Bob Mount: Shell president on target with climate change

A Shell Oil advertisement in the July-August edition of the Atlantic magazine caught my attention.

It was a statement by the company’s president, Marvin Odum. Although I was inclined to disagree with some of his positions, some others he expressed make perfectly good sense. Among the latter are as follows:

“For Shell, the debate about whether climate change is real is over. As an energy-company executive, I see this as a clear call to action. In fundamental ways, this redefines what it means to be a good corporate citizen and a good businessman.

“Inherent in the concept of cap and trade is the recognition that, along with the compelling need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, we need energy … and more of it … Our economy, our security and our future depend on it.”

“While the debate over climate change is over, the debate over doing something meaningful about it this year is not.”

“(Policies) … must be phased in to allow for progress on reducing CO2 emissions at the lowest possible cost, while providing necessary protection of certain competitive industries, our own economy, and its consumers. Delay in making this decision is simply a delay in the ultimate transition.”

I am not sure what “cap and trade” entails, but if its provisions would result ultimately in normalization of the world’s climate, I wholeheartedly agree with Mr. Odum. In addition to my being a “critter watcher” most of my life, I have also paid attention to weather. If I’m not mistaken, weather a few decades ago was far more predictable than it has been for the last decade or two.

During most years, relief from the drought period, August through November, could be anticipated by the onset of a rainy period beginning in December and extending through January and February. March was predictably windy and was considered the beginning of the tornado season. I don’t recall tornadoes occurring in the winter months, and if they did, unlike in recent years, they occurred rarely.

April weather was unpredictable, but usually “April showers” were less frequent than the song suggested. In most years, May and June were drought, and farmers looked forward to the “July rains.”
July was the rainiest month of the summer, on average.

A comparison of how weather conditions used to be, on a month-to-month basis, with those we’ve been experiencing in recent years would be enlightening. Any serious student of meteorology would find it difficult to disagree with Shell’s president that our climate is changing.

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Car manufacturers are missing an opportunity to exploit an unfilled niche. None apparently offer a convertible that is moderately priced, dependable and not a gas hog. Janie is in the mood to trade in her Toyota Solara convertible but can’t seem to find a convertible that meets the aforementioned specifications. I wonder why not?

Bob Mount is emeritus professor of zoology and entomology at Auburn University and writes a weekly column for the Opelika-Auburn News.