THE ICE AGE APPROACHETH? Part 1 of 3

(re picture:  Emperor penguins, whose population has declined 50% due to melting of sea ice with resulting loss of food sources.)

So bushgreenwatch has scooped me this morning on a story i've been researching and working on for a couple of weeks now.  and that's okay; it's their job.  but I see that it's time to get this story written, a story about global warming that is now making even the Pentagon sit up and take notice. the administration itself has not yet changed its attitude of denial and distortion on this question.  and the Pentagon is only paying attention because the scenario involved could create great problems for that most sacred of cows, national security.  the fact that global warming stands a good chance of affecting life itself on this planet hasn't seemed to move the government to a position of caring, let alone action. but let our "national security" be threatened and suddenly it hits home.

I first read this scenario in an article by Thom Hartmann called "The Ice Age Cometh."  it's adapted from an updated version of his book The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight.  the thesis has to do with a phenomenon called "The Great Conveyer Belt," a current in the ocean for thermohaline (heat and salinity) circulation, which carries as much water as 100 Amazon Rivers and is a crucial factor in shaping the Earth's climate.  this current includes what we call the Gulf Stream and is responsible for keeping much of Europe and the East Coast of North America temperate. ( a short simple explanation of the Great Conveyor can be found here, as well as references to other information about it.) 

(Continued in parts 2 and 3)