movement at the start, and is still true today.  We all need to get involved in further reducing pollution, and in fighting global warming.

NASA is creating a global selfie collage; they want people all over the world to take a picture of themselves outside, and send it to NASA; indicate where you were when the picture was taken.  Send it on Twitter or Facebook to #GlobalSelfie.

Companies are making announcements today to show they are trying harder to be sustainable.  For example Apple says that they now use Renewable Energy for 94% of their power needs (up from 35% in 2010) and have set a goal to be 100% powered by renewables soon.   Apple also said they will recycle any old Apple device you have; none of them will go to the landfill anymore.   This makes Apple one of the greener companies in the world!

We have a resource for individuals who want to help the environment.  Check back periodically to our website for the page titled, You Are The Change.

Children around the world are making drawings and engaging in activities to celebrate Earth Day.  We need to find a way to keep this momentum all year, and through all ages in order to fight Climate Change.  In every major city around the world there were many events held today to celebrate Earth day, engage in cleanups, and even drives for memberships in environmental organizations.

The flip side of all this is that we are not doing enough to stop Climate Change, and no one seems to have an answer for how to deal with those who are short-sighted and selfish.  In the US, Republicans have all but abandoned the environment - despite the fact that the EPA was created by a Republican (Richard Nixon).  You can learn more about Republican disinterest in the environment from this article by Jay Bookman.

We here at ManMadeClimateChange.com remain optimists.   There are challenges but people do respond when needed.  Education is the key, and we can all help with that.  We want to end this blog post with a picture of Yosemite with a rainbow, released today by the US Government to honor Earth Day.  Yosemite is beautiful, and the rainbow represents hope for the future: